I Think

Thanks. Sometimes it seems like friends and relatives are dropping like flies.

My truck with its new tires looks as proud as Lil Abner, when Abner gets a new $10 pair of shoes. I could tell if I ran over heads or tails, yesterday, if I drove over a dime. The black walls out signal I am a member of The Geezer Gang. Don't nobody mess with the Geezer Gang. My false teeth have the action of a Ninja Star Weapon, if I throw them. My cane doesn't turn into a sword, but it can beat your knee caps to a frizzle.

Over the next days I expect to see reports explaining that we need to eat lots of citrus. Too much money will be lost, otherwise.

Edgar, I didn't realize you retired. Congrats!

Thanks. Twas on the 29TH of May, I think. I am terrible remembering dates.

I should have known. Sold the car. A few days later the truck needs a mechanic. Looks like the water pump is out. I need a big tall root beer.

Nearly $900 later, I have the truck all set and we are getting ready to see Garth. I had to do rack and pinion a while back, also. That was over 8. The sprigging truck probably Blue Books for $1200, or less. Plus four new tires the other day. I knew I should have bought that Pinto I was looking at.

We seen Garth last night. I was totally surprised at the depth of audience involvement. From the instant he showed his face, the entire crowd was on its feet, alternately cheering their lungs out and singing nearly all of the songs along with him. A few of us had to sit down from time to time. I only saw one or two people close to my age. The stage was set to blast lights and sounds unremittingly. By the time it was over, the percussion made my chest jump to the music. A person verging on a heart attack might have been sent over the edge. Garth is not the best of vocalists, but his energy and likeability makes him very much worth seeing. Some of the seats were in excess of four hundred dollars. I think our seats were $200 or more, but my daughter bought them through her company, as a birthday gift for mrs edgarblythe. He said goodbye four or five times. I guess if I had seen him before I would have known he would be easily coaxed back out. I posted a couple of my wife's photos on letty's radio thread.

Fireworks around here was a subdued affair this year. The obnoxious celebrators who were in the cul de sac behind my house, with rockets and all kinds of booming noises, have moved away. Nobody else bought much. So, Rocky did not get as upset as he has done, other times. I am not such a grouch that I begrudge people having fun, but those rockets landing on my roof or in pine needles on the ground are dangerous. As, I say, though, there was none of that this Fourth.

Glad things were calmer this year for you.

For the first time in years, I couldn't hear the fireworks explosions from Central Park. And I didn't see the sky light up. Did they move the fireworks this year? Quien sabe.

I have learned a solution to Rubik's cube after all these years.

I haven't worked on my manuscript in three days. The concert and the truck. Mrs edgarblythe has been sick all day. Maybe it will get normal tomorrow. I finally started the MMS today. It went well, except I forgot one of the hourly doses. I didn't get as hungry as I expected to. I had some taquitos midway through. I had to wait two hours after breakfast and coffee to start. Then, one dose each hour for ten doses. Then wait two hours before eating. Actually it seemed pretty easy.

Fireworks Saturday seemed to be continuous and loud. In the past it's never been that intense, but we still can't see anything from our property. It drives Sophie Dog nuts, she not fond of fireworks or thunderstorms. Her sister a Ruby dog doesn't care.

Rocky runs outside and barks at fireworks and thunder. But if it lasts very long he starts looking to hide.

Two nights in a row, I find a toad on the porch. The only way up I know of is via the five steps. But they don't seem able to jump as high as a step. What is your secret, you little rascal? It and Rocky both are lucky I made the discovery.

Running the mower over the strip along the street this morning, I simultaneously fought off a mockingbird. This lasted the whole time I mowed. It did not attack, but kept alighting on the fence close to me. I was certain it was going to attack the back of my head eventually and I was careful to not let it stay behind me. At first, I charged directly at the bird. It would sit perfectly still, as I ran at top old guy speed, until the last instant, before flitting off to land about ten feet away. It stuck right with me, like a fly at a picnic. I took up a nicely weighted stick and charged at it, even swung at it sometimes. To no avail. By the time I had the strip cut smooth, I was too hot and tired to mow more. The bird, no longer flitting, simply sitting, sitting on the gate, balefully staring. Quoth I, "******* bird."

How odd (the bird's behavior, not yours)!
Did it have a nest nearby it was protecting?

Yes. Mockingbirds are notoriously aggressive, when they have young. I used to stand by the office at work and watch them attack the squirrels as they ran along the power lines. Dogs. Cats. One time they began attacking the residents. As soon as the little ones left the nests, I went over the property, taking every nest down. The next year a few bluejays attacked people, but not so aggressively as the mockingbirds.

good thing to know about Mockingbirds. I figured that late spring easy summer is that time for nests and raising the sweet birds of youth.

I just came from trying to do the front yard, but there are too many hiding places. Before I finished the first swath, it landed in the grass several feet away. I swerved the mower and ran as hard as I could after it. The bird got tangled in the tall growth and I almost ran it over. I didn't intend that. But it got away and began jumping around, from tree limb to tree limb. I shut it down and came back inside.