Well mine is not!  I have a mid-afternoon luncheon today, and a high noon lunch date tomorrow.  I accept all offers!

MaryPage, I dearly wish I had a smiley or emotion, or whatever they're labeled, that showed a lady gathering up gold stars or discs and putting them in a sling! You go girl! 

I've been out on the kitchen deck watering blue pots full of geraniums and the yellow hibiscus, so have missed the activity out on the bay.  Wednesday is for watering plants.  So turning my attentions to the bayside balcony, I see hundreds of boats already anchored in their favorite spots, while hundreds more are pouring in from the north, the south, and across bay waters to the east.  My goodness, it is not yet twelve thirty and the show will not start until two.  They will have "Fat Albert," a WWII cargo plane, and some others do some show opening type antics for a while now, but then all will shut down and the quiet will come.  In the meantime, everyone will have been eating great food catered by the ladies aboard, while the men work the bottle openers and call back and forth to the other boats.  They love to ask everyone where they're from, sometimes discovering neighbors and sometimes making new friends from Delaware to the north or Virginia to the south.  Everyone checks their watches, and instinctively that quiet descends and all eyes scan the skies.  Which way will they come this year?  I always bet on the southwest.  Roar, wham, bang!  They're here!
But at this point, they aren't.  MaryZ, I WISH you could see the literally thousands of boats pouring in here!  It is a dazzlingly sunshiny day.  I hope Alison & Joe played hookey for the afternoon.
Our school system gave up decades ago.  They had been faced with no students after noon on Blue Angel Wednesday every year.  Both public and private schools finally gave up and gave everyone the half day.  No fair for teachers to have to stick around in near-empty classrooms.  So all Annapolis celebrates this day, including parents and kinfolk in town for the commissioning of over a thousand navy midshipmen.  We are full to the brim, and as I glance out towards the bay I can see the foamy wakes of hundreds of little boats speeding to find their place in the crowded waters.  Wish you were here!

Patricia, Kendrick does get up on things, but not often.  He has a tower that Annie got at a yard sale for $5 and he usually sleeps at the top of that.  He can see all over from there. 

Tom and I went out to lunch so I hid the Kleenex and he did not get at it.  We went to the Blue Water Grill which I believe is a chain.  We were seated by a window by a lake in the river and it is a lovely day.

Mary Ann

We use to have the "Blue Angels" Do the show here quite often. The big air Base closed down and so not been back. Did enjoy their shows. I guess the the Big Air Balloon race is coming back again. That is quite a show also.

Isn't today the day in New York when lots of ships in port along with thousands of Sailors and other Service men?  That Sailor Uniform is my favourite one.

                                     


And more...   they're ready now, just click on the [ more ] to find them. 

Thanks, Michael!!!   

Well, I am now on the new computer and I'm in the hard part now, syncing everything saved on the cloud back to this computer!

Hi everyone.  It is a bit warmer already this morning than the last few days and we are likely to get to 89 degrees before the day is over.  We had an enjoyable picnic sort of meal last night at the Wednesday night dinner at church.  The hamburgers and hot dogs that had been grilled outside were delicious and the meal was topped off with an old fashioned ice cream sundae with all the toppings you can imagine, including marshmallow cream.  We then enjoyed a nice quiet evening with Scott here for a couple of hours.  Today I will go to coffee and then go to the Church for the Wisdom class.  The rest of the day I will be quiet and restful.   

MaryPage, I have seen the Blue Angels perform although can't remember what the event was.  They are pretty amazing.  It is nice their work is so appreciated. 

Patricia, I was thinking of the Air Force Thunderbird as I read the great description that MaryPage prepared for us.  Their show is also spectacular.  It is hard to imagine how much practice goes into getting to the skill level of flying they have and the dangers involved.  I knew of the water bottle deterrent but not adding the vinegar.  It sounds like Farrah is adjusting nicely. 

Mary Ann, that sounds like a very nice luncheon location.  It is nice to get a window seat at a restaurant. 

JeanneP, I have only seen pictures of the big air balloons and then some individual balloons I have actually seen in the sky.  They certainly attract attention.

