365 Days Come to a Close

Good news: My iPad and Apple pen came in the mail today. Even better news: I downloaded Procreate and got it all to work.

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!

 

Banish Blahs

"Where have you been?" Toby exclaimed when I came through the gate to the yard. "I thought maybe you got run over by a car and I'd never see you again." He wound himself around my ankles a couple of times.

 

 

Little did he know I've been scared that that would happen to him, given that the farm lies on a pretty heavily traveled road. But he still seems to stay away from the road and vehicles.

 

"No," I said, "I'm careful crossing the road. But to explain, I tried to post something on November 18th but it just said, 'Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.' That's when my mind crawled under the bed. With all the catastrophes going on everywhere, it couldn't tell the difference between science fiction and what's happening in our world."

 

"So, you let your mind rest," he said. "I used to like going under a bed back in our condo days. Did you ask your mind if it was comfortable under there?"

 

"Yes, and mostly it was, but it needed a blanket."

"Yeah, I love my blankets to curl up with," he said.

"Well, I'm glad you understand."

 

"Did you see any mice or rats while you were under the bed?" he asked.

"Eww, no!"

"Oh well. Then I didn't miss out on anything."

 

Then he asked, "What made your mind come out from under the bed? You know the catastrophes we talked about last summer are worse--no where near better."

"Well, the under-bed-rest seemed to do it some good because this morning it rolled back out and said it was ready to stand up and take on the world. Then it did a little foot shuffle dance and made some Rocky-style fist jabs."

 

"Well, I'm glad you got your mind back." He went on, "Speaking of coming back, Aidan is back home from Cincinnati for Christmas break and brought along his cello. So, I hear music coming from the house again. I sort of miss when it sounded like a conservatory that first year and a half of the pandemic. It was peaceful."

I said. "Oh, and I heard Keoni is maybe back again from the West Coast where he was in a music competition. I'll play a part of it for you that's on YouTube. He got a prize for an arrangement of Tosca he made for viola and piano."

 

Toby asked, "Did that young woman, Umi, play it with him. I like when they play music together."

"Yes, she played. So let's go now to the Arts Desk and see what they did...

Keoni & Umi - Tosca

Paula in Tucson is keeping up her back yard journaling...

 

 

"Ok, Toby, I'm gonna go see if Aidan wants to take a walk."

 

Toby's Tales

"Hey, Toby! I see you've finished growing your winter coat," I said as he and the three farm dogs met me at the gate.

 

He climbed up on top the outdoor table near the gate and said, "I had it out with that former guy getting all the orange attention! I told him...

 

I want my orange back!

orange my day!

orange as verb!

orange back in its

glorious place!

orange!

yellow + red!

red + yellow!

welcome orange coat!

Yes, please,

orange my day!

orange as verb!

orange back in its

rightful, glorious place!

orange!

yellow + red!

red + yellow!

welcome fall!

 

 HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

 

Capital C Capitalism

Toby, my orange tiger tom friend, and I were sitting out in the barn lot on some outdoor furniture.

 

He told me, Last night, I was sitting near an electronic camera device strung up inside the barn, when, all of a sudden, it began picking up a neighbor's broadcast frequency and I could hear a story about how Capitalism began.

I said, I never did think about how capitalism began! Tell me about what you learned.

Sure, he said, and began-- 

 

Once upon a time there was

an island named Madeira

way out in the ocean.

It was covered with a lot of trees.

A shipload of Portuguese sailed by

and saw all the trees.

They said Wowza!

This is a bonanza!

So they stole black people

and made them chop down the trees

plant sugar cane

fire up the kettles

boil the cane

make the sugar--

all with no pay

so the Portuguese

could ship out

the most sugar

the world had ever seen!

They got lots and lots and lots

of money

from a little bit of money.

 

Boom!

 

They had invented Capitalism!!!

 

But after three or four decades

Madeira's wood was gone

a bunch of species were gone

the soil was depleted. 

