Lucky Fisherwoman

Late this afternoon a small rain shower passed by but it wasn't the inch of rain we were hoping for.

Thinking the rain would hold off until late afternoon, son-in-law Joe brought his neighbor and friend Andy, Andy's parents and Bruce & Bucko McCord for a fishing derby. Joe was on vacation and today was a beautiful day to be outdoors before the rain fell. Fishing was good and Alice had the catch of the day though she had to admit she needed some help in bringing in the catfish she hooked. Actually, she caught two! We didn't realize there were still catfish in the water.

Alice with her catch.
Somewhere there is a fish fry tonight.

The other fisherman had a good day too. They had quite a catch and somebody had a big job getting them gutted and ready for frying.

We loaned them an old cooler for transporting the catch to Greenwood. Someone had some ice and dumped that on the fish and our visitors took off for home. I wouldn't be surprised if they returned for another afternoon of fishing later this summer.

Boom

Crack! Boom! Smile!

A few minutes before my regular wake-up time, I heard thunder. Wonderful sound since we hadn't had an appreciable rain in four weeks. I'm not sure how much we had this morning -- give or take a 1/2 inch. The weather is also cooler and by Friday it's only supposed to be 66. Quite a change.

Late this afternoon I decided to tackle some weedy areas and found that the rain had helped a little, but there were some areas that were still quite dry. We're happy for the little sprinkle we had this morning but looking for more.

Making Pie

Even though this was a Holiday our routine was pretty similar to other Mondays by going to the Rec Center. The place gets pretty busy at 10 a.m. when the outdoor pool opens. That's about the time we are leaving. With the above average temperatures since Saturday, the pool has been very busy. Over the winter a Leisure River Adventure was added to Splash Island. It's something we may have to try sometime this summer.

We were hoping for some rain this afternoon/evening, but the chance of rain has evaporated. Maybe something will pop up overnight. Let's hope so. I spent the afternoon indoors except for the few minutes it took me to cut a few ribs of rhubarb. I had some strawberries from yesterday's picking and decided to make a Rhubarb-Strawberry Pie.

The pie crust isn't perfect--very delicate

 After taking it from the oven, the pie has to rest for a while before serving.

We enjoyed a small piece for our evening meal

When this is gone I may have to make a Rhubarb Custard Pie -- haven't had one in a while. I'll have to do a lot of running if I continue to make pies.

500 Race

When I worked in the church office, the Sunday of the 500 race was always the lowest attended Sunday of the year -- except for the times when there was a major snowfall or ice storm on Saturday or Sunday. Today was Pentecost, considered the birth of the Christian church, celebrated 50 days after Easter.

The extreme temperature and humidity had both Ray and me staying indoors most of the day enjoying the air conditioning. I turned on the radio about 11:30 and we listened to the race. This may have been the first time we both listened. Actually, I spent quite a bit of time at the computer and worked toward my scrapbooking goal while occasionally catching some of the action.

After our evening meal, I ventured out to the berry patch and picked about 2/3 of a bowl. If the berries had been bigger, the bowl might have been full. Some berries were as small as the thumbnail on my pinkie finger. We really are hoping for rain. The last major rainfall was nearly four weeks ago and this is not typical of May for sure.

One Year Old

On May 26, 2011, I began this blog and today I'm celebrating its first anniversary. When I began writing, the intent was to record a trip we were planning last June. After the trip I wasn't sure whether there would be much to write about. Apparently there is, as I've posted 211 times in the last 365 days. We aren't planning a big trip this year so it will be interesting to see where this is headed.

Even though I run several days a week it is a good plan to enter an occasional race just to compare with past results. Today we returned to the Rec Center for a 5K run sponsored by the Hendricks County Senior Services. The race is rather small in numbers but well organized. There were no race numbers. We just gave our name to the person recording the results. Ray entered the walk category and placed first in men 65+. I won the female category last year, but did not fare as well this year. My time was considerably slower this morning. I could blame the humid conditions, but I think it's just age creeping up. Maybe I'll surprise myself in the coming weeks with better times. Let's hope so.

Concert on the Canal

The chances of rain have been very slim all month. We made plans a couple of weeks ago to attend a downtown outdoor concert. When planning that far in advance there's always a chance of rain or the threat of rain. That was hardly the case last evening when we met the Walkers for the first Concert on the Canal of the season. Rain hasn't been in the forecast for several weeks.