Larry, we occasionally have the airplane shows but Anchorage is closer to the lower 48 states and sees them more often. Here, a favorite of mine is  the fourth of July affair at Alaskaland's Pioneer Park. At the end of an always lengthy bit of speeches by city, borough and military leaders, a group of Air Force fighter planes flies acrobatically over and the army soldiers set off three howitzers out on the river as the army band plays the 1812 Overture. Then a huge picnic begins and children swarm the antique Italian Carousel and other fanciful playground equipment.

Memorial Day is Alaskaland's summer opening, but weatherwise, it might be dreary.

Another rainy, dreary day here. I think even Farrah is bored as she paces in and out of the living room and bedroom.

Good afternoon, very hot and stickey, we are told not to go out, as the air, is not good.

Larry, I live about 2 miles from the old Grummans air field, I have seen the Blue angels perform.  I do not like airshow, since I saw a plane crash years ago.  I think I wrote this before, a few years ago, I was setting on my deck, I heard a strange noise, looked up and there was a balloon going over my house very low, it was heading for a field about a mile from here. In fact the fellow leaned over and yelled you have a beautiful  place. I guess he ment the park.

Our postponed family gathering took place today.  Terry had suggested we wait until today instead of our usual Wednesday.  They had a surprise for us as their daughter, son and wife were with us too.  The daughter lives in Indy and probably drove up in my old car.  The son and wife live in S Pasadena CA so flew in.  They are here to help their grandfather celebrate #85 Sunday.  Tom and I had suggested a golf course restaurant and it was a good choice since there were 10 of us. 

We have a nice day so far but we may have rain later on. 

Mary Ann

Hi all.  Son went shopping for me today as he is off to North/West WA in the early a.m.  The combat vets form a sort of guard on their motorcycles and escort remains <vets> to the Cemetary on this weekend every year,.   Tis an honor to know my son shares in these happenings.    They actually do an awful lot for their fellow men who have passed on.  They also contribute a lot of time in their communities. I think one would be surprised at all the good these guys do.

Alone for a few days and that is ok too. 

 
Just testing some of the new ones.  It has been so long since I used them I have forgotten how.  Let me test.

Jeanne, that one you showed would be a good one to signify a lurker. I don't see it in either group shown here.

We used to have quite the balloon industry until some of their operators, probably trying to thrill their passengers, were chasing the birds and flying too low at the sanctuary. After several complaints and one company's lawsuit, they just quit. Now I never see any balloons. Some sour grapes there!

There are more privately owned planes in this state than the other states due to long distances and no real road system. Small plane crashes here are like car crashes elsewhere. However, I have never seen or heard here of the huge crashes from multi vehicles as you hear about or see in the other states.

MaryAnn, your family is very close and social. My sisters are long gone, to Italy and Idaho as are the grandkids to Oregon and Idaho.

Patricia, it started out with Tom and Terry meeting weekly for breakfast.  Then they asked me to join them, so there were the three of us for some time.  Tom said he wished Terry's wife, Jan, could join us.  She works with Hospice and is not always available, but eventually she was able to come some times.  Then it worked out that lunch was more convenient for Jan, so we started lunch.  Then we asked Dot to join.  Jan's folks live with them (or vice versa - they live together) and both are having memory problems so Terry and Jan started bringing them.  That made seven of us.  Terry's son and his wife from CA and his daughter from Indy are here to help Grandpa celebrate his 85th birthday and that is how we got to 10 people today. 

We don't see each other often, other than the weekly gathering, but we do keep in touch.  It's hard when your family is not near, especially in another country.  When we first came to Grand Rapids, we were all alone.  Mother's family was in Illinois and Wisconsin; Dad's family was in Minnesota.  Travel was not as it is today so you didn't take a trip at the drop of a hat, but we were always in touch by mail.  With Norm marrying and having three sons, we now have family, mostly in western Michigan, but, except the the CA couple, nearby.

Thanks for noticing.

Mary Ann

Was a beautiful Sunset on the Grand Haven site at 8Pm tonight. Also still a few people in the water and on the beach.  must have been warm there today.

