We're not setting any records here

No!
This post is not about the weather, which may be setting some records.

What I'm talkin' about is traffic here, on the ol' blog.
There never has been a lot of traffic   . . .except when I link up with a post on f/b and publish a some really juicy stuff.
It's okay that I don't get lots of page views.

Had anyone told me this blog would be around for seven years I'd have prolly [that's a Buck word] snorted.
But here we are 2817 posts later.
I may have mentioned before that this was just gonna be about my back surgery.
Then it turned into a kind of a day by day count of how long it was since I stopped smoking [because that also coincided with the start of the blog] . . .2051 days, if anyone is keeping track.
(yeah, yeah, I know the numbers don't match)

Speaking of Buck.
I miss him his posts and his comments on this blog and on other blogs.
There are others I miss, too.
They have all taken that final journey is this past year.
The world is different without them.

I was amused by the Crank Old Man's post.
It almost inspired me to a similar post a comment.
Anyway, in the interest of not stirring anything up, I will restrain myself because it is ancient [really ancient] history.
Some day I might dredge up some stories about a past life, but only if I can keep it from appearing self-serving.

Meanwhile, teh cat [that's on purpose] has found a place on the desk to rest.

There are two unmade queen size beds in which Sebastian could curl.

weird cat

Monday update

8:47pm (PDT)

I was going to edit the above shot.
It was to be about the colors in the clouds.
Then I decided I might as well mention that PHG went over to the nearby park to watch softball practice.
Well. . .   it wasn't really to watch the practice.
It was mostly to keep her sister company while she watched the practice.

I shagged a few errant balls, being careful not to exert too much energy or stress those muscles that are no longer used for athletic endeavors (I no longer run or throw overhand).
(I will mention that it was still over 90°F, too.
Yesterday's temps got off to a slow start, but eventually surpassed Saturday.)

We left when the mosquitoes started a feeding frenzy.

Redunculous

Note the time of day for that temp.

That said, it can be noted the predicted temperature for yesterday was not reached.
It was only 100°F.
It is only supposed to be 98°F today.

Only, like always, never, and normal is another overused word.

So, yesterday. . .   I think it was yesterday. . .   I mentioned a Lions event?
It was at Lake McCumber.
The Lions, YMCA, and Campfire lease some property from the utility company (PG&E) and have built a really nice summer camp with facilities for up to 150 campers.

Yesterday was the final day of the six-day Lions Diabetes Camp.
I won't go into details about what the camp is about at this point.
My odometer read that it is 35.5 mile to the camp.
What it doesn't say is that it is at 4062 feet (1238 meters), where rumor has it that the temperatures are much cooler than in the valley.
Yesterday it didn't quite work out that way.
The clouds in the valley helped to keep the temps from reaching triple digits.
There were no clouds at the camp.

Each year the Anderson Lions Club members trek up Highway 44 on the final day of camp to clean up after the campers have vacated their cabins and finished using the restroom and showers.
We do a top down cleaning of the facilities used by the campers.
The work we do saves the district from having to pay to have it done.
This year it was about $1500.
Those funds are then available for scholarships to pay for campers who would otherwise be unable to attend. 

While we were there two new members were inducted into the club and the camp administrator, who also happens to be a Past District Governor, installed the officers and board of directors for the new fiscal year.

so it isn't all just fun and games

Note:
There are posts with photos from previous years here, here, here, here, and here.

There aren't enough hours in a Saturday

Okay. . .
What I really mean is there's a scheduling conflict.

There's a meeting I attend regularly   . . .like almost every weekend   . . .and a Lions work activity.
There are about 40 miles separating the events.
The conflict arises at 9:30am, when one ends and the other starts.
Of course the issue is all in my head.
If I am an hour late, the only person to whom it will really matter is me.

The current warm spell has helped to generate some interesting clouds in the mountains.
Some of those clouds break away and float over the valley.
These are from last evening at Sunset.

nORMAL fRIDAY

see what we did?
That's normal

Another blogger call this Cool.



Just about all he posts fits that description.

you know what we think of normal

Looks like Saturday is good day to get out of town

Today might be when I should leave.

