Week Four - June 2025

     After today, there is only one day left in June. It has been an interesting month. We started June with cool weather and rainy days. However, last week, we had the opposite weather. Daily temperatures were in the 90s with the Heat Index in the 100s. We haven't had that many consecutive days in the 90s since 2012.

    On Wednesday, as we drove to Franklin, the first time in two weeks, I noticed the corn fields were growing exceedingly well. We enjoyed the concert sponsored by the Franklin Symphonic Council, which featured the Circle City Ringers. They provided a variety of great music, and afterwards invited anyone to visit with them. I ventured to the front, wondering what the musical score looked like. It was no different from what you see in a hymnal or the score of a musical. The Ringers are a large group, and they all played different bells, switching after each piece.

    Since it doesn't cool off much overnight, I set my alarm an hour earlier so I could jog in the coolest part of the day. My route took me through neighborhoods with shady areas, and at the point where I turned around, I saw a lovely grouping of hydrangeas.

This is on the edge of a golf course.

    On Friday, we braved the warm conditions to attend the Greenwood Community Band's patriotic concert in the Greenwood amphitheater. The concert was "Rhapsody for the Red,  White and Blue: Gershwin Meets the 4th of July." A color guard presented the colors during the first number and later represented each branch of the military in a musical salute.

We were comfortable as there was shade for most everyone.

Week Three - June 2025

    After we came home last Sunday from celebrating Father's Day at Joe's house, Ray had a fistful of lottery tickets to scratch off, a gift from Joe, Kylie & Dustin. By the middle of the week, we stopped by a lottery spot, and he came home with $18.00!

    On another note, I reviewed the semi-annual bill for our car insurance and noticed that it had increased by $99, which meant that the annual premium had gone up by $198. After speaking with one of their representatives, I adjusted some of the coverage and reduced the bill by approximately $50. We have only had this insurance for a year and have not had any claims. I may need to explore other options, but that's not something I enjoy.

    The weatherman had been warning us of an approaching storm. On Wednesday afternoon, the skies were calm when we left for the monthly dementia group meeting. The group meets in a meeting room on the lower level of a retirement community. The room doesn't have any windows, but one person came in slightly damp, and we knew the storm had arrived. When we left, the storm had passed, and we no longer needed the umbrella we had with us. We also learned that the Wednesday summer concert in Franklin, which had been moved to an indoor venue, was now cancelled. 

    The next day, we learned that thousands had lost electrical power during the storm, and some had to wait until today for power to be restored. On Thursday morning, when I went out for my jog, I saw leaves, branches, and debris from the storm. I also saw two trees down, but no one was hurt.

An old tree fell very close to traffic

Two branches fell from this tree, but didn't harm anyone

    Have you been following the NBA finals? We usually don't, since the Pacers haven't played in a championship series since 1995. Game 5 was played last Monday in Oklahoma City, and the Pacers were struggling. We headed to bed at halftime. Game 6 was played on Thursday in Indianapolis, a must-win if they were to have a chance for the championship. We stayed up late to enjoy a 108-91 win, forcing the series to the 7th game, something that hasn't happened in many years. We'll be tuned in this evening and hope the guys in blue can bring the first-ever NBA championship to Indianapolis.

    We watched two movies that we found for free, which we had never seen before. The first was Airplane with Leslie Nielsen, Lloyd Bridges, Robert Stack, and Peter Graves. The second was Jaws, on the 50th anniversary of its original release.

Week Two - June 2025

     Our week started off slowly until the middle of the week. On Wednesday, we played bridge at the home of one of the members of the group that meets at the Senior Center. Later that day, we attended the Ceili Band concert accompanied by the Celtic Motion cloggers. It was a toe-tapping event. The dancers were a perfect addition to the program.

    We started watching the Pacers vs Thunder game that we had recorded when we returned home from the concert. It was a hard-fought game with the Pacers winning 116-107. We finally got in bed at 11:30.

    We played bridge at the Senior Center on Thursday, and I learned that I was the previous week's high scorer for the first time this year. I had come in second place earlier this year.

    On Friday, Ray and I stopped by the church after playing pickleball for a quick stop. When we were ready to head home for lunch, the car wouldn't start. We had a dead battery. I planned to call for a jump start using my Progressive app, but it wasn't responding. Joe doesn't usually work on Friday, so I called to see if he was available to give us a start. Fortunately, he was available and doesn't live very far away. In a few minutes, we were running and headed for home.