Hi everyone.  We are expecting another dry day with the temperature getting up to around 87 degrees this afternoon.  I have a quiet day at home planned for today but may make a quick trip to Walmart to pick up a prescription for Pat.

Just this morning I watched a very touching video called "Soaring Valor" which deals with WWII Veterans and the work of Gary Sinise and other to honor our WW Veterans.  Here is the link and I found it very worthwhile to view:  Just this morning I watched a very touching video called "Soaring Valor" which deals with WWII Veterans and the work of Gary Sinise and other to honor our WW Veterans.  Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/l3P15s4zWNQ

Patricia, it sounds like the fourth of July affair is very special and looked forward to each year. 

deAngel, seeing a plane crash would certainly put a fear into a person in terms of watching future air shows.  Just last week a resident of this little town was killed in a small plane crash. 

Mary Ann, what a nice surprise and golf course restaurants usually are nice and have good food. 

Joan, I have seen a couple of motorcycle escorts of funeral processions and it is quite a site.  Glad your son is able to participate. 

Jeanne, I just looked at Grand Haven and the water temperature is 39 degrees with the air temp at 69 degrees.  Our air temp here is 80 degrees and will get to the mid-80s by afternoon.  I can see why people would be on the beach, but I think no one would be in the water.  It's a good day to get sunburned.  We may have rain later this afternoon or tonight, but not right now.

Mary Ann

Good Morning from the Interior, and another foggy rainy day it is too. However, we are told it will be sunny but cool until June 3rd and 4th where it will rain again. We are about ten to twenty degrees cooler than average but some prefer this to the normal eighties and higher. Our last two "normal," temperature wise summers, 2004 and 2015. burned 8,689,389 acres and 10,125,149 acres respectively in the Interior.

Our drought, since 2000, won't end until we get heavy snows in the mountains, we are told by weather folks and old timers. however, that is increasingly unlikely as the years go by. And this area of arboreal forests is classified as a fire ecology normally.

Farrah has established very certain routines and she watches me constantly, perhaps to see I'm keeping up. Mornings are spent hopping from the bed to table a few times if I'm late and after a brief bathroom stop, it's off to herding me to the kitchen for breakfast. But first waiting until I put the coffee on and leave before chowing down.

Days are spent playing with a few toys,vigilantly watching the door for enemies, watching the balcony door for outside birds or the odd flying bug and sleeping. Sometimes she will pace back and forth, back and forth from bedroom to living room until I know she must be bored.

She is very keen on exploring the apartment's nooks and crannies but five rooms and halls don't hold that many nooks and crannies. She is still watchful and skittish and really fears any other people, but she is far and away another cat from the one who came in May second.

Larry, I look forward to the fourth's spectacle. But there are many who don't like the noise of those howitzers or the crowds. In the hot summers, the guns aren't used for fear of more fires. I would love to go up one of the rivers again, in my youth, we had a cabin up the Salcha river, 60 miles from the bridge that was 75 miles from town. We practically lived there in the summers.

There are backyard barbecues, shopping at sales, neighborhood get-togethers and golfing or stopping at one of the many lakes or several hot springs. But for me, without a car, Alaskaland's affair is closest and easiest.

Patricia, Kendrick has several hiding places and one I just discovered is under a marble table in my bedroom.  Actually, he goes behind the table and I saw a piece of paper there that he had chewed on.  Neither Tom nor I can get at the area and I'll wait for Annie to come here to retrieve the paper.  He got at a box of Kleenex the other day and I have now put that under the couch.

It is getting warm enough in here that I think I will turn on the a/c.  It's just after 12 noon and I don't like to turn it on so early but I don't like to be so uncomfortable either.

Also time to get the mail.

Mary Ann

MaryAnn.  It is showing 3 people running into the lake right now.  Can tell it is cold.  But I remember being taken to the Beach in UK and running into the sea.  Never got warm in North England but if the sun shining we just plunged in thinking it was a great summer.

Did everyone sign the Petition for the DC Eagles?.  Needs 100,000 to sign. Never get that many by June.