 

Bust!

 

So they went to South America

and did it all over again.

 

Boom!

 

Then, 

 

Bust!

 

So they did it all over again

in the Caribbean... 

...in North American

rolling on...

and on...

 

Still.

 

Rolling.

 

On.

They gave the world capitalism!

 

They gave the world slavery!

 

When slavery mostly went away

Capitalism

and

cheap labor didn't.

 

When the have-nots stood up

and hollered about 

what was going on

the money people

told them a story:

We did the hard work

it was our capital

that made the money.

You all better

pull yourselves up

by your boot-straps

and work like we did!

 

They left out

You know...

the Truth...

unpaid labor--slavery

cheap labor

species extinction

bio-diversity destruction

ruined soil

ruined air

ruined water

ruined humans

ruined planet.

 

And now Capitalists want

to mine the bottom

of the oceans

and use up

what's left of Planet Earth

to rocket themselves

out to the stars

for more

more

more.*

 

Toby laid back in exhaustion.

 

I sat in stunned silence.

 

After a bit, Toby started licking a front paw and scrubbed his face and an ear. It kept me up all night, he said.

 

I told him, I think I'll become a Socialist.

 

What's that? he asked.

 

I don't know but it's time to find out.

 

It's time for my nap, he said, and rubbed his side along my leg as we got up and he headed toward the barn. He kept a little distance between himself and the big white rooster.

__________________

*Roughly based on The Guardian-Trashing the Planet by George Monbiot, and Madeira, Sugar, and the Conquest of Nature...by JW Moore and Wikipedia.

 

 *

Whew! I need some good news!

Let's go to the Arts Desk!

 

Paula, in Tucson, is a regular at her "Sit Spot" where she observes and notes...

 

 

You can see her inspiration here in these two links she shared with me...

How Nature Can Heal

 

Nature Connection Through a Sit Spot

_______________

Now for Culinary Arts:

Niece Paula, visiting here from Missouri, has a thriving jelly business. This is a photo of a gift she gave me from her jellies for Fall...

Wild Violet Jelly, Wild Orange Jam, Strawberry Lemon Marmalade, Honey and Thyme Blackberry Jam, and Apple Spread.

Paula's Facebook page is: Perpetual Wonders 

and her business email is: Perpetual Wonders Email

____________

 

And, Music Arts coming this weekend...

*

*

Apocalypse Now

I went over to the farm. Toby was there so I told him what was on my mind...

Climate crisis

    extreme weather--everywhere

    polar ice disappearing 

    oceans warming

    fires

    hurricanes

    floods 

biodiversity collapse

crop failures

breathable air

potable water supply

covid pandemic

pandemic vaccine

    unable to take it

    unable to get it

    won't take it

    anti-vax

pandemic masks

    unable

    won't

    anti-mask

death

grief 

$health care$

    for some people

    not other people

earthquakes

voting rights

gerrymandering

minority "white" rule

inequality

enormous income gaps

homelessness

voting rights

abortion law

    (where's the penis law?)

"war on terror"

jobs

    changing

        everywhere

gender phobia

"other" prejudice

hatred

john wayne syndrome 

and did I mention we're

drowning in guns 

 

Toby said, That's a hot mess! I sure am glad cats are not social. Look at all the trouble you human beings got yourselves into.

With all these woes on my mind, I began a walk to let the farm's wild edges restore my senses and reconnect me with the earth and sky. Toby came along this time and as is his habit, walked just in front of me. After a little while, he stopped which always requires me to halt so I don't step on him. 

He said, Aw, c'mon, "war on terror?"

that elevates a bunch of murderers

to dizzy heights of grandeur

so all the john waynes can mop

them up with big war solutions

for murder problems

Y'know, he went on, I'm gonna help, but I'm NOT going to become a vegetarian. Veggie kibbles--BLECH!

How are you going to help? I asked.

