Nary a Bite

Not one mosquito bite so far this year, and not even a sighting. I guess there are benefits to a severe drought.

Above, a Victorian painted lady, gussied up for the Fourth. Morning spent at the Library in Fort, resulting in a nice stack of books on the side table. Reading is the perfect antidote to this weather. (And, it was fun looking myself up in the card catalog and finding two hits.)

Wading In

Irresistible lure of the big water on this hot and blast-furnacy day. (Nurtured by the idea that the holiday crowds would be thinning.)

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So over to Racine to step into Lake Michigan. Perhaps not the best idea, however, as we arrived at North Beach shortly after the big Racine parade finished up. Crowds everywhere, and with the offshore wind the beach was hot and shadeless. After a visit to Wind Point (and the lighthouse) we wended our way home, on scenic back roads. Forty-four point six miles per gallon averaged on the trip—the Rav4 seems to like warm weather.

Just Chilling…

…on a Hot Fourth.

Parade route—lined with placeholders up to 24 hours in advance.

Supposedly, everyone loves a parade, but I know of at least one exception. However, if you like fire trucks and loud sirens….

We walked down to the end of the block and then sat on the porch of the currently unoccupied sorority on the corner, in the shade, on chairs.

And, for a later day outing, we headed to a known shady spot for some drone practice.

Meanwhile, in the entertainment category, we made it to the end of Whistable Pearl, understanding about 68% of the dialog. While we liked the female lead and loved her restaurant, the male lead, when he spoke (which wasn’t often), always did it with a mournful mumble. Maybe the best part of the series was the scenery, or perhaps the oysters.
We’ve moved on to the PBS series “My Mother And Other Strangers,” and find we not only like, but also understand 98% of it.

Quiet In Town…

…but the town is gearing up. Big carnival set up downtown and a big carney camp up on the hill.

Mondara, bergamot, beebalm. Native in the mint family (square stem).
Garage door bottom weatherstripping replaced today, and the living room coffee table stripped, sanded and stained. Weather remains pleasant—house wide open and no air conditioning the past two days and nights.

Ah, yes. So much for the quiet. Incoming mortar rounds.

Actual Drops…

…as opposed to drizzle, and eventually, actual puddles, although small.

Monarch appreciation lawn. Like this every year.

Monarch appreciation lawn. Like this every year.

Fajitas

Fajitas

Lots of Urban Forestry writing, and then the two of us on a long walk through thick humidity, to the post office and back home, with a stop at the Sweetspot for a lemonade. We are adjusting to our new routine.

Can’t wait for an episode of Whistable Pearl, and then a chapter or two of MurderBot.

It Was A Good Day…

…though unspectacular. Nice long walk through campus (which has lots of beautiful plantings), some basement cleaning, and then, later, an Urban Forestry Commission meeting. Tonight an episode (currently watching “Whistable Pearl,” and then, as usual, reading. Currently reading (on Kindle) a fun science fiction space opera, the Murderbot series by Martha Wells, about a kind-hearted android who sorta falls in love with a highly intelligent spaceship, all the while protecting his human charges and watching soap operas.
Let me know if you would like to borrow it.

Wind Day

Some cloudiness, the threat of rain, and lots of wind.

While my hickory seedling and my shrubby St. John’s wort whip are both toast, my hazel tree/shrub seems to be prospering.

Morning breakfast with my progressive pals. We may be in the startup phase of doing something useful, but even if not, still fun to chat with likeminded folk.

International Crane Foundation

Visit and sales call. Trip to ICF with Tom and Mary both to explore the new facility and to see about selling Tig. Serendipitously, we met the buyer in the parking lot while walking Pax, and contrary to the normal run of things, she was not going out to lunch. Nice chat later in the store, and she now has the book for evaluation (scientific accuracy, etc.). I’m optimistic.

Demoiselle crane

Demoiselle crane

When back home I checked the garden and found this:

Which is proof that squirrels are smarter than I am. My sole germinating shagbark hickory seedling, in a fenced garden and in a wire cage, scarfed down in less than a day. Frustrating. Next season, a carefully thought-out and engineered plan, perhaps including some kind of fortress. I am determined to grow hickories.

Milkweed Blooming

Two tasty little green beans from the garden. One of the 30 shagbark hickory nuts gathered last fall finally sprouted and now in a protective environment (or what I hope is a protective environment). Big rhubarb (still plenty) cake baking merrily in the oven. And the bottom of the pulling boat wet sanded and waxed to remove the little paint blisters recently discovered. (Should move even better as a result.)