Good morning on this rather cloudy and cool day which could mean the end of our nice hot summer weather that we enjoyed for about a week which really makes for a short summer thought a lot of people seem to like this cooler weather better which is hard to understand since most of the year it is either cold or cool so it is actually quite nice to get some hot weather too and we just don’t get much hot weather anymore like we used to have and I am not going only by what I remember but actual weather records that show our summers used to be hotter for longer periods of time than they are now but I guess we just try to enjoy what we have as much as possible and since I spend most of my time indoors now anyway then I guess it doesn’t really matter too much although it still is nice to have weather that is nice and especially nice sunny days which are nice thought we do need some of those cloudy rainy days too I guess but this year we have been getting a lot of those rainy type days and I mean a lot of them meaning more than the non rainy type days except for the last week or so but now it looks like we are heading back into the cloudy rainy days for a while and the days are sure getting noticeably shorter now too which is terrible since that means that we are heading quickly to that season of the year which makes up most of our year and which I don’t like to talk about since it is too cold for old critters like me and I think I will be staying indoors even more than usual when that season shows up and, and…sigh.  Some people think my ‘musings’ are too long but if I make them any shorter I won’t be able to say anything.  Not that I say much anyway.  But I sometimes spend a lot of time saying nothing.  Which can be fun.  Sir George just arrived again.  Second time this morning.  Not bad.  Chuck isn’t too happy.  Nothing left for him.  But he got some before.  Actually have 2 squirrels around again.  One is a young one.  Not much bigger than a chipmunk.  And a blue jay has also showed up again.  He’s molting so looks a bit odd.  Having these 2 coming back is a sign of fall.  Or autumn if you prefer.  Cooler days are good days for COFFEE!  And speaking of COFFEE.  Dad and I had decided to find a nice sunny spot to sit and have our COFFEE so we could dry out a bit and relax after our little adventure, as you might recall from last week.  Actually it was a fairly hot day so getting wet was not really so bad.  Although dad wasn’t so happy about his part.  We climbed a little hill overlooking the area nicely.  A great spot to see where we will be heading next.  A fairly large hill coming up.  Sometimes they can be quite productive.  Though not always.  But sometimes.  Dad, as usual now, sat as far from me as he could.  Odd.  Toss my sandwiches, called dad.  So I did.  He missed them.  They bounced off a boulder and slid down the edge of the rock hillside and right over the edge to the tracks below.  Dad just stood there looking over the edge.  Then he called out, BONEHEAD!  Odd that he would be enjoying that.  Oh well.  You can go down and get them, he said.  Me?  Yes, you.  Sigh.  Off I went.  Came back up.  Dad said, toss them gently this time.  So I did.  He missed again.  Knocked his cup of COFFFEE off the rock where he had it ‘safely’ out of the way he said.  Should have realized that no place is safe, he said.  Not sure what he meant by that.  I poured him another cup and brought it over to him.  Careful, he said.  I’m not going to spill it, I said.  I didn’t try to anyway.  But I stepped on a little rock which moved and I lost my balance, dad’s eyes got real big and he tried to get out of the way but somehow we both ended up in the same spot and I kind of threw the cup of COFFEE and his stomach ended up getting rather wet.  BONEHEAD, said dad.  You shouldn’t have moved, I said.  I shouldn’t have left home this morning, he said.  Odd thing to say considering he likes insulatoring so much.  Chipmunks are back looking for peanuts.  Guess that means it’s time to quit.  I hope you all enjoy the rest of your week and weekend!  God bless!

Steve.

