songbird's crazy world

 An hour after I posted my #skywatchfriday post … The skies darkened again. And the wind picked up. We have an above ground pool in the yard.  It’s not useable but the landlord doesn’t want to spend the money to remove it.  Last summer she paid a handyman to put a cover on it, but …well, the cover is in worse shape than the pool. I was in the living room when I heard a loud noise,  so loud it startled Duchess and she jumped off the couch. And this is what I saw. (Poor cat was so scared that she actually came to sit with me.  Granted, Drew wasn’t home at the time…I am definitely her “spare human”.) A few minutes later the skies opened up. (Shadow didn’t care … she loves the sound of rain on the skylight.) It was intense, but it didn’t last long.  And we were lucky, no real storm damage.   Summer storm …

 It was a chilly night, but we’d already turned off the heat in our house.  So Drew got a comforter out of the closet and curled up on the couch.  It’s not cold anymore, but the comforter is still on the couch because Duchess has claimed it as her own. That face truly says “try to take this at your own risk.” Bird watchers   This is what captured their attention. (Yeah, the pool is in sad shape.  Our landlord doesn’t want to take it down, though.) Cat?  What cat? She’s doing the cute thing

 So my workday was done.  The afternoon was warm and sunny.  Perfect for a walk around the neighborhood. But as I walked, I watched the skies.   A few clouds aren’t going to deter me. But soon … As I was thinking “I should head home,” the wind started to pick up … and I heard thunder…. I was half a block from home when the rain started. This was the view from my window. Yeah, raining over my house, but I could see blue sky and the sun. By the time I changed out of my wet clothes, the rain was over and the skies were clear. #skywatchfriday

 It’s Juneteenth, the most recently created Federal holiday.  I’m wondering how that’s going over at the White House … The saga of the grill continues.  On Tuesday Drew went to the store and bought a grill.  He told his tale of woe to the sales person, who checked inventory and practically guaranteed that the new grill will be delivered a week from tomorrow.  But wait … also on Tuesday Drew got an email from the other company, telling him they planned to deliver the grill he canceled, that they’d be here on the 19th (today). He called them, of course, and escalated his demand for a refund. An hour later he got a second email advising that the grill would be delivered on the 19th. Once the refund is processed I’ll tell you who you should never do business with.  Got the pool pass, now I just need the weather to cooperate.  I thought “June gloom” was strictly a California thing.  Guess I was wrong. But we’re supposed to get a heat wave next week … I...

 Paperweight collection 

 Drew is going shopping for a gas grill today.  Wish us luck. Our next barbecue will be July 5.  I’m hoping we won’t have to use the charcoal grill … The weather has been awful this week.  Cold and rainy, more like April than June.  I drove by the community pool and the lifeguards — the very lonely lifeguards — were all wearing heavy jackets.   But we are expecting summer weather by the end of the week, and an actual heat wave next week.  Drew is picking up our pool pass tomorrow. The pool is less than half a mile from here, a pleasant 10 minute walk. I think I’ll be going fairly often. I’m getting bored with walking in the neighborhood and I’ll probably start driving down to the beach more often, now that the weather is improving. I’m trying to decide if an Empire Pass is worth it. The pass allows unlimited access to state parks.  As a senior citizen I don’t have to pay the parking fee at Jones Beach during the week.  I’d have to visit 7 or ...

 In last week’s Saturday 9 I wrote about my trip to Colonial Williamsburg when I was 14 years old.  It  was the first time I visited that place,  but not the last.  My sisters and I took my daughters to Williamsburg in 1996.  And Drew and I visited in 2021.  I blogged about it  here . I’ve only visited in the summer, when the weather is extremely hot and humid.  Last time I was there, I told Drew “If we ever come back it should be in the fall.” So … We are planning a trip for the fall.