End of July Flowers #WordlessWednesday

 Garden Bloggers Bloom Day won't come around until August 15, but my flowers won't wait.  For your summer enjoyment, let's call this a mid-month check in on the last day of July.

These flowers will be gone by then.  I took these pictures Saturday.

Cardinal flower, a native  We got this at a wildflower nursery in Ithaca, New York.

One of our remaining day lilies from Saturday.

More day lilies, please.  They are almost gone.

Let's not forget the pinks. These are pink gladiolus, which I call my miracle flower because they aren't supposed to be hardy here.  But, I've never dug these up.  These are several years old and they get better each year.

My best pink tall phlox ever.

Last but not least.  These should be around the rest of this summer - globe amaranth.

Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday.

Rethinking Technology

Sometimes, I feel like a lumbering dinosaur, refusing to adopt the latest and greatest.  My motto is "just because it's possible doesn't mean it's a good idea."

But sometimes it is a good idea.

My regular readers know that I've been a member of Weight Watchers (WW) since 2012 (with a two year break at one point of time).  It's been a successful program for me.

Part of the program from its beginnings in the 20th century were meetings (nowadays called Workshops) moderated by a leader (nowadays called a Coach).  Before the days of Skype and Zoom these meetings were all in person.  During Covid they went remote and Weight Watchers has since embraced the concept of remote meetings.  

The downside?  In the "old days" you could go out for coffee after meetings with participants you clicked with.  You could exchange recipes and tips.  Sometimes, friendships were formed.  Even if they didn't, you were interacting with real people.

Somewhere along the line, Weight Watchers introduced a social media component in their app called Connect, for members only.  It never appealed to me.  I don't need more social media than I already have.  In fact I'm trying to cut back.  I took the last 10 days or so as a complete blogging break and I also did not go on social media during the break until yesterday. 

Know what?  I didn't even miss the social media although I would have long term, especially as I learn friend and family news (both mine and my spouse's) through Facebook.

This past May, WW introduced a chat function on their tracking app.  The chat groups are private, and moderated.  I lurked from time to time but didn't use the chat.  Until this past Sunday.

And then....but let me back up first.

When I started WW in 2012, I'm not even sure I used an app.  The way their current points system works, that's just about impossible now.  If you try to use the website to track you are encouraged to use the app.  It's harder to do using paper and pencil, which is too bad. 

Now, about that chat feature.

When I first read about it in an email. I wondered: why are we pushed to use social media and apps to communicate?  What ever happened to just regular communication and not communication in the virtual world?  Of course, I use email and have since around 1997. 

Well, without that chat I wouldn't have found out that my WW coach, a WW member for over 30 years and a coach for over 20 (I think), had left suddenly.  We don't know why but we do know WW has been changing directions for a year or more.  This is not a place to discuss this, but I wonder what happened to make a longtime employee of the organization quit.

The people in the meetings she moderated are wondering that also.  There is a lot of heartbreak - it's obvious that our coach touched the lives of many of us.  I'm one of them.

Sometimes it's good to be old fashioned.

But it's also good to embrace change and technology.  Email, for me, is wonderful.  Chat has its place, too.  I was able to get in touch with my now-former coach and thank her.  Thank you, chat. 

Meanwhile, I am back from my blogging break, but still not sure about my blogging schedule going forward.  I will probably blog daily this week.  After that, I'm still not sure.

Whatever I decide, I thank you, my reader, for sticking with me.

Singing of Tropical Paradise #MusicMovesMe

It's Monday, it's time for music, and I'm back from my blogging and social media break.

So, who are the Music Moves Me bloggers? Well, we are a group of music loving bloggers who blog about music each Sunday or Monday and if you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to join! (Music Posts Only-meaning at least one music video, please! Otherwise, your post may be labeled "No Music".)   Our head host is Xmas Dolly, and our co-hosts are Cathy from Curious as a Cathy, joined by the knowledgeable Stacy of Stacy Uncorked and, last but not least, me.

