Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group discussion
Let's compare weather!
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Weather - What's YOUR weather today? (Part ONE - Started Sat., March 14, 2009) (Let's keep this going.)
Well, we are almost up to seventy degrees today and tomorrow is even warmer we are told. But, still no rain or snow. Strangest winter I can remember.
Enjoy your 70 degrees, Nina. It's 36 degrees here!
We still haven't hit 40 & have a lot of snow around even though we've had some rain. It's been a really cold rain, not quite ice.
32 degrees here right now. We had a few inches of snow yesterday and it's still on the ground.
We're down in the low 20's again this morning, but might hit the mid 40's this afternoon. Tonight our low is supposed to be above freezing & the weekend looks nice. More wintery weather next week, though.
"Wintery weather" is the word of the day! Sun is out but the temp is currently 21 degrees.
The state song for KS is "Home on the Range," and one line of that song fits our weather perfectly these past weeks; "and the skies are not cloudy all day."
Even if it's a cold rain we'd welcome it.
Early on in the winter we did have an inch of ice but after it melted I put my snowboots back in the closet. I hope to bring them out one more time but hope it's not because of ice.
I haven't needed my boots so far this winter. No really deep snow... yet! :)Enjoy your sunshine, Nina!
We have an icy swamp right now. The top 1" is thin gook & then there is ice. Yuck. I wanted to ride today since it was nice, but the footing was too bad.
Sounds dangerous, Jim! Be careful when you walk. The poor animals have to be careful too!
We experienced a terrible ice storm fourteen years ago and we were afraid to even drive down streets as the trees were bent over and could have fallen on our car. People were without power for two weeks or more. I can't think of anything good about ice. Or Isis for that matter.
Yes, Nina, ice is scary.
Today there were crocus blooming in my friend's front yard. Still no rain but can't give up hope. Maybe I'll pray to St. Francis. My husband had to trap a squirrel yesterday as it was the main culprit dumping out our birdseed. Sad but sometimes necessary.
I was picking up trash along the road & planting some zinnia & cosmos seeds & saw that I have a couple of blooms forming on some daffodils. The crocus haven't bloomed yet, although I saw their leaves up over the weekend.
Here's a thumbnail of our upcoming weather:This is the last calm day until we see this storm system roll through Wednesday & Thursday. Today is pretty nice with mostly cloudy skies & highs in the low/mid 50s. Tonight is when the rain begins. Showers with a few rumbles of thunder on & off all day Wednesday. 1"-2" of rain expected. Rain changes to snow Wednesday night-Thursday. We could see as little as a coating to as much as 3" across the region on Thursday. Have a good day!
It fails to mention that the high on Thursday is supposed to be 33. Brrrr! We hit 70 last Saturday. What a rollercoaster!
Nina and Jim, the only flowers I see are the ones in pots at the supermarket, placed strategically as you enter the store. Pretty to look at. :)PS-Jim, look out for the snow! :)
Rain Rain don't go away. Come our way any day. I so wish the heavens would open up and soak our ground like old times.
Nina, maybe you should do a rain dance. :)
I really do believer in climate change now after this winter. My children used to sled down our hills and they skated on ponds even in our suburban neighborhoods. And I feel sorry for the kids with sleds now after our one inch of snow winter and of course the ponds and lakes aren't frozen. I had to laugh at a picture in our paper of a couple getting married in the penquin grotto at the Zoo this week and the reporter said the penquins' didn't even have to change their clothes. I have to say they did look pretty cute alongside the wedding party. When I was young I lived near our Zoo and when I sent the picture to my former childhood neighbor she wrote back and said, "Why didn't we think of that?'
Nina, you've reminded me of my trips to the Bronx Zoo. I used to love to watch the monkeys and the chimpanzees. While in Montreal one time we went to the Biodome. They had an entire section for the live Penguins, in their own type of cold habitat. Here are a couple of pics of them in the Biodome from online:
http://espacepourlavie.ca/sites/espac...
http://i0.wp.com/dreamtravelmagazine....
