Shirley - That's a good question?  I think campaign contributions can be written off, but not sure?

Contributions are not tax deductible. I found this article which helps explain it all. https://www.taxprofessionals.com/articles/can-you-deduct-political-contributions-from-your-taxes

It has been a bit foggy this morning but is quickly dissipating now. It will be a little cooler today than it was yesterday. Right now it is 69^o and muggy.

I finally found my diet app and was able to download it, and I was able to get rid of several apps I don't use. They moved the delete setting to another spot on the page. Big button at the top of the page instead of being in the Other Options list. What is nice about that is now I can check all the apps I want removed and only have to click delete the one time, whereas before, I had to delete them individually.

Well, off I go to see what other kinds of trouble I can get into now. Maybe try to find more stuff to throw out, do a little more updating and computer maintenance, try and grab Shan to cut his nails (always a challenge) and whatever else strikes my fancy. Sitting down and losing myself in a book sometime today is a given. Right now I need a of tea.

Good Morning to the Early Birds!  Still dark here, and I can see enough by the streetlight, that it's foggy and windy outside this morning. 

MarsGal - Thanks for the link explaining  political contributions/tax write-offs, etc.  I guess that explains why the guests who are invited to these  fundraising dinners for either party are the wealthiest of our citizens.

I should try for a couple of hours more sleep, but that's usually a hopeless endeavor, so might as well start the day.  Coffee is ready!     

Checking in to see what is going on with you all? 

Last Thursday we had a EF1 Tornado hit our community.  Thank goodness it was minor compared to the ones that the mid-west and southern states deal with.  It was frightening just the same. Most of the damage were downed trees and fences.  A few structural issues and big stop light poles laying in the streets.  Our trees and plants were pretty beat up by the wind, rain and hail.  Thankfully nothing devastating like the recent ones in other parts of the country.

JUNEE, how nice to see a visit from you.

JACKIE, I hope your health checkups gave you some encouraging words.

My best to you all.

Jenny

Hi Jenny!  Happy to see a message from you.  Sorry you got hit by a tornado, but good that it was not one of those big powerful ones that do so much damage in the Midwest and Southwest.  Fortunately,  don't have them in California either, but we get our share of other types of devastating storms,  as well as earthquakes and wildfires.

Hoping your health has improved since you last wrote, and that your feeling much better?   Also hope Dr. Dave and the children are doing well?    Matthew must be ready for college?   Is he going away, or  staying close to home?  Tell us about all three kids?     

A good HAPPY 4th of July 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 weekend to you ALL‼️

HAPPY CANADA DAY to anyone that celebrates this day 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦

Our Thursday Night Concert in the park was canceled again this week for the second time due to tornado issues.  Thankfully this week proved to be only a warning.  It rained a LOT so our shared meal together was enjoyed by Dave, Carolyn and us inside our home with '90's music playing.... The music the band was supposed to be playing.


MARILYN, thank you for the kind words.....yes, we all have our storms to deal with in what area we live.  Regarding my health....I thought I was scheduled to have my neck surgery on the 5th of July, but I never heard from the doctors office about it....and I decided I was going to wait awhile longer anyway after the doctor gave me a muscle relaxant that is doing a good job of relieving the pain.  I am starting to rethink using this doctor as his staff has proven to be less satisfactory than what I am comfortable with. The doctor I like very much but he has had huge staffing issues....

Dave and family are doing quite well....thank you.  We got through the second year date since Michele passed....it will never be easy for any of us but I think the family is doing as well as can be expected.  Dave took the children to Arizona and spent a couple of days with Michele's biological dad and her three half brothers and their families.  Matt will be a senior this coming year so he is not certwhere he wants to go to college just yet.  I can not believe he is in his last year of high school‼️. Kate continues to dance and has signed up for several classes for dance offered in the summer break.  Luke us still into his writing music for the piano and drawing‼️ That boy is so talented 🥰🥰

I think I have shared that Dave met a very nice lady about a year ago?  They seem to be very happy together and have many like interests in common.  We really like her a lot.  Dave went with her to meet her parents out of state last weekend and they had a very nice time❣️ WE hope their relationship grows and they continue to enjoy each other🙏


Enjoy a GREAT DAY ‼️

Hey Jenny - Good to see you, and to hear all the good news from your family.   Looks like I jumped ahead one year, in thinking that Matt was heading for college.     I remember when he turned 16 and got his drivers license - thought it was three years ago, but it was only two.   Good to see time slow down once in awhile.