Every other week, we have a theme.  On alternate weeks, we can blog on any music theme we want. This week's theme is "songs about a tropical paradise".  No, I wasn't in a tropical paradise during my time off but it's still a great theme for this time of the year.

I'll begin with Jimmy's classic 1977 hit Margaritaville. Written by Jimmy, who wrote it in a Mexican restaurant in Austin, Texas. 

Kokomo was a 1988 hit from the Beach Boys.  Kokomo is a fictional island in the Florida Keys, but who cares?

Kingston Love from  UB40.  This video is a bit blurry but I liked its beginning.

I heard this song a couple of times last week.  I am not sure of its origins but I remembered that Harry Belafonte did it. Not everything in the tropical paradise is paradise, as this light flavored calypso song sings about. Here's Matilda, a song which may have its origins back in the 1930's. Belafonte recorded it twice, in 1953 and then a remake in 1955.

I will end with possibly the best known Weezer song - from 2001, Island in the Sun.

And that's a wrap.  

I kept this a little short because I think we all want to get back to dreaming of tropical islands - except, maybe, I will wait until winter for that dreaming.  Just think, with snow falling around me, dreaming of different changes in latitude.  I'm in no rush, though.

Join me again next week for another episode of Music Moves Me.

Three Sky Views #SkywatchFriday

Yes, it's Thursday, not Friday, but today I am joining up with Yogi's SkywatchFriday later today when he posts the link (Link now below).

This will be my last blog posting until around July 29, as I am taking a break from blogging and most social media.

These sky pictures are from July 12.  They are the same sky but different viewpoints taken during a trip to our community garden plot. 

There was so much going on over the time we were there.

Remember, always look up!

I will next be posting for Skywatch in early August.

Joining Yogi and other skywatchers for #SkywatchFriday.

Bee and Fireflies #WordlessWednesday

 Thank you, all who commented on my post yesterday announcing a blogging break starting Friday.  I appreciate your support.  I will not be participating in #WordlessWednesday next week

Three insect pictures for your consideration.  Please bear with me and my iPhone.

In the first picture I saw this bee with a spot on its back on a sweet pea flower (right center of picture)in my yard.  It's not a great shot to identify the bee with but I noticed a spot on its back.  From what I can find online this may be a female common bumble bee.  

Back on June 30 spouse and I were admiring fireflies (perhaps you call them lightning bugs or lightning beetles) in our back yard.  I wondered if I could take nighttime pictures of them.  I doubted it because they blink on and off.  What my iPhone 13 mini did puzzled me but some quick research told me the camera had automatically shifted into something called Night Mode and applied a one second apeture opening.  Since my phone wasn't on a tripod the fireflies just show as streaks.  I applied a B&W filter (Black and white) which I hoped made the points of light more visible.  The fireflies appear as white dots in the photo.

Here's another attempt.  I left this one in color and, again, the white specs are fireflies.   found out, after the fact, that I could have made a time lapse video instead but that may have come out even worse.  I really need to study iPhone photography.

My next Wordless Wednesday post will be on July 31.  

Joining up with Sandee at Comedy Plus for #WordlessWednesday.

Announcing a Blogging Break

For some time, I have been thinking of taking a blogging break.  I've been blogging daily since the beginning of May, 2011, although one of my posts from 2014 was removed (long after the fact) by what I suspect was a glitch as "not meeting community standards".  It was a post about inventions that changed the 20th century.  I've never bothered trying to get it reinstated. 

But now, I feel I need a break.

I will most probably be off of social media, too, including reading other blogs.

My break will begin on Friday, July 19 and extend until around July 28.  

For this week, my normal Wordless Wednesday will post tomorrow.  My Skywatch Friday post this week will post on Thursday.  And then, that's it until the end of July.

And yes, I will enjoy every minute of this break.