They also had a section with actual tropical climate which we were able to walk through. It was so hot and steamy! I snapped a pic of a little monkey or an animal like a monkey. I was standing only a few feet from the actual monkey.
Here's a pic from online showing a monkey in the Biodome:
http://images.travelpod.com/tw_slides...
Here's the pic I actually took myself, standing so close to the monkey:
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1753...
(Oh, I see TWO monkeys there, if I look close!)
Here's the Biodome itself:
http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/medi...
http://cache-graphicslib.viator.com/g...
It's quite spectacular!
Nina wrote: "I really do believer in climate change now after this winter..."That's a common fallacy, but has nothing to do with climate change on a global scale. There are always variations in climate. In the 70's & 90's, we used to have winters cold enough to skate down the creek to the dam. Never had one in the 80's. Climate is what you expect, weather is what you get.
It's also helpful to keep in mind that Earth time is on a completely different scale than human time. [image error]
At times, the earth was a lot warmer than now, other times colder. IOW, changes may occur, but life goes on.
Well, Perhaps we'll get snow next year. So far it's been several years since we've had any appreciable amount. Not that I want a blizzard and grateful we aren't in the tornado states situation so far. But I have to say it's probably been at least forty years since our lakes and ponds have frozen enough for anyone to skate on.
Wonderful pictures, Joy! Thanks for sharing these.
The penguin pictures reminded me of the way they are shown in the Milwaukee Zoo. They are really cute creatures. In Ediburgh Scotland they take walks daily out along the sidewalk from their enclosure. Love the monkey picture and the building photos. I am especially fond of Montreal and have been lucky to have visited there three times.
Joy, when I mentioned that it was my grandson who introduced me to this Goodreads group you asked how he heard of it. When I asked him he said he couldn't remember as it had been so long ago. He said he was on it before Amazon or Facebook were involved and he thinks he probably saw it advertised on the Internet at some point.
We were only in the mid 40's today, but our first crocus & daffodils have bloomed! Some other crocus might have bloomed, but the rabbits got to them before I did with the moth balls. Now they're protected.
About penguins, yes, they really are cute. I never thought so until I actually saw them in Montreal.Nina, thanks for saying how your son found Goodreads. I found Goodreads via another book group I was on which was part of an online bulletin board BEFORE the existence of the Internet. When the Internet started, I searched for them and there they were! They call themselves "Constant Reader". See the GR group here:
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
Most of the folks there are very nice but the group is too sophisticated for me. I'm uncomfortable there. Too daunting for me.
Jim, "crocus & daffodils"! Ah, how nice!
Werner wrote: "Wonderful pictures, Joy! Thanks for sharing these."You're welcome, Werner. It was fun reminiscing.
Joy, I checked out your former Goodreads group and I then remembered I, too, belonged to a different goodreads but now I have forgotten the name and all I seem to remember is the leader, so to speak, was immersed in the book, "Atlas Shrugged." I'll have to ask my grandson what the name of that one was as he thoroughly disliked it.
Nina, I remember that the moderators at the Constant Reader GR group were very nice when I was there. The group really had some good discussions. It focuses on one book each month. For various reasons, I've chosen not to do that in our group. Here's the link to the Constant Reader group: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
They are currently reading The Green Road by Anne Enright.
I am watching a marathon of Downton Abby and noticed one of the characters said, "Heaven's to Betsy," and I am wondering if any of you know the origin of that saying.
Nina, I'm going to miss Downton Abbey tonight. I'll be watching the Academy Awards.I'll try to research "Heaven's to Betsy" another time. Am busy getting ready for my sister's overnight visit tonight.
Nina, see the following webpage for info re "Heaven's to Betsy":http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/he...
Looks like there's no definitive answer, just some speculations.
Joy, My computer wouldn't get the phrase website but thanks anyway. Just curious. I doubt any young people ever heard it before it was on Downton Abby. They were just reruns last night of Season 6. Last episode is on March 6th.
