AppleAttic Blog

Flowers come and go this time of year. The lilacs and butterfly bush are done, but other flowers are blooming. Here is a short photo tour of our yard as of June 6th. Please click on the image(s) to open a larger version in a new tab.

We are nearing the end of another project: Sidewalk renewal is nearly complete. We received and spread a load of dirt over the mess caused by the tearing up of the old sidewalk when replacing the water line. I put down some grass seed a few days ago and hope the new grass comes in OK.

A part of the same project included a reconfiguration of the dog run. Part of it had been removed to let the equipment have access to the old sidewalk, and the fencing had to be reinstalled. We decided to place the fencing and gate nearer to the back steps, granting easier access to the water hose and making the area a bit easier to mow.

This was a multi-day project as I needed to let the concrete set up around the posts before stringing the fence and hanging the gate. Pam had a section of temporary fence in place during this time.

It has been an active time since my last post, with work on the yard, planting flowers in baskets and hanging them, finishing the dog run, and doing other yard work. I received a new lawn blade sharpening fixture, pulled the blades off the rider and push mower, and sharpened them. (Previously I had sharpened them ‘freehand’ using an angle grinder.) Both units are now cutting very well and the yard is looking good; the recent rains helped keep everything green.

One other change affected my stereo system. My old Pioneer receiver had been having a channel cut out every now and then; it finally died altogether. I replaced it with a used Denon DRA-425R found on eBay. It is nice to have both channels back again, particularly on Saturday mornings (when I usually do my blog) with American Top 40 oldies playing on the radio in the background.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

Grayce Update: Dare I say I think she may be toilet trained? Hard to say definitively, because she’s been spending so much time outside. I still don’t trust her to run free (unsupervised) in the house. Besides which, that pup is a destructive chewer; she could easily take out a few pieces of furniture left unattended. Grayce will be spayed this coming Tuesday.

Rock on.

Today’s Humor:

A major project began this week: Replacement of broken sidewalks. I have many photos of the action plus a Gallery of photos.

Lilacs make another appearance as they are at peak this week. I hope you enjoy the pics.

We knew we needed to replace the sidewalk that had been taken out when the water line was replaced. Mervin, the cement guy, came out to give us a quote for the work. To meet the minimum amount of cement that needed to be ordered, we expanded the scope of the work to replace a section of the Main Street walkway and another section around the south end of the house. (This section runs between the east porch and the south walk that goes out to the garage.)

Work began this week. While not yet fully completed, the cement has been poured and all that remains is to remove the rest of the forms and cut the expansion slots. Here are a few photos of the action.

We are now looking at a fair amount of work to clean up around the new walkways, but are pleased to have the new walks in place.

If interested, I have created a new Gallery with these and other photos of the project.

I have a few more photos of lilacs and other plants from around the yard. A recent rain and few days of strong winds have done a number on the lilacs but their fragrance is still strong.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

Those damn outside cats walked across the wet cement at least four times. One of them actually waded into a freshly-poured section with ALL four legs. (I had to grab that cat, scruff him, and wipe down his legs with a soapy wet towel. Idiot.) The work crew was patient about repairing the damage every time.

Mervin, the cement contractor, is one of my favorite Iowa people. He is such a pleasure to work with; his crew of young people is a well-oiled machine of worker bees. His team does have the unfortunate habit of showing up around 7:00 a.m. however. After retirement, we rarely “do” 7:00 a.m. anymore.

Rock on.

Humor corner:

This will be a very short post, consisting mostly of a 1:30 video of Grayce trying to play with Elmo. (Elmo was not buying into it.) Also included: A couple shots of lilacs blooming around the yard.

Grayce continues to try and play with Elmo with very mixed results. Sometimes Elmo will join in and chase Grayce around the laundry room. Other times Elmo will just ignore Grayce, as is the case in this video.

Grayce also tries to play with the outside cats when they come around the dog run. So far, these cats won’t join in but that does not stop Grayce from trying to find a play partner. One cat, Cookie, does get close to Grayce but keeps the fence safely between himself and the dog. I will try to get videos of these interactions if I can.

The lilacs are in full bloom — I sit on the porch and enjoy the delightful aroma of the blooms. Here are a couple photos of the blossoms.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

I guess if the resident dogs don’t want to play, Grayce will settle for cats. Grayce’s “ah-roo” bark seems to be developing.

