I hope Cher is feeling better soon.  She tweeted, this morning, that she's feeling under the weather.  Doctor told her, no flying as it could affect her eardrums.

I'm going to make some soup this weekend. Maybe Chicken noodle. That will be my Pasta Day celebration.

It was down to 37 at the airport at 4 A.M. I think that's our first 30 degree weather of the season.

It's going to be a sunny Thursday in the Coulee Region with a high around 56.  Can't expect much better weather, considering we're into the last half of October.

Looking ahead, I see a wet Saturday and there's an ever so slight chance we could see A FEW SNOWFLAKES ON SUNDAY.  High's will be in the mid-40's for the weekend so it's really going to start to feel like fall and we'll have to keep the coats and jackets handy again.

(Big sigh).

I'm guessing Rita, Roger and Angela made it to Worland, safe and sound, so they'll get a feel for that 40 degree weather today.  It was in the upper 30's, early this morning in Worland, and they'll only warm up to the low 40's today.

The latest problem with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a panel that fell off the fuselage of the plane while it was in flight over India.  I don't know why they keep calling it the "Dreamliner".  With all the problems it has had, in the past couple of years, Nightmare-liner would be a more descriptive name.

Even with the clouds our afternoon high should be 60 in La Crosse.

27 in Rapid City, this morning and 24 in Worland.  I'll bet Rita, Roger and Angela aren't running any a/c in the car.  I guess I won't mention it's 50, in La Crosse if they call.

Anyone who's ever lived in South Texas knows about the joy of keeping the cockroach population from taking over the house.

A lot of farmer in China, on the other hand, are happy to have as many cockroaches as they can get.  It's a great cash crop selling for $20.00 a pound in the Chinese markets. In Asia, cockroaches are used in medicines and cosmetics. 

The best time to book flights for Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Years is RIGHT NOW!!

The closer you get to Thanksgiving the higher the fares will be.  Don't put it off if you want to go by air.

There's a weather advisory from the National Weather Service this morning.

Patchy frost is possible tonight, especially in central and north-central Wisconsin.

Today looks like a miserable fall day with thick, dark clouds and drizzle this morning. 

And, it's so true!

Dogs have masters. Cats have staff.
— Spanish Geek (@SpanishFlight) September 18, 2013

Dwight D. Eisenhower said it best.

"You do not lead by hitting people over the head.  That's assault, not leadership."

Who's counting?

Today is Global Dignity Day.

Now, with Charlie gone, who's making the big bucks??

Believe it or not, Ashton Kutcher is now the highest paid actor on television and the second highest paid actor is Jon Cryer.  Who said "Two and a half men" couldn't survive without Charlie?

It was 50 years ago today that Paul and John sat down and wrote "I want to hold your hand". Who could have guessed, with that song, they would change the world of music forever!

Tens of thousands of cattle feared dead following South Dakota storm.

Read the article here

Here are the nominees for the 2014 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

My votes would go to:
Chic
Kiss
Linda Ronstadt
Cat Stevens
The Zombies

Since this is National Fossil Day, I thought you'd enjoy this video of some really funny old fossils.

55 seems to be a popular number today.

I see Dripping Springs had a little rain overnight and they'll see a big cool-down today.High temperatures will only be in the mid-50's around Austin.

I hope Rita and Roger took some winter clothes along.  They'll be on the last leg of their trip to Worland, Wyoming, today where it was below freezing early this morning.  Worland's high will be in the mid-50's today too.

And, guess what.  Right here in La Crosse afternoon highs will also be in the mid-50's.  Sounds like wherever you go, there you are.

Where would I rather be?  Key West, of course and I'll bet I could talk Carl and Kathy into going with me.  The Key's will see sunny skies with highs in the mid-80's.

By the way, I got an email from Rick and he said Rita, Roger and Angela spent the night in Wall.  He added, "They observed the unfortunate sight of many dead cattle from the recent storm."

At last! Here's a holiday just for me!

A thorny picture from Donnie.

"As we sit on the porch on these still-warm autumn days, we hear the small acorns fall onto the wood deck.  Discovered this one that got itself spiked on a cactus."

Click here for South Dakota snow totals and pictures.

Mayo Clinic is telling people to get in and get their flu shots early.

The earlier you get your shot the better. They say people are coming in earlier this year and, I know, they were very busy at Gunderson when I got my shot last week. 