After I return to blogging, I don't know for sure if I will resume daily blogging, but I do intend to continue posting at least four four times a week:  Mondays (Music Moves Me), Wednesdays (Wordless Wednesday), Fridays (SkywatchFriday), and Sundays (Shadowshot Sunday)  plus the 15th of the month (Garden Bloggers Bloom Day).  We'll see how I feel about it after the break.

At one time, the posting daily mattered to me.  It no longer does although I'll feel some sadness in having a blogging streak this long end.  My original reason for doing it daily disappeared several years ago and, in the last several months, it's lost much of its enjoyment.   I feel myself slowing down.

 I hope I return to blogging refreshed.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day July 15 #GardenBloggersBloom Day

If you are looking for my Music Moves Me post, please click here.  This one is going to be all flowers, and I hope you'll stick around for that.

What a summer it has been so far in the United States.

In my Southern Tier of New York zone 6a garden, like in so much of the United States, it's been hot (for us!) and humid.  We've also gotten enough rain (not too much - not yet, anyway)and the plants are responding, especially the heat loving ones.

This is the time of year that there is such an abundance of blooms that I can't begin to show them all. But let's start with the day lilies.  These don't have names because I am so bad at record keeping.  So let's just go with color.

Sherbet and dark pink, or light red.  You can decide.

Our tallest daylily.

These are just about done.  This is the only spider daylily I have.  It came from a nursery (Lambertson's, in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania) that was going to cease business two years ago, but they keep reopening.  This was an unnamed variety.

The husband part of the husband and wife owners is in his 80's and perhaps they can't let go.  Or they just had so much to sell that they decided to reopen.Not sure I will make it down to Pennsylvania to admire their fields this year as their open times are limited. 

Reddish. can't get close because the garden has become too lush - or is it that it's reached its "let's cram everything daylily I can find" limit?

This yellow has my largest flower.  Same problem as above.

Red with a hint of yellow in the throat.

On the side, orange with yellow striping.  Another from the Lambertsons.

Finally, one more from Lambertsons.  This is one of my favorites.

I could go on for the longest post in history, but since I don't want to have nothing but daylilies, I need to end the day lilies here so I can fit some more flowers in.

A culvitated purple leafed loosestrife.  I would love this except it's very aggressive.  We have to keep ripping it out each spring but the people we bought it from (Cornell Cooperative) warned us.  They were right.

Globe amaranth is loving it.

Ditto lantana, shown here with some geraniums from the next pot.  Yes, the one on the left, yellow flowers, is variegated.

Hosta.

Red ganzania, also loving the heat.

That's it!  

Thank you, if you've stuck around this long to view my flowers.

Thanks go once again to Carol at May Dreams Gardens for her 15th of the month meme Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, where you can visit flowers from all over the world.  And a happy Garden Bloggers Bloom Day to all.

Let's Get Outdoors! #MusicMovesMe #ShadowshotSunday

It's Sunday, and it's time for music!

Who are the Music Moves Me bloggers? Well, we are a group of music loving bloggers who blog about music each Sunday or Monday and if you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to join! (Music Posts Only-meaning at least one music video, please! Otherwise, your post may be labeled "No Music".)   Our head host is Xmas Dolly, and our co-hosts are Cathy from Curious as a Cathy, joined by the knowledgeable Stacy of Stacy Uncorked and, last but not least, me.

Every other week, we have a theme.  On alternate weeks, we can blog on any music theme we want. This week our theme is "songs that make you think of sports or other outdoor activities". 

But before I begin, I need to announce that I will not be linking  to Music Moves Me on Monday, July 22, but hope to be back on Monday, July 29.  

Today, I'm also (next paragraph) going to link with Shadowshot Sunday, brought to us by Lisa at Lisa's Garden Adventures.  My pictures, of course, will have a shadow.  I will not be posting for Shadow Shot Sunday the next two Sundays.

First, flowers and shadows.

Striped ganzania, a preview of my Garden Bloggers Bloom Day post which will post Monday.  I hope you'll join me again then.