Rock on, Grayce,

Today’s Humor:

There has been some action in the neighborhood; the modular home across Main Street from Heart House was installed. I have many photos and a video of this event! In addition, spring has fully arrived and the flowers and shrubs are in full growth mode. Lawn care has begun. A few photos from around the yard will help illustrate the season.

The “Big Event” this week was the arrival of a large crane that was used to maneuver the two halves of the new modular home onto its foundation. Here are photos and a YouTube video of the action. Run time on the video is long at 23:25.

The owners, who were on-site for this process, said they hope to move in during the early part of June. There is a lot of work to be done before that can happen, perhaps they can keep to their schedule.

Here is the link to a YouTube video of the event.

With the summer-like temps we have been having, approaching 80+ degrees, the yard has been doing well but it has been dry. The tulips did well this year, the daffodils not so much.

Lilacs are beginning to “pop” with both white and lavender blue blossoms just beginning to appear.

We made a trip to a local greenhouse and came home with multiple flowers and some yard art. Pam has planted the flowers around the house and in the garden, in pretty much the same location(s) as the last five years.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

Nothing says NE Iowa like a John Deere tractor pulling two halves of a boxy modular house down Main Street. Or parking the construction porta-potty right on Main Street by the mailboxes, rather than on the side street or in the alley.

One of the 100+ year old oaks in the back yard is definitely dead. Bummer. I am trying to devise a scheme where the main trunk and a few auxiliary branches [that connect to other trees] can be left in place, while the rest of the tree is carefully demolished. That dead oak hosts the hollow for the squirrel nest, and provides food for three species of woodpecker (plus nuthatches) year-round. There is a place in the urban ecosystem for a beautiful ancient dead tree.

First, though, the cement work to repair the damage from the water line placement has to be arranged and paid for. Then comes the tree trimming company search.

“Amazing G” is getting very long and lean. Wish she would start to get along with the other dogs. She and Elmo seem to be trying to establish a play date relationship though.

Rock on.

P.S. Deb, I have some Grandpa Ott morning glory seeds left. Wanna give it another try?

Today’s Humor:

(Any resemblance to the occupant Crazy Cat Lady is purely coincidental.)

There are two major stories for this post. First, we had the Heart House water service line replaced. Second, I took a trip to visit Felicity and Peter in New York and worked on a number of projects for them. Here are *many* photos of these events and narrative about the projects.

We had planned to get our water service line replaced as the old line may have been lead-lined or galvanized with a high lead content. Two reasons for the replacement: Make the house more attractive (in a future sales scenario) to families with children by having lead-free water lines, and proactive replacement of the line before it ruptured.

Given the age of the lines, many of our neighbors have had leaks in their supply lines. We decided to be proactive and replace ours, knowing the insurance would not cover any cost of the project.

Pam took a few photos of the men replacing the line.

The city does not assume the responsibility of sidewalk repair, so we have asked our concrete man, who did the walk between the garage and house, to stop and give us a quote. In the short term I will see what I can do to make the walk passable.

The other “big” story was my trip to New York to visit Felicity and Peter and work on projects they wanted done. Projects included: 1. Amish-style clothesline installed. 2. Insulate floor under kitchen. 3. Build an “ice house” around incoming water pipe to keep it from freezing in the winter. 4. Repair and upgrade broken front door and convert screen door into a storm door. 5. Build a “firewood deck” where they could stack wood off the ground. 6. Cut and split some of their wood pile. 7. Try to level out ruts in yard made by construction machinery.

All this in 10 days. I did put Felicity and Peter to work where they could help.

1. Clothesline construction was straight forward. Two 4×8″ poles, set about 32 feet apart, buried 2 feet deep in an 8-inch diameter hole. I used 300 pounds of Quickrete to set the poles. Once set I attached the crossbars and hung the pulleys and lines to complete this project.

The new Gorilla cart was a gift from Pam and me. Other small tools were also provided by me to be added to the tool collection.

Other projects were accomplished, most with the goal of making the house more livable. I won’t go into detail on all of them; suffice to say the home has been improved a bit. Two other projects I will mention include the door upgrades and the firewood platform.

The main door had broken glass in it, and the matching screen door had broken screening and trim. Felicity wanted me to convert the screen door to a storm door and do what I could with the main door by replacing the broken glass with plexiglass. Both doors turned out well and are much improved from the time I arrived.