Rita called a short time ago and they had just gotten to Sioux Falls.

They didn't get started until around 8 this morning and the plan is, now, to make it a two day trip.  They, originally, thought they would drive straight through but La Crosse to Worland in one stretch is a bit much for "senior citizens".  Leave those marathons to the kids!

They'll stop, somewhere along the way, and get a good nights rest before moving on in the morning.

Here's some good crock pot advice.

Take a look at this Yahoo! article on crockpot cooking  There is some very good advice for making a better crockpot meal.

A good thought:

“If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.” ~ J.K. Rowling
— Mindfulness Training (@TrainingMindful) October 15, 2013

I bought a jar of Folger's instant coffee. Won't do that again. It's awful.

Speaking of coffee,  Here's an article from the Mayo Clinic that says if you drink more than 4 cups in a day it could shorten your life.

Back in my radio days, I drank four cups of coffee in the first hour I was out of bed....and I continued to drink coffee...non-stop...until I left the studio and headed for the bar.  I don't drink quite so much anymore but I can drink a good POT full and I'm still going strong.  Maybe it's just me.

Which Halloween candy has the most sugar?

CLICK HERE AND COMPARE WITH COOKING LIGHT

No travel advised in the Northern Black Hills of South Dakota this morning. Lots of slippery spots.

The Black Hills is looking at another inch or two of snow this afternoon.  Those poor folks have already had enough winter to last all winter and winter isn't even here yet!

Hey! I see my old "hometown", Edinburg, Texas, had the nations high, yesterday, at 93 degrees. About this time of year I start missing Edinburg.

I didn't shave today. I hope you don't mind.

The cold and flu season is coming up so you start taking your vitamin C and you just KNOW it's working and keeping that miserable cold away from your body.

Guess what.  As long as you REALLY believe that the vitamin C tablet is keeping you cold free that's enough for your brain to fire up your immune system and, sure enough, you don't get the cold.  So, does the vitamin C do the trick?  Maybe it does....as long as you BELIEVE it does!  Read more here on Yahoo!

There's that old line, "seeing is believing".  In a lot of cases it's, actually, "believing is seeing."

Richard Carpenter is celebrating his 67th birthday today.

 

Today is "CAKE DECORATING DAY" and this is NOT the way to do it!

Rita, Roger and Angela head out for Wyoming this morning. I hope they've got their winter coats and long underwear because the farther west they go the colder it's going to get.

There was some light rain falling when I got up this morning.  This is a good day to stay home and do the laundry and that's just what I'm going to do.

I may read up on the birds tomorrow but today I was reading about the bees.

It turns out that bees can see the difference in images in 1/300th of a second.  Humans see the difference in 1/50th of a second.  Which means that while each of the frames, on TV or in the movies, all blend together, for us, so it looks like the picture is moving, the honeybee would be able to perceive the difference between each, individual, frame as it passes through the lens.  And, that's WITHOUT glasses!

Snow has been falling, again, in western South Dakota today and there have been HEAVY rains east of the river. I have a feeling that rain will move in on us tonight.

Here's a bit of history for October 14th from the Wisconsin Historical Society.

On the night of October 14, 1912, Theodore Roosevelt was shot in Milwaukee. Roosevelt was in Wisconsin stumping as the presidential candidate of the new, independent Progressive Party, which had split from the Republican Party earlier that year. Roosevelt already had served two terms as chief executive (1901-1909), but was seeking the office again as the champion of progressive reform. Unbeknownst to Roosevelt, a New York bartender named John Schrank had been stalking him for three weeks through eight states. As Roosevelt left Milwaukee's Hotel Gilpatrick for a speaking engagement at the Milwaukee Auditorium and stood waving to the gathered crowd, Schrank fired a .38-caliber revolver that he had hidden in his coat.

Roosevelt was hit in the right side of the chest and the bullet lodged in his chest wall. Seeing the blood on his shirt, vest, and coat, his aides pleaded with him to seek medical help, but Roosevelt trivialized the wound and insisted on keeping his commitment. His life was probably saved by the speech, since the contents of his coat pocket -- his metal spectacle case and the thick, folded manuscript of his talk -- had absorbed much of the force of the bullet. Throughout the evening he made light of the wound, declaring at one point, "It takes more than one bullet to kill a Bull Moose," but the candidate spend the next week in the hospital and carried the bullet inside him the rest of his life.

