Rain is lashing at the windows as I write this. I love that image – lashing rain – even though it’s not pleasant weather to be outdoors in. (Not that I’m planning to go out.) It’s a last gasp of chill before the warm weather settles in. I think we set a new personal record today in the Nall-Derringer Co-Prosperity Sphere, i.e. air conditioning to heat in…four days? Five? As we say around here: Pure Michigan.
Imagine being a Native American, or early settler, enduring weather like this in a badly chinked log cabin. It’s late May, and you’re probably low on firewood, and what’s outside is wet. Do you dip into the stove wood, or just ride it out? Ride it out in your smelly, filthy clothing, I expect.
And so the unofficial opening of summer dawns with lashing rain. I hope it’s not an omen. Because I have plans to be out socializing for much of the warm season. I need to make up for lost time.
And speaking of time, I don’t have much of it this morning, so I leave you with this, which should demonstrate to everyone that Detroit is still Detroit, god love it. See you next week:
Niggas in Detroit just don’t give af 😭😂✋🏻 pic.twitter.com/58LaGZWiNs
— paris (@prettigirlp) May 28, 2021
LAMary said on May 28, 2021 at 11:24 am
Several ethnic groups here in LA don’t give af about police in the same way. It depends on the neighborhood.
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Julie Robinson said on May 28, 2021 at 2:04 pm
Cold and rainy here as well and someone already packed every single pair of long pants and anything with long sleeves. Genius.
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beb said on May 28, 2021 at 6:17 pm
And why didn’t the cops spray those cars with bullets? Don’t cops have the right to shoot indiscriminately?
/sarcasm.
Going from 90 degrees to 60 iovernight a few days before the rain set in, that’s “pure Michigan.” Still: no hurricanes, earthquaakes, forest fires(*) or droughts kind of beats the rest of the Country.
(*) – no forest fires like California has…
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Deborah said on May 28, 2021 at 6:49 pm
It wouldn’t be Labor Day weekend if it didn’t rain. The weather here in Santa Fe is gorgeous but it’s supposed to rain Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, at least we hope so, we need rain badly.
Our fence project moved to temporary fix number two, number one was clearing out the vines. I bought a dark green mesh screen to put on the chain link fence for privacy, we installed it today and it wasn’t that hard to do, thank god for zip ties and no wind. Tomorrow we put the next layer over that, reed fencing. Then the final layer is some hanging fabric pockets that you can plant in. There will be 100 pockets, so hopefully this won’t be a bust. This is all temporary until we can figure out what to do permanently, hopefully will last a year or two. I found out who bought the former Boys and Girls Club that our condo property abuts, spoke to the attorney who represents the new owners who claims he doesnt know what his client’s future plans are. That will be a big factor in what we do about our fence. Plus there are cost issues related to a new wood fence but that may not be a problem a year from now. We’re paying for the temporary fix because our unit is the one that directly benefits, because our unit is across from all of this. Shelling out for property improvements that raises the property values for the other owners so they can charge more rent for their tenants is getting old, I have to say.
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Deborah said on May 28, 2021 at 6:58 pm
Of course I meant Memorial Day.
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Dorothy said on May 28, 2021 at 9:00 pm
It’s 51 here right now. Hard to believe it’s the end of May but that’s global warming for ya. We’ll be positively shivering on Sunday at our family reunion. Oh well, being together is what matters! And I have packed all long pants and long sleeved shirts, plus a rain jacket and a warm hoodie. So much for the cute new shorts and sleeveless shirt I bought last week!
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Deborah said on May 28, 2021 at 9:32 pm
I just had the best idea for the temporary fence solution and it will be tons of fun to do too. I can’t wait until tomorrow to get it going. We did some tests this evening and it works like a charm. Yoo hoo.
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Dexter Friend said on May 29, 2021 at 1:51 am
It’s a cold 44F here right now. I spent hours at the title office and the license bureau but got the paperwork done. I found a YouTube tutorial on how to re-set the radio as well. Hope it works. Anti-theft measure…pain in the ass.
Heading south a few hundred miles in a few hours. Pool swim is already cancelled. They just got their pool . A bit anxious to see the granddaughter and great granddaughter of course.