The other major project was building a firewood platform where wood could be stacked to keep it off the ground. There was a fair amount of lumber on the lot, including several pieces of plywood in various states of usefulness.

I put together an 8′ x 16′ frame and used the solid plywood to make the floor. T-posts provide end points to keep the firewood from falling off the deck. In retrospect I might have done things a bit differently and used more lumber instead of the T-posts, but that may be a future upgrade.

Here the deck is finished and some wood already stacked on it.

The wood you see is mostly cord wood they bought. I did have access to a splitter and managed to process some of their wood pile, but I ran out of time and did not get all the wood split. Peter was introduced to basic chainsaw techniques and cut several longer chunks of wood into shorter pieces. For a beginner he did pretty well.

I did not get to filling the ruts left by construction equipment, but I did talk to a neighbor who has a tractor and rock rake. He will come over with the tractor and work the ruts out, so in a way I did give that project some attention.

One the way home Pam had me swing by a couple properties in southern Michigan. The most attractive was this old church and house next to it.

I don’t know what we would do with a church, but it was in an attractive area. Drawback: It is on a dirt road about a mile or so off the paved road. Very quiet neighborhood!

Also worth noting: Prior to my departure, we celebrated Becky’s birthday with a candle, pie, and gift.

Taken together, it has been a very busy and event filled few weeks since my last post. The next weeks should be somewhat calmer!

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

Busy with puppy training. Incremental progress!

Rock on.

Today’s Humor:

Generally I stay away from politics in these posts as there are many other places where political commentary can be found. Today I am going to make an exception.

On April 5th I attended one of the Hands Off rallies that took place across America. Mine was in Decorah. Here are a few photos and some thoughts about the event and the reasons for attending.

I have been sending emails to my Federal representatives and getting very unsatisfying answers, mostly form replies thanking me for my contact and little else. It was time to take stronger actions such as appearing in person at a rally.

Pam found a “Hands Off” rally scheduled for Decorah, one of around 1,500 such rallies organized across the country, and I decided to attend. These were organized for people to come out and express displeasure at what is going on with this administration on many levels, concerns Pam and I share.

Pam decided to make a sign for me to carry.

The Decorah organizers announced attendance of around 500 people, this in a state that has been solidly Republican for decades. Other news outlets report that thousands of people took part in other Iowa rallies and tens of thousands did so nation wide.

These rallies are in opposition to cuts in Social Security and other large programs (CDC, VA Affairs, EPA, NIH, USAIDS) but also to a range of smaller programs, many of them grants to cities and towns to help promote clean water, air, and energy diversification. In all, this administration is seen as incompetent, anti-science, and just plain stupid. The actions being taken will hurt us.

The First Amendment states, in part: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble…”

People are social animals and have been gathering for various reasons, including political ones, since well back in history. That is why the right to assemble is the first right guaranteed by the Bill of Rights.

As for the Deborah rally, it was interesting. Only one of the speakers was an elected official; other officials opted to skip the rally. (The elected official attending was a member of the Decorah City Council.) The other speakers were locals, including a couple teachers, a farmer, a small business owner, and a guy that writes editorials. Quite the cross section of people.

There were songs as well, three in fact. I was standing next to a pair of younger girls, possible local Luther College students, who had very good voices. The music went down well. Selections including the first chorus of “America the Beautiful” and a couple other protest songs. The lady leading the singing had an excellent voice.

What are my takeaways?

First, I was reminded of how public gatherings are such a part of our American culture and how they are integrated into our political system. Alexis de Tocqueville once wrote “…the only guarantee of liberty is for everyone to combine forces…” in his 1835 two-book volume titled Democracy in America.

Second, it is good to be among people who share a common interest. This observation may seem to be self-evident, but in our modern post-Covid world, face to face meetings are getting lost. As one speaker said, “you can’t make changes with a comment” left on a YouTube video. In-person gatherings for a common cause are a powerful motivator.

Third, such gatherings reinforce the idea that you are not alone and are part of a larger movement. It is easy to stay at home and wonder if anyone else in your community feels the way you do. National reports are not the same as seeing your local neighbors standing up for the same causes. The feeling gives you motivation for doing more than sitting at home.

Lastly, non-violent rallies are kind of fun. You are standing with other people, holding up signs and singing, and being led in responses by the organizers. New information comes to light from people who follow specific parts of the government. Rallies are part of the American experience.

