Julie & Regina

Monday, May 31, 2021

We had Julie and Regina over for a Memorial Day barbecue. It was fun to talk and laugh and it's just plain wonderful to start getting together with people again. I haven't seen either one of them for over a year. 

Whirly Birds

Monday, May 31, 2021

Got the whirly-bird seeds of the roof today with the help of Mark's ladder. Who would've thought it would end up being such an emotional experience? I had a hard time getting up there due to some recent trouble with my knees and then I scratched my shin as had one foot on the roof and tried to maneuver my other leg over the top of the ladder. Wasn't sure how I was going to get back down due to the pain in my knees and on my shin. I felt scared, frustrated, and tired of doing things I don't want to do. It's what I've felt a lot during this whole damn pandemic. Anyway, the roof looks great. 

Mike & Charisse

Sunday, May 30, 2021

Mike and Charisse came over for dinner tonight. For cocktail hour we sat in the back yard and Mike and I smoked cigars. 

Played some Joe Henderson and Mike recognized who it was. He's just THAT good. 

Athena joined us for a bit. A little cloudy and cool although the sun peeked out here and there. Overall quite pleasant to be outside.

Clematis and Lilac Blooms In the Neighborhood

Sunday, May 30, 2021

Found these climbing up a neighbor's fence. I'm assuming its clematis. 

Mark's front yard lilac bush is soooo fragrant. Although the flowers are getting past their peak the smell is still very pungent. 

Many different varieties of lilac have been developed. They are very popular shrubs in parks and gardens throughout the world in the temperate zone.

When Dale and I moved into the house on Tenth there was a lilac tree in the area where our grill is now. It was nice having it outside the bedroom window. The first couple of years we were here it produced flowers but after that it didn't leaf very well and the blooms were rather shriveled looking. Some people I've mentioned it to have said that it may have been the soil. Personally, I think it was just old. 

Beautiful Day

Saturday, May 29, 2021

Low 60s temperature-wise but quite lovely in the direct sun. Smoked a La Gloria Cubana. Dale joined me for a good portion of my time in the yard. I'm especially appreciative of the time I have together with him since he'll be leaving for Madeline Island later this coming week. It was nice having a break from the whole camp routine last year due to it being cancelled because of the pandemic. 

Brought out the Bose speaker to listen to some jazz. It's been forever since I played some Joe Henderson. I became a fan of his way back in the 90s and particularly enjoyed his Verve recordings.

Also, as I mentioned in a recent post, it's so nice to hear nearby neighbors working, puttering, or visiting in their yards. 

Peonies

Friday, May 28, 2021

The peonies should be poppin' any day.

Daylilies

Thursday, May 27, 2021

First daylily of the season spotted. 

Did you know the daylily's botanical name is Hemerocollis and means "beauty for a day." Most daylily  flowers open in the morning but die by night time. 

Bridal Wreath Spirea & A Cigar

Sunday, May 23, 2021

Jean's bridal wreath spirea is looking great.

And it provided a nice back drop for a cigar selfie. 

Of course I listened to some jazz.

Dale mowed today and the yard looks great.

Practicing for Summer

Saturday, May 15, 2021

The gorgeousness of the day has continued into the afternoon which makes it perfect for a cocktail hour cigar.  

It's about 70 degrees out and partly cloudy so when the the sun's out and you're directly in it it's quite warm. 

However, if it goes behind a cloud a light jacket isn't uncomfortable. 

Dale and I are both quite aware that his time left here in town is rapidly melting away as a long camp season up on Madeline approaches. We're grabbing onto some of the nicest days to spend in the yard, listen to some music,  and grill so we get something of a sense of summer in the city before he's gone for a couple months. 

I drank some special edition Hendrick's which went really well with my La Gloria Cubana cigar. Dale joined me and drank red wine. He only had to move his chair once to get out of the drift of my cigar smoke as the direction of the wind decided to change. 

Dale grilled some burgers and asparagus for dinner. He's quite the grillmeister. 

Neighbor's Out and About

Saturday, May 15, 2021

It's so nice to start seeing some of the things you only see until the temps start warming up. 

Mike, our neighbor across the street, is washing one of his three cars.

Deb, next door, is chasing an evil bunny around her yard to get it away from her hostas which it is in the process of obliterating. It's taken up residence under her deck. 

A robin has taken up residence in our yard and built a nest on one of our drain spouts. The eggs have hatched and Dale and I have seen her bring food to feed her babies. 

Flowering Crabapples

Saturday, May 15, 2021

The white flowering crabapple trees are looking so beautiful. These are down by the cemetery at the end of the block.

Dale and I noticed how beautiful they are looking while driving by yesterday on our way to Kowalski's. From a slight distance they look like they are flocked with snow. 

Many of the pink ones are dropping their petals. However the one above belonging to a neighbor is still going strong. 

Perfect Day

Wednesday, May 12, 2021

Sunny walk home from school. The sky, a beautiful clear blue, was a perfect background for the flowering crabapple trees. 

Had a cigar in the yard...

... and paired it with some amazing gin. 

Everything is getting so green...

...and lush.

Dale joined me after a quick run to the store. He had some wine and we listened to jazz. 

Later Dale grilled brats and we had some potato salad with them and a nice broccoli salad too. 

Feeling Like Spring

Sunday, May 9, 2021

Great afternoon for a cigar. 

Pleasant weather. It's starting to feel like the time of year it actually is. 

It's nice to see everything greening up. 

Read a little bit. 

And listened to some jazz. 

Flowering Crabapple

Monday, May 3, 2021

Photo of a flowering tree I walked by on my way home.  I'm assuming it's a flowering crabapple. It's that time of year. 

Anne

Monday, May 3, 2021

This was Anne on Friday afternoon. Her flowers budded but they weren't opening up.

However, the the 80+ degree weather on Saturday I think they got the push they needed.