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alex said on May 29, 2021 at 8:27 am
Dex, if you haven’t had a Honda before, I’m sure you’ll soon appreciate yours just like it were a best friend. I’ve found them to be the most reliable and repair-free vehicles of any I’ve owned and their longevity is exceptional. Just make sure to keep close tabs on the service history and that the timing belt has been replaced at the recommended intervals.
Well, this is supposed to be a big lake weekend. At least the sun’s out this morning. We’re having a reunion with friends we haven’t seen in a year and a half. Gotta get our shit together and get on the road shortly.
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David C said on May 29, 2021 at 8:50 am
We had a chilly morning and are expecting another one tomorrow but otherwise the weather for the weekend looks delightful. We have big plans to get lots of gardening done in the next couple of days.
Mary got the vaccine (J&J, one and done) yesterday and I’m relieved. I didn’t think she would. I didn’t like the new CDC guidelines when they were announced but I think that’s what made her go ahead. Hardly anybody is wearing a mask now and I said the adult vaccination rate is 50% here so half of them are lying about being vaccinated. I don’t think she wanted to be stuck masking forever. Yesterday while we were in the CVS to get her jab someone came to their drive up window for testing and the quick test came up positive. It isn’t over.
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Heather said on May 29, 2021 at 9:18 am
Shaping up to be chilly but sunny most of the weekend here in Chicago. That’s fine with me–I took on a bunch of freelance work because I’m going on vacation on Friday and I need that mo-nayyy. Although it means being kind of stressed out all week.
I can’t see the tweet Nancy linked to but here we have another police hoo-ha–a cop who shot a guy in the back a couple months ago was caught on video in a road rage incident the other day in which he *pulled out his gun* at a guy who wasn’t turning fast enough or some crap like that. We really don’t need sociopaths like this “protecting” us.
https://blockclubchicago.org/2021/05/27/chicago-cop-who-fatally-shot-anthony-alvarez-being-investigated-for-pulling-gun-on-driver-in-logan-square-road-rage-clash/
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beb said on May 29, 2021 at 4:35 pm
I think we need a “Barney Fife” law — cops are issued guns with one bullet that they must keep in a separate pocket from the gun. Then there is the story of the Florida Man Cop who has been fired seven times for misconduct. Sadly it seems he had been reinstated to the same department six times. In his latest court hearing he complained he doesn’t want people to think he’s a bad cop.
Here’s a follow-up report on the cars burning rubber around a police cruiser:
https://www.deadlinedetroit.com/articles/28093/update_donut-spinning_dodge_charger_driver_arrested_after_getaway
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Julie Robinson said on May 29, 2021 at 6:58 pm
Dexter, after you break in your new Honda, you may want to point it over to the Fort to see the newly completed Vietnam memorial replica wall. Grand opening ceremonies were today, and I hope to see it soon, but there was a graduation/birthday party taking precedence. Since we move in just a month, it’ll probably be the last time we see the out of towners.
So we heard the fall plans of the graduate, the Earhart House at Purdue, and did you know you can get your food delivered by a robot? And the wedding plans, new house, and new job of the birthday girl.
And the sun came out and cast a golden glow over us all, and lo, it was good.
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dexter said on May 29, 2021 at 11:28 pm
Thanks for the advice, Alex. The 181 mile leg of the trip to south of Columbus went fine. We had a Smoky Bones feast of ribs and damn- near the whole menu. It’s been a long time comin’. So great to see 2 daughters and my little great granddaughter, 4 years old. She’s flying to Las Vegas tomorrow afternoon to spend a month with Lori’s family there.
Everybody said I appear to have lost weight. I quit weighing myself months ago. Going to the VA doc for a check-up on Tuesday and I’ll know then.
Julie, that wall was in Toledo too a few days ago. I was at the Wall in Washington 35 years ago.
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LAMary said on May 29, 2021 at 11:40 pm
The restless roadie son, currently working as a cleaner of the LA “River” and abandoned homeless encampments got a call from the tour management company. Seems the regular merch roadie for Guns and Roses is unavailable. Would my son be interested in a filling in?