AccuWeather says rain across South Dakota and western Minnesota today.

Heavy downpours in central Texas and Oklahoma.  Snow and rain in Montana.  Snow will fall, again, on the Black Hills tonight into tomorrow morning.  Wyoming, Colorado and Utah will also see snow.

THIS IS GOING TO BE

A LONG WINTER

27 in Sparta, this morning, 31 in Tomah. That's winter creeping up on us!

To hell with diets. I'm having a glazed doughnut for breakfast this morning.

Bing Crosby was the same age as me, 73, when he died on this date in 1977.

And speaking of people who made it to 73, Cliff Richard is celebrating his 73rd birthday today.

History is history but it's not, necessarily, fact.

Screw #Columbus. I dont get credit for inventing the car bc I found your keys. Its not about what you do. Its about what ur agent says u do.
— Patrick T. Crown (@patricktcrown) October 14, 2013

If Christopher Columbus discovered America, what did those people who met him on the beach discover, sliced bread?

As Christopher's father said, "I don't care what you discovered, Chris. You could have written."

39 degrees in La Crosse at 4 A.M. First time we've seen temps in the 30's this season. In low-lying areas of central Wisconsin, temps could dip into the 20's with light frost.

Forecasters in Great Britain say they will have record snowfall in November and this will be the worst winter in many years.

Rita, Roger and Angela head west to Worland, Wyoming tomorrow. I hope they take LOTS of winter clothes!!

Worland will have a windy day with snow, 2 to 4 inches of snow, today.  And, the overnight low in Worland, tonight, will be 29 degrees.

Rapid City, today, will be very windy with a cold rain and a high of 44.  Tonight will bring more wind, a bit of snow and a low of 32.

Roger asked me, the other day, if I'd like to ride along as far as Rapid City.  I think I was wise to decline.  While I'd like to see my Rapid City friends again, I'd like to see them on a warm day with a lot of sun.  I don't think that will happen this week.

This, by the way, was Rapid City 10 days ago.

This reminds me of Rita and Roger's dogs.

Believe me. Baldness will catch on. When the aliens come, who do you think they'll relate to? Growing hair is a waste of good hormones.

Good news from the Packers.

Injuries to Packers' Randall Cobb and James Jones might not be as bad as they looked, @TomSilverstein reports. http://t.co/ay9CFViZjy
— ExCats (@ExCats) October 13, 2013

Aint's this the truth??

There is literally no room for Thanksgiving anymore. Halloween and Christmas are duking it out. pic.twitter.com/jPZgNp4d6C
— Joe McClean (@Joe_McClean) October 13, 2013

The city of Austin (Texas) has closed all the golf courses, trails and city parks TFN due to the downpours last night and this morning. Flooding in central Texas, more snow coming to the Black Hills and Wyoming but it's BEAUTIFUL weather in La Crosse!!!!

Another high water picture from Dripping Springs. Maybe we should call it "Gushing Springs" today!

We got about 5-7 inches of rain just south of Dripping Springs. Onion Creek is nice & full. pic.twitter.com/suT8198nEV
— JocelynKay (@jocelynkay) October 13, 2013

Just look at the "lake" in front of Donnie and Linda's house. I'll bet we won't hear him complaining about the drought for a while!

Duane, finally, got some help today.

 "I got a maverick tree trimmer here cutting limbs.  He saw me struggling out in front.  They will haul it all away too.  I had them start on the south patio.  I was afraid of the cover collapsing."

A rain update from Donnie. It sounds like they got more rain in the past 24 hours than they've had the whole time they've lived there.

"We got more rain than I realized.  Our rain gauge overflows at 5 inches.  I had trouble reading it by spyglass from the inside until I realized it was full.  Our new sidewalk creates a bit of a damn across the front yard so we now have a pond there."

They're getting rain in Dripping Springs this morning.

In fact, so much rain that the National Weather Service has issued a FLASH FLOOD WARNING.  They were getting rainfall rates of 2 to 4 inches per hour in parts of the area.

Donnie said, "I sowed a yard-full of winter rye grass yesterday.  It's now getting soaked in but I also gave myself a terrific backache today.

We are enjoying the most prolonged rain we've seen all year.  We've had several hours of good, steady showers with virtually no wind.  Just water."

