A Duplicate Weather Week!

The past week has been a duplicate of the previous week. It’s almost perfect weather. We turned on the heat since the house is chilly in the morning, but maybe we should have waited. By the afternoon, when it’s warmed up, I feel that we could turn on the AC. The next several days are expected to be similar. It must be perfect for the harvesting season with no mud and rain showers to contend with.

We filled out our absentee ballots and mailed them in midweek. As I mentioned previously, we aren’t voting for a Senator or Governor this year. Still, the Secretary of State position is up for grabs since the incumbent did not get nominated. We don’t have the opportunity to vote in the primary for Secretary of State. The parties fill the position at conventions. We also voted for the State Comptroller and the Treasurer. Some of the local county officers had no opposition on the ballot.

Later that day, I planned to donate blood, but was deferred since my hemoglobin count was 12.1, just shy of the 12.5 required. I’ve started taking iron pills and plan to return to the donation center in about three weeks.

Ray and I have taken advantage of the beautiful afternoons, enjoying the warm sunshine and a calm breeze as we walk through the neighborhood. On one afternoon, we met a local feline.

This kitty was curious and purred a bit, but wouldn't let us pet.

What have our favorite teams done this weekend? Indiana won in OT at Michigan, winning their first game there in 59 years! The final score was 13-6, with IU scoring the only touchdown of the game in overtime. Purdue did not play yesterday and will be at Penn State next weekend. LSU, ranked #15, started strong in the first two quarters and prevailed over Auburn 38-17. Another Indiana team, Notre Dame, is ranked #5, just one point below Indiana at #4.

Today, the Colts traveled to Minnesota and scored in the first two quarters, leading the Vikings, 10-6, at the half. However, they didn’t score in the second half and lost 10-16, and are 2-5 for the season. It seems that there won’t be a post-season for the Colts this year.

My Everyday Life - October 18-25, 2026

 Until next time, enjoy the trick-or-treaters if they come by your house on Saturday!

Perfect Weather!

It’s a few minutes past 4 p.m., and Ray and I just returned from a lovely 45-minute walk in the neighborhood. We commented several times on the perfect conditions, such as sunshine, no wind, and a perfect 71˚. We expect the next several days to be identical, and I wish I could bottle days like this. They are special.

The walk was calming for me, as I had been in a stressful situation when I couldn’t log in to an account. I had to go through several people, and I finally learned that the old passwords were no longer accepted. The passwords for this account can contain only letters and numbers, and must include at least one capital letter.

On Sunday afternoon, we celebrated four birthdays at Joe’s house. Dustin’s birthday was earlier in the month, but he was vacationing in Myrtle Beach. Ray’s birthday and Samantha Stein’s (Dustin’s cousin) 30th birthday were on the 17th. On Sunday, Samantha’s mother, Maria, celebrated her birthday. As you might imagine, there was a big crowd, but the weather was beautiful, and some enjoyed sitting outdoors. Kylie brought a big pot of chili, with others bringing other condiments, including cornbread. Of course, there was birthday cake with candles.

Ray, Maria, Samantha, and Dustin
(Samantha left before the cake was served)

Maria, Dustin, and Ray blowing out the candles

It was a disappointing weekend for the teams we follow. Last Friday night, Purdue lost to Washington 38-26. On Saturday, Ohio State visited Indiana and came away with a win, 19-15. The Hoosiers almost won, but on one of the final plays, the IU receiver caught a pass but was just a few inches out of bounds in the end zone. Indiana’s kicker missed some field goals (one hitting the upright), and that might have been the difference in the game. LSU’s shutout of Mississippi State 31-0 was the only highlight of the weekend.

Since we were at the birthday party Sunday afternoon, we didn’t watch the Colts game closely, but we noticed the Colts were leading the winless Titans early in the game. Joe has a TV in his garage where everyone was congregated. When we left for home, we knew the Colts had lost, so we deleted the recording. I couldn’t believe the Colts allowed the Titans to win their first game of the season.

The owner of the Colts decided it was time for a new general manager, and Chris Ballard, who had been with the Colts for 10 years, was fired. This fall, the team was 2-4 and had made only two postseason appearances during Ballard’s tenure. At this point, the head coach, Shane Steichen, still has a job. Rebuilding the team will take several years, and the Colts may have to trade some of their better players for a top draft pick.

