celebrating 80 years

 Regis and I went to Canby this weekend to celebrate Mom's 80th birthday. We left about noon on Friday so we had a long and relaxing visit. Friday night we went to the Stateline Bar and Grill. They have your usual cold beer, deep fried bar food, and a cast of characters. Saturday, Mom had a short list of jobs for us. Helen and I pulled a few weeds in the sunshine while Regis and Pat did manly chores. We had a lovely dinner at the Landmark Bistro in Marshall. Nice weekend.

I always have to report the current wildlife sightings. Helen and I were sitting on the deck yesterday afternoon and a small flock of pelicans soared right over our heads. They looked to be enjoying the breeze. We also saw two hawks close up on our drive. One was trying his best to carry a rabbit off the highway...not sure if it was roadkill or his kill but he gave it his best shot.

The garden ladies are coming tomorrow so I had some notion of cleaning up the yard and patio when we got home but I ran out of gumption and we decided that philosophically, they should just see us as we are. So, we just enjoyed the nice weather and got some nice photos of the clouds and butterflies in the garden.

Nice buildup of cumulonimbus clouds. We had a fast and hard rain about an hour later with a beautiful rainbow.

There are four fritillaries on the coneflowers. At least that's my best effort at identification. That's our bird seed garbage can in the background.

Here's a closeup. The little devils move fast so it's hard to capture them. They've been thick on the purple flowers and when you walk past, they all fly up and move around.

This is Mom's 4th of July tree. If you are a regular reader here, you know that I like holiday trees so I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Of any kind. Mom had her table decorated for the 4th of July, too. It was very festive.

Last week we were exploring the option of satellite radio as an alternative to the wasteland of television. One day we had the happy thought that we could hook up an old computer and use internet radio. Now we've discovered Radio Heartland and we love it. Here's what the website says about it: Radio Heartland a new Web-and HD Radio- service that features acoustic and Americana music throughout the rest of the day. Radio Heartland is available in the Twin Cities on HD Radio, and worldwide on the Internet. I have no idea what HD radio is...but it's on the internet at our house.

I had some bananas that were quickly turning to mush so I whipped up a loaf of banana bread tonight. I'm anxious to go to bed so I can read my book. It was recommended to me months ago and I didn't start it until last week and now can hardly put it down. Tomorrow is a busy day, too. I try not to have too many of those in the summer but tomorrow is one.