    That evening, we stayed up for the entire game, but the Pacers couldn't pull off another win, and the series is now tied 2-2. The next game is scheduled for Monday in Oklahoma City, followed by the sixth game in Indianapolis. Will this series conclude at six games, or will it extend to seven games?

    Today is Father's Day, and we enjoyed some time with Joe, Dustin, Kylie, Jayden, and a few other friends. We enjoyed BLT sandwiches, broccoli salad, chips, and cookies. 

Ray, Joe, Steelo (the dog), Dustin, Kylie, Jayden

    After returning home this afternoon, Bart initiated a Father's Day Zoom call, and we talked to him, Christy, and Persephone. In two weeks, they'll all be in Indiana, and we will see them in person.

I splurged to add this gnome to my collection!

Week One -- June 2025

     Last Tuesday afternoon, we went to the movies! It has been several years since we visited a theater. I heard about Movies for Grownups and signed up to attend, as the theater was conveniently located nearby. Unfortunately, I didn't get free tickets, but I was added to a waiting list. Then, on Monday, I received an email with the option to still attend the movie. After lunch on Tuesday, we saw Karate Kid: Legends. We enjoyed the film and a bag of popcorn. Ordinarily, I would not have selected this movie, but it was free thanks to AARP. If they offer another free movie, we'll go. The reclining seats and sound system were perfect for an afternoon out.

    On Wednesday evening, we attended the first concert in Franklin featuring the Franklin Community Band. The series is sponsored by the Franklin Symphonic Council, with a different musical group each week. One week is scheduled at an outdoor amphitheater, but most are at a large church in the city. We enjoy the variety of music that is featured throughout the summer.

    The most exciting news this week was the Pacers' last-second win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday. We watched the first half and then recorded the second half. When the radio alarm went off on Friday morning, we heard that the Pacers had won. We watched the recorded second half, even knowing the outcome, but it was fun! Tonight, the two teams will play again in OK, and we'll be watching, but I'm not sure if we'll stay up to watch the finish. 

    Our county library system sponsors summer activities each year. I post a sign in our yard each year to promote the library. I track the number of hours of reading using the Beanstack app and check to see what activities I can complete. It's for youth and adults.

    The lilies in our front flower bed are in full bloom. They are spectacular this year. We've had lots of rain and cool weather, but it isn't a problem for them.

This is the largest of four groupings of lilies.

On to the NBA Finals!

     When I last wrote, we were waiting for the Pacers' game to begin, but the Knicks prevailed, even though the Pacers had the lead at halftime. The next day was Memorial Day, an ordinary day for us, but no mail service.

    Last Tuesday, the Pacers played the Knicks for the second time at home and won the game. The series returned to New York on Thursday with the Knicks winning on their home court. Yesterday, the Pacers hosted the Knicks at home and defeated them to win the Eastern Conference Finals in six games. They will play the Oklahoma City Thunder beginning this Thursday for the NBA Championship. It's been 25 years since the Pacers played for the NBA Championship, so the city of Indianapolis is excited! We recorded yesterday's game since we knew we wouldn't be home to see the beginning. 

    Where were we yesterday evening? We attended a special event at the Indianapolis Children's Museum, sponsored by Thrivent Financial. After a delicious meal, we visited several galleries, including the Dinosphere. 

Outside the Indianapolis Children's Museum

One of several dinosaur skeletons

    We visited the Fashion & Textiles Gallery. The caption below this photo is copied from the display.

Clothing is a powerful tool.
We use it to change how we feel, or to show others how we
feel about ourselves. Sometimes we use it to influence 
what others think about us.

Ray is reflected in the glass. 

A large assortment of comic books.
The caption reads: Just like Great Books, Comics Inspire Us!

    

    The summer concert season begins this week. This evening we attended the Greenwood Community Jazz Ensemble's "A Music Mosaic" at the outdoor amphitheater. It was a fascinating collection of groups that included a Trombone Choir, a Clarinet Ensemble, a Saxophone Quartet, and Chinese music performed by members of the Indianapolis Chinese Orchestra. The last group was the Greenwood Community Jazz Ensemble, which performed a variety of songs, several of which were accompanied by a local singer. Later this week, we plan to attend the first weekly summer concert in Franklin. We enjoyed them last summer. They feature a different group each week. Other musical concerts are being performed at other locations, but it would be almost impossible to attend them all.