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basset said on May 30, 2021 at 8:27 am
We had a nest of Carolina wrens about two feet outside our bedroom window, in a grill cover that was tossed over the deck railing – mama bird set up home in a deep fold and we enjoyed watching the babies hatch out and grow. They fledged and left this week, though, so now I have no excuse to delay pressure washing and resealing the deck.
53 in Nashville right now, nice and sunny though.
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Deborah said on May 30, 2021 at 10:21 am
We have a mama robin sitting on her three eggs in her nest under the second floor stair landing of our condo building. We built a trellis along the stair that has silver lace vines growing up it which she nestled their home into. When we sit at one of our patios we’re actually quite close to her, she keeps a steady eye on us but I think she trusts we won’t do any harm.
More work on the temporary fence today and tomorrow, we won’t be finished by Tuesday when we’re having a little cook out party for S’s birthday, even though rain is predicted. We’ll be using the gas grill our neighbor’s gave Little B when they realized they hardly ever used it. Most people will be grilling on Monday, of course.
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Heather said on May 30, 2021 at 12:06 pm
LAMary, I have a friend who does live sound for bands. I saw him last week and he said all of a sudden he got a bunch of calls for tours in the previous few days.
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Jeff Borden said on May 30, 2021 at 1:18 pm
Dexter,
Bryan, Ohio is the dateline for an NYT story on your local hospital trying to make it in these trying times. One of the sadder notes is how the non-white doctors, nurses and technicians are treated in your corner of tRumplandia. So damned dumb.
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Suzanne said on May 30, 2021 at 7:10 pm
Pretty much how I feel.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/05/post-pandemic-dont-want-to-reenter-society/619045/
“ More and more people have noticed that some of the basic American axioms—that hard work is a virtue, productivity is an end in itself—are horseshit.”
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Dexter Friend said on May 30, 2021 at 7:33 pm
Thanks, JeffB. I’ll look it up tonight. They send big glossy ads out to the towns and villages. I’d say 90% of the doctors are Sanjays and Patels, and names like that. I don’t have to deal with them much, since I do most of my medical stuff with the V.A. Yeah… when my disability pay changed due to losing my wife, I called it in to the V.A. immediately. They kept overpaying me. I called again when they billed me for the overage and paid them with a check by phone. Now, a month and a week later, I got a nasty letter bitching at me, why have you not paid us back or made arrangements? Sometimes our government is sorta mismanaging communications interdepartmentally.
Basset: is that lake where the Christian diet guru family crashed and died near your river area?
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Mark P said on May 30, 2021 at 8:33 pm
A bird built a nest on an electrical box under our front porch. Unfortunately for the baby birds, two or three cats are always on the porch. The babies will not survive. Another bird built a nest on a floodlight over our garage doors. It tried last year but I kept tearing it down until it got discouraged and moved. This year, with rotator cuff and knee surgery, I couldn’t keep mama bird away. At least two cats pass that way multiple times a day, so those baby birds are also doomed. Cats are little murderers.
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Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on May 31, 2021 at 7:50 am
The Atlantic essay was a bit of a muddle, to me. I was wistful at re-reading a quote I recall first encountering and thinking “yes, I know” when he said that: “I understand there’s a guy inside me who wants to lay in bed, smoke weed all day, and watch cartoons and old movies,” Anthony Bourdain once wrote. “My whole life has been a series of stratagems to outwit that guy.” Replace coffee and/or bourbon for weed, and I relate to that. Give me a justification for letting that guy drive the bus, and he’s behind the wheel in heartbeat. I need some axioms and external motivations to get myself out of bed, off the sofa, and back to doing what really needs done, whether it’s filing the next piece of pay copy or taking out the trash (or cleaning the basement, I can hear my wife say, and she’s sound asleep).
Speaking of enjoying sloth while others work, that was a very enjoyable Indy 500. Helio got picked up by a team based about 15 miles from my house, in this county, so I had some sofa-based satisfaction out of his fourth win. Rahal Letterman used to be headquartered just over the county line not much further west of us, but now they’ve moved their admin over to Hilliard, and the garage itself is out past the track in Brownsburg, Indiana. Meyer Shank Racing sure made a good move with taking in Castroneves.