My Everyday Life - October 11-17, 2026

 Until next time, may the Hoosier sunshine reach out to wherever you are.

Football, This and That, and Halloween

 It was dry and sunny for most of last week, so it's a delight to be outdoors. Not having rain is OK, but we occasionally need some, and we were expecting precipitation from Hurricane Isaias. All we got were two very cloudy days. When I woke up Saturday morning at 7 a.m., it was dark outside, and it was a while before we saw daylight. Today we're back to sunny.

It's still a few more weeks until we return to standard time. Two states, Arizona and Hawaii, don't have daylight saving time. For us, in the western part of the Eastern Time Zone, the return to standard time will give us more morning light and earlier sunsets.

We didn't get to watch all the football games, but Indiana at Nebraska was a squeaker. IU prevailed 20-17. After that game, the Texas-Oklahoma game was next. That was exciting to watch. Ray roots for Oklahoma, and I am always hopeful that Archie Manning succeeds, since Indianapolis has a long-standing connection to his uncle, Payton Manning. I thought it was interesting to hear the Texas political ads that aired during the game, ones that we wouldn't air in our area. Oklahoma defeated #1 Texas 27-24 in a thrilling conclusion.

Purdue had a decisive win over Minnesota 41-13. I'm sure the Boilermaker fans are enjoying Purdue's success this season. #22 LSU lost a close game to #15 Kentucky, 34-35. We didn't see either of those games.

Yesterday, the Colts traveled to Pittsburgh expecting it to be rainy from the tail end of Hurricane Isaias, but that didn't happen, and the Colts didn't win either, 22-34. They are now 2-3 for the season.

The skeletons are washing lettuce for Taylor Farms

You might say I'm obsessed with Halloween decorations, but when I look at my photos over the years, I have taken quite a few. A few years ago, a local scarecrow contest had us searching all over Greenwood, but that hasn't been continued. 

My Everyday Life - October 4-10, 2026

Until next time, enjoy the fall season with its cooler temperatures. 

Welcome October!

It’s that time of year when political ads dominate the airwaves, as do health care ads. The Secretary of State is up for grabs this fall, so most ads focus on the candidates running for this position. The Bayh family has been in Indiana politics for a long time. Birch Bayh was born in 1928, and after success in Indiana politics, he served as U.S. senator from 1963 to 1981.

Birch Bayh’s son, Evan, served as Secretary of State from 1986 to 1989 and then as governor of the state from 1989 to 1997, after which he served in the U.S. Senate from 1999 to 2011.

In 2026, Birch Bayh’s grandson, Beau, is running for Secretary of State. He has been campaigning much earlier than the other candidates. Four candidates are competing for our vote, plus one person who is campaigning for a write-in vote.

I could probably write more about these candidates, but most of you who read this blog don’t have a vote in Indiana. We are not voting for a Senator or Governor this year, but we still have to endure too many political ads. So let’s change the subject to sports.

Unfortunately, the Indiana Fever lost Game 3, 94-83, to the Las Vegas Aces after winning Game 2 at home. The game was much closer than the final score indicates.

Purdue defeated Illinois, 24-17, to win the Cannon Trophy and snap a 19-game Big Ten skid. Indiana easily defeated Rutgers Saturday night, 47-15. LSU, rated at #10, easily defeated McNeese, 63-14. The Colts were in London on Sunday morning playing the Washington Commanders and won their second game of the year, 30-13.

We watched the biopic “Frida,” the story of Frida Kahlo, born in Mexico in 1907. She contracted polio at 13 and then was in a bus crash at 18, which left her in pain for most of her life. Kahlo died in 1954, and her work remained relatively unknown until the late 1970s, when art historians and political activists rediscovered it.

We’ve been waiting for the opening of the Fujiyama Restaurant, which has been under construction for a year. I told Kylie we’d take her there for her birthday, and she had to wait 3-1/2 months until the Grand Opening this week, when we enjoyed a meal together Sunday evening. 

Onion Volcano Eruption!

Steven, Me, Kylie, Ray, with Jayden and Maiah behind

Until next time, try to tune out the political ads, and I hope you have some festive fall or Halloween displays to enjoy.