NORTHERN LIGHTS !! Great photo of the Northern Lights from last week in #Wisconsin. #NorthernLights pic.twitter.com/MsZLHevBIs
— Mark Tarello (@mark_tarello) October 12, 2013

A couple more sunny days and then the rains begin.

With a clear sky, the temperature was down to 43, at 3:00 A.M. with a wind chill of 39 degrees.  We've got a couple more sunny days ahead and then the rain will move in Monday night and Tuesday.  Low temperatures will range between 39 and 49, this week, so there's still no chance of a freeze but we're getting closer.

I'm more concerned about the weather out west.  Rita, Roger and Angela will be heading west in a few days and the west is getting ready for more winter weather.

Another winter storm, the third one in the past couple of weeks, is firing up for Wyoming and Colorado and the forecast calls for up to another foot of snow in the mountains of Wyoming and more heavy snow in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Forecasters say if you have any plans on traveling I-90 through the Black Hills or I-25 from Casper to Billings, this week, pay very close attention to changing weather conditions.

 I feel so sorry for those people out there.  They've already had enough winter, this year, and winter hasn't even started yet.

Duane has a real mess around his yard with trees and branches down, still a lot of snow to get cleared away, etc.  It's almost impossible to find help because everyone is in the same boat.  He said it will take months to get back to normal and now they have more snow coming.  He's lived in Rapid City most of his life and he said he's never seen anything like this.

The first Oktoberfest in La Crosse opened on October 13, 1960. Exactly 53 years ago today.

Those funny, funny Packers......

It's hard to tell who has the most fun....the dogs or the humans?

More miserable wet weather for the west river country of South Dakota. Those folks are sure having a lousy fall.

Just for fun I may have to read the new Joan Collins Memoir. It sounds like X rated fun as she reveals a lot of secrets about her ex-husbands and lovers which the 80 year old actress has had a LOT of.

We'll have pretty good weather, today, for the State Bank Chili Cook-off in Riverside Park.

They'll be cooking up the chili this morning and, this afternoon, there's a HOT CHILI PEPPER EATING CONTEST.  I think CARL and I should have entered that.  Maybe next year.

Sunset tonight at 6:26. Those days are getting painfully shorter.

A great line from the Groucho!

“I have nothing but respect for you -- and not much of that” - Groucho Marx.
— Book Quotes (@medaBookMan) October 12, 2013

A big happy birthday to Sam Moore of Sam & Dave fame. He's 78 today. I remember playing this song, on the air, many times!

Happy Hmong New Year!

Comedian and Ventriloquist Willie Tyler says, "The reasons lightening doesn't strike twice in the same place is that the same place isn't there the second time."

Damn! I forgot to get bread yesterday. No toast this morning. This might make me cranky.

The other day we mentioned as story about smelling peanut butter as a diagnosis for Alzheimers Disease.

Hold on there!  David Knopman from the Mayo Clinic says the study is interesting but it doesn't mean much.

The sample, in the test, was way too small to jump to any conclusions.  People, as they get older, lose their ability to smell for many different reasons.  And, a persons sense of smell being different between the left and right nostril is not unusual.

Chicago has a Gumbo Cookoff coming up next month!

We're gearing up for @FrontierChicago's #gumbo #cookoff! Check it out in @ZagatChicago: http://t.co/w7PreyHI6T pic.twitter.com/dlhhmO0rUp
— Tavern on Rush (@TavernOnRush) October 11, 2013

Another breezy day in La Crosse today with winds gusting to 26 MPH. Our next best chance for rain will be Monday night and Tuesday.

Happy Gumbo Day! I really love that Cajun country!

Even FEATURES uses Twitter!

It's a good day for a fish fry! #FishFry
— Features Sports Bar (@FeaturesWS) October 11, 2013

Can you believe this? Heavy wet snow in the Black Hills again. Rita, Roger and Angela will be heading in that direction soon. They might be smart to take a shovel.

Due to winter conditions, a No Travel Advisory has been issued for the Lead area. Heavy, wet snow has fallen all... http://t.co/E13nCuIGDw
— KOTA Territory News (@kotatweets) October 11, 2013

I wish you were all in La Crosse today because this weather is as good as it gets!

Not a cloud in the blue sky with a warm sun and a temperature around 70.  It's almost too good to be true and, for sure, it's too good to last.

Nothing severe but we could get a stray thunderstorm overnight and Sunday and Monday morning could bring some patchy frost. 

