There are some people who just have to question everything, usurp and hijack everything too.

If you request that people pray for an individual, there are people who question minute things about the request.

They question the diagnosis, as if they have medical degrees, they question the motive of the family, the timing, whatever.They pull focus off the individual and hijack the request so that they and their pseudo intellect become the prime focus .

People reading their rants lose sight of the request and the person in need falls by the wayside.

These kinds of people must always be in the limelight. It is always about them. Every situation, every thing revolves around them and their thoughts, their actions. And, if it isnt about them they will make it all about them.

Sickening and I am fed up with a certain one who does this consistently.

When requesting that people pray for a child with "swine flu" they take off on a rant about how its probably "not" swine flu.

Focus now is on them and their "opinions" rather than the toddler who is very sick.

Who cares what the disease is, a toddler a tiny baby is suffering. That should be the only focus.

What is wrong with these kinds of morons?

Water seeping under the back door as the rain continues to fall like a tropical storm.
The rain of tropical storms is a different kind than normal rains. It is somehow thicker.
I don't know any other way to describe it. It's drops fall closer together than other rains and faster. There is an urgency in them.

The gutters are not in good shape and I am moneyless so, cannot fix them.
I will try to save up and see what occurs,but, it looks grim.

I do hope that the winter will be warmer and with little snow and rain for the most part.
I guess this storm came up from the south, which got a very bad drenching last week.

It remains to be seen how the gutters on the house will hold up.

Autumn in Full Swing

Blogger problems now! If it isn't one thing it's another. HOpefully they are now solved and posting can resume.

The end of summer is usually not as abrupt as it was this year. But then, spring was more like autumn and summer was long in coming and had a short stay. It left abruptly one day and autumn seemed in full swing.

I find I miss the "Indian Summer" we are used to when leaves are red and gold and temperatures climb to the low 70's. It is a gift as it dries out the wet autumn leaves that produce mold and mildew and make you sneeze.

No Indian Summer this year .

In years gone by summery temps could pop up until Halloween with children sweating in costumes. Other years children went begging in frigid temps.

Thanksgiving has been warm and summery.... or sub zero. You just never knew.

Thank goodness for the Farmer's Almanac which gives a hint of things to come.

Today was rainy , dim and gray. Lights needed through most of the daytime hours and soon even the daytime hours will dwindle as we reach the end of October already! Didn't it just begin?

Next weekend is the end of Daylight Savings Time when clocks "fall back" to their original settings.

Autumn will soon give way to winter...

Computer problems have kept Summerplace quiet for a while, unable to post.

Summer sun is past and the windy autumn with its nor'easters has really arrived. We are on the way to Halloween with it's scary dark nights and little candy eaters making the rounds door to door with parents in tow.
Many towns have programs for the holiday to ensure the safety of the children. They hold parties in the schools and organize walks for treats.
It's a shame they even have to, a shame that some adults are so uncaring of kids that they would even think of making things difficult for them.
Sad to live in such times when even children have to beware of danger to such a degree.

A brand new Walmart has opened complete with grocery store inside. Super they call it.
Where it stands there was a farm. The farm had sheep, a lovely home and orchards.
Now it is a black ugly parking lot with a generic brick walmart looming over it.
The street is a small two lane country road.
The town is small.
Across the road is a family owned hardware business that has a wonderful garden center.
Will they get hurt?
Maybe, though their quality and service will be better. Their employees far superior to Walmarts.

Family businesses was once a way to make a living for an entire family. Some got rich, most just were able to live a decent life from the earnings of the store.
Today it is nearly impossible to have a family business because laws and regulations tax you to death, make it nearly impossible and the mega store corporations run you out of business.
It's really sad but it's been allowed.

Another thing that comes with it is blighted landscapes with ugly stucco and steel buildings that look like junk from the start.
Gone are the charming store fronts of yesteryear and in their place we have mass produced junk architecture. Housing has gone that way too with the McMansion craze.
Big 3,000 sq foot homes on postage size lots. All of them brick with a garage jutting out in front.
They all look alike, feel alike.. are bland and well.. uninspiring.

Its what the traffic allows, though.

Had to turn on the heat a bit in the last few days because it's been chilly especially in the late afternoon ,early evening.
Once the house gets up to 72 I turn it off and it stays nice for the rest of the day/night.
I don't want a huge gas bill this early in the year and gas is too expensive thanks to government tom foolery.

