Trimming and Pruning

 Monday, August 3, 2026

Did a little trimming and pruning today. 

The gardens have gotten a bit overgrown with weeds. I haven't been out as much due to the high temperatures we've had lately. 

Couple Cigars

 Tuesday, June 21, 2026

Couple cigars today. A little Hoyo. 

                                 

And a nice Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur. 

Sunday Afternoon Cigar

Sunday, June 28, 2026

This is supposed to be the last nice day before we're blasted with heat and humidity starting tomorrow and lasting for most of the rest of the week. 

Great day for a cigar. 

Here's me posing in front of the rhubarb. In all the years we have been in this house I haven't done a good job of utilizing the rhubarb we've got growing by the garage. 

It's been years since my former collegue, Carol M., gave me the recipe for her rhubarb crisp. I've probably made it 3 or 4 times over the years. I haven't made it much due to my never getting serious about making it until it's a little to late in the season. I've heard it starts getting kind of reedy after the 4th of July but I'm never sure if that's really accurate. Another reason that's kept me from making it is all those summers Dale was up on Madeleine Island. The recipe makes a lot and it's too much for me and even some guest to handle without having to waste some of it. 

Anyway, I'm hoping to actually make it this year. Maybe for the 4th of July.

Dale set out this bowl this morning to measure the rain. It absolutely poured around 10 am today. It's hard to tell but the bowl is actually pretty full. You can see it more on the left side near the rim.

                       

Was surprised to see the sun out this afternoon. Wasn't expecting that. 

The Yard Today

 Friday, May 22, 2026

Andrea's Bridal Wreath Spirea is starting to come in. 

So is the tiger grass. Had to cut it back a little. 

The rhubarb is looking good. 

The peony bush is filling out but the flowers haven't bloomed yet. 

The yard's starting to come together. 

Cigar in the garage. 

Cigar in the Back Yard

 Thursday, April 30, 2026

Cigar in the back yard today. It was right around 50 degrees and partly cloudy. When the sun was out it was perfect - still comfortable with a jacket, especially if not moving around. 

When the sun went behing a cloud it was cooler but not at all uncomfortable especially with a jacket on. If the wind came up while the sun was hiding I'd simply duck into the garage. 

I've been working slowly, steadily, and consistently on the yard over the past week. 

It's starting to look good although there's still more to do. 

Some of the gardens have been raked out. 

Some have not.

Noticed this lone pansy growing in one of our pots. They're not perrenials so I'm not sure where this one came from. I guess life's always better with a little mystery in it. 

An Unusually Warm Day for March

 Saturday, March 21, 2026

Beautiful day.

Bought some cigars at Stogies On Grand earlier today. The woman at the register and I were reminiscing about St. Patrick's Day back in 2012 when it got to 80 degrees. Not only did it get to 80 degrees but on top of that it was sunny AND it fell on a Saturday. I remember Dale and I sitting out in the backyard having cocktails.

Well, it didn't hit 80 but it was very pleasant out. 

Started a new book.

VERY pleasant. Had an Old Fashioned while Dale had some red wine.

St. Joseph's Day 2026

 Thursday, March 19, 2026

There's a little bit of melting going on. 

The number of inches is declining but the yard is still pretty much covered. 

This photo was taken at 4:42. If this were a couple months ago it'd be dark. Granted we would've been on standard time, but still. 

St. Patrick's Day 2026

 Tuesday, March 17, 2026

St. Patrick's Day. A lot of the snow is still on the ground. 

Storm's a-Coming

 Saturday, March 14, 2026

We're supposed to be getting a snow-pocolypse. Lit up around 3:45 as the sky was spitting just a little bit of snow. 

Early signs of accumulation. 

It's really supposed to start coming down around 10 pm. 

Took some more photos before heading back inside after my stogie. 

Went back inside about an hour after I lit up so as you can see it wasn't snowing heavily yet. 

We'll see how much we actually get overnight.