We brought a picnic lunch and lawn chairs and seated ourselves on the opposite side of the canal to overlook the jazz band playing, joggers and strollers, bicyclists and dogs and even a Segway tour that passed by as we watched.

The Indiana History Center sponsors the concerts

The evening was warm but not oppressive and very bright until the sun went down behind the Indiana Historical Society Building.

Ray and Max spent most of the evening talking.
Did they listen to any of the music?

Pat and I also enjoyed conversation all evening.

Since we were some distance from the band, we could carry on a conversation without any problem which may have been much different for the people at the tables next to the band. Besides that, our seats didn't cost us a penny. The seats near the stage were definitely more expensive. I can't think of a more pleasant way to spend an evening with friends.

This morning as we were driving to the Rec Center I was able to catch a photo of a picket fence that has caught our attention the last few days. Earlier in the week the sun was shining and the scene was brighter but still very pretty today under overcast conditions.

Could these be red poppies?

This afternoon we admired our clematis in full bloom while sitting on our patio.

Jackmanii clematis in full bloom

An interesting thing about the clematis is that not all blossoms are the same.

The blossom on the left has six petals while the one immediately
to the right has only four petals and some have five.

Since it was in the high 80s today I didn't pick berries until late. It was still warm but the sun was not beating down as it would have been earlier. The berries were mostly quite small and the plants are showing signs of stress from the lack of rain. I'm planning on tearing up half our plants when the seasons is over and it probably won't be long if this weather continues.

Lovely May Day

Yesterday was lovely but breezy and today was just about perfect. We  enjoy these days because they don't come around often and we are already hearing predictions of 90s next weekend.

Instead of heading to the Rec Center this morning, we stayed home because we were expecting a visit from Sherlock Homes Inspection Service (not to be confused with Holmes). This is a weatherization company and we were eligible for their services because we are an all-electric home. There was no charge and during the nearly four hours the representative was here, he checked many items, installed fluorescent fixtures where we didn't have any and then did a test to determine if we had any air leaks. He determined that our duct work had sufficient leakage that a crew will come in the next month to seal the ducts for maximum heating and cooling efficiency. Our utility company, South Central Indiana REMC, offered us this as a way to keep our energy costs as low as possible. Our geo-thermal system helps keep down costs too.

I spent some time trimming some of the yew bushes while the tech dude was working. When he left Ray came outside and noticed that our Sunburst Locust was spectacular against the blue sky. I hope this photo does it justice.

Sunburst Locust

Later, Ray went to the IGA to get two items and when he returned he had a funny tale to tell me. As he was leaving our street, he stopped because the school bus was dropping off several kids (the bus does not come into our addition). A few seconds later, the young girl in the group came up to our car and opened the passenger side to get in. Ray said "I think you have the wrong car." They both were startled. Obviously, she was expecting to see a white car but never looked to see who was driving. She apologized and went her way with the other kids laughing and joking.

I'm still picking strawberries every day. I'll make another batch of jam tomorrow. Today I placed the berries in a single layer on a tray and set them in the freezer. When they were frozen, I placed them in a freezer bag. Of course, we're having strawberries with just about every meal!

A rather unusual Sunday

The day started off as usual. We headed to church and the sermon today was about prayer. But in this instance, I learned that Jesus prays for us. Something I had not considered but a comfort to Christians. The choir sang and after the service I stopped to get a blood pressure reading that is offered once a month. It was a good reading.

Once we got home Ray asked if I could help with a small job out back. He wanted me to pull down some tree limbs so he could snip them off. As the limbs grow longer they hang down lower and are a nuisance when mowing. They sometimes get caught on the tractor's canopy. It was fairly pleasant work with some overcast and cooler working under the trees. We then noticed a rather large tree that was obviously dead along with two much smaller trees. Ray revved up his chainsaw to take care of the three trees while I returned to the house to begin lunch and bake a load of strawberry bread (haven't tasted it yet).