Bidens.

Lavender petunia.

And now, it's time for music!

Let's start off with what has been called the Great American pastime - baseball.

From 1985, a classic baseball song - Centerfield.

One more baseball song - Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly, from 1948, with Take Me Out to the Ball Game from the movie of the same name. And yes, that is Frank Sinatra dancing alongside Kelly.  

I didn't know Frank Sinatra could dance but it turns out he did dance in several movies.  Gene Kelly was a good teacher, wasn't he!

Let's have fun in the park now, shall we?  Here's a couple of songs about parks.

From 1972, Chicago and Saturday in the Park.   

In 1968, Richard Harris released a song called MacArthur Park.  I loved it so much that I bought the single (and probably wore it out), but Donna Summer's 1978 cover is what really made me fall in love with it.

Stoned Soul Picnic, from 1968.   This is one of several Laura Nyro songs recorded or covered by the Fifth Dimension, and it's the version I picked.  I've wondered about the meaning of the song, but Laura Nyro never explained exactly what "surry" meant in this song.

Many people enjoy going to amusement parks and, to honor that, here's Freddie Cannon's 1962 hit Palisades Park.

Palisades Park was a real place.  If you are interested in knowing more, please enjoy this short history of this New Jersey park which has snippets of the theme song I would hear on the New York City radio in my childhood.  I visited it a couple of times and remember their large salt water pool.  That pool dated from 1912 and was said to be the largest salt water pool in the United States.  Alas, Palisades Park no longer exits although there is a historical marker on the site.  High rise apartment buildings replaced it.  In a way, it was a victim of its success, as you'll hear about in the video above.

We have time for one more - the beach and water.  How could I not include a song from the Beach Boys?  Here's Sloop John B, which is a cover of a song originating in the Bahamas in the early 20th century.

And that's a wrap!

Tomorrow, I hope you will join me for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.  I will next be posting for Music Moves Me on Monday, July 29.  

Have fun without me!

RIP Dave Loggins

Another rock and roll heaven induction is under way.

Dave Loggins, singer-songwriter, second cousin of country singer Kenny Loggins, and half of the duo Loggins and Messina, died July 10 at the age of 76. He died in a hospice in Nashville, Tennessee, but a cause of death was not given.

Here are some songs to remember Loggins by.

 

First, his 1974 hit, Please Come to Boston. 

Next, a beautiful song  - House At Pooh Corner.  This song was written by Kenny Loggins (see above), and was covered by Loggins and Messina in 1971.

Finally, a song written by Dave Loggins and recorded by Three Dog Night.  Here is the 1972 song Pieces of April.

 

Bonus track.  Kenny Loggins rerecorded the House at Pooh Corner song and added a verse in honor of his third son.  

RIP Dave Loggins.

Power Failure Sky #SkywatchFriday

We've had four power failures in the past month.  Fortunately, each has only lasted about an hour but the last one happened on Wednesday, around 8pm.  The temperature had reached 94F (34.4C) earlier in the day, with a heat index of 104F (40C).  Not hot compared to other parts of the United States, but still.

It had rained not long before the power went out, and, in fact, our county had been under a tornado warning.  But as the minutes passed (it was no longer raining) we decided we'd rather be outside.

About 8:30, we decided to go out to our local park and enjoy what was left of the sunset.

The clouds left only a narrow band for some color but the cloud in the middle lower part of the photo looked like a snowy mountain.

There were a couple of orange spots, which disappeared soon after I took this picture.

Now the lower clouds look like a mountain range in the distance.

The reverse sunset.

Walking back to our house, we passed by a couple of neighbors talking to each other and we joined the conversation.  Isn't it a bit sad that, without that power failure, we wouldn't have talked at all that day?

Shortly after 9pm, the power came back on, and we heard a cheer from another neighbor's house.  Ah, back to normal, but it made me think of the thousands of people in our country without power due to storms or floods.  We were fortunate.

