Knock it off

 enough already

It took me all day

...to find time to post yesterday.

I believe I have mentioned we have a garden this year.
I'm pretty sure I haven't mentioned I didn't plan it well.
There are three tomato plants and a zucchini plant bush trying their best to crown one another, and the peppers and cucumbers out of the place.

Hindsight says one tomato plant would have been plenty and the zucchini would have been better placed at the other end of the garden.
The cucumbers are able to do well because they're a vine and can creep away from the attacking plants.
There is no shortage of produce from any of the plants, except for, maybe, the bell pepper.
I'm thinking next year the pepper plants can be put in containers ...and probably started earlier indoors.
I will probably opt for an heirloom tomato and one other variety next year.
I will definitely plant another zucchini.
It attracts the hummingbirds.

I'm going after some other hummingbird attractors, too.
They're so much fun to observe.

 
A little something I try to do whenever I go grocery shopping is to bring flowers, too.
I find they help cheer a room with their color.

They are also a curiosity when observed up close

click images to enlarge

...and lastly, This month has had the most page views of any since I started the blog.
The previous high was December 2012.
I was thinking it was because my posts have been so much more interesting.
Then I looked closer and realized it was more likely because I had more posts in those two months.

 oh, well

Busy

GS had us out early because she had chemo this morning.

The actual treatment only takes about a half hour.

But, there are numerous steps beforehand. 

So we were there a little over three hours,

Then I had to run an errand and return home.

Finally, I had a doctor visit of my own.

Inconclusive... we'll have to wait and see.

And it's still warm.

We are in a rut. 

Yesterday is the only day out of five that it wasn't 105.

Yesterday was 104.

Today the top temp was 106.
it averages out

I can't let this go

At the risk of incurring the wrath of another blogger, I have to post this.

saw this at the dentist yesterday

I won't go into detail, other than to say the article says nothing about competitive butter eating.

...and Guiness doesn't

 do records for gluttony

Baby goats

in other words, kids

Rowdy

He's not our dog.

But he likes to visit.
That is if someone will give him a ride.

His favorite thing is chasing a ball.

But if he gets too tired and hot, he finds a cool bush in which to hide.

someone forgot to tell him

 we can see the ball

Ah, so....

Always wondered how you can tell.

th...th.... that's all folks

While doing some late surfing...

. . .a few minutes ago, I saw that two ends of a great crescent* had almost identical temperatures.
This is my end.

To find out what I am talking about read this.
Then find a map of the Western U.S. and draw an arc between the two point represented on the map.
There's the great crescent.
Or. . .  you could look at a weather map and see that along the arc there a few places with warmer temperatures and some with lower temperatures.
That's typical for this time of year.

it's a dry heat

So. . . it's a Normal Friday

It appears if I tag a post as a Monday, it will generate about twice as many visits as a plain ol' ordinary post.
That means, of course, that I am sorely tempted to overuse Monday.
I shall resist.
I shall also pray that Monday updates are entertaining.
What I have found most amazing about the various Monday updates is a good number actually occurred on, of all days, Monday.
That was pure coincidence.
I don't plan for things like that.

You have probably gathered by now I have nothing to report.
Well. . .  almost nothing.
PHG found a recipe for a cake made with zucchini [and a lot of other ingredients].
It tastes pretty darn good.

Speaking of zucchini, I am sure happy I only planted one.
It is huge and generates about one new squash per day.
The plant is about seven feet across and is attempting to take over the entire garden.
But I think the tomatoes will win, and the cucumbers are holding their own.
It's the pepper plants who are suffering because they're between the tomatoes and the zucchini.
That reminds me, I have to go harvest before it gets too warm.
The fruits of the plants are better when picked early in the day.

Then we'll have some cake.

Where were we (a Monday update)

GS started the new series of treatments yesterday.
It is chemo again.
This particular drug usually does not have the insidious side effects most folks think of when they hear "chemotherapy."
We're talking chemicals.
The nurses suit up in hazmat outfits [that may be a slight exaggeration].
Still, it is what it is.
Once a week.
Three weeks on.
One week off.

