From the 90s to the 60s

Last week, the weather changed dramatically. After enduring five consecutive days of 95˚—a record for September—a cold front swept in on Monday. For the rest of the week, daytime highs stayed in the 60s, and we found ourselves reaching for jackets or long sleeves before heading out for a walk. Because of a heavy cloud bank, we didn’t see any sunshine until the end of the week.

In the middle of the week, we watched an interesting documentary, “The Stones are Speaking.” I found this description on the Internet:

The Gault Site in Texas has yielded over 2.6 million artifacts, including around 600,000 Clovis artifacts and many older items dating back 16,000 to 21,000 years ago, making it a significant archaeological site for understanding early human presence in the Americas.

Much of the documentary featured Michael Collins and his life. Here’s what I found about him:

Archaeologist Michael Collins helped lead research at the Gault site in Texas and worked to save and protect it for future generations. Excavations led by Collins and colleagues found evidence that people were in the Americas as early as about 20,000 years ago, earlier than the Clovis period.

A quick review of other events in our lives:

• We also watched the ballet Le Corsaire, an exciting production full of dramatic choreography and impressive performances.
• Cluster flies have invaded the house, and we're looking for effective ways to get rid of them.
• On Saturday, we caught IU, Texas, and LSU football games.
• The Colts finally won their first game of the season on Sunday, snapping a frustrating nine-game losing streak.
• The Fever dropped their first playoff game in a three-game series against the Las Vegas Aces.
• We enjoyed delicious food at the church picnic on Sunday, meeting and welcoming the newest members of the congregation.
• After the picnic, we took in a performance by the Greenwood Jazz Ensemble under sunny skies—a perfect ending to a pleasant day.

The ensemble played for 90 minutes, with a talented vocalist accompanying many selections and adding a special touch to the performance. The turnout was smaller than at the evening concerts earlier this summer, but the atmosphere was just as enjoyable.

A friend joined us unexpectedly, and I managed to snap a photo capturing part of the crowd. 

My Every Day Life - September 20-26, 2026

Until next time, may blue skies and bright sunshine be with you. 

Halfway Through September

I wrote about the block party last Sunday, and you can see another photo of the event in My Everyday Life below. On Monday, Ray had an eye appointment, and no problems were found. His eyes are better than mine. We are happy that some of our favorite TV programs have returned with new shows this week, and we don't have to watch reruns. 

Here's what I learned about the teams we follow: IU was victorious over Western Kentucky 0-38; Purdue fell to UCLA 38-52; after two wins, LSU lost its first game of the season to Ole Miss, 24-32; the WNBA Fever returned to play after the World Cup, and they defeated Toronto Tempo 103-85. The Fever's Kelsey Mitchell set a record of 1,034 points this season, eclipsing the 1,021 points scored in 2024 by A'ja Wilson. Mitchell also scored at least 20 points for the 25th consecutive game, extending her WNBA record. The Fever played this afternoon and lost badly to the Washington Mystics, 93-77. There are only two games left in the season before the playoffs begin, and the Fever is playing the #1 Minnesota Lynx in back-to-back games. The Colts are playing Kansas City this evening, and I don't have much hope for a win.

Yesterday afternoon, we celebrated Sara's 100th birthday, whom we met while playing Bridge at the Senior Center. She said she believes she's been allowed to live a long life so she could know all of us. Four bouquets of 25 roses each, for a total of 100 roses, were provided by her daughters. We enjoyed a light meal and birthday cake!

One Hundred Roses!

We've had our last 90 days, I hope. For the record, Indianapolis experienced 5 consecutive days of temperatures reaching 95°F or warmer in September 2026, marking a record for the month. We've had 27 days of 90 or higher, compared to the average of 20 days.

Ray received a summons for jury duty for the U.S. District Court! We have 10 days to reply, or "you may be summoned to the clerk's office to complete the form." I'll be going online tomorrow to complete the form, and I'm sure his name will be withdrawn from the pool.

My Everyday Life - September 13-19, 2026

Until next time, may you enjoy the start of the fall season, which officially begins on Tuesday. Are you seeing fall colors or changing your decor?

Football and This and That

Kudos to the U.S. Women's Basketball Team for playing in the FIBA World Cup and winning their 5th straight championship! The game against France was close for much of the contest, but the U.S. women ultimately dominated and finished 97-79. All the games in the World Cup were played in Berlin. I enjoyed the graphics behind the commentators and on the game floor as much as the games themselves. They were colorful and had a fun vibe.

However, I was not pleased with either the TNT or Xfinity telecast. I don't know who was responsible, but our recording ended before the game ended! If the game had been close, we wouldn't have known the outcome. 

And now here's a recap of last weekend's football games. Purdue played Wake Forest and lost 38-36 in the second overtime. IU was a big winner against Howard, 55-0. LSU was victorious over Louisiana Tech 45-14 for its second win of the season. Next weekend they play Ole Miss, which is one we'll try to watch. One of the big games that received national attention was Ohio State at Texas. Texas fell behind, 3-23, but scored 21 points in the 4th quarter to win in the final seconds, 24-23.

I don't have anything good to say about the Colts game against the Ravens. We didn't get to see much of the game, but I didn't even want to watch our recording when I heard the results: a loss, 41-23. The Colts scored in each quarter, but the game was lost in the first two quarters when the Ravens scored 31 points.

One morning last week, I woke to hearing the chirp from the smoke detector in our kitchen. After an hour or so, the chirping stopped. The next morning the same thing happened, and the following morning we didn't hear anything. However, it seemed prudent to replace the batteries, so we went to the battery store and purchased two — one for the kitchen and one for the bedroom. I had talked to our neighbor's grandson to see if he could replace the batteries, but he was away for the weekend. He offered the help of his grandfather, who came over on Saturday afternoon and reached the high ceiling with his ladder.

When I checked our most recent Xfinity statement, I was surprised to see it had gone up by $50. I talked to their representative; he lowered our monthly charge to less than before it went up by reducing the Internet speed from 500 Mbps to 300 Mbps. I hope we'll be happy with this change, but we are paying less!

Before we went to the Stone Village Block Party, we wished Jayden a Happy 19th Birthday. 

He blew out the candle in one swift blow!

The food line at the block party

Yesterday afternoon, we went to the neighborhood annual block party, our first. The HOA provided meat, tables for the side dishes and desserts, water, a canopy that didn't cover everyone, and a few card tables. Everyone was asked to bring a side dish and chairs. The afternoon sun was warm, and we looked for shade. The food was delicious, and we ate more than our share of desserts, but they were yummy!

My Everyday Life - September 6-12, 2026

I'm afraid this post is too long for most readers. Until next time, try to keep cool, as it seems as if we are going to break records for the hottest September.

College Football is Back!

We were able to watch both Purdue and IU this weekend. Purdue played at home Friday night, with Indiana State visiting. Purdue was victorious, 44-19. Yesterday afternoon, IU hosted North Texas and is defending its national championship with a 52-16 win. IU led 24-6 at halftime and scored in each quarter. We could have watched other college games, since it seemed that almost every channel was broadcasting one. This evening, another college game is on, but next week the pro season starts. The Colts have Daniel Jones back after his Achilles repair, and we hope he'll be healthy all year. Anthony Richardson has been designated as backup quarterback. Four years ago, he was the starter for the Colts, but fell out of favor for a variety of reasons. 

My Everyday Life - August 30-September 5, 2026

September started with above-average temperatures. We had heat warnings and temperatures in the 90s for four days last week, so we didn't venture out very often. 

Until next time, I'm sending vibes for cool breezes intermingled with the hum of katydids, a sign of fall.