Ray came back in for lunch soaked in sweat but he had finished disposing of the trees and was ready for a nap after lunch. Then the doorbell rang and a neighbor from across the street was at the door. Julie reported that she had just delivered an orphan Canada goose gosling to our pond. They also have a small pond and since they have two dogs she was concerned for the safety of the little bird as it is quite young and can't fly. After Julie left (I was working at the computer while they talked), Ray invited me to see the goose. He said it seemed quite tame and allowed people to get close and pet it. In a few minutes I returned with the camera.

Lonely goose without a family

Have you ever petted a goose?

We know that geese eat grass but Julie wasn't sure if that was enough for this young orphan. Soon she returned with a large bag of feed that she had purchased from a nearby country store. Ray poured some in a small bowl and enticed the bird to try some and before long the goose was greedily gobbling the food and then lay down for a nap. We're wondering how long it will stay around and will it be here in the morning?

Enjoying some chicken feed

After chasing geese for years and trying to eliminate them from our pond, why are we harboring a lonely little goose?

Postscript
As we were preparing to sit down for our evening meal, Ray checked periodically on the goose. It was now resting in our front yard and he was concerned that it would eventually return to the pond across the street. A little bit later, Ray saw the goose heading the other direction, going south on our street. He wasn't sure what to do and thought about picking it up and bringing it back to our pond. As he was considering his options, he saw another neighbor pick up the goose, speak to it and carry it up her driveway. He called Lori and learned that she and Mike had been harboring the goose and couldn't figure out how it got out of their fenced yard. I guess you could say this was a rescue goose. Lori said it was blind in one eye. I'm glad the goose is back home and I'm sure it is happy to be back in familiar surroundings.

Summer has arrived

When I walked into the house after coming home at noon from quilt knotting for World Relief, the house was cool. I knew immediately that Ray had turned on the AC. Our perfect weather of the past week was history as the temperatures reached the high 80s today. We really need some rain. The last rain was May 9 -- 10 days ago!

Before this week I was only posting about once or twice a week so I began wondering if I could find enough to write about and post every day for a week. When I publish this post I can say that I successfully accomplished that small goal. I'm not sure I'll keep up this pace because some days are just a copy of the previous day. How interesting is that?

Ray mowed the entire yard this afternoon and I picked berries again after supper. One thing I've noticed in the berry patch and other areas of the garden is the high number of maple trees that have sprouted from the seeds that fell to the ground. If only some of the seeds that I planted would germinate so easily.

Normally, we would be picking June berries from several trees we have around the house. They weren't quite ripe but we didn't get a chance to pick any since a flock of Cedar Wax Wings had a picnic and stripped the tree. In a good year, we have frozen berries and served them on our breakfast cereal. The birds should be thankful because some berries fell to the ground after our frost last month.

TGIF

Working people use the acronym "TGIF" extensively and you might think that someone who is retired would not. Friday is the end of our "workout" week as we try to get to the gym Monday through Friday. The weekends are different for us. We might sleep a bit later on Saturday morning and spend more time reading the morning paper than other days of the week.

I'm afraid our beautiful spring weather may be coming to an end. The days have been comfortable with low humidity and the nights are generally cool. In fact, we've been sleeping with several light blankets since our window is open. The other evening I observed that even the night sounds finally abate. When we are turning off the light for bedtime, we hear frogs, sometimes Canada geese and an occasional coyote. However, when I woke up last night (probably 3 a.m.) it was very quiet. I didn't hear any night sounds. I guess even the frogs sleep.

Basketball

We're not huge Pacer fans, but at the end of the current season we started paying attention and watched a few of the first round playoff games against Orlando. Tonight was the third game against Miami and the Pacers were at home and, after winning convincingly, have a 2-1 edge in the series. Local media covered the production of 20,000 gold T-shirts imprinted with "Gold Swagger." The T-shirts were placed on each seat in the Fieldhouse and watching the game on TV I had to believe they were, in part, responsible for the energy and terrific play of the Pacers. The company Nancy works for, MainGate, produced the shirts.

I spent the afternoon making more strawberry jam and then picked berries again after our evening meal. After supper, we usually watch Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. The other shows we watch have had their season finales but America's Got Talent has just returned so we'll be watching that this summer. We don't watch sit-coms as a rule but have been hooked on reality shows the last several years -- our favorites are Survivor, Celebrity Apprentice (finale this Sunday), Biggest Loser and Gold Rush. We've also enjoyed Who Do You Think You Are?, a show in which celebrities trace their ancestry. One of the silliest shows is Parks and Recreation taking place in fictional Pawnee, Indiana. Compared to some years ago, I probably watch more TV now than then thanks to our DVR. We can watch at a time convenient for us and zip through commercials. Now that the regular shows are on hiatus maybe we'll find time to watch some movies that we recorded months ago.