Also good to see that Dave has found someone, and is moving forward with his life. He is still young, and I hope very much that he will be happy!    

Luke sounds like a very talented young man.  I hope he continues playing the piano!   Not many piano players left in the world, and we need them!   Remember back when we all took piano lessons?   Those days are gone forever I'm afraid.  Too many other things to attract children in today's world.

Glad you're feeling better, and hope you have a nice day today with the family!      

Power outage

Not for long, I hope.

Our 4th of July celebration was enjoyable.   The weather cooperated for the most part however we were run out of the pool area twice due to lightning, and our fireworks were canceled . Son Mark with our youngest grands did not stay as long as planned as 4 year old Jonah had some allergy and his poor little eyes swelled up very quickly and looked awful. He has been around the dogs...played on grass, etc. forever so not sure what caused this. Dave's dogs are both "doodles" so super hypoallergenic🤷  The little kiddos of Dave's friend and the grands were have a great time playing together.  Nana was a HAPPY lady.

MARILYN, IT WAS no time ago that Matt got his license.....and if you are going on age he is one of the oldest in his class.  He will turn 18 this coming August. I agree we NEED piano players.  There are pianos offered for free around here all the time....people just do not want them anymore 😩

Yesterday we went to the Denver Botanical Gardens.  It was very enjoyable however quite cool so we needed a jacket.  Our favorite thing to see were the water lilys......they were ALL blooming and were gorgeous ‼️

It appears our weekly concert is going to be rained out again tonight....think we are going to try a Wednesday night jazz one next week🤷

I must run....the dryer is "singing" to me.

Have a wonderful day‼️

I want to tell you about my latest passion, and no, it is not a handsome dude.  I have been binging on Endeavor for That!  What it is is a new ice cream flavor put out by Haagen-Daz.  Bourbon Vanilla Bean Truffle.  If you don't like it, you have really weird taste buds!  But I am a Virginian, and you may send me any pints of this you cannot abide.

So, MaryPage, I went to the grocery store today, for just a few items. I decided I would look for the Haagen-Daas in your new favorite flavor.  Can you believe, with the dozens of different flavors, the had one (1) of the Bourbon Vanilla Bean Truffle.
So I bought it.  Came home and after putting away the other stuff, grabbed a spoon and took the lid off.  Now awhile back I had tried a brand that had some bourbon vanilla in it.  I didn't like it.  So tasting this new flavor, I thought I'd really like it.  Well, meh!  Really not my cup o' tea.
I will, however, go back and try one of the dozen other flavors they have.
Some really luscious sounding ones.  Never knew there were that many flavors of ice cream, and I know Baskin-Robbins has 31 flavors!  Glad you are enjoying this new passion!  So I'll save all the ones I find just for you.  LOL! Think you should buy it closer to your home, don't think it will travel well from Texas!

If you ever run across Ben & Jerry's "Summer Peach", try it. It is seasonal, and I haven't seen it in a couple of years. All bought out, or discontinued - I don't know. But when I last had it it was selling like Hot Cakes

My favorites:
Ben and Jerry's Tiramisu and the Chocolate Fudge Brownie
Nick's Swedish Style Triple Choklad Lite
Tillamook Coffee Almond Fudge and French Vanilla
Talenti Burban Fudge Brownie

I've been trying to get Nick's Light Key Lime Pie and the Light Swedish Apple Pie. No such luck, however. Even though they are listed online as being in stock, every time I order them, my order comes back listing them as out of stock. My guess is that the online listing covers a larger regional area and that our local distribution center for online orders does not carry them. Bummer!

How is everyone doing today? I am doing better earwise, they have stopped feeling plugged/stuffy and my sense of smell, taste and hearing are back. My arthritis is kicking up with all this humidity, though.

