Dreaming of a White Halloween?

So you see, it was not entirely outlandish for me to turn on my furnace last night. Snowy tomatoes anyone?

The Cats Win

I turned on the heat. What finally changed my mind was seeing the snow flakes mixed in the rain that was hitting my windshield during my drive home.

It took about 5 minutes for the cats to switch their loyalty from me to the almighty furnace vents.

Corny Quarter Tribute

I saw this mentioned on the news tonight - a corn maze inspired by the new WV quarter!

I went through two corn mazes last year in southern Virginia, and it's interesting that they seem to be catching on more around this area.

Plus, one of the best things about corn mazes is that they allow the media and cornballs like me to drag out their "a-maizing" maze/maize jokes once a year.

Cat Blogging

Ahhhhhh, it's the time of year when my cats become extraordinarily affectionate. The leaves are finally changing, it's getting dark earlier in the evenings... and the temperature is falling.

And our furnace is not on. For several weeks in the fall, I am the furnace for the cats.

You see, I'm a cheapskate and have this rule -- even in normal years -- that I won't turn on the heat before November, and if possible I'll wait until December. Now that natural gas prices are going up dramatically Nov. 1 (though not as dramatically as the company wanted), the cats are seriously out of luck.

Prrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr....

I haven't been this popular since I tried cooking with canned salmon.

No, it's NOT a tax write-off

I took a couple of bags of items to Goodwill tonight. As I stood by the door waiting for the attendant, I scanned the rather lengthy list of "Unacceptable Donations." Appearing near the top of the list was:

Household Trash and Raw Sewage

Raw sewage? Someone has actually tried to, um, unload raw sewage at Goodwill?

I didn't have a lot of time to read the list, so I'm not sure whether treated sewage is acceptable.

Classic Moments in WV Radio

When I heard that one of the local radio stations broadcasts live from the a homecoming parade, I initially thought, "Gee - sounds about as appealing as listening to golf on the radio."

HA!

Was I ever wrong.

'Cause there's only one place you'll hear an exchange that goes something like this:

(broadcaster to young pageant contestant in the parade)
"So have you seen the other girls you're competing against? Are they all skanks?"

(giggle/gasp)
"No, they're very pretty girls."

Now that's my kind of radio.

At last - the quarter!

The long-awaited West Virginia quarter will be officially unveiled tomorrow during a "lavish" ceremony on the Capitol steps. The ceremony comes just a day before the annual Bridge Day festivities (Route 19 travelers beware).

Image from U.S. Mint