Normally Usually the post would be titled, "Sure Happy It's Thursday."

it's a dry heat

Anniversary

Yesterday it was 54 years since I became a member of the U.S. Navy.
That's kind of mind boggling.
I was reading elsewhere how another blogging contributor considers himself "Just-past middle age" because he's 47.
Thanks a lot, Junior!

Then, this morning, I was perusing f/b.
A shipmate had posted some pictures from back in the day [yeah, yeah, over 50 years ago  . . .shut up!].

Whatever we were doing, we were enjoying it.

Odds 'n ends

I've been saving this picture.
The tomatoes were harvested this morning.
BLTs for dinner tonight.
I will prepare the bacon before today's warm [back into triple digits again] temperature poses an issue.

Speaking of warm. . .
Some of the weather folks are telling us it will be into the teens by the weekend.

The cat, Sebastian is his given name [he is also called Junior, roadblock, speedbump, and, sometimes, d**khead, among other things), has become quite independent.
Most days he appears only at mealtime.
On the other occasions he shows up, it is to find a spot to sleep.
If there's a lap, that's his preference.
We can tell when he wants to go out.
He will start running from one end of the house and when he gets to the living room, he gets airborne, makes a circuit, and departs through the kitchen, into the family room, where he will hide until someone opens a door for him.
I'd hate to see what he would do if there was catnip.

because it's Tuesday

Ooh!

Remember this post?
It was only last Tuesday.
Anyway, it appears there will be a harvest real soon.

shot with the smartphone

There are about another 12 of those to follow   . . .and many more if the blossoms set.

so much better than store bought

Return with us. . .

. . .now, to those thrilling days of yesteryear.

That's a quote.
I remember it from back when I used to listen to adventure shows on the radio.
That was in the first half of the last century.
To further quote:

 "From out of the past come the thundering hoofbeats of the great horse Silver. The Lone Ranger Rides again!"

We aren't going that far back.
This is from five years ago.
It was funnier then.

who was that masked man?

Normal Friday

Sure happy it's Thursday

I have long complained about how long NBA, NHL, NFL, and MLB seasons are.
That really isn't fair.
At least not when compared to the Presidential political season.
The election isn't for another year and a half.
I am already sick of hearing about all of the candidates.

INTERESTING OBSERVATION

1. The sport of choice for the urban poor is BASKETBALL.
2. The sport of choice for maintenance level employees is BOWLING.
3. The sport of choice for front-line workers is FOOTBALL.
4. The sport of choice for supervisors is BASEBALL.
 5. The sport of choice for middle management is TENNIS.
And...
 6. The sport of choice for corporate executives and officers is GOLF. 

THE amazing facts are,
The higher you go in the corporate structure, the smaller your balls become.
There must be a boat load of people in Washington playing marbles.

Last year at this time we were still anticipating the apricot harvest.
This year it's already over.
We had bigger 'cots, too.

coulda called it odds 'n ends
or potpourri,
huh?

So it was almost like a weekend

Yesterday, I mean.
The Giants, my favorite baseball team since 1958, had a day game.
That was as good a reason to stay indoors as any (the fact that it was 101°F was a factor, too).

They won!

 
The FIFA ladies were playing football [we call is soccer here] in Vancouver.
I understand, now, that low scoring games are the rule, rather than the exception.
I also understand it was group play to determine the seeding for who will actually compete for the World Cup.

They won!

Then, against everything that tells me it is all wrong to play sports indoors at this time of year, I switched over to the game in Cleveland*.
Yeah, and I kinda have to admit that I just a little stoked and haven't missed any games   . . .except when I absolutely had to be somewhere else [but the season is still too darn long].
I'm pretty sure I haven't been as excited about the NBA finals for about 40 years.
I am also fairly certain I didn't watch them 40 years ago because that was a previous life [about which I shall refrain from commenting further].

I read an article about why the team is called Golden State, as opposed to being named after a City or region.
The article, went on to explain that there are two other teams also California about 400 miles away, completely forgetting to mention a fourth team in the state capitol.
(I am fairly certain I will never totally understand NBA   . . .or maybe it's basketball   . . .folks and how they can miss details)
The same article mentioned that the team logo represented the Bay Bridge.
I always kinda thought it was stylized to represent that other famous bridge**.
So now I won't have to concern myself with how long the season is.
It's done.

Yeah. . .   they won!