I have several photos from the event, and a couple sent from friends who attended other rallies, in my Gallery page. I encourage you to take a look. Some are funny, most are serious, and all express a point of view that may be different (or enhance) your own.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

Prolonged walking and standing are no longer in the comfort range of my superpowers. However, sign making is in my wheelhouse.

My childhood girlfriend, Janean (Hurd) Lang texted me re: our plans to locate an Iowa event on “Hands Off” day. This motivated me to search for the Decorah rally, which motivated Himself to be in attendance. Janean attended the LaCrosse rally, where about 1,000 people gathered.

Rock on.

Today’s Humor:

I have a few minor updates to mention today. Let’s get into it!

My left foot is now out of the medical boot for good. The last doctor’s appointment cleared me from wearing it, and the doctor said the bone fractures have healed. The ankle is still swollen and will remain so for the next couple months, however. I am walking better but still limping a bit, but improving over time.

Some activity has occurred on the lot across Main Street from us. The foundation appears to be complete and the excavator has been removed. The last action was the installation of several round cement footers for – what looks to be – a front porch. Much of the ‘dirt wall’ has been backfilled around the foundation but a small pile remains.

Two of the cats, Elmo and Reese, took a trip to the vet for their annual checkups and shots. Both are in good shape and quite healthy. Elmo is a chunk, though, weighing in at 15.2 pounds. He may be the heaviest cat we have owned.

Grayce is doing well and growing, but she is still not quite used to letting us know when she needs to go outdoors to do her business. This frustrates Pam continually. Puppyhood…

Grayce likes to play with her new Frisbee. She’s getting long and leggy.

Flowers are growing and greening in the flower beds. Recent rains (and some short-lived snow) helped. NE Iowa area is still classified as being in a moderate drought, so rain is appreciated.

There was not much outside time this last week — there was a mix of rain and snow accompanied by colder weather, temps in the 30s and low 40s, not good for outside time. Next week promises to have improved weather and we can look forward to more outside tasks.

There’s a batch of newborn squirrels running around in our oak trees. Pam has counted 5 of them. It’s fun to watch them running and jumping, exploring their environment, and stretching and discovering the limits of their abilities. This stage does not last long.

A special note for the calendar date: I attended one of the April 5th “Hands Off” rallies today, this one in Decorah. I will have photos and thoughts on the event in my next post.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

Well — turns out Grayce is a poop eater. And a digger. I pick up fecal output [from all three dogs] almost before it hits the ground these days. And throw rubber mats over active dig spots in the dog enclosure. Grayce can excavate an 8″ diameter hole in under two minutes. Hard to get outdoor projects done, as I must constantly watch Grayce when she’s outside. I was able to edge the planting bed under the oaks, that’s about it.

Happy Trails.

Today’s Humor

There has been action on the lot across Main Street from us: A foundation was dug and new cement poured. NE Iowa received several inches of wet, heavy snow earlier this week, now mostly melted, and there are a few other notes of minor interest. Let’s get into it!

After many weeks off inactivity, last week saw quite a bit of action on the lot across Main Street from us. The excavator was fired up and a large hole for a new basement was dug.

A crew arrived to put in the footings, followed by installation of wall forms.

Finally, cement was pumped into the forms, leaving the top of the foundation quite a bit higher than the surrounding lawn.

The activity has ceased for the moment, although additional minor work has been done such as some backfilling the foundation. I expect water and sewer lines will next be installed before some sort of modular home is moved in.

While much of the excavated dirt was hauled away, there remains a wall of dirt on the Main Street side of the lot. This makes the view from the Heart House bay windows a bit bleak. (Particularly now that the trees previously there were trashed.)

It is to be hoped more work continues as weather allows, and the house is moved in soon, so the wall of dirt can be removed and the lawn areas will “green up” as spring arrives.

A typical “March Madness” storm brought the state several inches of very heavy and wet snow earlier this week. While it is now mostly melted, it was a bit difficult to clear from normal walking areas around Heart House.

The extended forecast is for mild weather over the next 10 days, with highs into the 40s (approaching 50 a few days) and just below freezing at night. I expect the remaining snow to melt completely by this time next week.

Summer travel plans for me are beginning to take shape. A visit to Felicity in New York is definitely on the list as there are a few items to take to her. At least one trip, possibly two, to The Lot in Colorado are potentially on the agenda. I have considered visiting Toby in Las Vegas (either drive or fly) if that could be arranged. Plans are tentative at the moment but some broad outlines are in place.