Nina wrote: "... My computer wouldn't get the phrase website but thanks anyway. Just curious. I doubt any young people ever heard it before it was on Downton Abby. ..."Nina,
Below is from a website called "The Phrase Finder":
================================================
ABOUT: "Heavens to Betsy" - A mild exclamation of surprise.
"This American phrase has been in circulation since, primarily restricted to America, the latter part of the 19th century, although its use faded throughout the 20th century and it is now something of an anachronism. The first example of it that I can find is from the US journal Ballou's dollar monthly magazine, Volume 5, January 1857: "'Heavens to Betsy!" he exclaims..."
"It is possible that the phrase is a minced oath and an alternative to 'Hell's bells', although there's no real evidence of that.
"Of course, what we would like to know is, 'was Betsy a real person and, if so, who?'. Various theories have been put forward but it is unlikely that she will be identified. For phrases that contain names that are genuinely eponymous, that is, named after a known person or fictional character, it isn't difficult to trace the person concerned, as in 'sweet Fanny Adams', 'kiss me Hardy' etc. When we come to phrase like 'Mickey Finn', 'happy as Larry', where there is doubt as to the named person, a strong case can be made to suggest that the names were invented. That seems to be the case with Betsy."
"The etymologist Charles Earle Funk published Heavens to Betsy!: And Other Curious Sayings in 1955. In that he ventured the opinion that the origins of 'Heavens to Betsy' were "completely unsolvable".
FROM: http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/he...
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Well guess we'll never know but wasn't language more colorful in the old days?
Nina wrote: "Well guess we'll never know but wasn't language more colorful in the old days?"Nina, you may be right... especially nowadays with the kids texting messages in the shortest way they know how, with all sorts of abbreviated words. Perhaps we should call this the AGE OF ABBREVIATION! (including abbreviated clothing)! :)
Today the weather is still sunny/hardly a cloud in our skies this winter. And there is a cold wind which we feel because the temp fell thirty degrees. Thanks for the info on adding pictures but it does sound complicated so might give it a thought and try it when I am not so busy. I am into P.T. and after doing those exercises etc it takes up good part of day and I must go to P/T. sessions twice a week. Still same problem with my neck pain. Could be worse.
Nina, I'm sorry to hear that you still have that neck pain. Hope the PT works for you.
Thanks Joy, not terrible pain just tiring to hurt and the pain goes up into my head but the P.T. is trying to alleviate it so I have confidence. He is also working on my posture and my tight muscles. One blessing no hip replacement or knee as so many my age have to have done. Don't miss the last and final episode of Downton Abby next Sunday.
I wish you more good health, Nina.I will try to remember to watch Downton Abbey on Sunday. I don't want to miss the final episode!
Our weatherman tells us winter is over/no snow is in sight and as I have said we had about an inch this winter. Also, mostly our temps are twenty degrees above normal from now until the real date for spring. Strangest winter I have ever experienced.
Nina wrote: "Our weatherman tells us winter is over/no snow is in sight and as I have said we had about an inch this winter. Also, mostly our temps are twenty degrees above normal from now until the real date f..."Nina, we've had a comparatively mild winter this year. I hope it stays that way!
I saw my first robin yesterday. Are they up your way yet?
Nina wrote: "I saw my first robin yesterday. Are they up your way yet?"Haven't seen one lately, Nina. I'll keep looking. :)
Our usual weather in March is in the fifties and no we are looking at some days of seventy. I hope summer doesn't arrive when it's suppposed to be spring.
Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group
Books mentioned in this topic
The Glassblower (other topics)The Paradise of Glass (other topics)
The American Lady (other topics)
Heavens to Betsy!: And Other Curious Sayings (other topics)
The Green Road (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Louise Penny (other topics)Petra Durst-Benning (other topics)
Anne Enright (other topics)
Anne Tyler (other topics)
Jane Gardam (other topics)
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Actually, Joy, I've been home all day. The roads were still passable when I came home last night. But thanks for the good advice!
Nina, if you'll come to Virginia to get it, we'll let you borrow all the snow you want. :-) We've got plenty to spare!