Here in Michigan, we think of summer being over after Labor Day.  That long weekend marks the end of summer activities for most folks.  That’s partly due to shorter days, cooler weather and also because children are heading back to school.  If I’m wrong about school schedules, please remember it’s been about 30 years since I had a child in school.

Many, including our calendars mark the end of summer as coming at the autumnal equinox.  This year, that happened about 10:45 AM last Saturday (Sept 22).  Which leads me off on a side trail . . .  Why is it the vernal equinox and the autumnal equinox when we refer to the summer solstice and winter solstice?  Do you know why?  I don’t.  Is there a reason that it’s not spring equinox and fall equinox?

The lawn is growing very slowly.  I’m not complaining about that.  Yes, I like being outside while I’m mowing, but it takes expensive diesel fuel and my arthritic bones get “all shook up” riding on that tractor.  I’m also not complaining about that either.  I’d rather live here in the country and deal with the expansive lawn and everything else than to live in town in an apartment.

The garden is showing signs of wrapping it up for this year.  It look different than it did even a couple of weeks ago.

Marigold and salvia keep some color alive.  We’ve had a great harvest this year, and will eat well for the next year from produce that came from this patch of ground.

There’s some red showing in the cherry tomatoes, but it won’t last much longer.  Soon the cooler weather will be cold.  The tomato plant will have completed its cycle.  There is promise for the future.  The fern-like plants on the left are new asparagus plants.  They will come back next year and get much stronger.  The year after, we will enjoy a tasty harvest from these plants.  Next year, we’ll be enjoying rhubarb from the other side of the garden.

There are beets and carrots waiting to be harvested.  There are still plenty of butternut squash to be brought in, processed and preserved.  But the end is in sight.  The promise for the future can be seen as well.

Summer may be over, but I am warmed by a feeling of deep contentment.  Life is good.

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The picture is Briana and me.  We want your help.  Please supply a caption for this photo in a comment.  We thank you.

Briana, no longer a teenager, is in her junior year of Nursing School.  Her grandpa is just a silly old man.

I remember old time radio dramas.  I loved them.  They fed the imagination.  The creepy tales that would give one such a fright.  The comedies that left you in stitches.  The mysteries that tested your wits.  Best of all, they are just as good today as they were back then when we huddled around the old console radio.

To me, William Conrad will always be Marshall Dillon.  James Arness might look more the part, but William Conrad had the voice that made you believe.  Your mind’s eye would picture the Marshall being like one of Ray’s chickens.  You know, “big as a house, smart as the dickens.” 😉

For several years, I have been a [free] subscriber to Live 365.  There you’ll find all kinds of Internet radio stations.  I search for “otr” (old-time radio).  Some of the listings require a paid subscription, but they do come commercial free.  These are live audio streams, so it’s like tuning in a real radio station.  You may join in the middle of a program, and you’ll hear what has been programmed.

I wanted to find Mr Keen episodes online.  Finally I did find them at archive.org.  In fact they have a tremendous archive of radio programs and other items too.  It’s better than TV–at least in my opinion it is way better.  You can click on the link to listen online or download and save the files.  I prefer to listen online.  Check it out and enjoy!

In cooperation with:

Okay, it is John Deere and my tractor refused to start when I went out to mow the lawn.  It didn’t even try.  The battery didn’t have enough charge.  I put the battery charger on it.

That’s the charger on the left-front tire.  There’s an electrical problem in the glow-plug system.  They use them in the modern diesel engines so they will start in cold weather.  The circuitry is complicated and buried inside somewhere.  The guy from the dealership will pick it up this morning and take it in for repairs.  With all the hydraulics and fancy systems on this modern marvel, I don’t work on it.

It’s like my car.  I used to work on it.  Drive in and buy the parts.  Pray :pray: I had everything I needed.  (Of course I had double and triple checked, but sometimes . . . 😥 )  Then take it apart, work on it and put it back together.  Fortunately, I never completely embarrassed myself.

I did the mowing I wanted to do, but not with John.  Instead, I turned to Yan.  He’s been around for quite a while and with me for over a decade.

Like me, Yan is a high-mileage unit–and he is relatively simple. 😀   I’ve worked on him quite a bit.  I even bought the metric tools so that I could.  When he stopped working late last summer, I scoped out the problem, ordered parts and fixed him.

Great machine, right? :up:   Perhaps not.  He has a higher center-of-gravity, no power steering and the rear-mounted mower is difficult to maneuver around obstacles.  Also, in cold weather he doesn’t want to start. :down:

Despite all that, Yan came through for me and we got the lawn care job completed.  Not only that he’ll be here with me while John is in “the hospital.”

