Middle of the week

Today is Wednesday (yard trash day) which I have non to contribute this week. Yesterday, I placed most of my refund check into the bank to pay for health insurance. I kept a small portion out for play money. The bank I went to had a small screaming hawk nearby. The hawk kept flying circular patterns and taking a second look I spotted a nest on the top of a pine tree in the middle of development. First, I wondered if this hawk was a red tail hawk, but from what I remembered it didn't seem to have a red tail. Secondly, I was wondering if the bird was hunting for food at the McDonalds across the street. The only thing I figured wild it could catch was a small mouse or some leftover fries. If the hawk was a mama hawk, then the fries wouldn't be very healthy for the babies. This is just one example of nature living with mankind. As mankind development takes over nature adjust on where to live and what to eat. On the news, there was a story about an eleven foot gator snagging a man's arm for retrieving golf balls out of a lake. Gators I view are like predators hunting for food and not caring anything about the victim. This gator was eventually killed, but there are more to take it's place. Birds are so unregulated when they fly. They just catch a current of wind and glide their wings on which way to go. Man has man to direct. When a man flys on a plane, he has to take his shoes off, subject himself to a scanner, subject his belongings to a scanner, limit the size of products he can take on a plane, and fly on an artificial bird built by man with other people riding along. He also has to trust a pilot, co-pilot and first officer to get them to their destination on the artificial bird. If this artificial bird is injured or destroyed, many people are killed. However, there are artificial birds called rockets and space shuttles with the help of rocket fuel can reach outside the boundaries of earth and to the moon. The space shuttle fleet is about to be retired and our country will have to rely on another country's rockets to take astronauts to the space station until we get our new traveling vehicle built. This new vehicle seems to be alot smaller and more like a rocket verses a space shuttle. It doesn't seem to have the endurance features that the space shuttle and former rockets had. There is a lot of details that need to be fixed and worked out before we reach to other planets and any deep space travel.

Tuesday is today

Monday was the start of an ordinary day at home. The highlight of the morning was getting the garbage out to the curb so the garbage man could pick it up and put it into the garbage truck. The garbage man came after nine in the morning so afterwards it was on to CVS store to pick up everyday things we need. The afternoon had Matlock around two and a good nap until dinner which was leftover ribs and a good soaking rain outside. This rain didn't have any thunder or lighting with it, but it did water the roses which were coming out in bloom. There were pink ones and deep dark red ones. I was tempted to take a picture, but I didn't want my camera to get wet. This is the pelican which I talked about in yesterday's blog. He had soulful eyes that just wanted you to toss him a fish and he would be your friend for life. In the picture you can also tell there was a pretty strong current of water flowing. This pelican had no trouble swimming and he was totally in control. Today is Tuesday and no garbage truck picking up anything. It is suppose to be sunny today and I hope not too hot. I like the cooler weather here, but I don't care for the heat. I will check on the Sunflower plants in the backyard to be sure they are still around. They have to survive on their own. I will also talk with my sister before seven so I can claim night and weekend minutes on the cellphone. I will find out if she had planted any vegetables. I gave her lots of corn seeds hoping she would plant them and mom and I could eat the corn. Plus her horses could eat the husk. She finds all sorts of ways to recycle and what to do with your leftover vegtables and just plain food is one of them.

Sunday Afternoon

Yesterday, mom took me to the fishing area below the South Bridge where we saw lots of boats traveling both directions on the Intercoastal Waterway. There was a sail boat that had a white sail looking like part of a pair of pants capturing a cup of wind. It was a big cup of wind,because the sail was full and slightly leaning to one side. There was also one sail boat towing another sail boat with their sails down and motors running. Party people on both boats out for a day of fun and I suppose some mixed drinks too. These were two photo opportunities I missed along with the wedding party my mom told me about which she checked out. It was an outdoor wedding underneath a tent. The reception was inside the Senior Center which use to be the old library. The new library is like the sister one in a neighboring city. Underneath the South Bridge, I could see the seagulls and the pelicans capturing a whole variety of wind currents going every direction you could imagine. There was a brown pelican that landed in the water close to where the fishermen had their poles and he was swimming with his duck like feet with such straight strokes. He did know where he wanted to go and was well in control. He got out of the water and onto a rock where he posed for some pictures I took and for two curious girls to climb down some dangerous rocks and call to him which he totally ignored. It seemed like these two girls were fearless and were just looking for some adventure not worrying about being on a ledge which if they fell would land them in some water that would be hard to get out for a human. I was older and could see the dangers and would never take a chance like they did. I play it safe and sometimes too safe. However, I am here to write another day. This is Monday and my friend Lillian left her computer on, but I am sure she will get to work on time.