Trips need to be scheduled around a couple other events. We are on the local plumbing shop’s schedule to have our water service line replaced this spring, and Pam wants me here for that project. There will likely be the need to remove dog enclosure fencing for the dig; plans are afoot to reconfigure the dog enclosure area after. Ideally both items would be spring projects, which should allow the lawn to recover after the work.

Since sidewalk sections (at the street plus around the house) will have to be removed to replace the water line, some cement work will be needed to complete the project. We have contacted the guy who did our sidewalk work in 2020 and he says he will come around and give us a quote for the job.

Spring — officially here on the calendar. Tulips and daffodils are poking up in the flower bed, and “attendance” at the bird feeder has fallen off. Mulch was removed from the Mary Lynn bed and some other clean-up of winter leaves was accomplished, with the debris taken to the town’s compost site. There is much to do yet, though, and when the weather improves it will be time to get outside and work on spring chores.

Inside, I continue with some under-the-hood changes to web pages by adding and updating some Javascript scripts. These streamline the pages and help them load faster. Pam continues to peruse home listings in Michigan, but mainly she works with Grayce, helping Grayce get used to the other dogs and cats. Both of us always look forward to getting out of the house more as weather turns milder.

While I am still wearing my medical boot upon my left foot, there has been noticeable improvement and the ankle is feeling much better. I have had the boot off now and then, walking around the house, and although the ankle is still stiff the swelling has gone down and my ability to walk normally has gotten better. An upcoming appointment will give me a medical update, but I am looking forward to the day when I can take the boot off for good.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

Puppies are certainly cute, and it’s a good thing, as they are also extremely frustrating. Grayce and I are in a battle of wills most of the time these days. Reconfiguring both internal and external environments helps me reduce the number of times I need to say “No!” and “Leave it!” and to try for more times expressing the “good dog!” sentiment. Having said that, this dog cannot grow out of puppyhood fast enough for me.

Outside spring work, when the weather allows, will keep me away from the news of the truly disturbing First Felon’s administration. As Himself and I discussed when we paid off the mortgage last August (before the election), our Social Security retirement money is a tempting political target. Greedy grifters constantly eye SS – calling it an entitlement and not earned monies. It’s just a matter of time before some low life makes a grab at that honey pot. When it happens (not if), it will be time for me to join the Dangerously Angered Silver Hair Ladies League. The country isn’t ready for pissed off old ladies…I’m talkin’ to you, MAGA voters.

Happy Trails.

Note: This post is going to be somewhat technical and not much in the way of general interest. But, as this blog serves as a kind of a diary, I decided to go ahead with this story.

I made another change to my web site. It is minor, but it feels like a much bigger deal. The change is for a new tab titled “Gallery” and can be found on both my home page and the blog page. Here is the story behind it.

When I slimmed down my website I eliminated quite a few files, including my galleries. I missed having a spot I could go to view some photos so I decided to bring back a Gallery page.

This was not as easy as it sounds. I wanted the new gallery to be viewed on different devices which have different screen sizes. (Screens are now called “viewports” in web-speak.) So, off I went to do some research.

The web has programming standards created and maintained by the World Wide Web Consortium, commonly referred to as W3C. They have an on-line school that I have visited before. I went there in search of an interactive gallery page.

I did find most of the code I needed, then spent a few hours tweaking it to my needs. I created a new cascading style sheet (a CSS style sheet) and attached it to my code page. Another first for me, I attached my standard style sheet to the same page, something I had read could be done but I had never done it.

The standard css sheet handles the navigation bar and footer sections, and the new css sheet handles the formatting of the photos. The two work together to display the page while adjusting to the screen size the viewer is using. It looks good on the devices I have tried, including my desktop Mac, my iPhone, a MacPro laptop, and an iPad. let me know what you think!

Right now the Gallery holds a random set of favorite photos, but I see other uses for it going forward. Holidays, special events, and various themes will be displayed in the future. The limiting factor is space on my hosting service. I am signed up for a 10-gig plan and am sitting at just under 8-gig now. I will rotate photos in and out to stay under my size limit.

Now on to other, more interesting, news and updates.

Grayce, the puppy, has recovered from her first rabies shot and is full of energy. She runs (really flies) when she is outside doing what Pam called “zoomies” around the yard. The introduction to the rest of the house continues and, surprisingly, it is oldest dog Bru that seems to be most put out by the newcomer. That relationship may take some time to develop.