I usually find time to do some digital scrapbooking and have a goal to do about four pages a month. So far this month I started on one page, but did not finish it. I guess strawberries have gotten in the way but with two weeks left in May there's a good chance I can still reach my goal.

More of the same

Picked more strawberries this evening. Usually I've been picking berries in the early afternoon, but I'm enjoying the early evening a lot. It's a bit cooler and as long as there are no bugs or mosquitoes, it's a perfect time of day. Very calm and quiet, too. I didn't have time to clean any of them. In the morning we went to the Rec Center and had a free lunch at noon and listened to a short presentation by a lady from "Seniors Helping Seniors." It's a national organization but the presenter owns the local franchise. The concept is that capable seniors provide services for seniors who need some type of help. Nothing medical is involved and the providers are paid an hourly rate.

In the afternoon we had our monthly bridge date with neighbors from down the street. It was our turn to host and I served a version of strawberry pie. The base is a graham cracker crust topped with a combination of cream cheese, plain yogurt, some honey and dried milk. The pie is frozen and before serving topped with sliced berries. After the bridge game, I drove into Mooresville to donate blood.

I can't believe the beautiful weather we've had this week. I don't believe the local farming community can either. It hasn't rained for days and the fields of corn are evident everywhere we drive. In fact, I read in the newspaper that crops are about a month ahead of schedule and the corn crop is predicted to be one of the biggest ever. That's wonderful for the consumer, but not so great for the farmer. Last Sunday we actually saw corn that was at least a foot or more high. Most fields are much smaller.

Strawberry Jam

With several bowls of berries from yesterday's picking, today I knew it was time to make strawberry jam. I started the process after lunch and by suppertime had 24 8-oz jars processed and ready for storage in our pantry. Each batch made 8 jars and once the berries are cleaned and crushed it doesn't take long to finish the process. After supper, I returned to the patch and picked another two bowls. I don't have many 8-oz jars left so if I make more jam, I'll probably use pint jars. We really enjoy jam when we have toast for breakfast.

Now it's time to head to bed. My book is calling me -- I'm nearing the end and can't wait to learn the outcome.

The Day After

I always enjoy the day after we have guests since I work hard the day or two before to get the house looking respectable and today the house still looks pretty good. Second, when there are leftovers, as we had yesterday from our Mother's Day party, I didn't have to cook or prepare our evening meal today. We had leftovers. That's another great bonus!

This afternoon was pretty busy. I spent an hour in the strawberry patch and then had to take a break to drive to Mooresville for my annual mammogram. I was back home in less than 90 minutes after leaving and finished picking strawberries. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day making strawberry jam from the 8-10 lbs of berries waiting in the kitchen.

Mother's Day 2012

Hearing for several days that today might bring a few showers we were pleasantly surprised by enjoying a gorgeous day. More on our day later.

My day started off quite early as I attended the 8 a.m. church service. The sermon began with a rather startling statistic: 60% of men over 30 can't identify a friend; however, women are entirely different, they have five or six friends. In biblical times, the followers of Jesus were called "friends" before they were known as "Christians." Jesus has called us friends, but what kind of friend have we been to God? If we have been unfriendly we need to repent. Jesus said "Love each other as I have loved you." Wonderful thoughts on Mother's Day. After the service I helped pass out small pins to the women, a gift from our woman's group.

Back home, the beef was smelling delicious. I had turned on the crock pot before going to bed Saturday evening. Several days earlier I had made a base for a strawberry pie and it was in the freezer ready for serving later in the day. So all I had to do was finish a veggie salad and mix up a broccoli/corn casserole that needed to bake for about 30 minutes. Kylie & Josh were bringing sodas and Mac and Cheese.

When Jayden walked in he handed me a long-stemmed rose and greeted me with "Happy Mother's Day!" It was s-o-o-o cute! Then Dustin and Kylie both handed me a rose too. Later, when Nancy arrived, she presented me with a small potted plant and card.