Note:  I thought is was fitting for Andre Iguodala to receive the MVP award, not because he was the best in the finals, because without him the outcome would probably been entirely different.

*Oracle Arena (formerly the O-Co Arena [originally Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum and commonly known as Oakland Coliseum]) was sold out to local fans to watch the game on the scoreboard.
**Golden Gate.

How does your garden grow?

"With silver bells and cockle shells."
"And. . ."

it's called Celebrity

just two of 12

Then there's this critter.

about five inches tall

Not really a critter.
But he it should be running around on the ground, let alone crossing the street by himself itself.

The offspring of the Green Heron nesting in the oak tree in our front yard have a very poor survival rate.
They have a proclivity for leaving the nest too soon.
The one pictured above is the second   . . .or maybe even the third   . . .to jump the nest.
He It was actually in the garage, being stalked by the cat, just prior to the above shots.

small wonder it was crossing the street

Update

relatively good news

Normal Monday

This better that the weather report.

I got it from here.
Buck and I visited there often.
I preferred the original site.

beggars can't be choosers

It's Flag Day

And this is about as cool as it will be all day

This was missing the other day

Friday the 13th is on Saturday this month

Here

not here

Normal Friday

I finally figured out what that means.

Normal Friday

It's the Friday the wheelie bins get picked up.
I mean instead of it being picked up on Saturday because there was a holiday sometime (usually Monday) during the week.
It's the Friday to which I would look forward if was still working and had a job that had weekends off.
I might have had a job with weekends off, but I can't remember.

Did I mention there was a brief road trip on Wednesday?
Some of us from the Anderson Lions Club visited the Lions Club in Hayfork.
Look at a map and you might think it's no big deal.
The two communities are only about 35 - 40 miles away from each other.
However, the shortest distance by road is 70 miles.
We did not travel by the shortest route through Igo, Ono, Platina, and Wildwood.
They are scenic miles.
Wednesday was a good day to travel.
It only reached 92°F because of the thunderboomers on Tuesday.

One of the side effects of those t-storms is lightning.
It had sparked a wildfire about 20 miles northwest of Hayfork.
Hayfork was having smoke issues.
The U.S. Forest Service was setting up a staging area at the fairgrounds and an evacuation center was being arranged at the high school.

Our return route was via the more conventional route.
The distance was about 3 miles longer but the travel time was about 45 minutes less.

 The wildfire is still burning, covers about 1000 acres, and has no containment as yet.
The good news is it is moving away from the little community of Hyampom.

and the smoke hasn't reached us   . . .yet

Sure Happy It's Thursday

Wherein I clean up the clutter. . .

anatidaephobia
look it up [or see if you can guess what it's about from the labels below]

13 Reasons to Have More Sex

"Whenever I dwell for any length of time on my own shortcomings, they gradually begin to seem mild, harmless, rather engaging little things, not at all like the staring defects in other people's characters."

 . . .Margaret Halsey

 . . .and finally

should what doesn't get posted

Missed the screen shot

Yesterday the high temperature peaked at 108°F sometime between 3pm and 4pm.
That's when the thunder clouds which had been building in the surrounding mountains closed in, darkening the skies.
By 5pm we could hear the rumblings amongst the clouds.

from a previous post

It wasn't long before some very generous raindrops were splatting on the patio surface, which up to that point had been too hot to walk upon [ask the cat].

I had to drive across town for the Lions Club meeting.
By the time I'd driven two blocks my wipers couldn't keep up with the rainfall.
Downtown the low spots had accumulated large puddles.
I received a cell-phone call from our club president, while at the post office checking for last minute mail, telling me she was going to be delayed because what I was seeing weather-wise was only the fringe of what was happening at her house.
She reports that anything that wasn't tethered has blown into the next county and even some things that were tied down are missing.
She lives only a few miles west of us. 

Meanwhile, the official weather station was pretty much missing the brunt of it.
They report .04 inches rainfall over a three hour period.
My gauge shows almost ten times that amount over a little less than six hours.
The airport is only four miles north of us.

It's nice to have the rain, particularly to break up the heat.
We all just wish it didn't come the lightning and tornado-like winds.

forgot the camera, too

Time

What is it that frustrates me most?