It boggles the mind.
The actual infusion only takes about 30 minutes.
There are a couple of other drugs that are given beforehand to lessen the possibility of nausea.
They take less than ten minutes.

Completing paperwork and answering questions that are asked each and every visit took up the balance of the three hours we were at the hospital.

I tried using the e-reader to comment on the blog.
It does not interface well with Blogger.
It is as bad  . . .or worse  . . .with F/B.
But it is better than the smartphone.

Maybe I should just use the e-reader for what it is intended.
Reading.
Maybe I should remember what a phone is for.
Like The Cranky Old Man, I don't like talking chit-chat on the phone.
I text a little and talk even less.
We have a land line in the house.
Call me on that phone first.
If nobody answers, call my cell phone.
If I don't answer, I am not screening my calls.
I am probably driving someplace and won't even look at the phone until I stop.
I won't stop until reach my destination  . . .or I have to pee.

Anyway. . .  there really is nothing new to report.
But I do this blog thing every day and I can't stop.

hey, it's better'n smoking

I almost wish I could rant

It would probably make for a more entertaining blog post.
If you were here yesterday, you probably know what this is about.
I got to go to the DMV yesterday to renew my license.
It was the first time in a long time that I actually had to take the written test.
Heck... it was the first time in 12 years that I'd been inside the DMV office for anything but to pick up a form.

The Redding DMV office has been at the same location since before I moved here.
I guess it has seen a lot of wear and tear.
There is a temporary office set up in the parking lot while the old building is renovated.
The old place was cramped for space.
The temporary place has tons of room and is efficiently set up.
The clerks must like it, too.
They were all smiling and friendly.
I'd give them five stars on

Really.
My only complaint is about how folks don't seem to be able to follow instructions.
There are two lines when one first walks into the office.
The first is for walk-in clients.
It is well marked.
It is also the longest line.
The second is for those with appointments, like me.
I was the only one in line.
When the space in front of me vacated, I started forward..
But the little blonde witch in the walk-in line darted to the counter before the clerk acknowledged me.
I did get an apologetic look from the clerk.
I shrugged it off.

The b-witch had a whole folder full of papers.
I was thinking it was going to be awhile.

The clerk at the window next to the first one finished with her client and called me over, looked at my paperwork, gave me a number, and told me to sit down and listen for it to be called.

I watched while the b-itch animatedly discussed her issues in the first line.
I could almost hear every word she said, even though she was across the room, about 25 ft. away.
Finally the clerk handed her some forms and a clipboard and the client sat down two seats away from me, mumbling under her breath the entire time.

My number came up and I headed to the testing area.
That's where they have you sign forms, pay fees, turn in your old license to have holes poked in it, give the eye test, hand you some papers and the holy license, and pass you along to the next window to have your picture taken and be given the examination that will determine if you will be approved to drive for another few years.
After the young lady had me read the eye chart, first with both eyes, then with the right eye covered, and then again with the left eye covered, I asked why she hadn't looked at the chart while I was testing.
She told me she knew what was on all of the lines.
I asked her what chart she would use when she tested.
She laughed, said she didn't know because she hadn't had to re-license since she started working there.

The next window the lady had me switch places with some young man who only had to have his picture taken.
She finished with him, handed me the exam papers, and had me stand in front of a green screen while she took my mug shot photograph.
Evidently she wasn't happy with it because she had me brush my hair back and took another image.

Then she told me to go fill out my test and get in line to have it scored.
There were 18 questions.
Most of them were easy, common sense things that were covered quite well in the drivers handbook.
I blitzed through them and got in line.

Someone else came along and started a line right next to me.
Again, she was a blonde witch.
This one was medium sized.
She had her husband, boyfriend, significant other, roommate [pick one] with her.
Someone else attempted to continue that line, but inferred there might be some grief if they didn't get into the real line.
The partner of bl-itch #2 and I had a brief conversation.
It was brief because it was quite obvious English was his (and her) second language.
From the accent I am thinking German may have been the native language.
B-itch #2 was exchanging here foreign license for a California license.