Well, since I live out here in farm and barn land, I'll just yowl at the neighbor cats' kittie patrols. I will never be the first to apply tooth and claw. But my hellcat will come out if they try to take over the barn, or get my food, or try to chase me up a tree again. Boy! That's what I hate the worst--tree-climbing to resolve conflict...

 

Sure beats shooting someone or getting shot, I said. Couldn't you apply some diplomacy and ramp down your hellcat?

 

No, he said, you're the one with social DNA, not me.

 

I sighed, then said, I do like your resolve never to be the first to apply tooth and claw.

 

He said, I hope your species figures that out. Maybe then people will fire up a few old steel mills and whip all those guns into plowshares so John Wayne can rest in peace.

After we walked a little more, he asked, What are you doing about this apocalyptic list you made?

Hmmm. Well, practicing kindness, and as you pointed out a couple weeks ago, saying please. Supporting voting rights and those who wage peace and give medical care. Always voting. Welcoming others. Listening. Telling our story here. I just sent volunteer services a copy of my Covid vaccine shots; I got my booster last Friday.

What are you volunteering for? he asked. 

I'm the clicker checker on my apartment residence's hallway. At night each apartment door's little clicker is set to red. In the mornings, I check each door's clicker to see if the resident inside has moved it from red to grey. That way we know if that person inside is still alive.

Yikes, he said, and the hair on his back rippled up and down a time or two before we continued walking.

 

I sighed. Somehow, what I do doesn't seem like enough to make a dent in such a heap of troubles.

Keep it simple, Toby said, I do...

I catch what I eat

I eat what I catch.

He saw me grimace and went on, Yeah, yeah, I know, you don't like the show part of my dinners but I have fun getting a meal to the table. You know the saying...

If you enjoy your work

You'll never work again.

Suddenly, he was galvanized. His attention riveted on the pasture next to us; he barely moved.

He exclaimed, Behold a Pale Horse!

 

I said, Cut it out, Toby. You know very well that's Wendy's horse Austin out there grazing.

 

 

Lewis Carroll was right, we're all mad here.

*   

 From the Arts Desk:

 

Sonja began to draw recently! She shared some photos of her renderings...

 

Dimetrios

Elijah.

Shuntia.

 

 Thank you, Sonja, for sharing your drawings.

*

And from Tucson, Paula has sent us the August desert color renderings she painted. Take note, there were bobcat kittens!

 

 *

 From the Sports Desk we have Elijah...

 

And Kingston...

Please

Toby, my tomcat friend,

can you think of a way

that we could get

the one in three USA

humans holding out to

go get vaxxed for Covid?

He sat next to me 

on the back porch at the farm.

He was quiet for a minute

then answered with a question

Did you ask them? 

Hmmm. That's a

good question.

I don't know

I answered.

Do you mean like this: 

Please, would you get the vaccine?

Yeah, he said.

Well, I don't think I heard anyone

put it politely like that.

Do you think those on hold

would vax

if we ask?

It was his turn to answer

I don't know.

Or, he said, you could

ask like this:

Please, you USA holdouts 

go vax yourselves.

While you're at it

please cover your

your mouths

and your snouts

with a mask.

Hmm, I said, that's

please with a

dose of harsh.

Many already have 

their backs up.

Toby stood up and

his back rose into 

a full arch,

the hair of his tail

and along his spine

stood on end.

Exactly! I said.

Toby's fur relaxed

as he sat back down

then said I think

those two out of the three

vaxxed humans could

just stuff the third

unvaxxed one into a crate

and drive them to the vet...

I interrupted

Oh no! not the vet

they'll want

ivermectin! 

(He didn't know

about the large animal

wormer some of the humans

bought up and took.

Maybe they wanted to feel

safe but somewhere

along the way

they began to trust

ivermectin non-science

not

science.)

Oh, my bad, he said

What I mean is:

Go where there are 

vax shots--

just like when you 

take me to the vet--

stuff them in a crate

and drive them to Walmart

I sighed and felt very sad.