I haven't really done much research on the topic.
But I have anecdotal evidence that what others do   . . .or don't do   . . .to waste my time may be it.

Ironically, in many cases, I may have no other tasks in mind on those occasions.
Doggone it, though, I want to be in control, don't ya know?
As my Minnesota friends would say, "You betcha!"

Of course part of the problem challenge is my ego EGO.
It tells me I'm important   . . .and I am, just not that important.
I volunteer [some folks think I volunteer a lot].
Hindsight reminds me that I was recruited to just about everything for which I've ever volunteered.
The folks who did the recruiting played to my ego, letting me know just how important I am.
The recruiters just forgot to tell everyone else.

So, back to the subject of others wasting my time, as opposed to me sitting around doing nothing because that's what I want.
I went to the bank. . .   not for myself, but for one of my volunteer jobs.
There were five tellers working.
That is a lot for our local bank. . .   not that there are five tellers, but that they're all working at the same time.
There was a long line of customers.
About one out of every five customers was actually prepared to deal with a teller.
Thus, only one teller was actually moving the customer line.

The post office isn't much better.
But I don't have to go there nearly as often as the bank.

A week ago there was a graduation party for the high school that some of us volunteered to help with the set up.
We got there at 7:45pm as requested.
At about 8:10 someone finally had us start carrying tables out to the tennis courts and setting them up.
Then they had us round up some chairs.
Someone else arrived with a vehicle loaded with items to be carried into the facility.
They determined some tables were needed in another spot, indoors.
Yep, you probably guessed that we had to go back to the tennis courts to get the tables and carry them all the way back across the grounds past from where we'd originally taken them.
We balked at moving the chairs again.
I was reminded of the hole digging scenes in the movie Cool Hand Luke.

Ultimately, the real challenge is to me.
The issue really isn't what others do or don't.
It is my attitude and whether or not I choose to control it.

What a difference a day makes

Humidity is up 3% from yesterday.

Monday update

More of this.
Does it really say "fair?"

It's kind of a runaround day.
Early on I have a financial report to prepare for the senior center board meeting in the afternoon.
Later in the morning I am going with a friend to a meeting in Redding.
Then immediately after there's the aforementioned senior center meeting.

Fortunately, I don't have to concern myself with dinner.
There are still plenty of leftovers.
I may want to consider what to prepare for tomorrow night.

meh

Afternoon update

While others slept

Some of us are out early this morning.
The object is to be ready to server breakfast from 8am to 11am to anyone who wanders in and plops down $5.

It's fun.

really

On this date. . .

I could write something, but it would just be a rehash of what others have said.
Two who've said it as well as anyone are the Brighton Pensioner and the Old AF Sarge.

I found it ironic that the dictionary site chose to commemorate this

wtf

Why wasn't I informed?

Mark your calendar.
National Bacon Day is December 30.

bonus post

Normal Friday

Yesterday

So, okay, I get that.
But it seems incomplete.


Then I found this.

it's much clearer now.

It's been awhile. . .

. . .since we had a bacon post.

now you know why

It's like our cat

Huh?
The Muse, it only appears periodically and only at inconvenient moments.
Then it doesn't stick around.

at least it doesn't bring
dead birds before breakfast

Here's mine

Prayer request, that is.
I've already offered a few prayers for Suldog's teammate and friend, Big Jay Atton.
Sully explains it best in his post.
GS and I had the pleasure of meeting him at a softball game in Boston three years ago.

"Big" Jay is in the back middle, behind the guy holding the beer bottle over Suldog's head

big Teddy bear comes to mind

So. . . I guess it's time

Probably since the beginning of this blog I have complained, if not incessantly, annually about how the NBA* season is too long.

Suddenly I find one of my favorite sports teams actually participating in the finals for the league championship.
I guess I may be a bit of a hypocrite.
I have to admit that I have actually watched some [over 90%] of the games and I do feel a bit guilty   . . .not for ranting about the length of the season, for enjoying the games I've watched.
I will most likely watch much of the finals, too, while damning the league for stretching the season to the middle of June.

(Yeah   . . .and I've argued that the NHL** season's too long, too.
But I don't have a dog in that hunt.)

*National Basketball Association
**National Hockey League [which begs another question]

it's been 40 years since they last participated

they won it all in 1975