Finally I was up to have my test scored.
The clerk took her sweet time.
She said to me, "Well, you passed." almost like it was some kind of miracle or that it barely happened.
"You missed one." and she smiled.

I hadn't gotten the right answer for the height and age for occupants of child safety seats.
I guess that means I can't drive with children in the car until they reach a certain age or a particular height?

She handed me my holy license, the receipt showing I'd paid, and another paper that's my temporary interim driver license.
It expires in September.
I'm hoping it doesn't take that long for the new, permanent license to arrive.

When I left both of the blonde witches were still dealing with the bureaucracy know as DMV.
I was actually only there for about 20 minutes.

Someone alluded to the Social Security office yesterday.
I have been there, too.
I had heard horror stories.
I experienced none.
I'm pretty sure that's because I was prepared, as I was at DMV.

Then I went to Costco (and TJ's).

hope their mothers bite them when they get home

Whee!!!

I always say stuff like that when I have to go up the road to Redding.
Even spell check has issues with Redding.

Today I have to visit the DMV Office to renew my drivers license.
I don't so much dread the test.
(I took three samples and missed only one question after reading the handbook.)
It is the office itself that disturbs me.
Every DMV office I have visited has been disturbing.
I figured out what it is that's disturbing.
It isn't the employees.
It's the clients.
They all remind me of the worst customers I ever had when I was working retail.*
Anyhow, after I take the test and read the eye chart, I will do the weekly TJ and Costco run.
With any luck I will be home by noon.
Some day I will figure out what my issue with Redding is.

maybe

*this may be a slight exaggeration

It's funny where an inspiration will start

Saturday I was at a meeting.
I saw this shirt.

The guy sitting next to me wanted to know what it meant.
I was pleasantly surprised.
That's why you got the music yesterday.

's more fun than the weather

A musical interlude

because I can

I almost forgot

It's She's back home again.

If you look real close you will see she still has one minor defect.

In case you may have forgotten...

The best part is they came in under the bid and detailed the car, as well.
I picked her up yesterday morning.
That means it only took the shop a little more than a day to fix the damage.

So. . . that's Mike's Body Shop [I looked for a WEB site   . . .no luck] is once again getting my recommendation.
But, last time it was only word of mouth.

ain't social media grand?

Normal Friday

Next Tuesday I get to go to the DMV to renew my license.
This time I have to take the written test.
I actually downloaded the handbook so I could brush up on the information covered by the test.

Two items I read in the handbook struck me just as a little strange.
Both of them have to do with pedestrians.

Shouldn't this be required reading for pedestrians?
Maybe . . .just maybe . . .licenses for walking should be a requirement and those who don't have one should be required to hold a licensed pedestrian when crossing the road.
(I said maybe)

Holy cow!
Now I am supposed to know how to identify an unmarked unmarked crosswalk?
Maybe they should all be unmarked.
Think of the money that would be saved by not having to buy paint.

On the other hand. . .
I can just see someone who's received a citation for jaywalking telling the judge they were in an unmarked crosswalk, so they couldn't possibly have been jaywalking.

pretty sure there'll be

 trouble with the test

So it's all cool now

But then it's only a little after nine in the morning.
There were even a few raindrops.
The best part is it is still only 72°F.

Misty's in the shop ...since yesterday.
Transportation now requires more logistical planning.
PHG has a hair appointment.
Her chariot just arrived.
A one-ton dually with a crew cab.
In this part of the country about 80% of the vehicles are either 4x4s or one ton duallies [will let you research those terms].
I am not a fan of either. . .  unless there's no other choice.

the usual routine is busted

Nothin' new here

GS has had no reaction to her procedure . . .other than being tired because somebody made her get out of bed before even the Sun made its appearance.

While we were at SRMC, yesterday, PHG made a second batch [looked for a better word   . . .isn't one] of apricot jam.
We now know what everyone is getting for Christmas [oops, sorry] the next major holiday following Thanksgiving.