Bart called earlier to wish me a Happy Mother's Day and Persephone greeted me on the phone too. She told me that she served her mother breakfast in bed!

After lunch, some more fishing and a boat ride. Dustin was the oarsman doing a great job.

Jayden, Kylie & Dustin enjoying a boat ride

Here's a four generation photo:

Me, Nancy, Jayden & Kylie

I couldn't have asked for a nicer day with family. The weather was sunny with a cool breeze wafting through the open windows. (Too bad the Pacers lost to the Miami Heat -- after leading for much of the game.)

End of an Era

We listened to weeks and weeks of political ads and, after today, we won't be bombarded by all the negative, and some positive ads, anymore. After today's Indiana Primary, Richard Lugar, who served 36 years, will retire from the U.S. Senate at year's end. I'm sure the fall campaign will be equally aggressive since there is now an open seat up for grabs.

Our days of hot weather are over and today was pleasant and tomorrow should even be cooler. So far we've refrained from turning on the AC although this is the time of year when we usually turn it on. Probably when the next heat wave comes our way, we'll close the windows and turn on the AC, but tonight should be nice for sleeping. Having an open window in the bedroom does have its detriment though. We hear frogs, some really loud, and other night sounds. I think I heard a coyote last night.

First Fruit of the Season

The theme for the sermon today was about the vine and fruit. In this illustration, Jesus is the vine and we are the fruit. If we stay connected to him through the Word we'll bear much fruit and that's what He wants for us.

We spent time working outdoors today even though it was pretty warm. I planted the pickle and okra plants that we had purchased about a week or so ago. The plants were pretty small when we bought them so I wanted to wait before putting them in the garden. I could see the first radishes peeking through the soil today. Since I also saw a few red berries I decided to go through the entire strawberry bed and was somewhat surprised to find about two quarts or maybe it was closer to three. I could see many green berries, so I'll be making some strawberry jam very soon.

Stormy Weather

Kind of a strange day, weather-wise. We woke to reports of fog and about a dozen schools with a two-hour delay. We encountered only light fog when leaving the house at 7:30 and finished our run and 45 minutes of yoga before heading off to meet the Walkers.

Beginning in 1907 St. Margaret's Hospital Guild has sponsored an annual show house. I don't know if the event is the same today as when they first started, but they advertise that it is "the country's longest running show house event." We parked at a nearby church and shuttle buses took us to the house. More than 30 rooms or areas were decorated by dozens of decorators -- each decorator works on a room or area in the home. Landscape architects did the same on the grounds of the home. I lost track of the number of bathrooms but eventually we got to see all three floors.

Nearing the end of the self-guided tour, we began to hear thunder and several people with smart phones knew that we'd soon be having some heavy rain. The Guild also offers food and had a lovely setting in an open area ready for customers but with the heavy rain there was no cover to enjoy the meal. We caught the shuttle back to our car and drove to a pizza restaurant not far away.

Saying farewell, we drove home with the intention to stop at the local IGA because each Tuesday they sell bananas for 25 cents a pound (with a limit of 5 pounds). As we approached the store, we could see large dark clouds hovering overhead. As we left the store, the rain drops began falling. Soon it was a downpour. It's about three miles to our house and when we arrived home it wasn't raining anymore -- but not for long. The clouds just hadn't reached us. I saw water pouring down an outside window and realized that it was overflowing from the gutter. Either the gutter is clogged or the rain was so heavy that the water just spilled over the top.

Shortly after the rain stopped, the phone rang with a report from our neighbor that one of our trees near the property line had snapped during the storm. We could see the damage from one of our windows and later, when the sun was shining, we ventured out to inspect the damage.

Washington Hawthorn

Ray will have a chance to fire up his chain saw tomorrow or later, but today he was able to drag one broken limb a short distance.

The point of break was actually
a very weak area on the trunk of the tree

We noticed many small limbs and even some larger ones on the ground in the aftermath of the two storms that rolled through the area today. The seeds I planted yesterday should germinate quickly if they didn't get washed away.

In March, we stopped at a garden show and purchased two containers of pansies. Here's a shot of one of them that I took this afternoon.

The colors are so pretty and bright.
The other container has too many white pansies
and isn't as nice as this one.

A couple of days ago we were told to expect about a week of rainy conditions. I hope they aren't all like today.