While my morning walk is not my favorite thing to do, I have come to terms with the fact that it must be done. It’s not only for the physical benefits, but I reduced my monthly outlay for insulin.
This is one thing that makes getting up and out by 6 am a little easier.
This was the view this morning before actual sunrise. Beautiful!
Noah had a four game series this weekend. The weather cooled off a lot so I went to all the games.
In the first game, they played to a 0-0 score in the bottom of the seventh inning. The bases were loaded. Noah came up to bat. (For some strange reason, it seems he ends up in some sort of high pressure situation every game. It makes me crazy.) I bet he was sweating bullets. I think it was on the second pitch he hit a beautiful line drive and drove in the winning run. Yea, Noah! He saved the game!!!
They won both games Saturday.
Sunday the weather was still holding. It was very, very hot in the sun, but bearable if you could find shade. They won the first game Sunday. The park is nice because they bleachers are covered, and there was a nice breeze blowing.
The second game was scheduled for 4:30 pm. It was still sunny and breezy, but storm clouds could be seen in the distance. Since the game was being played at the big stadium in the park, the only shade was the inadequate covers above the seating. Jason decided to put up the canopy because the sun was lowering in the sky and the shades didn’t help much. There was a nice breeze up that high. The breeze became slightly under gale force. The canopy was anchored in the front with tie-downs, but the back was untethered. There was nothing to tie the cords to in the back. I was sitting close to the back leg of the canopy and would grab it and hold it when it threatened to flip. Jason said we need some way to hold it down. I jokingly suggested my purse. He teases me about how heavy my purse is. This is his solution to the problem. He’s a funny guy.
From the left: Jason, Mr. Fixit, and Alisa
(Click to enlarge for detail.)
Then, the sky darkened, the temp dropped about 20 degrees, and the wind picked up considerably.What started as a gentle sprinkle became a deluge. The game was called. We finally got everything together and went to the cars. My pants were so wet that there was a puddle in front of my seat.
The rain only lasted a few minutes and the sun shone again. The park didn’t provide a field crew and the pitcher’s mound was too muddy to continue. The game was called. We were ahead 1-0 but it was only the third inning so it couldn’t be called a win. Too bad they didn’t get the sweep.
You can’t see in this photo the bright, bright neon orange of the sun this morning an hour or so after sunrise. It was a sight to behold, as they say. It’s portent isn’t pleasant though. We’ve been having damaging thunderstorms every afternoon. If the saying is true, we will have more today.
It’s hot! I just looked at the outdoor thermometer, and it reads 100 degrees in the shade. Oh, it’s also almost 5:30 pm. Now that’s hot.
In fact, it’s so hot that I have had to alter my lifestyle a bit. I am not a morning person. I usually wake very early, but I stay in bed reading or on the computer until 7 or 7:30 am. It just takes me a while to get moving. These days I have to hit the pavement for my daily (well, almost daily) walk by 6:00 a.m., the coolest part of the day. I have to admit that it’s quite pleasant to be out before sunrise and not having to deal with the sun in my eyes. (Bright light bothers me a bit now.) No one else is out except the people who leave for work early, but the birds are very chirpy early in the morning. So it’s me, the birds, and an audio book. Not bad.
Mr. Fixit had a scan this morning. We’ll get the results this coming Friday.
I’m still on my “cozy” mystery kick. Yesterday’s selection featured a yarn shop setting. I found a knitting term that I had never seen before. At 3:00 am I was researching “umbrella swifts.” After a short time I realized that I recognized the item, but I hadn’t known the name. It a mechanical yarn winder. I had seen them somewhere but didn’t know how they worked.
Next stop—YouTube. There are several videos instructing us of limited knowledge the proper use of umbrella swifts and yarn winders. There are even instructions for constructing one. I made sure to show Mr. Fixit that one. I hope he got the hint.
YouTube is one of the wonders of the internet. I don’t care what you need to learn how to do, someone has done it before and made a video.
Our older son works in the R & D in computer stuff (that’s a technical term), but he has several rental properties and has flipped a few houses. He does most of the never-ending repairs and remodeling. I asked him once, “How do you know how to do all this electrical and plumbing work, laying floors, car repair, etc., etc?
His reply, “YouTube.”
It’s an absolute wonder!
Occasionally I’ll see something and think, “I could use that as blog material.” I grab my camera and take a photo. Nine times out of ten I’ll delete the pics without using them. Today I was checking to see if there was anything worth saving on the camera—there wasn’t much. But there two that I decided to use.
My printer and I had a run-in the other day. For several days I had been receiving alerts saying that any ink spraying from the cartridge could be cleaned up with a wet cloth. I couldn’t understand why I should be getting that particular alert. I had no ink spray. I checked the inside and saw nothing. It’s pretty dark in there. After a few days I grabbed my handy-dandy purse flashlight and took a better look. Yes, indeedy, there was black ink. Following the instructions, I got a wet paper towel and proceeded to put my had inside the printer. I was working blind. When I pulled my hand out, it was covered with black ink. “No sweat,” I thought. “They said it would clean up with water.” I immediately washed my hands, transferring some of the ink from my left hand to my right.
Guess what. It’s can only be cleaned up to a certain point. This is the way my hand looked for a couple of days. I looked like a mechanic who had just finished removing the head gasket for a car. It took a couple of days to disappear completely. I walked around for those few days with my hands fisted.
The printer is now awaiting a trip to the electronics bin at our recycling center.
A couple of months ago while I was having breakfast on the deck, I saw a squirrel with a white tail running down the street. It was unusual. I saw one more time another day, but then it disappeared. I didn’t have my camera with me either time. My phone doesn’t zoom enough to have used it.
This morning as I was walking, I saw it again. I managed to get into the house, get the camera, and get back outside before he disappeared again.
Click on the photo to enlarge it enough to see my little furry friend. I should have cropped the dead peonies at the bottom of the picture. Oh well.
Today in our little town, Sen. Lindsey Graham announced his plans to run for President. It was quite a big deal in here in Central, SC. Our local media provided coverage of the event.
While I am not a supporter of Sen. Graham, I was a little surprised by our local NBC affiliate’s web page just after the announcement was made. The first story listed was not about a South Carolinian running for the office of President, but it was an article about Caitlin Jenner (once known as Bruce Jenner) and his reassignment surgery. As a matter of fact, Sen. Graham was the third story.
While I am not a supporter of Sen. Graham, I do believe that his announcement was a bit more newsworthy than that of the personal life of a former world class athlete.