Do you know what John and Yan have in common?  They both have Yanmar diesel engines.

My neighbor once asked me why I chose to move out here in the country in retirement.  I responded, “I moved out here under the theory that it would cure me . . . or kill me.”  So far it’s working well.  My blood pressure is back under control. :up:   I’m saturated with feelings of peace and contentment.

I could have saved a lot of money on tractors and repairs if we’d have bought a house on a small lot in town.  I think we made the right choice.

Why do I have to check my e-mail shortly before going to bed?  It’s a terrible thing to do.  I should know better.  I obviously don’t! :no:

I remember, a few years ago, excusing myself from a conversation at the end of the work day.  I wanted to take a quick scan of my e-mail inbox before leaving for home.  My colleague said, “I never check e-mail during the last hour of work.  The last thing I want to see is bad news before I go home . . . and double down on that for weekends.

My problem wasn’t bad news it was this:

Don’t watch that just before going to bed.  You’ll be having fowl thoughts doing the chicken dance around your brain.  Do you really want that?  I didn’t think so.

But it wasn’t the pouncing poultry in my brain as much as it was aching arthritis in my body that resulted in a poor night’s sleep for me.  After a while, I gave up and got out bed and went to the recliner and heating pad for some relief.  Eventually, I found the sleep I sought.

I was up this morning before the crack of . . . 9 AM.  And that’s why I’m a bit late posting this morning.  That’s my story and . . . you know. 😉

In cooperation with:

The expression is, “A day late and a dollar short.”  But I don’t think that applies in our case.  We’ve had a very busy few days.  (Please Vanilla, I hope I have this right wrt. few. :pray: )

Friday, we celebrated Dad’s birthday.  That meant four hours of travel time, which was worth it for the family gathering.  I called it a paucity of family because some were not able to attend. 🙁

Saturday was the church’s annual hog roast, car show and blood drive.  That was an all-day commitment.

Sunday was the annual Sunday School Rally Day.  Sylvia was in charge and had lots to do.  At noon, we had a nice carry in dinner.  There were two women who had birthdays and Sunday was our anniversary, so we went through the line first. :up:   Sylvia was exhausted when we returned home.  She spent the afternoon resting while I watched the NASCAR race from Saturday night.  Rain delayed the night race start by about 90 minutes.  Less than half-way through, there was another delay that lasted nearly an hour.  I went to bed at a reasonable hour after setting up the DVR to record a couple of extra hours.  (Just in case . . . and it did prove necessary.)

Monday, we decided we were only a day late, and we were not a dollar light.  The sign was right.  I asked where she would like to go.  She hesitated and I suggested Papa Vino’s.

Sylvia responded, “I knew you were going to say that.”  She had been thinking the same thing.  So we had a beautiful meal in a very pleasant venue.  I am amazed at how simple the food appears and yet how great it tastes.  (There is probably a parable in there somewhere.)

As we do each year, we recommit ourselves to each other for as many years as God sees fit to grant us.  I am so blessed.

Last Friday, Sylvia’s father had another birthday.  He’s been doing that for several years. 😀   We’re hoping that he will continue for several more.

Sylvia and I drove nearly an hour to Dad’s house where we met her sister and brother-in-law.  The five of us then drove for almost another hour to a restaurant in Mt Pleasant where we met with her brother and another sister and brother-in-law.  They had driven nearly an hour to meet us halfway.  This has become a tradition of many years standing.  After a nice meal, we purchase ice cream and head to the park.  One of the sisters brought cake . . . and you know the rest of the drill.

Our favorite spot is by the river and next to the Michigan Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial.  We talk a lot.  And we laugh . . . a lot. :ha:  And we also take pictures.

Sylvia, Karen, Dad, Joyce and Bruce

After pictures, we all take a walk and talk.  And then we talk some more.  This year Dad decided to wait for us in the car, he was feeling cold.  We walked over the foot bridge and looked down on the river.  Checked out the ball fields.  The gals checked out a bench.

I mentioned that we might want to start back.  It was starting to rain.  It wasn’t much at first, but it was slowly increasing.  Maybe if we stayed under the trees.  That didn’t work very long. :rain:   We said our goodbye to one another, got in the cars and watched the rain begin to fall heavily as we were leaving.

Two hours later, Sylvia and I arrived back home.  It had been another great day.  We enjoy traditions like celebrating Dad’s birthday.  Do you do something special like that in your family?

Let’s explore another 51 together.  What do you say?  Shall we?