It'll be hot today

They are forecasting 95° for today's high.  Notice how I used the symbol for degrees, rather than typing out the word?  I use that shortcut so seldom, I never remember how to do it, but today I googled it.  Will I remember tomorrow how I did it?  Probably not.  On a Mac, I simply do control-option-8 and there's the magic little circle.  Simple enough, but my head is already filled with things I barely recall.  Why add another?  

We didn't go to the reunion yesterday.  The more we discussed going 400 miles round trip to spend a couple hours with people, half of whom we don't know, just didn't seem worth it.  Next Saturday is the Lexington Fair parade, in which we plan to participate with members of our tractor club.  Sunday we'll see Bill Anderson at the Truman Lake Opry.  I never cared much for "Whisperin' Bill" as a singer, but after watching Country's Family Reunion for a few years, I've seen how many songs he's written in his life, and I always admire great songwriters.  For a list of his songs that have made the country charts, click HERE.   But he wrote countless others, too.  If he takes time to meet his fans, as so many of the artists do at Truman, I'll have him sign the book he wrote.  

The next weekend we'll be going to Rantoul, Illinois, to a big tractor show.

We're planning a trip to Colorado with the grandson and his wife before long, too.  Here's hoping we find some things they'll enjoy with us.  I hope we don't run out of funds before we get all these things accomplished!

I've decided to try and teach Gabe to bark on command.  Today I managed to get a "speak" out of him twice after about 20 minutes of trying, but I doubt it's sunk into his brain yet; I gave him a treat each time he managed to bark after I said "speak".  It shouldn't be hard for him, because he's an expert at barking wildly at the window when he sees someone he knows!  People did warn me that Schnauzers are "barky", and Gabe is no exception to that rule.  

Speaking of Gabe:  We were taking a walk a couple mornings ago, just as the sun was coming up.  As usual, he was on the leash.  I wasn't paying attention to him, though.  I was lost in my thoughts until I realized he was pulling way harder on the leash than he usually does.  I looked up to see him almost nose-to-nose with a skunk!  I'd give a pretty penny to have gotten a picture of them, but I was more worried about putting some distance between us and Mr. Stinky.  I knew we had a little time, since the skunk had his face toward us instead of his butt.  In fact, through all of this, I never got even a hint of skunk smell, which is really unusual.  The skunk watched our retreat, then turned and walked away, taking his sweet time.  This morning I didn't go for a walk, but when I let Gabe out the door I saw him running toward the front of the garage in the dark and realized there was something there.  I had the flashlight in my hand, and approached the lump in the dark on the concrete; it was a possum, and Gabe was right there sniffing at him.  I'm not sure what it takes to make an opossum bite (they usually just act dead instead of fighting), so I got Gabe to pee and then herded him inside.  Oh, the joys of living in the country.  

I tried something new yesterday.  I think I've mentioned I've been taking turns between the Baptist Church and the Methodist Church in town on alternate Sundays.  Well, because the Methodist Church shares a minister with a larger congregation in Odessa, nine miles away, they have church here at 9 AM, and do Sunday School afterward.  The preacher leaves before Sunday School so he can get to Odessa by 10:30.  At the Baptist Church, Sunday School is at 9:30 and church is 10:30.  I decided to see how it would work going to both places every Sunday.  Cliff would drop me at the Methodist Church, I'd walk four or five blocks to the Baptist Church afterward, and Cliff would pick me up there.  

You're probably thinking, "Wow, two churches in one day!  You must really be religious!"

Not especially... "religious" is sort of a negative-sounding word anyhow; But I do need Jesus in my life, and I like to go to Church; I often think of myself as God's special needs child.  I like to sing the hymns with people.  I know I'm always saying I hate small talk, but somehow at church I don't mind it in those brief minutes before and after church.  Now I need to start learning the names of a few people.  I hardly know anybody in our town, and I've lived here since 1975.

I'm thinking about our mid-day meal now.  We had some eggs that needed to be used, so I cooked hard-boiled eggs in the Instant Pot.  They're so easy to peel when cooked in a pressure cooker.  So I made deviled eggs yesterday.  I sent some home with the oldest granddaughter, and Cliff and I will have deviled eggs for our protein at dinner.  I'll slice some tomatoes and maybe make glazed carrots and green beans, and that ought to be plenty.  Oh yeah, as I was pulling blight-killed leaves off a tomato plant, a whole branch with immature tomatoes came off in my hand, so I guess I'll used the tomatoes off that branch and have a few fried green tomatoes.  I love them, but it sure is a messy business making them, dipping them first in milk, then flour, then eggs, then crumbs.  All those bowls, and the counter gets messy.  But then, what else am I doing?  

Have a great day, faithful readers!  There aren't as many of you as when I posted the link to every entry on Facebook, but I'm after quality, not quantity.  

Peace.