Good morning everyone on a most beautiful sunny afternoon!  I’m finally back!!  You have noticed I was away, right?  A few of you?  Sigh.  I know many of my faithful readers are no longer faithfully reading.  But that’s okay.  A big welcome to my many new faithful readers, now reading from 3 countries!  Wheehee!  Keep passing the news of my new site and perhaps we can add even more countries to the list!  This is fun.  Okay, why was I away?  Don’t ask.  Technical difficulties of 2 different varieties.  One is solved.  I hope.  The other is still problematic.  Sigh. Not sure when that one will be solved.  Oh well.  New pics coming, including Sir George sitting on my bird feeder, well, standing anyway.  Not easy getting a good photo of a herring gull, they are such a brilliant white, gives them a ‘glowing’ look, need a better camera I guess, but at least you can see him.  Herring gulls are big birds, with a big appetite.  There is also a grackle above his head.  Nice that he is getting to trust me more.  Like the gulls at my last place he sits outside and calls if there is no food on the feeder.  Poor Chuck, the crow, doesn’t really like Sir George but since he is only half the size he has to wait his turn for the food, which means sometimes he doesn’t get much.  So then he tries going after the chipmunks food.  Chipper will run, but Cheeky (used to be little chip) chases Chuck.  I know.  My title says insulatoring.  I’m getting there.  But this way I can make it two parts.  Wheehee!  Oops.  Sorry.  I got a bit wet this morning.  Another rather large thunderstorm, with drenching rain.  And I certainly did.  Get drenched.  Sigh.  Wasn’t even outside long.  Also had some fun.  Was standing on top of a three step stool, at the top of some stairs, full story like bunch of stairs.  And I looked down.  It was a long way down.  I get kind of woozy when I do that.  Not exactly a good thing.  For me anyway.  Sigh.  I do strange things sometimes.  Speaking of shopping.  Oops.  Sorry.  Supposed to be about insulatoring.  I’m getting there.  Right now it is very nice and sunny and warm, just the kind of day that dad and I like for insulatoring.  So off we went.  It was a wet year, like this one.  And after a mile of walking we really didn’t have much to show for our efforts.  Only half a dozen very common types, but at least they were in nice condition.  Then came a marshy area.  Some poles had been cut down and were left lying in the water.  Complete with cross arms and insulators.  Unfortunately they were out of reach.  If we could only reach out to that grassy clump we could get a number of insulators.  Hmm.  Dad found part of an old pole.  We stood it up and dropped in towards the grassy clump. Whump!  Splash!  We did it.  Amazing.  Go out and get them, said dad.  Why me, I asked?  Because you’re smaller and I will sit on the pole so it won’t move, replied dad.  Pole is solid, I said, and you have better balance, and also it was your idea to go insulatoring today.  Fine, said dad.  And off he went.  Made it easily.  He started taking off the insulators.  I sat on the pole watching.  Good and solid, as I tried to rock it.  Then it moved.  Just slightly.  Got dad in the back of the legs.  And he sat down.  On the other side of the pole.  With a noticeably loud schlump!  He was waving his arms.  I can’t get up, he called.  Why not, I asked?  Don’t ask questions, just come and help me, he yelled.  So I found a stick and walked over to where dad was sitting.  Wow, you’re in deep, I said.  Haha, said dad.  I tried poking my stick under him.  What are you trying to do, asked dad?  Pry you out, said I.  BONEHEAD!  Odd that he would be enjoying this.  That’s gooey mud, I said, I think you are sinking deeper.  Very funny, said dad.  Maybe if I lift your legs, I said.  Which I started to do.  AAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!  Don’t lay down, I said, that’s water behind you.  Put my legs down, he said.  Here, I’ll roll you over.  Nooo!!!  Dad’s arm went underwater that time.  Now you’re getting wet, I said.  BONEHEAD, said dad. Double odd.  AAAAAAA!!  What’s that, asked dad?  I put the stick under you when I rolled you over.  It actually worked.  Sort of.  Dad managed to pull himself out.  Wow, look at the size of that hole you made, I said.  Haha, said dad.  Since you’re here, help get the rest of these insulators, said dad.  Nothing much exciting here, I said.  Get that one, said dad.  Can’t reach, said I.  Move closer, said dad, it’s solid.  I did.  It wasn’t.  My feet disappeared.  AAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!  Wet feet, I said.  Oh, said dad.  I think he did that deliberately.  Finally we were both back on solid ground again.  Must be time for COFFEE, said dad.  Great idea, said I.  The gulls were squawking overhead.  Just like they are now.  I really enjoy that sound.  A real sound of summer.  Muffin is enjoying here patch of sunshine by the window.  Sun and a nice breeze too.  Nice.  If the weather is nice, get out and enjoy the outdoors.  Summer is nearly over.  For us anyway.  At any rate, I hope you enjoy the remainder of your week, God bless!

Steve. And Muffin.