Scarlet Pimpernel

11 pages for a Winter 2020-21 thread, and we're barely into September...oy gevalt!! Either desperation or hope, I'm not sure which. I didn't read the whole thing, but has Ji canceled this upcoming winter yet? And how many times? Do we have Panic Room previews?? @WxWatcher007 promised so many new amenities this upcoming season for the wayward weenies!!

Something like Feb. 14, 2015 would be kinda cool!! That wasn't really 2-4" area-wide, but I got like 2" in an hour or so followed by gusty winds and temperatures plummeted into the teens for the next day or so, as an Arctic front went through. One of the coolest "mini events" I can remember.

Hello, friend!!! I hope you are well these days!

I'm so sorry to hear about that, Mrs. J!! My sincere condolences and hugs to you. I know how hard it is to make that decision, my brother and sister-in-law have had cats for years and they've had to go through the same kind of thing. Never fun. But I hope you will all have many good memories of Oscar over his 18 years!! On a lighter note if I may. My stepmom once saw her cat sitting neatly on the table, right in the middle of a placemat (illegal for the cat to be there, of course!). She said why is it that when cats do something wrong, they place themselves right in the center?? As if deliberately defiant! I'm sure you can relate to that! Also, when I go visit my brother/sister-in-law I always hear that it's like a spa weekend for their cats...another set of hands available to pet them!!

Hey, just remember that it's after 5:00PM somewhere in the world. That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it!!

So it will be just like the crowds at the old Municipal Stadium in Cleveland that I recall from the '70s and '80s then!!

Hell, I am always up for ordering a good pizza!

On a different, more cheerful note...here's a shot of a distant storm a couple of evenings ago, at sunset. I love the color at that time of day!!

Are they starting the season this year, at least on time? I haven't heard how they'll manage that...or the NBA or NHL, for that matter. Is it going to be similar to baseball, with no real crowds, etc.?

Oh, and hello there, @mappy and @Mrs.J! I hope you are both well! Haven't been in here for awhile, just trying to survive the God-awful heat! I don't even feel like getting out on my bike with this. But I am still taking photos when walking about now and then. I'll see if I can post a few when I have a chance for everyone!

Yup, that prep drink is disgusting...and the "flavor packs" don't help!! I'm sorry to hear you had to go through surgery for Crohn's, I have heard that's somewhat common for the condition. You may be biased by your own personal situation...everyone is of course. But that's not a bad thing. It's when others cannot even try to understand the larger picture here. While personal choice is something we pretty well can all agree on, fact is that a virus doesn't give a damn (any more than it cares about one's politics). If it were a situation where you could take a "risk" without doing anything to anyone else, that would be different. That's not the case with this. And like I said, I know enough people, family and friends, who have varying degrees of potentially at-risk conditions. So I'm biased as well in my view on the whole going back to school or re-opening stuff. I can see how the more remote counties in MD would be better able to "re-open" or even have back to in-person school this fall to whatever extent. I don't have any issue with that, if it's done safely and in a reasonable manner. The areas near DC and Baltimore are a totally different situation. Thus, different decisions, depending on the county (and number of cases, how under control it is, etc.).

First...oh, man, that sucks about Crohn's. And I can empathize, because I've had a history of colitis myself (going back to when I was about 11-12). Ugh! I've had enough of those endoscopy tests that I can almost have a drinking game with that God-awful nasty prep solution you have to drink the night before!! I can deal with an all-liquid diet for a day, and can deal with the procedure itself (they knock you out for it anyhow). But in the number of times I've had to go through this, I've *never* gotten used to drinking the gallon of that metallic salt flavored s*it!! More on topic, I definitely agree with you and get the concern. I know enough people and have enough friends (including family) who have any variety of "risk" conditions. I think we'd all like it if schools (and anything else) could reopen and we can get back to some kind of normalcy. My own daughter will be a Senior this upcoming year, and MoCo just announced it will begin the year with virtual learning through at least the first *semester* (near the end of Jan. 2021). All fall sports and whatnot are canceled of course, with that. Does it suck, especially since she's a Senior? Yeah, and I feel for the fact that her last year in HS will be marred by this crap. Maybe, with some luck, they'll have some in-school instruction come the 2nd semester but I'm not sure. And who knows if they'll have a "live" graduation or do something remote like they did for the class of 2020 this year. So yeah...a drag. BUT...I totally get it and for the most part support the decision. MoCo, just by nature of being highly populous and within the DC metro area, has the 2nd highest number of cases (I think PG has the most in the state?). So it's a different animal than other parts farther out in MD. I'm sure some areas of the state can more safely open earlier or start up some kind of blended in-person/remote kind of deal. Yeah, as much as I totally support being very cautious on re-opening, especially in some areas, some of the rhetoric gets over the top. You're right, the real threat is spreading the disease rampantly through the community by having thousands of kids in school (even if the younger kids might be at far less risk for severe reaction). And there are probably enough kids with at-risk conditions, as well.

Oh wow...very sorry to hear that, PSU! I hope you are doing better and recovering OK, take care of yourself!

Oh...my...does that look TASTY!!

Maybe we flattened the curve of useless posts? Besides, it's summer, doesn't it normally get kind of thin in here unless there's anything severe going on or a tropical system? (ETA: Oh, and there's not much in the way of sports going on now either...) (ETA more: Personally, I think that wiener/Spaghettio image way back early in the month killed the thread!)

SNOW IN MAY!!! Holy cow, this is more that we got all season during actual winter!! . . . Nahhh, just kidding! It's only a coating of cottonwood seeds that are collecting all over the damned place. But it sure looks like snow, and actually did "accumulate" more than what I saw this year! (ETA: I slant-sticked about 3/4 inch total, and it's still falling!)

Wait, is that some vintage photo of @H2O Waterboy mowing his lawn back in the day??

Meh... Sun angle! Nothing but white rain! But seriously, pretty cool! I remember seeing it snow in CO years ago in July. But that was at the top of Mt. Evans at over 14,000 ft.

Early taste of Brood X for next spring? Must be an early straggler. I saw a few a year ago and was surprised.

LOL! Happy Birthday to you!! Now get the hell off my lawn! Hope you have a great day...

Ohhhh, Manhattans! I haven't had one in some time, myself, but like them a lot...Makers Mark for the bourbon for me (and sweet vermouth)! Also like a "perfect" Manhattan, which has both dry and sweet vermouth. There was a place in Atlanta when I lived there (the Highland Tap, for anyone familiar) that made awesome martinis and Manhattans. Friend of mine and I would go there quite often.

Yeah, the Dortmunder is one of their "lighter" beers, a golden ale. Personally I like that at this time of year, generally. But I also like the heavier fall/winter ones too, especially stouts. They have the "Edmund Fitzgerald" porter which is nice, and I've seen their "Blackout Stout" (commemorating the blackout in the northeast some years back) but never tried it yet. I also like their Holiday Ale, has some nice spice to it and is pretty heavy.

@nw baltimore wx, @Baltimorewx, and @C.A.P.E....not sure if this would live up to your beer standards, but I do enjoy Great Lakes beer from my hometown (Cleveland, OH)!! They make some good stuff, and I've been able to find it in a few places in DC! Or, I'll bring some back when I visit there! Here's some Dortmunder Gold...one of their flagship brews, and quite fine if I may say!!

@Mrs.J, I am so sorry to hear about this!! I know that at times, it seems bad things happen all at once like that. Take care of yourself, and I hope your family will be OK!! And thanks for the perspective, you're right, nature sometimes just has beauty when you need it. What a lovely photo!! If I may, here's a red rose for you...