Not So Fast! TBT's

Boy, I sure misspoke yesterday. 

All that hype about sunshine and summer?

Well, twas true for most of the day and then-----

The Storm!

The "cats and dogs" were coming from the sky, as my daughter-in-law noted from wherever she happened to be around 3:30 p.m.

And, those fabled felines and canines were falling, I was sputtering.

I called my friend Helen to see if it was raining at her house. 

Yes, it was, she told me. 

So, I went off on how just a few minutes earlier I was heading out the door to finish mowing my lawn.

Bill was about to take off for fishing when he asked, "Was that thunder?"

Last thing in the world I would have expected; then, Bill said, "That sky sure is dark."

Sure enough, when I looked out the garden window, Schweitzer had a complete backdrop of dark, dark clouds.

Where did that come from, I thought. 

Well, Bill had gone on his way.  Helen was sure glad Skip had gotten back home cuz they had drenching rain in town. 

 I sputtered some more, especially praying out loud over the phone that my lawn had better not be covered with leaves and limbs when this SURPRISE storm was over. 

Nothing more maddening than to spend at least five hours mowing a lawn to have it messed up by a wind. 

After hanging up from Helen, I went outside and decided to defy those big black clouds and mow, mow, mow until I either saw a lightning strike or not---since it would strike me. 

I managed to finish the front lawn and had just one section to go as the clouds got darker but moved on to the northeast. 

Then, rain started to fall so I went inside and worked on a project until it quit. Upon my return to the lawnmower, the sky was half and half.  To the south, ominous, dark clouds and above my head, blue sky and clouds AND some raindrops coming from who knows where.

Persistence got me through as the drops eventually stopped and I finished the lawn.

Thank God, the wind was nice enough to avoid blowing too many leaves to my newly manicured grass carpet. 

All said and done, I thought back on my morning exhilaration that summer and sunshine had come.

Just like those who think the Covid is over cuz someone said "open up," I learned my lesson that Mother Nature will dole out full-fledged summer when she's good and ready. 

Today is beautiful, but I'm not making any rosy predictions. 

I hope it stays nice cuz this afternoon my sisters will come over and help me play horse show again.

This time, I'm competing with Lily in the "SENIOR" showmanship class.

  I still don't know why they didn't schedule a 70-and-over division, but then again, it's always nice to ensure a bottom place and to make sure it's not "you" when you schedule a horse show. 

Being a bottom feeder with my Lily will be okay cuz my main goal in this hot competition, which does include both of my sisters, is to finish without falling on my face.

While one sister plays judge and the other videos, I'm hoping Lily and I can make it through the pattern in reasonable fashion. 

We sisters all talk these days about the newly acquired challenge of actually "running" alongside our horses as they trot. 

I've noticed it's more of challenge than usual, and with my lifelong lack of coordination, it could be double trouble, but Lily and I do our best.

Actually, I hope to honor yesterday's upbeat suggestion of "making it happen" as an old lady.  

A bit of satisfaction in everything we make happen at this age. 

Above:  yesterday. 

Below:  this morning. 

Throwback Thursday . . . .

Every so often, I like to post this photo, which our friend and former mail carrier Terri Albertson had framed for me several years ago.

It depicted a time several years before that when we went to the forest (a muddy one) to help my dad collect some wood.

Somebody took a picture, and it even looks like we tried to pose as we stood in the mud.

That would be little sister Laurie and our mother. It's possible Mother was giggling too hard to smile for the camera.

Definitely a classic moment. 

A mother-daughter fun day in Seattle a few years back when Annie and I went kayaking and attended a Mariners game.

I think this was the same game where we sat in a spot where Bill could see us while watching the game at home on the TV.

Nice seats and fun day, to say the least.  

A very special day in all our lives but especially for Willie when he got to raise a glass of Guinness in a pub-post office near Killarney, Ireland.

It was Willie's 37th birthday.  He and his dad had spent the day fishing at a stream running through a farmer's field, thanks to local guide "Cousin Patrick."

Bill and I got to see Cousin Patrick again last fall when we visiting Ireland.

Of course, we all pray that such moments can come again.

Dark Hedges in Ireland.

A truly beautiful stretch of road which has been featured in Game of Thrones. 

Yup, there are those sisters, Laurie, Marianne, Barbara and Laurie. 

I've always loved this collage, which sister Barbara put together.  Nice horses, fun times. 

It's important to know that my sisters and I are not always angelic, especially when we dress up as tough hombres in Old Tucson.

Obviously, we "dont' do this at home."

What happens in Old Tucson stays there, unless it goes on the blog?

I took this photo this morning for two reasons.

One motive is to humorously remind nonbelievers that Covid is alive and well in our area.

Three new cases were reported yesterday, and one at a local nursing facility, according to today's Daily Bee. 

Please wear a mask or a transparent shield whenever you go into public settings!

Nonbelievers think that since the virus numbers here locally stayed at 4 for so long, that we will not have a problem.

In the early days of the Pandemic, I read an article that predicted it would hit the cities first and eventually find its way to the rural areas.

That seems to be happening, so, once again, to being cautious cannot hurt anything besides your pride.

We all know that old saying, "Pride cometh before a fall."  Usually, it's pretty accurate.

I doubt that I'll wear the shield while doing my thing with Lily today, but the shield or my masks will always go with me in public settings in hopes that the virus doesn't come home with me.

The second reason I took the photo was to horrify my sisters, which is fun at times.

Once more, I hope the sun shines today but won't hold my breath after yesterday's surprise.

Happy Thursday.