Its a rainy day today. In fact it was rainy yesterday and last night there were some gale winds. The pond is over it's banks, the bay is wild and I went out for a walk. There is something comforting about being bundled up inside a warm coat and hat on a blustery, rainy day. Yes, inside a house is better, but, being outside makes you feel alive and appreciative of the house waiting for you on your return. I walked along the roads seeing gold light spill out of homes onto soppy lawns and imagined the people inside huddled at the breakfast table having hot, steaming cups of coffee and thinking how dumb it was to be out on a day like today. Lake Bayside(not a real lake, just the juncture of 2 roads that floods and we call it lake Bayside) was up to its imaginary banks and its eastern most side flowed into the very real creek that reaches out to Barnegat Bay on its short journey. How fast a tiny creek widens into a mighty course of water! That thought took me off on thoughts of how small incidents ( national or personal) quickly broaden into huge ones if damage control isn't quick in coming. I had no companion on my walk except for Gordon the Mallard who often walks alone now that his life long mate Gertie has passed on to duck heaven. Its kind of sad to see him wandering along without her. For a long time they were a constant couple and raised many little Gerties and Gordons. It was nice to have him join me for a block or two. We ambled along at a slow pace since Gordon likes to take time to smell the roses as it were. I think he stays so long into fall out of reluctance to leave places he holds dear, if indeed ducks can do that. But somehow, it must be so or he would have flown off south by now. I suspect this was his final walk around "his" property before he goes this year. It's nice to have someone to chat with, even if that someone is a duck. And his friendly nature and inquisitive eyes make him a jovial companion. His constancy and faithfulness are a lesson in keeping on keeping on. I was telling him how nice his green neck was when I spotted a lone daisy blooming by the side of the road! Yes, in November!! A lovely Shasta Daisy!! All alone also, like me, and Gordon, the daisy was just blooming like crazy. No thought to the chilly air, no thought to approaching winter (they say snow on Thursday..brrr). That daisy was blooming itself silly!! And out of season. I felt pretty good about that as I often "do myself silly" in some things..sigh. There is a lesson there too ..... don't let anything get you down for long, and keep blooming! So, the people with the steaming coffee mugs at the cozy kitchen tables thinking how dumb it is to be out on a day like this were wrong! G-d provides a day's worth of lessons all around us if we just will keep our eyes open and look at all the possibilities. As we reached the lagoon by the marina, Gordon waddled down into it where a larger group was waiting and together they flew off. I was happy to have escorted him part of the way on his journey. Another good day begins on the bay.

(Post set to automatically post)

Too Cold!

Cold and chilly weather!
What happened to a nice warm autumn? 36 degrees already and just Oct 2?
No, this cant be.
We usually get weather into the 80s until we are thoroughly sick of it!
Not this year though, it was not to be.
I hope it warms up a bit though. Too much to put away out in the yard. havent had the chance yet.
Hoses, pond equipment. No.. I need a bit more summer
Summer was late.. fall is early.
no way.. no how.. uh uh!!

There is a boardwalk nearby that is really just a neighborhood sidewalk. Summer homes and year round homes come right to its edge and the river leading out to the bay opens wide before it and laps the white sandy beach.

You can see the Victorian town on the other side, and the lights of the Barnegat Bay Bridge in the distance leaving trails of light in the waves on the open bay. People love to walk those boards all year long. Both natives and people from surrounding places because of the peace and the calm there. You can see into some of the homes as you go by, and its not unusual for the owners to wave a friendly "Hi" as you go by.

It was cold tonight but, it was a good night for a nice walk along the boards. Its another world to see the lights on the water and hear the gentle tapping of the rain on it too. I passed by homes warmly lit. People sitting around tables talking, others entertaining in the evening....its the thing to do ..to share your home and its view with others. One home in particular struck me as I passed by

Gentle jazz streaming on the night air from the house, men sitting and drinking cocktails, while the ladies sat at a card table playing bridge and eating "petit fours" and sipping cocktails too. The ambiance was wonderful you could sense it so strongly. Light laughter mixed with the smooth jazz filtered out along the boardwalk and although not many were walking, just the odd one here or there.. their faces reflected what I was feeling.

The people here are different. They live in a nice place really and they truly appreciate it for what it is.

I have never walked that boardwalk that I havent seen someone entertaining quietly in their home sharing the ambiance, food, and that never ending gorgeous view. I can't invite you for cocktails or coffee....but I can share this with you. Good night.