The next project on the list is jalapeño jelly.
This time we will probably not be purchasing the peppers, but using the ones from out own garden.
What we lack in jalapeños can be made up for with Fresno chiles.

You may have heard we have a little wildfire in our neck of the woods.
I saw something about the Bully Fire on the national news last night.
It's burning in the hills about 20 miles west of here, in an area so remote . . .there's only one through road . . .it takes an hour to drive there.

The optimists said, last week, when it was 1800 acres, they would have it contained by this Friday.
They have since adjusted that outlook, since it is now 8000 acres, to next Wednesday.

Misty goes for a cosmetic procedure today.
The wrinkles and scrapes in the posterior will be smoothed over.
I am not looking forward to having just one vehicle available.
The Mustang is 20 years old and car years are kinda like dog years.
Fortunately, we know how the Mustang has been treated over those years.
There's not much about that car that a little paint [and some work on the driver side window mechanism] won't fix.

Cars are almost like pets for some of us.

thinking about getting a cat
. . .someday

...and a followup

So we got to SRMC at 6:55.
It seemed like most of the employees were just then arriving, too.
We waited until a clerk could do the paperwork to get GS started.
Then we were escorted to the third floor, where GS weighed in at 89 lbs.
(Actually it was kilos they weighed her in, but we aren't French [It's Bastille Day . . .okay?] and requested a translation.
We were then shuffled off to a room with a narrow bed and no chairs, where we waited for everyone else to come to work.
By that time in was 8:15.
The Nurse Practitioner came in, along with an RN, and they didn't waste any time getting started.
I will spare you the details, other than to say they took a large sample for the lab and then drained 2300cc of fluid.
We were done by 9:15.
GS weighed out at slightly more than 38kg [thirteen stone, Brian].
She'd lost 5 lbs.

Unless there's a problem, we won't hear the results of the testing until we see the Doc again in a fortnight.

I have to remember to bring copies of the medications list every time we see a practitioner.
I can remember the meds, just not the dosages.
It's not all that hard.
I have the list in a folder right here on the computer.

just hit print

In the furtherance of Monday updates.

GS had lab work and a Dr. appointment yesterday.
The labs were in anticipation of a chemotherapy session on Wednesday.
The Dr appointment was to discuss the CT scan she had two weeks ago and the lab work from last week.

Boy! . . .was it hot yesterday.
How hot was it?
It was so hot. . .

109.9 °F

and that was on the way back down.
It's suposed to be only 103°F tomorrow.
Did I mention the smoke?
At least it's at altitude and not on the ground.
It's gonna be a long day. . .
. . .and nothing like the original plan.
I was originally supposed to take Misty in for a beauty treatment to the body shop.
I had already made arrangements to delay that because of the scheduled chemo treatment.
Mike at the shop was appreciative because they're really busy anyway.
Misty goes in on Wednesday.
We get her back Friday.

Anyway, the doc came in with the chart [that's what medical people call those records] after the assistant had taken blood pressure, temperature, weight, and oxygen level.
They were all good  . . .except for maybe the weight, but even it was up a little from last visit.
I am pretty sure I know why.

Doc was not entirely pleased with the results from the scan.
He isn't happy with the lab results, either, but they aren't that big a surprise.
Metastasis is a scary word.
We don't know much more. . .  and I'm not telling because I really don't want to talk about it.
I've already said too much.
There's another complication, too.
Tomorrow morning GS will go to Radiation Intervention at Shasta Regional Medical Center for paracentesis.
She has to be at the hospital, which will hereinafter be called SRMC, at 7:am.
Neither one of us is pleased.
We'll probably have to set an alarm.
She has had the same procedure twice before in the way back after the surgery at Mercy General in Sacramento.
(If you're really curious, you can go back to December 2012 to see if I mentioned it. If you are sick-curious, you can Google paracentesis [spell check wants to call it parenthesis]).
I wonder what GS weight will be afterward?
The procedure is to relieve pressure on the ureter and the fluids removed will be tested.
The chemo will now start a week from Wednesday.