Before I leave, a programming note.  I will post in Skywatch Friday next Thursday afternoon.  I won't have a chance to visit any of you on Friday.

I will not be posting a Skywatch post the week of Friday, July 26.

Joining Yogi and other skywatching bloggers each Friday (with few exceptions) at SkywatchFriday.

At Last Blueberry Pie

We went to pick blueberries at a local U-Pick operation for the third time this summer.  That doesn't sound amazing except for the fact that our first picking was at the end of June.

The owner of the operation has been doing this for 37 years and said this is the earliest they've ever been able to open.

The berries are some of the best I've ever picked.  But the weather has been hot, for the most part, since they opened.   One of my favorite things to do with the berries had to wait for a day like - today.  We are 78F (25.5C) right now and I'm so thankful.

One of the plants from today.

One of my readers asked yesterday what I do with the berries.  We eat a lot of blueberry pie.  We make other recipes, too - here's a list from two years ago with links.  Since I'm a Weight Watchers lifetime member, I can't eat too many sweets.

What follows is one of my favorite ways of eating blueberries - blueberry pie, using a slightly changed recipe provided by the U Pick farmer.  It makes the best blueberry pie I've ever had, and I have blogged about it multiple times.   I'm finally going to be able to make it today.

There seem to be a lot of similar recipes online (in fact I found a recipe identical to what the farm provided in an online church cookbook) so I feel OK in posting this farm's recipe for all to enjoy.

Crust

1 refrigerated piecrust (because I'm lazy), baked in a 9 inch glass pie pan. 

No pictures this year, because I am already late in posting.

Filling:

4 cups fresh blueberries (divide into 2 parts, 2 cups each)  Apparently you can use frozen but I haven't done it myself, so I don't know if it will work with frozen.  It might work with the berries you cook (you'll see why as you read on).

2/3 cup sugar.  This all depends on the sweetness of the berries.  I've found early berries run a little sweeter than later ones.

2 1/2 tbsp potato starch or 3 tbsp cornstarch.  My spouse, the family cook, prefers potato starch, which we buy at Passover time.

A pinch of salt

1 tbsp lime juice (because that's what we have - the original called for lemon juice)

1/4 cup cold water

1 tbsp butter

Method

Combine sugar, cornstarch or potato starch, water, salt until well blended.  Add 2 cups blueberries. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the blueberry mixture thickens. If you use potato starch, please keep in mind that it will thicken very quickly.  You need to pay careful attention.

Then, add the butter and lemon or lime juice.  Let cool.

When cooled, place the reserved 2 cups of blueberries into the pie crust.  Then, top with the cooked mixture. 

Then, try to resist eating the entire pie at one serving.

It's Double Plus Good.

Bee Balm Action Photo #WordlessWednesday.

Yesterday was a hot, sticky day.  Today it's going to be worse, with the remnants of Hurricane Beryl on their way to the East Coast of the United States.

I worked in the office yesterday, and as I was exiting the car, it started to rain.  It was just a brief sprinkle, but I decided to take some day lily pictures before the rain ruined the flowers.

But on my way to the bed I wanted to photograph, I saw a bee on the left side of my bee balm and I clicked the take picture button just as it happened.

Another bee flew to the same flower and I caught it mid-flight (see right side of flower.

And since I have all these day lily photos, why don't I share a few?  This is probably the closest to a white day lily I'll ever own.

Yellowish.
 

I have so many favorites, and I'll share more in the near future.

 

Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday.

Light Summer Reading 2024

I signed up for a reading challenge at our local library.  They do this every summer and all you need to do is report, by August 16 (the challenge started June 24) every book you've read.  No pressure and you don't even have to take books out of their library branch.  You just write down the title and author on a form they provide you on a paper form.

Nor, like some other libraries, do you have to challenge yourself by reading different types of books they specify. or keep track of how long you read each day.  I'm way past those kind of challenges. I just read what I want, when I want. 

