East Coast Happenings

[Diane Amberg]

Actually,we did.Thanks.I hope your school year is running smoothly,with no unexpected black clouds.

[Diane Amberg]

The Pope has come and gone, with hundreds of thousands of the Catholic faithful and interested people of all kinds in Philly to see him.
I watched a lot on TV and was pleased at how well the throngs of people were treated and helped to get where they wanted to go.
I can't imagine how much it cost to do all that.
The weather cooperated and it was a perfect day for the people who waited for hours for just a glimpse of The Pope as he went by. Some who never did see him were happy just to be able to say they were there. 
On another topic, we had a total eclipse of the moon here last night. We got to see some of it, but clouds covered part too. Always interesting.
We are very dry, but some rain is promised soon. Usually Sept. is a rainy month for us, but not this year.
  Our boat neighbor brought us some more nice big fat crabs again.These may have been the last of the season....Sure were good.
Al is still setting up the new car. We need a 12 year old to help us figure our all the neat features and gadgets! We finally did get the cruise control figured out yesterday.It was so easy we didn't believe it.  HA!
We went over to the Newark Shopping Center for their every Sunday local Farmers Market in the parking lot. Lots of fun fall stuff. I bought some local scrapple and a huge butter nut squash.  For the many toms and peppers and all, we still have our plenty of our own . I did get to try something new... Pawpaw. Daddy often talked about the good ones in Kansas.They do grow here, but not as commonly. A pair of our friends has a home grown honey and bees wax candle tent. They have a Pawpaw tree, so they brought some of the fruit to the market. I finally got to taste some for dinner last night.Very good...a bit like a mild sweet Mango, but with more bean sized seeds. Hope your weather is as nice as ours today.

[Diane Amberg]

We dropped off the  new Honda this afternoon to have the trailer hitch installed. My favorite gas station is right next door and I was so surprised to see the cost. $2.05.9 Amazing. Of course my tank was still full and I didn't need any.I was about to get out my rubber pockets!
It's getting dark and cloudy, so rain is finally on the way.There is even a tropical storm going to head up the coast... Late this year. Now if I wait a few days, the ground will get a good soaking and putting in the boxes of new spring bulbs that just came will be so much easier.
   The number two raccoon came up on the deck last night. He took his scraps very happily. He, much bigger than the very old gimpy one, looks very fat and healthy and ready for cold weather.I'm afraid the other old one won't last much longer.
Start thinking about Fire Prevention Week.If your regular smoke detectors need their annual batteries,don't forget...or if they are more than 10 years old,the whole unit should be replaced.There are really  good ones out now that are sealed, no battery changing needed and will last for 10 years.We changed ours over as they were 10 years old this year. Stay safe out there.

[Diane Amberg]

It's amazing how quickly things can change. The hurricane is now up to a category three and seems to heading slowly toward the east coast. Even if we don't get a direct hit, serious amounts of rain and flooding are predicted.Tomorrow, if things don't change, it will be time to start putting things away and battening down the hatches.There are a lot of directions this thing can take, from a total miss to a direct hit.
We may have to postpone our memorial bell ringing until next week. Tic toc, carefully watching.

[Diane Amberg]

We are still marking time and watching the hurricane.Joaquin seems to be going to head up the coast, but more out to sea than originally thought.That is good for us here. We are getting the needed rain, but less damaging winds. We've had 4.5 inches over the last couple of days. Low areas are already flooded with more to come.
It's chilly too. Got down in the 40's last night. If it stays that cold, I'll have to bring in my house plants soon. I put on a long sleeved shirt today for the first time in months.
The other thing that isn't getting much notice is the nor'easter we have been having, even before the effects of Joaquin get here. The beaches are being hit hard with very serious erosion.... after spending millions on beach replenishment recently, it seems like a terrible waste.I hear the mail carrier,time to get the mail.

[Diane Amberg]

Still very blustery here, but the worst is over.We got 9.3'' of rain before it was all over, with just a bit of spitting still going on. There is some flooding around and some loss of power and trees down, but all in all we were very lucky... no injuries or loss of life around here that I know of. Ready for some hot tea on this chilly afternoon.It's only 52.

[Diane Amberg]

We got another little bit of rain,so make that 9.5''all totaled.That's a lot for us, but compared to what the states south of us are dealing with, it's just damp.
The beach at Rehoboth is gone.I have friends at a conference there and they say there is no sand left.
We did get the big bell rung at noon...had 13 of us.The local paper showed up, took some photos and did an interview. Great publicity for the start of Fire Prevention Week.

[Diane Amberg]

My goodness, Josh Shannon already put our little article in the local paper.newarkpostonline.com.

[Mom70x7]

Cute little article - and saw you ringing the bell! 

[Diane Amberg]

Why shucks, thanks. I always look so old and fat in photos now. HA!
I liked the cute photo of 6 year old Aiden Bowerson pulling the bell chain with is father.... and also our handsome young chief A.J. Schall, pulling the chain too..I was sorry there was no photo of the actual big bell itself up over our heads.