We're going to take this one thing at a time.
That way it is only whelming.

otherwise we're okay

Now...

. . .and it is still rising.

On top of that, there's a wildfire that's been burning since Friday about 20 miles west.
So we have smoke, too.

feels like Hell, it does

Monday update

We have a busy week . . .well, the next three days. 
So the best thing to happen last week is. . .

. . .some pictures from my daughter.

They wear their ice cream well.

...and often

Couldn't decide

Both right now

One of them has to be right. . .

 . . .doesn't it?

On the radio yesterday morning...

Most of the time my car radio is tuned to a local NPR station.
On Saturdays, Weekend Edition has some truly interesting stories.

You can click on the image to get the entire story ...and some video.


This area has two NPR outlets.
One is served by Chico State [California State University, Chico], the other by Southern Oregon University in Ashland.
Don't ask me what the call letters or where they are on the FM Band, because I would have to look on Gurgle.
The Chico bunch seem to play mostly classical stuff with their local programming.
The Oregonians a more diverse.
They have three different divisions on three different frequencies.
I listen to the "Rythmn & News Service" because it is easy to find and I get news periodically.
The music varies from popular to blues, bluegrass, folk... it's a nice, eclectic mix.
They even bring in artists for live broadcasts on a regular basis.

beats watching cat vids

Guess what I made

pico de gallo

Everything but the onion, lime and the cilantro is from the garden. . .
. . .and it's almost all gone already.

. . .oh, and the garlic.

so. . . all of the major ingredients

Normal Friday

This is what happens

Slightly more than 13 1/2"

When you don't harvest a zucchini soon enough.
It fried up really well and fed three of us.
Tomatoes, cukumbers and peppers are rolling in well, too.

and there's still some apricots

Because we can...

I saw this yesterday.
Who doesn't like anchovies?

could name hundreds  . . .probably

It's baaaack!

Along with a little humidity

. . .but enough about the weather

A funny thing happened

It relates to yesterday's post.
I took the car in for service and to have the smog certification done.
They'd told me it would take about an hour.
I arrived early, checked with the service writer, who's also the shop owner, and went to the waiting area with my smartphone.
I checked in on F/B and picked of a copy of Forbes magazine.
It was two years old.
So I was able to go from cover to cover in about an hour.
Newer magazines take longer because ...well, they're new.
It takes a couple of days for me to get through an issue of The Economist, unless there are no interuptions.
Then I can get through it in about four to five hours.
I hate it when it doesn't arrive until Monday.

So I was just finishing reading about Warren Buffet's annual poker tournament, the NetJets Poker Invitational, when the boss came in, just a little concerned.
He said, "I have some bad news."
I was sure he was going to tell there was something seriously wrong with the car and it would have to have some kind of major repair before it would pass the smog test.
Or... that when they drained the crankcase, they'd found Jimmy Hoffa a couple of bearings or some other kind of mechanical crap.

But, no, that wasn't it at all.
It seems the mechanic who'd changed the oil is a really conscientious guy.
He thought when he back the car out of the stall, to move it over for the smog check, he had managed to crush the rear bumper.
He wasn't as observant as he was conscientious.
He was sure he was going to lose his job.

Anyhow, the boss was greatly relieved when I assured him that it was prior damage and that I knew exactly how it happened and who did it.

When I was paying the bill, I asked how much it would have cost if I hadn't told him.
He just smiled.

lovin' the mystery

In other news

It was 21 years ago today that GS and I finally actually got married.
It might have been longer, but we never actually planned a wedding.
An opportunity presented itself and nothing else interfered.
There's a picture . . .somewhere.

-o0o-

Ha!
There are two...
The only thing that prevents them from being posted is they aren't stored anywhere I can from where access them . . .YET!


Finally . . .