There is a drawing at the end.  I won a prize several years back but now I enter because I'm reading anyway, so why not?

Considering that I've recently read books like James, by Percival Everett (excellent, and I highly recommend), my first two choices may surprise you.  They surprised me.

Last year, one of my summer reading selections was a YA (Young Adult) book called The Summer I Turned Pretty, by YA best selling author Jenny Han.  I had no idea that the book was an Amazon Prime series or part of a series that has sold over four million books.

But the book was addictive.  I couldn't tell you why, but the story appealed to me.  (I do know one reason, but then I'd have to place a Spoiler Alert on this post).  These types of books are not even close to my preferred genres (SF, dystopian, and yes, I will and have read good YA books in both).  I detested the name of the protagonist - her given name is Isabel but everyone calls her Belly.  It's a coming of age story - the summer Belly realizes she is no longer a child.

And yet, here I was racing to finish the book and staying up nights to read, which I normally don't do anymore.

Fast forward to this year.

I decided to read the second and third books of the series, It's Not Summer Without You and We'll Always Have Summer  These are best sellers, also, and follow Belly and other characters as they enter their college years and become young adults.

And again, I lost sleep because I couldn't put the books down.  Turns out I liked the second book.  The third one was a major disappointment.  And yet...I still couldn't put it down.

I don't know what ingredients author Jenny Han puts in her writing, but her books (and TV series) have been big successes.  Addictive, and they were for me, too.

So now that I've finished the trilogy, what's on my reading list?

I'm not going to read any more Jenny Han books at this point of time.  It's back to my normal reading habits.

I've started The Good Lord Bird, by James McBride, but a book I had on reserve, After Annie by Anna Quindlen, has come off reserve and I need to get going on that book, too. (Yes, I read more than one book at a time).  I know the latter book won't be light reading, but we'll see how it goes.

Doing any summer reading this year?

New Jersey Highway Music Tributes #MusicMovesMe

It's Monday and it's time for music!

Who are the Music Moves Me bloggers? Well, we are a group of music loving bloggers who blog about music each Sunday or Monday and if you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to join! (Music Posts Only-meaning at least one music video, please! Otherwise, your post may be labeled "No Music".)   Our head host is Xmas Dolly, and our co-hosts are Cathy from Curious as a Cathy, joined by the knowledgeable Stacy of Stacy Uncorked and, last but not least, me.

Every other week, we have a theme.  On alternate weeks, we can blog on any music theme we want. This week's theme is freedom of choice.

I'm going to do something I mentioned in a post back in June about a New Jersey rest area being named after native son and rocker John Bon Jovi.  In that post, I said:

"It would seem that New Jersey has been renaming its turnpike service areas after famous New Jerseyians, and several of them are musicians.  There's the Celia Cruz Service Area.  The Whitney Houston Service Area.  The Frank Sinatra Service Area.  (There are several non-musician named rest areas, including one for the late great actor James Gandolfini, but none named after Tony Soprano).

New Jersey offered to name one after Bruce Springsteen, but The Boss declined the honor.

For a future Music Moves Me (my Monday posts) post, I wrote that maybe I'll do a post based on Musicians with New Jersey Turnpike Service Areas named after them." 

So, that's my theme for today. Here's some more information on the famous New Jerseyites who have received this honor. (Note, Bruce Willis may be added to this list.)  Each rest area has memorabilia, photos, or other items paying tribute to the honoree.

Let's start with Jon Bon Jovi, the original inspiration for this theme.   It was hard to pick a favorite song of his, but I went online to see favorite road trip songs, and it happens that Bon Jovi has one of them.  So, from 1986, here is "Livin' on a Prayer".

Let's switch to a different genre, with Frank Sinatra and a 1968 song called Cycles. This is a live version. This is such a profound song.   Here's the story of this particular song. 

