Monday evening, I was alone in the house.  It was hot.  Hot enough that this old man was walking around in short pants.  No shoes.  No socks.  No shirt.  (Not a pretty sight!)

I had just placed left overs in the microwave to heat.  My supper would be the remains of Sylvia’s kung pao chicken from the day before.

That’s when the doorbell rang.  Grabbing a shirt, I headed for the back door.  There was Meghan of Beacon Bay Farm and Kennel.  She had brought me a fresh loaf of banana bread.  As we stood talking at the back door, Meghan said she would have arrived earlier but she had stopped to watch a mother raccoon and her babies eating mulberries under our tree.  She had even taken a picture with her cell phone.

Raccoons eating mulberries. Photo by Meghan Rosenstengel

Meghan took the photo from her truck while sitting in our driveway.  That’s her barn in the background.  It is home to chickens, goats, sheep, lambs and a llama named Grace.

So here’s a tip of my hat to the neighbor.  I’m really enjoying that banana bread.  I’m also sorry that on the way to the door I walked past a stack of 14 egg cartons that we’ve been saving just for you.  Remind me of that next time.  Okay?

NASCAR champion, Brad Keselowski, is a Michigan native.  Yesterday this video was posted to YouTube.  Can you believe that authorities let Brad drive his stock across the bridge at Mackinac?  I’m glad they did.

I hope you enjoyed this extra from Secondary Rds.  Hats off to Brad!  We are cheering for you.  You will always be a champion!

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This is Nellie giving me the “Okay, what did you do with her look?”  Sylvia is with her dad this week and kitty started missing her in less than 24 hours.

If the forecasters are right, I won’t have to water the garden this week.  Or next.  Just before 11 AM, our mail carrier, Sally, delivered our mail.  I took a look at the weather radar loop and then headed for the door.  More rain is coming this afternoon.

This week will feature mostly indoor activities.  However, I’m hoping to do some outside stuff too.  I need that.  Don’t you?

Last Monday evening, as Sylvia went out to the garden to finish weeding around the tomatoes, she asked me to bring out the tomato cages in about a half hour.  Twenty two minutes later, I walked out of the house, noticed that it was not very bright outside and then I looked at the sky and saw this:

I’m a trained weather spotter and I knew what it meant.  So I zoomed in and got a closer look with the camera.

I walked quickly to the barn, tossed tomato cages on the trailer then delivered them to the garden.  Dismounting from the tractor, I quickly began placing cages beside tomato plants.  Before 14 cages were delivered, the drops began to fall.  We decided to install the cages on Tuesday and Sylvia headed for the house and I for the barn.  As I pulled tractor and trailer into the barn, heavy rain began to fall.  That was good timing.  “Thank you Lord!”

On Saturday, the greenhouse in Lake Odessa would end their season.  Sylvia went in to find some flowers.  In that she failed, but she did bring home some cucumber and egg plants, which are now in the ground.

Now we await the harvest.  It shouldn’t be long before the first peas are ready.  The rhubarb has been feeding us now for some time.

Flashback Friday is hosted by Camille.  (Click on the badge to visit her blog, which is the home of Flashback Friday.)  Won’t you consider joining in the fun?

Last week, I shared a photo of our younger son.  Here’s one of his older brother that was taken four years earlier.  Most of our photos in 1965 were shot on B & W film.  Color would come a bit later for us.

Bryant and me in 1965

I sure would like to be that thin again.  But time moves on and so must we.

Today is our granddaughter’s 21st birthday.  Happy Birthday Briana.

Briana with Patches

That cute little girl has grown into a beautiful and highly intelligent young woman.

Christmas 2012

It’s difficult to believe how fast the transformation took place.  At least it seems that way to me.  After this summer, Briana will be starting her senior year in nursing school.  Her family loves and is very proud of her.

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These roses grow beside the barn.  It’s a place we can’t see from inside the house.  That means that if one wishes to gaze upon these beauties, one must go to where they are in a back corner of our place.  It is worth the trip.

There are many places that are worth the trip.  Why not get out and visit some of them?

Speaking of trips, our company has not yet arrived.  Complications arose and have delayed our son’s departure.  We hope to see him before the week is over.

In the meantime, I’m feeling lazy.  My mind is hazy and it all seems crazy.  It must be summer time.  (A few days early according to the astronomical charts.  Bah!  What do they know?)