Wednesdays Air

[eric byrne]

Good Morning Everyone,

Disturbed sleep last night,a real wild storm was blowing,rattling the louvre blinds through having a open window,didnt wake up enough though to get up and close the window,7.10am,daylights here and the wind has dropped,but still a pretty dreich day out there.Just dropped in for a moment before heading out to work,rather go back to bed though,for another wee half hour.

Thanks ladies for the infro on your local hummingbirds,much appreciated,I would just love to have them visit my back garden.By co-incidence on Saturday I bought bird feeders.one on a pole for sticking into the soil and another for hanging,so I have enjoyed watching,the blue and great tits using them,they were dislodged briefly when a blooming great magpie decided to visit,hope he dosnt make a habit out of it.

Thanks also folks for your mention of my attempts to raise awareness in the fight for better support and funding for Lung Cancer,you will all be in my mind when I deliver my presentation in Manchester next Thursday at 1.45pm.I do feel good about making a contribution,even if it is a small one.

Hi Bud,hope you and Rose get to enjoy many miles to-gether on your bicycles,what kind of weather do you get in Texas,over the winter months,can you cycle through this period?

Well got to dash everyone,its nearly 7.30am,I have a manic bit of road traffic to deal with,Thursday is going to be really busy on Glasgow roads,with the Popes visit to Bellahousten Park,only a couple of miles from my work place,his visit is mid-afternoon I think,so getting home is going to be a bit of a hassle.

[ts]

Not quite midnight here and I am off to sleep - night all. G'day Eric!

[Joppette]

GOOD MORNING! Eric, we get a ton of birds on our deck because we have five feeders out there. It's crazy when they begiin to feed. In the winter we'll have eight feeders out. It's so hard for them when the snow is so deep to find food, so we provide for them. It's awesome.

It's cold here today. High of 60!!!! Yikes.

Have the heart stress test today. Stressed about it! It scares me because I do not enjoy getting short of breath. It feels like I'm breathing through a straw and I hate that. I'm really freaked about getting SOB. Hoping they will take it easy on me in that regard.

Got to get going, the test is in an hour.

Have a good day.

Judy in MI

[Bud Baker]

Good morning, everyone!

It was 67 degrees as I rode to work this morning. That's cooler than is has been, but they're still forecasting a high of 93.

That's a chilly day for September, Judy! Eric, winter here is pretty unpredictable. There's usually lots of mild and dry weather, but last winter was pretty rainy. There are usually still lots of days nice enough for bike riding, but my mileage will certainly be less then, one of the reasons I try to ride all I can while the weather's warm.

Have a great day, all!

[Ann]

Good morning everyone!!!

I'm sure that you all thought I had fallen off the face of the earth...but I'm still hanging on! Between work and volunteer work, I have been slammed. I think of you every single day and feel so guilty for not being here. So....I'm back...just as nutty as ever!

I've been getting really involved in the issue of homeless veterans and it has become one of my new passions. I'm going to a training session this afternoon that will prepare me for hands-on volunteering with these misplaced men and women who have served us so bravely. I'm sure you all know how God can really work on us when he's trying to tell us where to go with our lives. Well, He's really been working on me about this project. I would so love to quit my job and give 200% to this effort, but the sensible side of me keeps reminding me of bills that have to be paid...so I keep on struggling with God on this one. Please say a little prayer for me on this one! This group has prayed me through a lot of tough times since I first met you in 2001 and I know you'll help again!

So...still hot here in central Florida. Temps did drop down to 70 last night but expected back up to 90 today. Of...the mere thought of fall and cooler temperatures makes me happy!!! I would love to be somewhere where the leaves change color. All of or trees here are two shades...green and greener. I do have a little sycamore tree in my back yard that I planted several years ago that "thinks" he lives in a northern area. In a couple more weeks, regardless of the temps, he will drop every one of his little leaves and he will remain bare naked until spring. I love that poor little tree! He looks so sad and breaks my heart!!!

Hope every one of you has a wonderful day!!!

[Joppette]

Ann, I will pray for God to show you what you should be doing. I am very blessed to not have to earn a living, and completely enjoy the volunteer work that I do. It's so rewarding, and I am very grateful to be in the position I am in to be able to do this.

I love your description of your little Sycamore tree. Cute. Our leaves are really beginning to change. It's so rich and awesome to see. I so enjoy this time of year. Spring and Fall are my two favorite seasons, though I obviously love all four here since I still live here! LOL!

Well I had the stress test. All I can say is Oh My Goodness!!!!!!!! It was so hard. They had me going so fast and furious that I was literally panting, and saying I can't do anymore and this technician is behind me pushing my butt (literally) yelling "you can do this, keep going!!!!!" She was literally holding me onto the treadmill. My leg muscles were burning, I'm panting and sweating, and it was just awful. But I got through it, and they got what they needed.

My heart is throwing PAC's out. Premature Atrial Contractions which makes it flutter and skip beats. They said that the doctor would be calling me but to not worry about it. They did say if I have any kind of chest pains to get to the ER immediately. Hmmmm.....

Like I said before, not worried about it. Hearts can be fixed. Cancer puts that crap into perspective.

I'm here at volunteer work and enjoying this beautiful day now that I'm not on a treadmill!!!!!! Meeting someone working on their masters degree at Gilda's Club tonight. She needs to interview a cancer survivor for a paper she is doing. I'm happy to oblige.

Hugs to you all!

Judy in MI

[eric byrne]

Good Evening Everyone,

Well as they say in Scotland "The nights are fair drawing in",its getting darker much earlier now,in October in the UK,summer time ends and we put our clocks back one hour until the spring "Fall back,Spring forward" as we remind ourselves.There have been some rumblings from some English MPs to having this practice stopped as it tends to suit the daylight hours in Scotland more than in England,but so far the practice remains.Weather to-day, still a bit windy and dreich.

Hi Ann, welcome home,missed you and your jokes,you mentioning your sycamore tree,has inadvertantly answered a thought thats been in my mind for years,what would happen if a deciduous tree from a temperate zone was planted in a warmer climate,would it still lose its leaves at its normal time,without temperature changes activating the loss of leaves.The leaves are actually lost because of a chemical change in the tree which seals off the leaf stem at the twig,which isolates the leaf and it dies and drops off.Well you have solved my little question then ,thank you.What a great area to support in volunteering your time and efforts in,helping displaced service men and women,I wish you every success.

Hi Bud,thanks for filling me in on the subject of wintertime in Texas,well there will be no building snowmen for you or snowball fights with the neighbourhood kids either.Mind you,you wont be slipping on the snow,and breaking your elbow either, as I did last winter.

Hi Judy,glad your stress test is over,I was out of breath just reading your description of it,hope the results are good.Enjoy your conversation with the graduate,its a worthwhile cause.

Just about bedtime for me, will be picking up Jennifer to-morrow morning,to take her to college,oh some good news,my buddy,Jim,Head of English Dept,has given Jennifer full-time hours,now she can afford to buy a new car,to replace the one she had to give up last year.Aw I ve just thought,I do enjoy her company now driving her into work,I am now going to be made redundant,oh dear every silverlining has a cloud,never mind we can meet every day now and have lunch to-gether if she wants.Good night everyone.