Half way through summer...

In years past, Bev and I took the children to Florida at the end of summer. Usually we were there for both my and Nikki's birthdays. Then we came home in time for a week of preparation, and school began. It was always a little sad as we left Navarre Beach because it mean't summer and summer vacation was over. This year we took our Grandsons to the beach this last week of July. That has left me a little off because I still have another HOT month of summer left. And boy is it looking like a scorcher. The predicted high over the next 3 days is 100. Then the heat index will make it feel much, much worse. And I suspect that September and possibly October will be above average temps. So there's no relief in sight. Fortunately, I have my kayaks. This should be the best time to avoid the heat of the road and get in some water-sport.

Catching up

After my recovery period for Covid, I went to Cullman on Monday the 8th and started catching up on the mowing and farm stuff. Pretty much everything needed mowing. The big tractor made short work on the main north fields and David helped me with the field across from the pond. The grass had grown quite long and with the two week absence, I simply started and mowed all of them. There is always some mowing to do. At least no trees had fallen. There were some indoor projects pending. A couple of shower fixtures had to be replaced. The screen door latch didn't hold and had to be improved. The old JD mower needed a bit of tuning so it would climb better and the mowing deck replaced. And the garden needed to be disked and more corn and okra planted. David should have had a shot on the groundhog at the old house but forgot to check his ammo. The hammer fell on an empty chamber. I got the conibear traps out and caught one of the groundhogs that lived by the spring. David had ...

Spock

Spock is my favorite character in all fiction. A character who bridged the gap between two worlds and faced disdain from each. Who strove for excellence and exemplified strength, character, intelligence, and control. His nearly emotionless demeanor was a perfect foil for those who would attempt to intimidate or insult him. It was a style I would endeavor to imitate to thwart those attempting to insult, demean, or scare me in my own young life. I bought this little figure to remind me to guard against letting my defenses down and allowing emotional hurt to strike me.

Counting down to Florida Bike Safari...

Darn cold weather! I got up this morning to some cool north breezes. It made me decide to hike rather than bike. Next week I will do the pm rides for the bike club. In the mornings, if there is time, I will get in some climbing out toward Bull Gap. I need to do the climbs more than the long rides. I seem to be stronger on the hills than last year. Maybe it is the 35 lbs I have dropped. That is almost equal to 2 bikes. I also dropped about 7 or 8 from the new bike. Combined that puts me 42 pounds of weight saved which would be a substantial load to pull up the hill. Now I just need to train those leg muscles to pound out the climbs. The only way I see to do that is to just do hills! I need to remember some small but important things when I pack for the trip. I will need to be sure I have a wrench to change the tire with. I need to check the spare to make sure it holds air. I will need to pack the charger just in case. A long extension cord might be nice. Sunscreen and bug repel will be ...

diddlee

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