We received some snow, accompanied by 50+ mile-an-hour winds, that caused many schools, roads, and businesses to close for a day or longer. The temps were not that bad but the wind sure howled. I was able to get out the John Deere and clean up the sidewalks and our mailbox station so we could walk to pick up our mail.

My left ankle is healing as it should, according to the doctor. I am to the point where I do not have to have the boot on all the time and can remove it when fairly stationary, like when I am sitting at my computer. Next appointment is in another 2 weeks and I hope I get permission to remove the boot full-time.

Pam reports she is seeing tiny green sprouts in the Mary Lynn flower bed. As soon as the recent snow melts we will begin our spring chores, including removing the leaf mulch from the flower beds. The lawn will need a thorough raking to remove the winter accumulation of twigs and branches. It will be good to be outside and active again.

A large excavator has been moved in to the lot across Main Street from us, presumably to prepare for the new home we were told would be put on that lot, but after a couple scoops the machine was shut off and nothing else has happened for several days.

Becky came over for a visit and gave JoJo some love while she was here.

Big news for Felicity and Peter: The move-in was completed and they are now full-time in the renovated house. There is a lot of work yet to do, but they can now call the house their own.

This is a sunset photo Felicity sent me featuring Seneca Lake in the background. Photo was taken from their back yard.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

Pam reports she does not have a comment this time. Look to the next post for her observations.

Happy Trails!

Foremost this time are a couple videos. The first is Grayce getting used to the rest of the house (mostly) and of AJ and Snickers grooming themselves in the sunlight. For added viewing, a few photos of other animals, including JoJo and a squirrel, are included. Have at it!

Pam has been introducing Grayce to the house (outside the laundry room) in a gradual fashion. This first video is of Grayce running around in the kitchen and library. Run time is about 3 minutes.

Pam lets Grayce run in the house for a bit but some areas are still blocked off (as Grayce is still not 100% with the idea that pee belongs outside).

A recent vet visit confirms Grayce is growing; she is now at about 12 pounds in weight versus 8 pounds when she arrived at Heart House. Pam has had to “let out” Grayce’s harness and move up a size in dog coat. Puppyhood does not last all that long.

Still more on Grayce: She received a bath earlier this week. I’m not sure she enjoyed it. Nice to have the job sink!

I am including a couple random photos of other critters. In the first, JoJo is enjoying a treat, licking out an empty cottage cheese container.

Along the same lines, here is JoJo with KitKat. KitKat is more comfortable with JoJo than she is with household cats. Strange to see the canine-feline bond.

Moving outside, we are trying a new type of squirrel food this week. Pam ordered these “squirrel logs” from Chewy and we are trying them out. The squirrels seem to go for them.

The “grid lines” in the above photo are there as I took this picture through the kitchen window, and the grid lines are the window screen. I did not have time to go out the back door and shoot from the porch.

Moving back indoors, the other morning I was enjoying my cup of morning tea and noticed AJ sitting on top of the cat post, in the sun, grooming herself. Here is a clip of that activity, and Snickers gets into it near the end. Run time is about 4 minutes.

Otherwise, we are enjoying a mild stretch of weather with some nights not getting below freezing. Much of our snow has melted and there is a chance of rain in the 10-day forecast. Is spring really arriving?

I should mention our good friend, Henry Tourtillott, celebrated his 98th birthday this past Tuesday. Hank is moving slowly these days, but reports he is learning chess (against a computer) to “help keep my mind sharp.” Here is hoping for 100!

A couple other milestones worth mentioning: My first blog post was in February of 2011, so I am entering my 15th year as a blogger. Also, my e-mail address is now 37 years old as I opened it while working for Sears Business Systems in Beaverton, Oregon, in 1988. (I think. Could have been earlier than that.)

A kiddo update: Felicity and Peter finally moved into their renovated Lodi home late last week. Now comes the fun part…unpacking, arranging, and making the house into a home. (By the way, the nearest city with any name recognition is Watkins Glen, home to a well-known road-race course.) In the winter, when the leaves are off the trees, Felicity and Peter can just see Seneca Lake from their property.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

Puppy shots are concluding at the vet. It appears Grayce is having a low energy/diarrhea reaction to the first rabies series injection. Today that poor puppy is draggin’ — much like me for 36 hours after the Covid booster each year.

Happy Trails.