We were both quiet

with our thoughts. 

Then, I told him

It would feel sooooooo good

if those holding out all went

to a local pharmacy

and got themselves vaxxed.

We could gear up 

and free up

the schools

and movies and offices

and churches and concerts

and stores and theaters

and travel and restaurants

and empty the

ICUs

and

refrigerator truck

morgues...

...I would worry less, I added.

Maybe even feel like dancing.

He replied You didn't say please

but thanks anyway

for getting me my

rabies and distemper boosters. 

You know how I hated it.

But now I don't worry

about cat diseases. 

Helps me concentrate

on field mice.

He rolled over onto his side.

As his tail moved back and forth

he batted it with a front paw.

Sometimes, I wonder about

his maturity.

(Video by Wendy.)

*

From the Art Desk:

Today, we invite you to take a look at Tucson artist friend Phil Bellomo's Designs.

I Need a Nap

Sitting together on the grass in the barn lot, I said to Toby, "I've got a lot on my mind today."

"Well, tell me about it," he said while keeping an eye on the flock of chickens not too far away. His tail flapped up and down a couple of assertive waves as one of the roosters crowed and flapped his wings. The hens ignored all of us.

"I have 16 medical, dental, PT, OT, and lab appointments crammed into five weeks' time!"

"Spoils of aging," he said. "By the way, what's OT?"

"Occupational therapy."

"Aren't you occupied? What's the matter, are you bored? I never get bored," he said. "I just take a nap."

"No, no, not that kind of occupation..."

"I hope you're not going back to work!"

"Ugh no," I grimaced. "OT means therapy to help your body parts do tasks, such as my right hand needs help these days. Some unpronounceable syndrome is getting out of hand... yes, I meant that pun. Anyway, who wants to hire an 82-year-old woman!"

"I'm 11 years old," he said. "Nobody ever hired me for anything! But then, I'm not for hire. Still, I earn my keep if you know what I mean."

"Yes, I get it," I said, then quickly erased my mind's image. I kept his age in human years to myself.

"You must be dizzy from all those appointments you're going to!"

"Well maybe, but I'm learning a lot. Our country's human health care system has no brain and is missing a heart."

"Veterinary care isn't a system. Is it?" he asked.

"Nope, not a bit. Animal care has its office visits or doctors or animal hospitals just like human care. Yes, you can buy animal insurance, especially for big deal live-stock studs, racehorses, maybe some pet owners. But the really, really big money here in the good ol' US of A--is all about human insurance in exchange for health care. Insurance companies chase dollar signs, twist and strangle and transmogrify human care. Instead of taking care of people, the insurance system takes care of itself. We still have human health care doctors and treatments and hospitals and therapists, and such. All good, just like for animals. But not everybody can have it and nobody can pay for it. Every teensy, weensy part of human care must be squeezed through a gigantic insurance pasta maker and after a while, a dollar-sign noodle comes out and it says, 'you can or can't have this operation, or that test, or this pill, or see this or that doctor in this or that group, or go to this or that hospital, and by-the-way that procedure, while you were unconscious in the ER, was out of network, so put your home on the market and go live in your car...'" 

"I don't want to live in a car," he said.

"Me neither!"

"I guess we're the lucky ones he said. I've got the barn to live in, and you've got health insurance and some retirement for my vet bills, so we don't have to live in a car."

"Well, even so, I have to be careful my health needs don't awaken some non-covered insurance wrinkle so "health care" vacuums up whatever dollars I have left." I didn't want to think about that ending his vet care, too.

Toby licked a front paw and vigorously scrubbed his face, then stretched out to his full length.

The chickens edged closer in their ground pickings and scratchings. One of the roosters crowed. Toby got up and started back to the barn.

"I need a nap," he said.

*

From the Art Desk:

Shed at the Farm & Rose of Sharon

And, I really enjoyed finding this website... Keoni Bolding.

