Getting Used to August

August 17. Thank you.

First of all, thank you to all of you who have expressed condolences at my mother's passing. It is much appreciated. My daughters and I realize what a privilege it is to have had Mom/Grammy until she was 96 years old. And we feel blessed that she was still able to live on her own until she fell.

August 16. I'm home!

August 17.

Let's face it: no matter how much I tried (see below for Aug. 13th), a happy go lucky blog is not coming out of me. On the way home from Bradley, I got a phone call informing me that some suspicious charges were on my card. Yup, my credit card was compromised once again. Sigh.

I was lucky enough to have young Viola (a high school junior from Tolland, CT) as a seatmate on my flight from Denver to Hartford, CT. She asked my name and the chatter went on from there. She was a truly nice young lady and she really wants to explore the world and taste everything. It was refreshing and I'm so glad she wasn't bored by me. She and her family had just been in Montana (!) and they had visited Yellowstone -- which I have yet to do. She described being the midst of a herd of bison, which was very exciting to her. So much promise. I wish her well.

I have to go and unpack my luggage. And figure out how to get Pacific time off this computer. Cheers.

Below words were written August 13th.

Cornholers Unite!

Who knew there is an American Cornholers' League (ACL)? I sure didn't. The first round I watched on TV was trick shots. One guy threw the bags blindfolded, another stacked up six bags and he had to get his shot over them into the hole. He did it! Another guy put an air mattress in front of the box with the hole and he bounced the bag off the mattress into the hole. Another guy had his crew set up beer pong, but he couldn't get the ping pong ball into the glass. Finally, one guy set up a cupcake in front of the hole and his cohort lit a candle. The goal was to snuff the candle and get the bag into the hole and he made it!

So Long, Jackie

Jackie, the bald eagle of Big Bear, California has died. She was injured in a fight with two young male eagles who encroached on her territory. Fans have been watching Jackie and her mate, Shadow, for about 8 years on the Eagle Camera. Nobody knows what Shadow will do. The nest that is front and center on the Eagle Camera is used only for hatching and raising chicks. If Shadow takes a new mate, he may return with her to the nest to start a family, but that is up in the air. (I couldn't resist.)

Fond Farewell to Excessive Heat Days

While today was a mere 95 degrees or so, it was darned humid as in 65%. Can you say muggy? The lower temperature was welcome because we have had about two weeks of "excessive heat days." That means higher than normal as in 113 to 116 F. Later in August it will go to 120 F. but these high temperatures were early. It has been so hot that some people have had to cover their decorative cacti with tarps because they were getting sunburned. Desert plants that have survived summer for decades are now suffering under the climate change. (Believe it or not, it was too hot for me to jump out of the car and take a picture. It's the tall, rod shaped cacti. Apparently, the barrel cacti are ok.)

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