MaryAnn, at the time I'm reading this, you have 1:49 and I have 9:55. This is why a five am wake up puts me early enough to "talk" with all of you!

I had an astonishing breakthrough just now with Farrah. You know that bit of schizoid behavior cats occasionally get up to?  Vets say it's an overdose of predatory behavior that indoor cats can get and this is how it is relieved. Farrah suddenly started running all over the place, scratching on her post and attacking her toys. I put my hand down behind my chair and wiggled my fingers.

She rolled up behind me and with absolutely no hesitation, attacked my wiggling fingers. She had a very soft mouth, nibbling, not biting and while grabbing my fingers, her claws were sheathed. This was definitely playtime, play behavior and she was not at all afraid of me.

I have been lucky enough to never have had a cat that destroyed papers, toilet or kleenex. It seemed to always be plants or cords for some reason. Farrah jumped up on the plant table once, even with all the blocky barriers I put up, but the spray of vinegar laced water quickly got her down and she hasn't tried it again. Of course, now that she feels safer, all bets may be off as to what she gets into!

Patricia, often in the early morning when I've just gotten up, Kendrick wants to play - and I don't!  He'll run up and down the stairs like greased lightning.  Each time he comes into this room, I'll grab his tail and he doesn't seem to mind that.  If he gets on my bed while I'm in it, he will go for my toes but I'll give a kick and he leaves the room.  Otherwise, he'll come into the room, lie down beside me and I'll pet him.  When I'm tired of that, I'll rest my hand on his side; he'll stay for a while, then leave.  It's as if he is checking to see that I am here.  He sleeps at night, as far as I know, on Tom's bed (Tom sleeps on a recliner).

The golfers are in Benton Harbor MI this weekend and we just had a sudden shower/storm.  I guess our storm is way north of the golfers because it is not raining there.  Benton Harbor is on Lake Michigan at the south part of the state.

Mary Ann

Feeling pretty good today.  Had a good nights sleep and just got word on Facebook that dan made it to Bremerton, WA ok.  His bike has been iffy so he wasn't sure it would make the trip or not.  Now he can relax.  <and so can Mom>

Joan, I neglected to mention before that I also think what he's doing is wonderful. We had a group up here, (delegation?); from that weird church and a military group, police off duty and even some Hell's Angels banded together on Harleys, to keep them from a couple of funerals.

For some reason, they were huddling around street corners waving signs, protesting something while they were here. I think it was the same time as we had one of the Vietnam walls here, but I don't remember. It could have been any number of things.

I'm glad he made it to Bremerton, (I've actually been there!); and made it safe so both of you may relax! 

Thanks Angel. I believe the 'drive' is tomorrow.  Tis quite a procession from what I hear.

 Hi everyone.  It is a clear sky and only to get to 83 degrees this afternoon, a bit cooler than yesterday.  Yesterday was a nice quiet day and I expect today will be the same here at home.  I will just work on a couple of projects here at my desk.  I plan on watching some of the golf tourney later this afternoon. 

Patricia, sixteen years of drought is a very long time and makes one wonder if you will ever be back to the weather patterns of many years past.  It sounds like Farrah is doing a very good job of training and she hasn't had you for even a month.     I bet Farrah won't care for the howitzers and fireworks noises. 

Mary Ann, it sounds like you have given Kendrick a challenge to get the tissues out of the box under the couch. 

JeanneP, there is an annual event in the middle of winter for people to run into Lake Lanier, a very large lake North of Atlanta.  That never appealed to me.

Joan, glad you were able to see that Dan had safely made the trip on the motorcycle and that you were feeling pretty good yesterday.  Hope you will be feeling the same today.

                                             

Larry, I think I would agree with you weatherwise. There is a group at Barrow, at the Bering sea, who call themselves the Polar Bear Club and also like to take those cold, very cold dips!

Thanks Larry, don't usually worry like that as he is a big boy now.  He has been having trouble with his bike for a bit tho and he has replaced so many parts and checked the wiring ....... well just glad he made it.  Next trip is Sturgis in August.