From Tucson, we hear from Bob, including his monsoon photos...

"I’ve never seen so many butterflies in my life. They’re having group sex all the time, and the roads out here...are just littered with the carcasses of butterflies who thought they could cross the road with impunity. Thousands of pollywogs are maturing into baby frogs in [the nearby] wash. The local hiking trails are being overrun with grasses, bushes, cacti, and such. It’s really amazing what an over productive monsoon creates. Water; what a gift!"

*

Where's My Spark?

"Toby, I can't find my spark," I said in an angst-y kind of way.

He stretched out his long length on the screen porch deck and rolled over onto his back to let the afternoon sun warm his underside.

"What do you mean by 'spark'," he asked.

"The thing that happens when I get going with something and there are no hours or minutes, no thoughts, just immersed and alive."

"I get it," he replied, "sort of like when I capture a rat; it's dinner and a show...hors d'oeuvres, cocktails, main course, and dessert."

I tried hard not to picture that, but he seemed empathetic in his cat way. 

It was my turn to ask, "Is that your spark? Hunt a rat and turn it into entertainment, cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, main course, and dessert?"

He added, "and sometimes after-dinner drinks." I have to remind myself his cousins are tigers.

"Then, do I just eat, drink and be merry?" I asked.

"Sounds good to me," he answered. 

Hmmm. 

"How did your field hunt go?" I asked him.

"Nada yesterday, so I went back to the barn and ate the canned stuff," he answered. 

"I went back, too," I told him, "though not to the barn. My friends Paula and Carl shared a bit of their vegetarian experience. They don't worry about the legume-grain thing and are perfectly healthy. Also, they sent me a chocolate chip zucchini brownie recipe."

"So," I went on, "I took stock of my omnivorous inclinations and realized even though I'm not a full-bore vegetarian, my eats fall largely on the plant side. Over years I've reduced meat, eggs, and dairy--a lot! I reviewed my scattered mental thoughts, then made a conscious, intentional resolution--as much as possible and my pocketbook allows--to not use industrial agriculture foods--especially meats. I want to help cool down our planetary situation. The small amount of meat I use will now come exclusively from local, responsible, sustainable, (animal and human) humane sources. Some of them I've already been using. Wendy sure has, plus her garden. I'm still researching fish sources."

Toby responded, "makes me happy I'm a carnivore!" He hopped up into the chair next to me and we sat quietly for a couple minutes. Then, he said, "I saw you were wearing a mask again when we went to the vet for my annual. What's going on?"

"There's Covid's Delta variant spreading everywhere now."

"What! I thought you humans were beating down this pandemic."

"Not enough humans have gotten the vax, my buddy, so the virus gets to have its way. Some folks couldn't get to a vaccine or have a medical condition that says it's not okay, some were afraid, some delayed getting a jab, and a big bunch of noisy ones scream something about 'personal freedom' and refuse to step up and get their vax."

"Good grief! What about the rest of the world?" he asked.

"Humans around the world divided the land into countries, and some countries can't get the needed vaccines because they don't have enough money or people who hold power mess it all up big time. So the virus is spreading faster and farther and now is coming back to bite our USA collective butts. So it's back to masks, distancing, curtailed activities of all sorts."

"I didn't think I'd appreciate my rabies booster at the vet's, but now I do," he said, "Oh, and that distemper one, too."

"Yeah, I'm glad we got you caught up with your vaxes," I agreed. "Do you know I have had the rabies shots, too?"

"Whatever for? he asked, "The dogs and I aren't going to bite you!"

"Oh, it was back when I worked in a medical animal research facility. It was required."

It was his turn to be shocked. "What!!! you never told me."

"I'm sorry, my friend, I didn't think of it until now since all these people haven't gotten the Covid vaccine. I accepted just fine that the rabies vax required by the job protected me and others, including the animals, but these decades later, I have misgivings about that job itself--I must have been awfully numb and I feel sad about it now. But as for vaccines, rabies was just one of the vaccines required--it was a hospital setting so I had to have flu, tetanus, and hepatitis vaxes, also I was tested regularly for TB and Valley Fever to protect the patients and me."

