Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Thursday Thirteen 260: Random

1. Fall officially arrived on Saturday, bringing a cold front in with it that dropped the overnight temp here down to 32. Yes, we had our first freeze warning of the year.

2. Needless to say, I have already put away the shorts and hauled out the turtlenecks.

3. I was glad I had dug out my warm scarf and gloves when I ran errands Saturday morning. Not only was it cold, but windy. Just wish I'd grabbed the warmer coat as well.

4. I was happy to get home again, where I could curl up with a new book and a warm afghan for a few hours.

5. Temperatures in the 30s and 40s have made for a cold apartment over the past week and a half. I arrived home Wednesday evening to a welcoming sensation: they had turned the heat on during the day. It's nice to be toasty warm without wearing three layers.

6. The cooling temps mean summer flowers are dying off and autumn flora blooming. I'm seeing fewer prairie thistles, black-eyed and brown-eyed susans, and wild chicory on my walks and more asters, mums, and vervain.

7. The leaves are already changing color, though they are not expected to be as vibrant this year due to the drought.

8. 2012 is officially the hottest year on record, with 75 to 80 percent of the US suffering drought conditionssome areas worse than others.

9. The corn and soybean crops were hit hard this year. Some farmers harvested cornstalks in July, operating under the attitude that even if there were no ears of corn on them, it was still fodder for cattle. Some fruit orchards were also hard hit, first by the hot March, then frost in April, followed by months of drought.

10. One nearby apple orchard said they were expecting a 75 percent loss this year after the above normal temps of March, but the bit of rain we had at end of July was just enough to reduce their loss to 40-50 percent. Of course, that's still about a $100,000 loss. 

11. Pumpkins also fared better than expected, and I've seen a few in yards and on front porches this week. Can't wait to see more fall and Halloween decorations in the coming month!

12. Fall, of course, means football season. If the NFL doesn't settle the contract dispute with the refs soon, it will be a long and even uglier season than it already has been. I think Paige did an admirable job "tackling" this topic last week.

13. If you haven't heard about the debacle in Seattle Monday night, you likely live under a rock. Though the NFL concedes an error was made, they refuse to overturn the score. Now the Worst. Call. Ever. has it's own t-shirt, selling for $12.07
the rightful score of Monday's game. I also like their Instant Replay shirt.  


More Thursday Thirteen Topics



15 comments:

Kimberly Menozzi said...

I'm still waiting for full-blown "Fall" to arrive here (it never lasts long), and I can't wait to haul out my sweatshirts and heavy jeans. This is my favorite season, can you tell? :)

Happy TT to you!

CountryDew said...

My favorite time of year. The leaves have a tinge of color to them here.

colleen said...

I went to a pavilion concert Sunday night and froze! My pumpkins did great this year. What did Chris Rock say about #13? I'll have to google it.

Jennifer Leeland said...

I love Fall. Here, we have beautiful, clear afternoons. Foggy in the mornings.

Unknown said...

I love this time of year. Leaves haven't turned yet, but just beginning. I don't have to park in front of my fan lol
Fun list. Happy T13!

Jana said...

I live under a rock, apparently. Hadn't heard anything about Seatle.

Also, I'm stuck on the vervain (which,according to Vampire Diaries, is poison to vampires) in your post. It called to mind Vampire Diaries and now all I can think about is Ian Somerhalder.

So thanks for that. Because yum.

Heather said...

Kimberly: Fall is usually my favorite season, too, though it means winter isn't too far off.

Anita: Some of the trees here have already changed--some seemingly overnight--while others are just starting to get a tinge of color to them.

I am Harriet said...

It just doesn't feel right having to put the heater on when it's barely fall does it?

Have a great t-13!
http://harrietandfriends.com/2012/09/50-most-powerful-women-in-business/

Heather said...

Colleen: Sorry, did you find the quote by Chris Rock? Should be really easy to find on google.

Jennifer: We have a lot of sun and clear skies this week, and while not as windy as some days last week, it has been breezy enough to warrant at least a light scarf. The slightest draft on my neck makes it ache.

Heather said...

Adelle: Yes, that's the best part of fall--not needing the fan or AC anymore. Much easier to get warm, I think, as you can dress in layers.

Harriet: Yes, you'd think we would get a few weeks of those nice in-between temperatures, but it always seems to go from one extreme to another overnight.

Heather said...

Jana: What, no one at work or in your family has been talking about it? Thankfully, a new contract has been reached this week and the replacement refs are OUT. Have not seen Vampire Diaries, though I did recently remind a friend we wanted to borrow it from another friend's daughter, LOL.

Paige Tyler said...

Totally with you on the Packer game! But yay, the real refs are back!

*hugs*
Paige

My TT is at http://paigetylertheauthor.blogspot.com

Heather said...

Paige: Awesome news, isn't it? A little late for my guys, but at least we won't have second-rate officials anymore.

Alice Audrey said...

We've had a low pressure system sitting on us for over a month now. It keeps the fires burning and the days warm, but the leaves on the trees in town are turning. Not sure if it's from over night cold or smoke and ash.

Heather said...

The cold temps will facilitate turning. While most days have been warming up to 65-75 here, nights have been down into 40s and even 30s.