Another genre switch now.  Celia Cruz, the Queen of Salsa, was born in Cuba, but ended up moving to Mexico, and later, the United States, ending up in Fort Lee, New Jersey.  She died from brain cancer in 2003. For my selection honoring her, I picked a song, Guantanmera, which is familiar to many of us due to another cover, by the Sandpipers.  I like the vibe of Celia Cruz' cover and this live performance. 

Her service/rest area pays tribute to her with  some unique items from her closet, including a dress and hairpiece.

Fun fact, although Celia Cruz is celebrated by New Jersey, she was buried in the Bronx (New York City), not that far from where I grew up.

Whitney Houston, who was born in 1963 in Newark, New Jersey, had, in many ways, a tragic life and died at the age of 48 in 2012.Her funeral was held at the same New Jersey church where she got her start in singing.  I'm choosing I Have Nothing, a song from The Bodyguard soundtrack, from 1992. 

Although he wasn't a singer, I want to pay tribute to actor James Gandolfini, born in Westwood, New Jersey, and known to millions as gangster Tony Soprano in the TV show The Sopranos.  Gandolfini was known to sing on occasion on the show but those songs are all short clips.

So, to truly pay tribute to Gandolfini, here is the theme song from The Sopranos, Woke Up This Morning, performed by Alabama 3.  I hope this video plays outside the United States.  I love this song.

And finally, although The Boss declined the honor, I am going to play a classic Bruce Springsteen song, Born to Run, because I love it so.

And that's a wrap!

Join me again next week for another episode of Music Moves Me.

July Produce Shadows #ShadowshotSunday

 In my community garden plot, green beans. We were able to pick our first ones yesterday.

 

Squash flower from the other day.

Alas, these plants are being attached by squash bugs and some leaves don't look good.

As seen at a farmers market yesterday.

Peaches (probably from Pennsylvania; they do not grow well locally).

Tomatoes (which may be local; I believe this farmer uses high tunnels).

Orange beets with greens attached.

Joining Lisa at Lisa's Garden Adventures for her #ShadowshotSunday.

What's Almost Heaven to You?

No, this blog post is not about West Virginia (don't worry if you don't get the reference - it's from a song by the late singer John Denver.  I'll include the song at the end of this post.)

It's partially about the first tomato of the year, but it's more than that.

I wait for most of the year for the first tomato fresh off the vine.  Store bought do not compare unless they come from a local farm stand.  The season is too short for me.

Now, about these tomatoes.

Actually, there were four of them - small cherry tomatoes. Not enough for my beloved tomato and mayo sandwiches.  The slicing tomatoes will take longer to start ripening.

Which leads me to today's question for my readers:  what's almost heaven for you?

Is it a food? (sweet corn? the first local melon?)  Is it a place, like a day at the beach?  Or a visit from or to family?  Or even a quiet day with no obligations?

To thank you, this is my recipe for a tomato sandwich.  But first, the John Denver song I mentioned at the beginning of my post.

From 1971, Take Me Home, Country Roads, which has also become West Virginia's official state song.

This is the recipe:

Take room temperature (tomatoes should not be refrigerated - did you know that?) tomatoes, preferably heirloom for taste reasons.  Take bread.  Add mayonnaise to taste.  Eat.  

And that's it!  (I don't bake bread anymore - sigh - this would be even better with homemade bread.)

Soon....

Cheap Air Show Skies #SkywatchFriday

July 4th, the American Independence Day, was a quiet day around our house. 

At least it was, until the fighter jets showed up.

These weren't a worry, though, fortunately.  This weekend, our local airport is going to have an air show, and the featured act is the United States Navy Blue Angels.

We probably aren't going to attend, so we had to settle for what I jokingly call the Cheapskate's Air Show - watching the Blue Angels practice.

After hearing their thundering roars several times, and not getting any pictures, I discovered the secret.  By the time you hear the thundering, it's too late.  I finally, standing in the 90 degree F (32.2C) sun, started to get some pictures, over two practice sessions a couple of hours apart.

Barely got these two before they disappeared.