"That's a lot to think about," he said.

We sat quietly for a bit. He stayed so I think he forgave me for that job and for his hated, upsetting car ride to the vet's; even so, he didn't mind the kind veterinarian. A cool breeze wafted through, my mind drifted to pleasant things.

After a bit, he said, "about your spark question..."

My mental image of chocolate chip zucchini brownies faded. He clambered from his chair over onto my lap, then on his hind legs he stretched his front up and over my shoulder. Pressed against my ear, he rubbed his head in my hair and I could hear the rhythmic rumble in his chest. Hours and minutes and thoughts disappeared.

*

From the Arts Desk:

Keoni with his piano accompanist Melivia Raharjo won the Duo Competition at Music Academy of the West...both in fine form...

Congratulations!
Keoni and Melivia

A phone call from Keoni just before I launched this last night revealed not only his joyful excitement over recent accomplishments and competitions won, but a widening circle of friends and collaborators, and opportunities unfolding. And, it revealed that I miss him a lot, especially after the long pandemic time he spent back home at the farm. 

________

And, we have July's installment from Paula. In her words...

"A celebration of the biodiversity of the Sonoran Desert through the lens of color."

In case you are wondering what the July 10th "haboob" is--it's a fast-moving dust storm that an in-coming monsoon season storm blows ahead of itself. I can almost smell the rain that makes these wonderful desert colors that Paula's rendered so well.

Toby Is Not a Vegetarian, Neither Am I

I thought that last time

when I posted "Now What?"

that I'd have an answer by this time.

But, I still don't.

Instead, I tried for a couple of days

to become a vegetarian.

I told Toby about it.

He wretched and gagged--

sort of a cat Bleccchhh!

Then, he laid down again.

Hairball, he said, but I doubt it.

He went on

 

You know I’m a carnivore 

But I don’t have anything against

vegetarians 

I ate one this morning 

Bit its head off neatly 

Completely 

His tail flipped a lazy wave.

It was my turn to say Bleccchhh!

Then he asked

How'd your vegetarianism work out?

Well, I replied, not so hot.

I have to combine a legume

and a grain

to make a whole protein.

I don't like legumes very much--

maybe green beans

or if I'm really cold

pea soup is okay

Can't stand peanut butter

more than once a week

I like all the veggie

and fruit and nuts

and grains and seeds and such

Oh, I'm forgetting, I like refried beans!

I haven't had a good helping

of refried beans yet

in this Pennsylvania Dutch Country. 

We're not in Tucson anymore, old buddy!

You can say that again, he replied.

All there was to catch

in that Tucson condo

were cockroaches!

Still, I said, you didn't have

to live outside!

He was silent for awhile

Then he said

it was soooooo boring

and I didn't know how good 

field mice tasted

Did you forget about those

first Pennsylvania winters?

I asked.

No! he said

But I liked my own

back porch blanket igloo

with the heater

Let's be honest

it was a lot to get used to

He rolled over on his back

then said

I have perks here

What do you mean by "perks"

I asked, feeling guilty

and a little sad that

he has had to live outdoors

ever since.

He licked a paw

and rubbed his face

then said, I run my own 

show out here

rule the rodents

sleep in the barn

and sometimes for fun

I rule the dogs too

Toby rolled back onto his stomach

eyed the chickens 

scratching and pecking their

findings a few yards away.

Say, what about eggs?

