Festivus

It's festival time in Northern Michigan. Traverse City just had the National Cherry Festival and next week hosts the Traverse City Film Festival for the third year. I worked as a manager last year but have taken this year off to see some films. I have tickets for 5 movies over two days next week. Check back for my reviews later.

Yesterday I attended a bluegrass festival at the Springfield Recreation Area near Fife Lake, about 20 miles south of here. The admittance was free as were the refreshments. (Donations were suggested). Quite a change from the $25-$35 that most festivals charge. I caught up with old friend Lyle Birchman, who plays harp with Bluegrass Revival, a gospel group. It was great to see and hear him again. The show was stolen by a bluegrass band from these parts called Detour. If you like bluegrass, check this band out! They can flat-out play! I bought their CD and it's very good.

I'm hoping to take in at least one more music fest this summer. This area is really hot with concerts and festivals and there's nothing like parking a lawn chair in the shade and listening to some pickin' and singin' to feed your soul.

I'm catsitting this week for some friends who are travelling. George is a nice cat and he loves company - especially when he knows I'm there to feed him.

the sting

After weeks of relative laziness, I decided to do some work in the yard this morning. As I was moving a burning barrel that I have not used for a long time, I became aware that it was now being used as a home for hornets. Or maybe they were wasps. I didn't spend much time studying them as they were attacking me, stinging my head, hands and arms. I haven't counted, but I estimate they got me about 15 times. I reacted the same as they do in the cartoons, running and slapping myself wildly, losing my glasses in the process. It probably would be funny to watch, but my sense of humor was out of order at the time.

I got to the house and put ice on the stings (they burned) and went back to look for my glasses. (Once again, this might have been humorous - a blind man looking for his glasses.) I found them without stepping on them and beat another hasty retreat to the porch where I nursed my wounds with more ice. In a short time I developed a major headache and my body itched literally from head to foot. I sat and waited to see what other strange symptoms might develop before calling 911, but fortunately there were none and I have survived.

I will wait until after dark to exact my revenge with a can of wasp killer. I generally believe in live and let live, but this is war!

......and no more yard work!

back from the dead

I'm BAAAAACK! I just burned out on politics and the so-called "war" that I had nothing left to say on the subjects. I've found if you have nothing to say, don't say anything. So I took some time off. Nobody wants to read my rants anyway, so why bother.

So I've made a decision. I'm going to start this blog again, but with much less emphasis on politics and more on other stuff, like my life in general - kind of an online journal. Once again, nobody will much care but I don't care if they don't care - so there!

Last weekend I traveled to Detroit to see the Tigers play in Comerica Park. I used to get down to old Tiger Stadium back in the 80s but have never seen the new ballpark. The Tigers had just returned from the Twin Cities where they swept the Twins and were leading the American Central division. They hosted the KC Royals who live in the basement. So how did the game come out? The Royals stomped the Tigers 10-2. How embarrassing! Kenny Rogers pitched batting practice for KC and the Tigers couldn't hit their pitching. Oh well, it was fun anyway. I stayed at the Marriott in the Renaissance Center. It was a good trip.

I stopped on the way back to visit some family and that was good also. I stayed a night with my sister Carolyn and her man Ed and took them and other sister Marilyn and Skip out to breakfast on Sunday morning before returning home and picking up the dogs from the vets. Both dogs were groomed and they look and smell a lot better!

The summer has been good. I've not really done much, just stayed around home and hung out. I've decided not to return to my library job in September. I like being retired. I'll still do the occasional computer job, but I'm not looking for any more work. I'll be 65 this year and it's time to sit back and enjoy the rest of my life.