Hi Everyone! I have so much weather news I hardly know where to begin. Diane, You're welcome. I was hoping you were watching, especially when they issued the tornado watch. (It was east of me and might have been just south of you.) I've seen one image on our news of a wall cloud trying to drop a funnel over Johnston County, but it never came own to the ground.) Littledog, When we first moved here, we had no cell service, no internet service and could only pick up one TV station (sometimes, but not consistently), so I had to learn to listen to the NWS radio to get my weather. Well, that and I watched the skies a lot. LOL Technology finally arrived here....first they paved our road, then we got dial-up internet (and later even wireless internet service), then a cell tower put in, and finally better TV reception. I now feel like we are practically living in the 21st century here. I try to always watch and post weather updates because I know some of our members have the same types of internet/cell phone/TV access issues we used to have. People may think America is fully wired coast to coast, but I know lots of remote areas right here in OK where cell phone and internet service and TV reception are spotty to nonexistent. I'm glad to know the updates are useful to you, Little Dog. Thanks for the holiday wishes. I think my holidays will be grand, though snowy and windy. (more detail below) CJlambert, I think you're going to have that white Christmas! (Or, at least, my local TV meteorologist thinks so and I believe him.) I watched those storms on radar as often as I could. I spent most of my day hauling tons of jars of pickles, pickled jalapeno peppers, sweet fruit jellies, and spicy pepper jellies out of the root cellar (tornado shelter). Then I wiped the layer of dust off of them, packaged 4 jars to each gift bag, along with tissue paper and curly ribbon, and made DH 45 gift bags to take to his co-workers and employees tomorrow. Today was the day that all the hot summer afternoons of canning paid off because I went "Christmas shopping" in my cellar. LOL Have you ever had thundersnow? (Also known as convective snow showers, I think, if you want to get all technical.) We've had that here a couple of times. It is just like a thunderstorm with thunder and lightning, but with snow instead of rain. We've also had thundersleet before. Oklahoma has the oddest weather! Now, y'all, here's the south-central OK weather update. Today's forecast high of 68 ending up being 74 at our house and 71 at our mesonet station. Those kinds of hotter than expected days ahead of a severe cold front almost always bring us a fast and wicked drop in temps, naturally, since the temperature has so far to fall. Tonight we'll only get down to 39 degrees, and we won't get down to freezing here until late tomorrow afternoon. However, we've been told to expect snow, and probably accumulations of 1-3" on Christmas Eve. We'll also have strong wind, so some blowing snow. Now, I'd love to have a snowy Christmas Eve and/or Christmas Day. Unfortunately, that kind of weather usually keeps our firefighters out working wrecks all day and all night, but we'll just cross our fingers and hope that doesn't happen. So, is the snow going to hit y'all? Will it hit us? Is "my" weatherman cruelly giving me false hopes of a white Christmas? Who the heck knows! So, just in case the snow and wind hit and we lose internet service or power or whatever (not that I think we will, but you never know), I want to wish each and every one of you and your families a happy, merry and splendid Christmas! I hope Santa brings everyone just what they're hoping for. Dawn P.S. Even though the Tulsa NWS Page is not as enhanced as the Norman NWS page, I'm going to link it below so those of you in that area can have a quick look at your own map. Remember that these linked NWS pages update constantly so check them as needed! P.P.S. OK, I linked it and all I can say is "Wow! Y'all sure do have a lot of pretty colors on your map." LOL I hope all of you in the tornado watch area do NOT have any tornadoes or other severe weather. OK, I have to get off the computer for a while and finish those last 8 gift bags before I call it a day. I'll be back later. Here is a link that might be useful: Tulsa NWS Webpage

I realize this post is way too late, but I just had to comment... When using paper for bedding, everything I read strongly urges that only the B&W newspaper & computer papers be used; colored inks are more likely to be composed of harmful chemicals. Wrapping paper even more so--I saw a TV ad just before Christmas warning folks not to burn wrapping paper in the fireplace. Not only is it dangerous because of the intense (albeit brief) flareup that results (and may start a chimney fire) but because of the chemicals. People like the colorful flames, but the chemicals responsible also may release harmful fumes into the air. So I sure would not want to use anything like that for MY herd--and definitely would avoid metallic papers!!! Just my opinion... CK

ah, but there's an apartment-living angle to your post--the communal trash. Nobody had to die for me to do it, but I snagged a big batch of construction paper from the garbage once; I think Justin upstairs had a school project w/ lots of greens and browns (maybe he made a tree?), because those colors were all gone (or nearly). Our downstairs neighbors got a new fireplace screen, and we snagged their old one (it fit our fireplace, since it's the same size). True folks in houses can take stuff out of other people's trash, but it's easier in an apt. bldg.

don't know what happened to my original response! but i did go check out the link, and i signed up for free, and then downloaded dozens of decorative fonts and shapes, which i use a lot in my projects, would be very useful for greetings cards. plus i downloaded some cookbooks, and a craft projects book. there's one cookbook for 111 recipes for eggs, looks interesting! and one with camping recipes plus the usual cookies, and a cheesecake book......and more. i liked the link, myself. kudzu