Do you eat eggs? he asked

One of the roosters

looking back at Toby

stretched up tall

and flapped his wings

Toby's tail flipped up and down

in a wide arc

I replied yes, I eat eggs,

fish, too. And in a whisper

I said I like a piece of

chicken now and then

I sighed and said

to be honest

I gave up on 

the legume-grain thing--

A couple of days and it was over

Toby's attention shifted

He stood and stretched his

whole orange long length

Protein is running around out there

were his parting words as

he sauntered over

to the pasture fence and

leaped to a fence post top

He paused to survey

the field ahead

jumped down

and disappeared

into the tall grass

*

As it happens Tucson is on my mind as I take note of friends Paula and Carl's news this week that they just went solar. They provided Carl's wonderful photo of their new solar array...

...including a real rainbow! and the Catalina Mountains, too.
What's not to love!

Paula provided info for how it works and their setup, which I quote...

• ...the backup battery [that will arrive this fall will go] in the storage room off our garage, where we had some of the rest of the solar-related equipment installed.
• Some of this other solar-related equipment includes an inverter, which converts the electric field from direct current (DC) (which is what the solar panels produce) to alternating current (AC) (which is what our household appliances and the electric grid use).
• The battery is a Tesla Powerwall and is 4' high x 2.5' wide x 6" deep and weighs about 250 lbs.
• We won't be entirely independent from the electric utility with only 1 battery; we'd need 2 batteries to also cover the "power hogs" of the A/C, stove & dryer. But even with 1 battery, if the power goes out, we'll have electricity to run everything else (including fans, fridges, lights etc.) for a few days at least.
• We have 18 solar panels mounted on our roof; each panel is about 5.5’ tall x 3.5’ wide and weighs 41 lbs. They're mounted in 3 groups of six panels each (you can see these 3 groups in the photo).
• We should save at least $1500/year on electricity (but obviously every house's savings is different) and we were able to take advantage of both federal and state income tax credits.
• Our investment should break even in about 8 years.

I hope that many others will join them to counter our global warming emergency with whatever sustainable method possible. Thank you many times over, Paula and Carl! 

*

And speaking of our vast, global concerns, despite the overheated, 117 degree Las Vegas venue, Sonja, Jeff, Elijah, Kingston, Valerie, Tim, Duane and Simone all met there for another of Elijah's basketball tournaments. The team made it all the way through to the finals but didn't capture the title. Kudos to Elijah! that was a good show however it came out.

Here's a smattering of pictures texted from their trip...

Time out for lunch...

Big brother reading the bedtime story.

Sonja.

Sonja, Jeff & Kingston.

While all that basketball practice was going on between games, there was plenty else to do...

Kingston and Simone.

And then, the trip back home...

*

Aidan gathered ingredients to bake a pound cake--and make rockets for my birthday...

Rocket supplies.

Assembly.

Launch pad.

From Aidan...

By the next day on my birthday, he had assembled 17 rockets. After a beautiful birthday supper that included delicious bounty from Wendy's garden...

The beautiful pound cake.
The bowl and contents on the left and the eggs were for me from Wendy.

...the evening cooled nicely for rocket launching. We all took turns setting them off. Here's a couple of them. It was a mistake to think my slo-mo ones would upload so the video with the highest, longest rocket arc will have to be imagined...

Thank you, Aidan! It was fun to be in on the construction, even getting to light up a couple of them, then seeing them actually working so well!

The evening included a quick Facetime from Keoni and a video he made with none other than the Takács Quartet with whom he's been rehearsing...

Thank you, Takács Quartet!.

Thank you, Keoni!

On top of that wonderful special moment came dessert...

What an evening! What a birthday!!! I can taste, smell, see and hear it all over again. Made me not mind it happened in my ninth decade.

Still more was to come. The following Saturday, Pat and Marge got takeout from Giacomos, the new, beautiful deli in Quakertown with wonderfully good everything Italian. We had a lovely back porch birthday and visit at Marge's. 

Thank you, everyone. I've had a great time. I'm glad we can be together a bit no matter how it takes place; electronically, face-to-face, postal, smoke signals...every bit means a lot. I love it that you are there.

Well, it's late again, so I'd better wrap this up. I hope you are well, vaccinated, and safe from harm.

From a visit to the Philadelphia Art Museum.