Work sucks, I know
but bills need paid so I must go

thank God for friends and family
and for the flowers and our tree

we praise the God of heav'n and earth
the One Who gives us HIS new birth

we love the God Who formed each star
and designed the leaves for your cigar

Holy Ghost, and Father, Son,
We praise The Triune Three in One!

some time to work, some time to play
LORD help me ne'er wish time away

some food, some sun, some work, some fun
but mostly we all need someONE


sola gloria deo

18:22 listening to 97.1 talking about Ausmus and his inept-ness.
It is overcast with a nice breeze from the west but still no rain. The Robin is singing right outside the west window, the Jay just screamed and flew away from the east. The Downy is back at the suet, and Otis gazes longingly through the slider screen. Mr. Hummer comes to the feeder and chirps almost every time he imbibes; the pumpkin leaves are big, big, big to-day.

The La Mars salad was tasty, their toum is almost sinful. The vodka is cold, and I am practicing the chord progressions for some Pink Floyd tunes.

Sometimes Fathers Day gets me anxious.

Otis longs to be out of doors

mr robin singing forte

mr hummer at the feeder

Lazy Summer Evening

Hot and muggy last night so I watched V For Vendetta with my pizza and left Jordan Zimmerman to fend for himself. Turns out he pitched a pretty good game agains the Diamondbacks for 21,264 Tiger fans at Comerica Park but, as is all too often the case with this team, he got no run support. The Motor City Mashers managed to pound out just six hits (only one after the fifth inning) and just one run total. The defense continued to play a major role in the outcome as left fielder Justin Upton couldn't handle Gregor Blanco's bloop single, which allowed him to get to third, and the next hitter David Peralta sac flied him home. Upton did later throw out Chris Owings trying to score on a Brandon Drury single that also scored Paul Goldschmidt to make it 2-1, but that lead would hold.
On the positive side, Zimmerman worked eight innings without walking a batter, striking out six and only giving up those two earned runs. Shane Greene pitched a scoreless ninth, and we would consider that a positive also.

I noticed it had rained at home when I got there after work; prior to that we hadn't any amounts more than a couple hundredths of an inch since 5/28! 60% chance of rain to-day, possibly a storm or two.
Everybody looked happy in the yard so I did not water anything after work yestreday, The pumpkins are the kings so far this year, but the cucumbers will be ready for their trellis this weekend. The annuals are all bright and popping, and the herbs (especially our mystery herb) are all doing very well for two/three weeks past transplanting.

Our Biglake beach radio, allowing Dan and Jim into our yard with their take on the Tigers in game 1 against Arizona

Mr Pigeon, stretching his feathers

Mr Robin, next to the 'ouse

Ike, JFK, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, HW Bush, W Bush, Clinton, Obama

Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits

Heat Log

08:39 I have had my shower and done up the dishes from last night's fish and macaroni cheese feast. The breeze still comes from all directions, for which we are thankful. I've noticed the thicker dappled willows this year keep more of the morning sun off our living room and the slider, which may also help. Deck temperature 71, inside temperature 71. Large numbers of house finches approach the safflower seed unencumbered by fear.

09:39 The west breeze is still coming into the kitchen and for this we are thankful. The bumble-bees don't know it's a Saturday morning and keep up their pace in the lilac and catmint; the hummer has been back and forth to the feeder since dawn. I put the bedroom a/c in the window and have it set at HIGH/COLD, which may be where it's at for the next 72 hours, God help us. I have the vertical blinds in the living room half drawn - I would like to leave the slider open for as long as possible, depending on when our morning breezes cease. Deck temperature 75, inside temperature 72.

It has taken a while, but I am learning to be thankful for no television in the house. It has forced me to engage in other, less passive activities. I have been strumming the six string of late almost nightly, I have been reading my Bible daily, and I have made concerted efforts to keep the local rodent population in check.The Tigers we listen to on the radio, and news we can get online.
Also, we have our vegetables and herbs going now (more, always more growing than I had planned - how is that?!? OH! Maybe due to the fact that I didn't plan on finding six packs for 74 cents at Kroger last weekend...huh?); the maintenance is not too time consuming, and it's fun to nurture these little sprouts and then see how big and fruitful they can become.

10:30 Thank God the breeze still comes from the north and west. Inside temperature 77, deck temperature 84 but the breeze rules! I am (somewhat) forcing myself to finish my second 32 oz cup of water.

12:21 There is still a breeze coming in from the north and west that for some reason seems cooler than the air it is replacing. Deck temperature is 87, inside it's 79 and 80 in the bedroom with the a/c. That room is at the southern most end of our home, and as such, it gets pretty much direct sun all day.

14:07 The breeze still blows and it is a nice warm breeze. The deck reads 90 but inside a comfortable 81 and I have not yet gone back to the a/c bedroom/blind. I do see cardinals and black-capped chickadee enjoying the safflower. The last neighbor to do so has now cut the grass. It is inevitable. It must be done. I think I'll try a new pattern this time to break up the monotony. And I must listen to a good song a few times right before I begin, or Dancing Queen will run there the whole time.

15:39 91 on the deck and 84 inside, but only 81 in the air conditioned bedroom/blind. There is much moisture on the outside of my beverage.

