I finally caught Lexy in the act with my Android smartphone this morning. She was a bit camera shy though and didn’t race around the room like she normally does with her toy ring.
Category: Seasons
Seasonal happenings
70s Flashback
No, I’m not having flashbacks to the decade of disco, the oil crisis, feminism, civil rights, etc. I’m talking about autumn-like temperatures in the mid-70s at lunch time here in Kansas City. I took full advantage of the beautiful weather by walking a couple of blocks to my favorite local Italian restaurant for lunch.
For a comparison, here’s the average temperatures, historically, reported for Kansas City (thanks to the Weather Underground for the stats):
| August 14, 2013 | Max Temp | Min Temp |
|---|---|---|
| Normal (KMCI) | 88 °F | 68 °F |
| Record (KMCI) | 113 °F (1936) | 54 °F (2002) |
| Yesterday | 80 °F | 66 °F |
When I first walked out of my house this morning, I knew something was different. For starters, the sky was clear. I felt a bit of a chill in the air, not something I expect to feel in the middle of August during a Kansas summer. The dashboard information center in the van confirmed temperatures in the lower 60s in the pre-dawn morning air.
I took the above photograph about 20-25 minutes before sunrise this morning. I can’t take an actual sunrise photo during the work week because the sun is rising at or shortly after 6:30 a.m. Central local time. By that time, I’m fifteen minutes into my morning commute, picking up the last three of my vanpool riders. I did drive into a glorious golden orange sun hanging barely above the horizon for a few minutes. The atmosphere was pretty hazy, so I could look directly at the sun for long periods of time. I didn’t spy any sunspots though … my eyes are not quite that good. I’m far-sighted, but not that far-sighted.
So today I’m very thankful for mild temperatures, low humidity and beautiful clear skies.
Article: Keep pets safe in the dog days of summer
Keep pets safe in the dog days of summer
http://news.consumerreports.org/health/2013/07/keep-pets-safe-in-the-dog-days-of-summer.html
Apollo and Lexy are so spoiled. AC all day and sunset walks.
Article: Community Supported Agriculture: How Big Is Too Big?
Community Supported Agriculture: How Big Is Too Big?
My first exposure to a CSA came through my daughter.
Pleasant Evening Stroll with Apollo and Spring Flowers
For the first time in nearly a month, Apollo and I took a pleasant evening stroll around our neighborhood. I didn’t get much exercise, as I became easily distracted by all the beautiful blooming spring flowers and trees. The temperature stayed in the 70s and the sky remained cloudless as the sun dipped toward the western horizon.
The forecast for the next couple of days, however, predicts more rain, so Apollo and I may not get out and about until later this week.
Terry and I also visited our local Home Depot to purchase a replacement day lilly (for the one lost to the driveway re-construction a year or so ago) and a couple of new flowers to add to the bed around the mailbox. As soon as the day lillies bloom, I’ll snap some photos and share them here.
Happy Birthday Apollo
This past Thursday May 9th, Terry and I celebrated the anniversary of our adoption of Apollo seven years ago. Since we rescued him we don’t know his exact birthday. Our family vet estimated that he was a year or year and a half old when we rescued him.
So we will give Apollo the benefit of the doubt and round down to eight, which is probably over 50 in human years. Welcome to your midlife crisis Apollo. You’re over the hill now and it’s smooth sailing from now on.
This morning I took a half dozen pictures of Apollo as the lounge on the couch. I tried to take a couple more outside but there was too much difference between the shadow of the house and the bright morning sunlight on the grass behind him. I upload them to my Flickr feed but I uploaded one separately here to this blog for your enjoyment.
Happy Birthday Apollo!
Protected: Whirlwind Through Old World
Protected: Old World Countdown
Sunrise (Singular) for Groundhog Day
No repeats. No snoozing to ‘You Got Me Babe’ from the alarm clock. Just one single solitary sunrise to greet the groundhog last Saturday morning:
I almost gave up on this sunrise. The clouds stayed a dismal grey until the last ten minutes or so before sunrise. At least I had a cub of fresh made Irish Blend tea to keep me warm while I waited for the drab to transform to gilded.