We have had a couple of days of heavy rain, but I did manage to get out yesterday and mow the front and side yards. I need to check the weather to see if I must get out to do the backyard today, but I hope to put that off until tomorrow. My basement humidifier is on the fritz, so I am looking into getting a new one. I've had this one for about 12 years. It sometimes cuts out before the bucket fills up, so I have to make the trip up and down the stairs more often. That is actually a good thing, kind of. The more I move around the less my hip and leg ache.

Another wonderful thing to deal with. I discovered a leak in the corner of my enclosed porch where the downspout is. That downspout gets too much water to handle in downpours. The water is backing up and running down the window, then finding its way in through at the bottom of the window and framing. My contractor will be over in a couple of days to take a look. The wood itself is none too good, so I won't be surprised if he wants to tear out the window and surrounding framing before getting the gutters into a better configuration to handle heavier rains.

Off to make my breakfast, now and then see what trouble I can get into for the day.

MarsGal, it's just one damn thing after another!

Rammel, peach ice cream is seasonal.  I can remember late summer Sundays.  My uncles would put the old wooden ice cream maker on a walkway out back and put the center portion Grandma had poured the peach ice cream goodness in back into place.   Then they would start cranking.  They would put a folded up piece of burlap over the top, and sit me up on that.  You see, the center holding our seasonal favorite was loose, and sort of jumped up and down.  I was to stop that.  I did a Great job of sitting there adoring them whilst they adored me.  Mutual admiration society was what we called it back in the day. 
We enjoyed our Sunday roast chicken dinner to the last scrap,  and then Grandma brought in the best part of our summers in little cut glass saucers.  What Joy!  And I felt SO important, because they couldn't have achieved all that cool deliciousness without ME!

Here's where I get my favorite peach ice cream these days: 

https://www.homersicecream.com/store/9-Pack-of-Homers-Ice-Cream-p80653586

Some sad news: Thieves visited the house yesterday while I was at a bone density scan at the clinic. They made a mess in the bedrooms. I think we came back while they were still in - the door was blocked, so I call the police. They came fast with special armed force, hoping to catch them. 
It felt like in a film.
I am Ok, just a little chocked. My carer is in trauma.He did not sleep the whole night!

I love reading about ice cream, and the unique and tasty flavors you all recommend.    I have a tendency to buy the same old brands over and over, but now will have something new to look for.  Today I have to get out for some grocery shopping, so will go to the store with a list, of brands and flavors to look for. 

The Haagen-Daas Bourbon Vanilla Bean Truffle, sounds like a good place to start, so I'll look for that one at Safeway, or a couple of the independent markets.  I haven't tasted bourbon itself, or anything bourbon flavored in at least 40 or 50 years, so that sounds like a refreshing start!   

My only ice cream requirement, is that it must be smooth and creamy . . . NO nuts, chips, seeds or hunks of fruit or chocolate. I don't like to chew anything in my ice cream.  That narrows my choices way down.  In recent years my favorite flavor has been Dulce De Leche, which is a creamy caramel, light chocolate and vanilla swirl.  My favorite brand is Tillimook.

Bubble - just saw your post@. So sorry about your break-in!    More later.

Oh, Bubble!  I am devastated and sick to my stomach.  Hope this does not confine you to laying awake worrying about such invasions.  Did they actually steal anything, or just look for something to steal?

It does taste like bourbon, my new favorite flavor.  I am not much of a drinker, albeit I do think of bourbon as being the finest whiskey concocted. That is the Virginian in me.  I usually rack up two drinks per year: one real egg nog around Christmas and a frozen Marguerita at Cooper's Hawk here in Annapolis in midsummer.  The pandemic confined me to home, and now I have not gotten back in the swing of my busy life immersed in alcohol.  My family make the egg nog at the appropriate time, but I am no longer making the excursion to Cooper's Hawk.  Dang!

Marilyne, I am with you like totally re the smooth & creamy. I will compromise when necessary, but I tell my family:  NO BUMPS in MY ice cream!  Peaches are another matter!

Sorry to hear that Bubble. I hope you are able to recover anything they took. I think the world is getting to be a nastier place again.