Misty has an owie

I don't believe I have ever used the nickname for the Honda in a blog post before.
(I will probably not do it again)

The other day at the imaging center I managed to back into a vehicle that was using a little more of the parking lot than it should have.
The driver had backed a 3/4 ton 4x4 into the parking space directly behind my car.
(The parking places are straight in perpendicular to the driveway, as opposed to diagonal, and the driveway might be wide enough for two vehicles to pass each other... if the drivers are courteous and don't take their half in the middle.
He just hadn't backed it all the way into the space, leaving about a foot and a half unused and about 2 1/2 feet of his truck further into the lot than the vehicles on either side of his.

I hadn't paid that much attention, having been busy getting GS situated and her walker put away.
The vehicles on either side of mine were quite close, so it was necessary to back some distance out of the space before turning my wheel.
the view in my side mirrors showed there was plenty of room.
About the time I looked up at the rear view mirror attached to the windshield I heard the crunch.

I count us lucky.
Had the bumper on the truck been just a little higher I would be looking at replacing the taillight assembly as well as a repair to the bumper.
Yeah, I said repair.
The car has over 110,000 miles and Mike, at the body shop says he can repair it.
I believe him because I've seen and had experience with his shop's work.
Of further interest ...maybe ...is that this is the third time this particular area on Misty has been damaged.
This is just the first time there will be repairs.

The first incident occurred less than a month after we bought the car.
Somebody A real maroon turned a grocery cart loose and it hit just behind the rear door.
You'd have to know to look for the dent.

It really is visible in the first photo

 The second, a scratch, occurred on the day GS got out of the hospital after her surgery a year and a half ago.
Someone didn't pay enough attention to where their front bumper was and grazed the rear bumper of Misty as they either parked or departed the parking garage.

More noticeable in the first picture

 I was kind of amazed that the care didn't suffer more damages in that garage, as the spaces were quite narrow and the maneuvering room was scant.
I was kind of perturbed because we'd made it through three weeks without a nick.
Then on the day I go to get her some clown takes a paint sample.
As you can see, I didn't bother to have it repaired.
There are more important things in life.

But I can't, in good conscience, let this latest one go.
Probably because it's mostly my own doing.
There wasn't even any evidence of the incident on the truck.
(though there was some temptation to leak the tires ...the rear tires ...both of them)

There was no point in calling the insurance company.
I have a large deductible and, like I said, Misty was the only one to incur damage.

Next Tuesday she goes in.
Today she get her oil change, regular service, and smog inspection.

there are moments

 when every swear word

 learned comes back

One more day

From 1967...
They used to practice, with the windows open, across the street from where I worked.



The first that ever came into my possession.
I can no longer play it because the reel to reel no longer works and the tape is way, way too old to play anyway.

TG for iTunes & YouTube

Hmmmmmm...

It appears temps are on the 

A continuation of the Independence Day celebration

This is about anything but baseball.

This morning...

...this turned up in my inbox.



The Exile in Portales, Buck, and the Old Retired Petty Officer, Glenn, will might relate to having that many beer bottles around?

this blogger does

Yesterday this turned up in the inbox

I could not leave it alone.

the celebration continues

Somebody asked for fireworks

Here!

you're welcome

100 Things I Like about America V

 Yep, once more I'm rolling out this same ol' post for the 4th of July... so we won't be calling this Normal Friday.
As before there have been some minor adjustments.
Without further ado:

First, let me thank Jim "Suldog" Sullivan for planting this in my head. I'd put a link to his blog here, but there's one on the sidebar to the left and I've already promoted his blog this week anyway, along with that of the Brighton Pensioner, also on the sidebar as Pebbles, who beat this post with his own by a good 24 hours. That may be because he is already eight hours ahead. Gee, now that I think about it, Sully's four hours ahead. So if this was a race I'd be behind from the start.

Enough foolishness [sic]. Let's get underway.


I thought about this for a long time. Then I decided not to number them because some of you might think it was a ranking. Oh, and there are some places where I've listed more than one. Those are bonuses.
Then I thought further and decided I am not required to list them all at one time. I can milk this for a bunch of blog posts... a whole bunch. In fact, if push comes to shove, I can do a series of lists and make this last until next year.