I am taking the cover off the grill.

Still Batting A Thousand

After a particularly grueling day at work, I was blest to be sitting this evening on our deck reading along side a tall cool ice water. I raised my eyes over the 8^th chapter of Acts and saw Mr. Chipmunk standing motionless, right in front of his little hole going under our shed, about twenty five feet away. (Now, it must be told, this particular hole had originally belonged to Mr. Black and White Rat, but he has not been seen in this vicinity for many moons.) This rodent likes to jump from the shed to my safflower feeder and empty it in one sitting. And I have not figured out a way to baffle his efforts. The traps I had been leaving at night right in front of his whole, and then moving inside to the corner of the shed during the day, have not been effective. I had been blaming the Save-a-lot peanut butter, but it didn’t matter. He was there, right now, laughing (inside, of course) at me and my methods.

An excited killdeer flew by low and scared him into his hole. My time to act was now. (I had not yet poured a drink, and was still fairly ambitious due to the warmer temps, and the fact that this type of activity would be something that did not include cutting the grass.) I went inside, grabbed my Daisy Powerline 880 Dual Ammo Air Rifle, without having the scope mounted and without even sighting this bad boy in at all, and went to my bedroom/blind.

The left window we keep the air conditioner in has no screen – I would prop that one open about eight inches, giving me enough room to catch him coming out of the hole.

The view from my bedroom/blind looking east toward the Chipmunk's lair

The right window we have a screen in, and I keep it open with a fan in front of it when we don’t run the a/c.

I kept my focus right above the large hosta, where he would come out of his hole and provide me an opportunity to rid us of him. After what seemed like four or five minutes, I shifted my gaze to the right, and found him! At the back of the shed, standing on a 4x4 apparently smelling for my scent (or perhaps he was inwardly laughing again, well fed on safflower seed).

I did not waste time contemplating. I brought the rifle up and took aim quietly and stealthily, and exhaled, and squoze.

Pfft, right through the window screen, and into his cute little furry noggin. He fell off the 4x4 slow motion like, flopped like a fish for about a second, and then was still.

I ran and got my Buckmaster knife (my favorite one for this type of endeavour J), and found his lifeless bloody self; ready to be deposited inside several Kroger bags and into our garbage can.

Mission accomplished, our Tigers are winning 2-0, and life is good.

H.R. Pufnstuf 1969 Opening and Closing Theme

20 Triangle Delight (properties of Triangles)

Schnappi Das Kleine Krokodil

Morning Feed

Justice Scalia on Fools

Saturday Prayer Requests

Father, into Your hands we commit all the faithful, our loved ones, and Your Church all over the world.
We pray for Francis and all the priests and bishops, for every child, for every one who does not yet know you, for the naked, the hungry, those in prison, those not able to pay the rent or mortgage this month, the sick and dying, those who are missing someone, and those who need you most.
We pray for President Trump, and all the elected officials at the state, local and national level, for John Martignoni and the Bible Christian Society, and people of good will everywhere, for Fr. Karl and Fr. Vince and the good folks at St Patrick. Please change the hearts of those who would hurt or take from others, bring them to You.
We pray for Stan and Rita, for their healing, for Stan and Charlotte and Kathy and Justen and Dayna, Aaron, Joseph, Mary, and Grace, Stosh, Stacie, Carter, Ryan, and Emma;
for Mary Ann and Dean, Courtney, Rusty, Drew, Mason, Meggie, Jake, Quinn, Cameron, Deacon, Kacie, Brett,
for Moni and Bob and Jon and Jay and Jen and Joslin and Liam,
Pam, Ken, Kenny, and Kendall,
Carolyn, Doug, and his family, 
Terry, Jeannie, and healing for her dad, Tye, Sophia, Trent,
for Kevin, Justin, Tori, Kaylee, Kristine, Mike and his mom,
for Mom and Dad, Nancy, Ruben, Ray, Ricky, Beni, Belle, Alex, Carlos,Cheyenne
Gary, Susie, Josh, Taylor, and Jeremy,
for Ron, Gina, Maria, Cas, Sophie, Nina, mom, dad, stepmom, sister and her family,
for Termors and Drake, Mike and his family, Michelle, Brian and their families, Tim and his family, for Paul, his niece, and her family,
for all our reps and their families, for all our clients - past, present and future. Please LORD help us to close the loans we have in the pipeline, and give us new ones to work on.
We pray for Randy and his family, June, Kathy, Tommy, Shelly, and their families, for Vic, AJ, Ninny, Peggy and her family, John, Betsie, Sylvia, Little John, Marty, Denada and their kids, Adam, Peggy, and their kids, Tony, Doreen, Liam, Aiden, Kevin, his mom and dad, and his brother and his family.
We pray for Recker Don and Jim, Pastor Bob, Mike B, Ron G, Todd, Todd, Art and their families; for Paul and his mom and dad and brother, those two guys I sat at table with three years ago; for our neighbors here and the people of Livingston County - may we turn our hearts to You.
We praise You and thank you for this new day; and we offer it to you.
Guide us, fill us with Your good Spirit, and Your wisdom. Protect us and keep us safe, forgive our sins, lead us into righteousness eternally.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit we pray.
Amen