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Joe Kobiela said on May 31, 2021 at 10:10 am
Meyer Shank is a customer of ours, Haven’t personally flown them yet but have gotten good feedback from others. A one off beating the big guys, great to see.
Pilot Joe
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Dexter Friend said on May 31, 2021 at 7:23 pm
I got a real kick out of that very clean Indianapolis 500, and seeing Helio’s spiderman antics again. That guy is a happy-spreader, such a great worthy man.
We had an Indy 500 winner near here, as well. 15 years ago Sam Hornish, Jr. drove a Honda over the bricks for the victory, then shortly after returned to stockcars. The Hornish family has a trucking business in Defiance and Sam built a great home near Defiance. I don’t follow racing much so I don’t know what Sam is up to now.
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basset said on May 31, 2021 at 9:46 pm
Dexter, I’m in southwest Nashville and the lake is east – plane left from Smyrna, which is a little further southeast in another county.
And it was indeed a good 500, too bad Charlie Kimball didn’t make the show.
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JodiP said on June 1, 2021 at 9:26 am
I was off for 4 glorious days, with many hours in the garden. There was one pretty chilly day of a high of 49 but I just bundled up! We took our new-ish pup to a dog park a couple times and he was so happy. We had friends over for dinner last night on the patio. Another friend came by to drop off stuff he’d borrowed and he joined us for dinner. I made white wine sangria for the first time in ages and it turned out really well. Pure bliss, and my crappy boss is on vacay this week.
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Deborah said on June 1, 2021 at 9:35 am
Crappy bosses are the pits.
My face is making me very uncomfortable. It stings and burns, especially on my upper lip. I can’t eat anything spicy or salty. Alcohol is out too. I can’t eat anything I have to bite into, like a sandwich. My forehead is less painful because unlike my lip it doesn’t move around as much, but it still stings and itches. I’m a little over 2 weeks in and I still have almost 2 weeks to go. I mostly thought about this procedure in terms of how it would look, I rarely thought about how it would feel. It looks bad and feels horrible. It will take at least a month to heal too.
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Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on June 1, 2021 at 12:18 pm
Nancy, didn’t you write on Sidney Powell’s interesting wardrobe choices earlier? She’s only getting more interesting:
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/05/simply-reinstated-new-inauguration-day-set-sidney-powell-speaks-tx-happens-fraud-exposed-video/
The number of people around me who take this stuff as actual gospel truth is continuing to amaze me. It shouldn’t, but I’m still catching up with reality.
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Sherri said on June 1, 2021 at 12:42 pm
It’s just a question of whether wildfire or Bundy-led violence will hit first in the Klamath valley.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/01/us/klamath-oregon-water-drought-bundy.html
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Deborah said on June 1, 2021 at 4:59 pm
The Colorado feeds the Chama River that flows through Abiquiu. The water is regulated so that water flows into the Chama during the spring so that farmers can get their crops established but then it is restricted later when the monsoon season is expected. Last summer the monsoon season was pathetic and farmers were hurting. A repeat of last year’s summer monsoon season is highly possible so it will be extremely difficult for the farmers again. The local farmers markets are expected not be vibrant and full as they have been in previous years. Of course last year we had the pandemic as well, so maybe it won’t be as bad.
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LAMary said on June 1, 2021 at 5:14 pm
Some of the water agreements between Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona are very old. The Colorado River, the Arkansas River and the Rio Grande used to be patrolled by men on horseback to make sure no one was stealing water.
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Icarus said on June 1, 2021 at 6:10 pm
The number of people around me who take this stuff as actual gospel truth is continuing to amaze me…
I thought the new inauguration was supposed to be in March, around the time it was before that pesky lamb duck amendment changed it?
I mean it’s almost as if they keep moving the date to keep generating donations or something.
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Suzanne said on June 1, 2021 at 7:13 pm
Icarus, it’s like certain religious groups who predict the end of the world and then when it doesn’t happen, they say things like they misunderstood the prophecy or whatever and revise the date. Eventually. People get bored with it and wander off.
We can only hope that’s what happens here.
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David C said on June 1, 2021 at 9:13 pm
It’ll be like Southerners forgetting the War of Northern Aggression or whatever they’re calling it now. It’s not going to happen. They’ll hold on to this forever.
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