I was talking to my banker the other day. He said identity theft is getting to be a bigger and bigger problem. I recommend if you haven't already, sign up for one of those free credit reports/basic credit monitoring services at the least. If you have cards you don't use, cancel them, if you don't use them months at a time, put a credit lock on them until you need them. Set your credit cards to alert you if there are charges on your account that didn't use a physical card. This is especially good if you do a lot of online shopping. You can set a limit above which the CC company will alert you if you go over that amount each month. Debit cards are a convenience offered by banks. They are not near as secure, and banks can do less or nothing to help you trace or recover money lost. My bank offers an extra identity method acts as an extra way to thwart anyone who tries to transfer money out or cash a check in your name. If you have a card that you can tap, use that instead of swiping the card. I am told that tapping is more secure than swiping. Just a reminder. You are all pretty smart, so I expect you know most or all of this. Oh, and remember to change your passwords often, including your email passwords. Not only is your email address likely out on the Dark Web, but sometimes they can get a hold of your password as well. Not good if you have sensitive stuff sent to you via your email.

Bubble...words fail me, who gives anyone the right to come into someone's home uninvited and with only one thing on their minds, to steal...

Marilyne, Tillamook has some awesome flavors.  My favorite is the Oregon Dark Cherry (I think that's right)and it is so popular that when it comes out for the season, it sells out almost immediately.  Right now, I'm working my way through Kroger's Private Selection brand, "Chocolate Ganache".  When you put a spoonful of that in your mouth, you just want to faint from the glory of it! (If you're a chocolate lover, that is.) I've never been much of an ice cream conniseur, my hubby was the one who had to have a "bowl" of ice cream every night.But since he's been gone, the ice cream gene passed on to me, and I've been trying out new flavors/brands one cone at a time. Strangely, I have always been a sherbet freak; pineapple, orange & lime. Figure that out for me, if you will.  It goes without saying that, as a youngster, I always loved the homemade ice cream, and loved to turn the crank!

There is a wonderful PEACH All Fruit bar on a stick available here called OUTSHINE.  It really is fruity.

My all time favorite ice cream is Spumoni.  Homer makes Spumoni to die for.  My all time, all around favorite is coffee.  I totally favor Tomereader's plan to try them all.  I mean, I consider it a Scientific Duty to know these things.  Ice Cream is on the very top of the Food Heap, is it not?

MaryPage, I have tried all the flavors of the Outshine.  Only problem is when I buy a box of them, they are gone in a flash!  I love those too! While this weather is so hot, this talk about "ice cream" is totally part of our Scientific Duty.  Also, to cool things down, there's always our "Southerner's Sweet Tea" (I take mine with lemon...How crazy is that?!)

The pictures on the news about the floods in New York and Pennsylvania are just awful. Besides washing cars and people away, it's tearing up roadways too.

Pass the lemon, please, Tomereader, as that is my favorite as well, and all.

As for this Summer of Climate Change With A Vengeance, well, we've had plenty of warnings, and there is really nothing else to be said.

People are like lemmings: lining up to die before they will admit the Scientists who invent the medications that prolong and save their lives might also be proclaiming the Truth about what their constant testings are telling them. What do they gain by doing otherwise?  Seems to me they stand to lose their carefully studied and cultivated reputations in their fields of labor.

I live in Annapolis, Maryland, and we have been lucky so far, cross my darling fingers & toes. Our highest heats have been in the eighties, and we were in the seventies last night.  We have had moderate rain & storms, and all in all, nothing unbearable as yet. God save our future generations! [color]

Good Afternoon Everyone.
I am so sorry that Bubbles home
got broken into.   And she called the
police and they came. 

Thank Goodness. 
Also so glad that Bubble does
not have to stay alone.   

Stange world we live in these days.

Best wishes to everyone. 

love Sandy

Thank you for kind words, it helped me get through the trauma of my privacy being invaded. Now I'm busy with all the paper work for the insurance. The think about all  and remember everything gives me a headache!

Bubble, I thought about you as I went off to sleep, and I have been thinking about you all this morning.  Be of Good Cheer!  This will not happen again.  And people around the planet are thinking of and caring about YOU!

Bad news - It appears we've lost Shirley.
See  https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/wichita-ks/shirley-stallard-11364277

Dang! Not a very good final word, perhaps, but the first one that came out of my mouth.  So Dang!
It could be worse.  My final word, that is.  We will remember and miss you being one of our number.