Sunday Morning

Wind is so dead that blows on the seaside oak trees. The sun beats down intense heating up the ground and the air with no rain in sight. The weatherman says rain on Monday and a cold front is coming. The well water is sprinkling in the backyard trying to sooth the dried out ground. The birds are still singing in other people's yards and not ours. I saw a black crow across the street go under some bushes to keep cool. Our trip to Busch Gardens for my sister's birthday was a strong reminder how intense the Summers can be. Officially, it is not Summer yet, but when it comes the air can feel like a dried, humid boiling pot of heat. I had a little over a cup of coffee , because my allergies have been acting up. I have been waiting for an open restaurant called Sea Harvest to reopen. There hasn't been any sign of this happening anytime soon. I liked it so well, because they had outdoor picnic tables where you could take your wine cooler and shrimp dinner with fries and eat with the seagulls. The leftover scraps you could throw in the air and the seagulls would eat them. Ocasionally, a pelican would walk the walkway and beg for food. There is the Discovery Marine Center where they would have boat rides to explore the Intercoastal Waterway bird life. I hope to do that sometime soon with my fancy camera and take some interesting pictures. Mom is fixing Sunday morning breakfast of bacon and maybe fancy scrambled eggs and fried apples. It is a great way to start Sunday morning.

Sunny Saturday

I hope everyone has a great day. My mom made cheese burger soup last night and it was really good. I had a second bowl. It is like beef stroganoff without the noodles. It was very rich in thickness. There was lots of preparation work to make the soup, but it was worth the effort.

Friday at home

It's Friday and the sun is coming down pretty intense early in the morning. I am finish up my cereal with blueberries and bananas and then it is a little bit of housework. I don't know if I will catch a movie this weekend. I notice there are birds singing, but it seems to be less of them. I think it may be due to the heat. Maybe we might even see a shower or two. This is a picture of Glendon my sister on Rosie the horse.

Planting Seeds

I got my sister planting seeds in hope that veg tables would appear. She told me that she is also planting squash in pots. I have planted some sunflowers and my mom has also planted some sunflowers. We got a misty rain this evening which would be good for the plants. Tonight I am listening to the elimination of an American Idol. Andrew Lloyd Webber was the featured mentor and next week Neil Diamond would be the mentor.

Remembering a Buster story

My mom got up early, because she smelled smoke. This usually means there is a forest fire someplace and the smoke will stay for a couple of days until we get a good rain or wind to wash the odor away. My friend Dee has a dog and trusted companion she has to give up, because of illness and it isn't easy to do. Many a time in the past this task of putting a dog to sleep was placed on my dad's shoulders. My dad went through this without crying, but I know he must have cried on the inside. He was a very caring person who loved dogs except for the one he picked out named Buster. Buster had a mind of his own and listen to no one in the family. He like dared us to try and catch him. It usually took a strange who buttered his ego up or just a stranger that he would approach and be able to be caught. Buster finally died of old age and my sister was the one to inherit this dog, because she had a nice piece of land that buster could run and play on. When Buster went to live with my sister, he didn't have the challenge of running away from people so he mostly stayed at home. When mom and I took Buster to my sister's house, he had to be calmed down with medication which made him snore while mom was driving. Also he produced some bad odors which we were grateful when we let him out of the car when we got to my sister's house.

Start the week

Monday is a day of getting stuff done with the post office and switching money around so I can meet my bills and be current and up to date. The sun is pretty warm this afternoon with only a slight breeze. It is a question of what lies ahead. I do regret that my sister wasn't able to make contact with Busch Gardens in Tampa so that they could make her birthday right. She also stated that a visiting rooster from next door had been fighting with her rooster and was loosing the battle. She was going to pick it up and toss it next door, but the rooster started to cry. She had mercy on the bird and placed it into a cage with food and water for the next couple of days. The ocean picture is one that is peaceful looking glaring out into an endless lake. I look forward to going to see it again after the things to do are done.

Sunday isn't a Political day

Sunday started out a bit cloudy and now the sun is trying to creep through the clouds. Small rays of yellow peek through the clouds and then diminish to a soft off color white. We have the sprinklers on, because there may not be any more rain today. Sunday Morning on TV has a lot of interesting stuff about people and their strange love of art and music and sometimes a little political stuff thrown in. Afterwards is Bob Schieffer is someone of importance speaking about the upcoming election in choosing the next Presidential Candidate. There is some talk about the economy and lots of talk about war stuff in Iraq. After Bob Schieffer, is George Stephanoplis who also has guest who are controversial. The afternoon is filled with getting outside a bit in the yard and watching Matlock. In the Evening, mom catches the news and I play on the computer and this completes our Sunday.

It is nice to recall old friends from the past who made a special trip to visit you and brighten your day. George and Joan Melloan were a talking book full of interest stories of travel to Europe and around the United States. George and Joan were friends of my mom from days when she worked on the local newspaper in Logansport, Indiana. I felt it a privilege to meet these special individuals and learn things about world events I didn't know about. I am also glad to be writing again and hope for more interesting things to say in the future.