Finally, they were in formation.  (I don't know what the dot beneath the formation is).

Another pass in formation.

On this pass, there was only one. 

Yes, these are real fighter jets, built by Boeing.   They are decommissioned but I understand they could be readied for combat in about 72 hours if the need arose.  

Let's hope the need never arises.

It's been years since I've been to an air show.  It was more fun, really, when I had my then young son with us.  Nowadays, it's just the two of us.

Plus, it's going to be another day in the 90's, humid, and there's no shade.  

I hope (if you live in the United States) that you had a great Fourth of July.  For my other blogging friends and readers outside the United States, I hope yesterday was special for you, too.

Joining each Friday with Yogi and other skywatchers for #SkywatchFriday.

A Friendship Fourth of July

It's been a while since I've repeated this post but I am moved to today, with some new material and new (to my blog, I think) photos from the trip I blogged about.

In July of 2013, we were commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, which took place July 1, 2 and 3, 1863.  This battle, fought near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, is said to have been the defining moment of who would win the United States Civil War.

I wrote many posts during the 150th anniversary of the war (1861-1865) including this one on July 3, 2013. 

I had wanted so much to be able to visit Gettysburg that week.   There was supposed to be a large gathering to commemorate that watershed battle, but, unfortunately, many people had the same idea and, unlike me, they didn't try to make last minute plans.

Spouse and I had already taken time off from work.

I was not happy, but then fate intervened.

First, I need to explain that many years ago, both this cousin (let's call her "C") and my childhood best friend (BF) were house hunting in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City.  C has spent almost her entire life in Brooklyn.  BF grew up with me in the Bronx (another borough) but, as an adult, moved to an apartment in Brooklyn at the time she got married.  

Anyway, C and BF found themselves at the same open house.  

They hit it off.  They became friends, not knowing (at first) that they had something else in common.  Or, actually, someone else.  Me.

(Just as another fun fact, a good friend of BF's husband was the son of my next door neighbor growing up, proving that even New York City, with its eight million people, can be a small world at times.)

At some point, my cousin and childhood friend found out they had me in common, and when spouse and I came to Brooklyn, we always tried to visit both of them.

Fast forward to 2013.  About a year and a half before, BF was diagnosed with cancer.  As the summer of 2013 came close, she was doing well.

One late June day, C called to catch up on life.  In talking with her, she mentioned that, on July 4, BF had planned a BBQ.  Among other people, C was invited.  Too bad I couldn't be there, as I lived 150 miles away, and probably had other plans....or could I?

I contacted BF, and yes, we were welcome to come.  And to stay with her and her husband.

We came. We had a wonderful visit and 4th of July BBQ with BF, C, and other friends of BF.    We had a great time, that first few days of July we spent down there.    

My friend loved to garden in her small New York City plot.

I can't remember if this zucchini plant (picture taken July 4, 2013) was in my friend's yard, or in the yard of one of her neighbors.  

These were her tomatoes.  She also had rosemary and dill growing.
 

A fig tree in her neighbor's yard.

My friend's dill.

I can't believe eleven years have passed since that day.

This is not a story with a happy ending, I'm sorry to say.  That night, before the unofficial street fireworks began, my friend, her husband, my spouse, and I, walked to a store and had some ice cream.

Over the frozen treats, she matter of factly told me she had decided where she would be interred after she passed.  She knew her time was limited, and joked that the cemetery was near a shopping center, meaning that people would be sure to visit.

That kind of joke was so like her....

This visit was the last time I saw my BF "well".   She passed away in 2015.  May she forever rest in peace.

If I I had been able to find lodging down in Gettysburg, I never would been able to go to that wonderful BBQ, and we wouldn't have spent other quality time with her during that visit.

Maybe some things are meant to be.  

When I think of the Fourth of July, I think of her, each and every year.

May my readers in the United States have a happy and meaningful Independence Day.  

Cancer sucks.

A happier post tomorrow.