It's too nice to think about that today!

This goes into the "DON'T JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS BEFORE YOU KNOW THE FULL STORY" file.

Morris Schwartz is dying and is on his deathbed.

He is with his nurse, his wife, his daughter and 2 sons, and knows the end is near.

So he says to them: "Bernie, I want you to take the Beverly Hills houses." "Sybil, take the apartments over in Los Angeles Plaza." "Hymie, I want you to take the offices over in City Center." "Sarah, my dear wife, please take all the residential buildings downtown"

The nurse is just blown away by all this, and as Morris slips away, she says to the wife, "Mrs. Schwartz, your husband must have been such a hardworking man to have accumulated so much property."

Sarah replies, "Property shmoperty...the schmuck had a newspaper route."

You probably remember hearing the story about NASA spending over a million dollars to develop a pen that could be used in space while the Russians just used pencils.

Like numerous other outrageous stories that float around about what the government does or does not do (which continues to this very day) the story was pure bulls**t.  READ THE REAL STORY HERE.

This, I think, is the funniest thing I've ever seen....and I've seen a LOT of funny things. If you've ever spent any amount of time, in close quarters, with a herd of Norwegians I think you'll find this funny too. Ya, sure, you betcha!

What if Jesus was a Norwegian? Have you ever thought of that before?

Know somebody who's looking for work?

#JobSearch Customer Service Representative - U-Haul - La Crosse, WI Find this Job & More http://t.co/OjVpsC6IRd
— La Crosse Wisconsin (@LaCrosse_Buzz) October 11, 2013

If you're old enough to remember this, you're at the age where you can't remember anything.

Helen Reddy's "Ain't No Way To Treat a Lady" was at #8 on this date in 1975. #nowplaying http://t.co/RqGuiviLdZ
— We love 50's60's70's (@welove50s60s70s) October 11, 2013

This would be funny if it wasn't 100% true.

When you lie to the government, its a felony. When the government lies to you, it's "policy."
— Political Humor (@PoliticalLaughs) September 2, 2013

YOU'RE GONNA LOVE THIS VIDEO!

Chickens around the world will be laying their ass off today.  I can't eat eggs anymore but don't let that stop you from having a yolk or two.

 



It's going to be a windy Friday around here today.

Temperatures should reach the low 70's this afternoon.  I wonder if this might be the last day we see temperatures that warm this season.  We'll be 10 degrees cooler tomorrow and highs will hold around 60 through the weekend and into Monday.

 

Our biggest irritant this afternoon will be the wind with gusts over 30 MPH.

This is the best advice I saw all day.

Ask your frontal lobe if rational thinking is right for you.
— Deuce (@deuceplatypus) October 10, 2013

New ATM machines coming out next year.

No more plastic ATM cards.  You'll withdraw cash with a smartphone app.

This isn't, at all, the world I grew up in.

Lowe's Home Improvement firing an 18 year employee for trying to stop a shoplifter is totally outrageous. Typical Corporate ignorance and arrogance.

I can't let the day go by without mentioning it's MOLDY CHEESE DAY!

Yum! RT @LawStudentsWife: Happy Moldy Cheese Day! Celebrating tonight with some @WisconsinCheese Gorgonzola #cheese
— Wisconsin Cheese (@WisconsinCheese) October 10, 2013

When you learn a new word you should use it in a sentence so here goes.........

I'm quickly becoming pilgarlic just like Roger.

What's the meaning of the word "pilgarlic"?  It's a bald headed man.

The first known use of the word was in 1529 and I just heard about it this morning, thanks to Donnie.

I had a chance to visit Medellin, Colombia when Donnie was living there many, many years ago. It's, probably, the most beautiful city I've ever been in and I've never forgotten the flowers.

This is the latest video of the annual Flower Festival in Medellin.

Brett Favre turns 44 today. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

We've had our share of Alzheimers in our family so I found this article really interesting.

If you can smell Peanut Butter there's a good chance you don't have Alzheimer's disease!  CHECK OUT THE STORY HERE IN POPULAR SCIENCE

I have had nothing but trouble from this computer all morning. If you don't hear from me again, I haven't gone out the window but the computer has.

One of the big stories on the internet today is about Suzanne Sommers telling the press that she and her husband have sex twice a day. My question is, why would she think anyone would care and why would the press bother to report it?