That said, I begin the list in no particular order:

I can do any darn thing I want as long as it doesn't infringe on the rights of others... and I don't get caught

It is next to Canada, where they turn everything they say into a question by saying, "Eh?" at the end. They also only do a fair job of keeping Winter where it belongs.

There are two oceans... big ones.

Aircraft carriers... they're so freakin' awesome

Cigars

Photoshop!

ESPN

The Food Network

Copy and Paste

Snopes

Bacon... no, not Kevin.

Political Correctness... it gives us something to bitch about

Places we can laugh at when we hear the name... like Cucamonga.

Alviso... see the previous line.

Pulled pork

That the history is only about 500 years, so there aren't so many dates to remember.

Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Andrew Carnegie, John D Rockefeller, John Jacob Astor, Alexander Graham Bell, et al.

Immigration, emigration and migration, or we'd all still be on the East Coast.

Homonyms.

The Grand Canyon.

Hot dogs.

Peach pie.

So many zoos and wild animal parks.

That the buffalo isn't extinct.

Baseball

Creme brulee

Osso bucco

Memphis dry rub

Bluegrass

Jazz

Kazoos

Soft rainfall

San Francisco... warts and all

The Declaration of Independence

Bloggers... well, most of them anyway.

Delicatessens

Basque restaurants

Harry S. Truman

Costco

Libraries

Chinese food

Satire

Mountains

Ol' Glory

Diversity

Rednecks... no, I mean the real rednecks

Choice

Grape, pomegranate and jalapeno jelly

Oreos

Rubber Ducks

Convertibles

Wikipedia, Google and Bing

Open Office... 'cause it's free

Gimp... 'cause it's free (make that Gimp 2.0)

Free stuff

Chocolate

Hartford, Connecticut

Springfield, Massachusetts

Madison, NC

Lists

The Three Stooges... all six

Who's on First

The NFL

Home

600 count cotton sheets

Mexico's cultural influence... and the food!

James Fenimore Cooper, Kenneth Roberts, Richard Haliburton, Shel Silverstein and John Grisham... bet you don't see them lumped together very often

July 4th... just a wee bit more than most other days

Cheddar cheese... yeah I know it's not really from Cheddar

The Rockie Mountains

Mount Shasta... both the mountain and the town

That there are so many things I can't finish this list because I keep Googling them

Harleys

Texas isn't anywhere near California and L.A. is almost in a corner by itself

It is big... but not too big

Chocolate Ice cream

Adirondack chairs

The Coast Daylight

Trains

Golden Gate Park

Bacon! [Yeah, twice]

Zoos... rank right up there with bacon and are even more fun

Iced tea

The National Parks... I can't just pick one

Custer's Last Stand... the indians won that one

Hamburgers

Cheeseburgers

Double cheeseburgers

In-n-Out

French fries... no ketchup [or catsup], thank you

Cioppino

- U.S. Highway 50 (aka The Loneliest Road in America)

Interstate 80... so we don't have to take Highway 50

Jack Benny

Lake perch

Fish and chips (see previous entry)

Real chili [has no beans]

Have I mentioned New Orleans?

White corn, roasted in the husk

Escargot

The Blue Angels

Calamari

The tiny heads on my sidebar

- and the lovely lady who occasionally comments (aka Grandma Skip)


That's gotta be at least a hundred. Now if I were nefarious, I would post these one at a time. That would carry carry me through to the end of the year because I would have to interject other posts occasionally.

Unnumbered for
the benefit of those
who want to see if
I may have cheated

Here we are back in the present.
That's today, a gift, that's why it's called the present.

Yesterday

GS had two appointments in Redding.
There was too much time between them to go from one to the next...

...and there wasn't really enough time time between them for us to drive home and back again.

So I took us on a little sightseeing tour.

Shasta Bally is 6000'

Whiskeytown Nat'l Recreation Area is 8 miles west of Redding.
Looking at it almost makes one forget that it's 103°F, like the desert.

The lake is 1214'

 Maybe I will tell you about the appointments another time.

some day