Blue Stones and Blue Eggs (in the Robin’s Nest)

So a lot has been going on around these parts lately.

First, there was a new family who moved into our hood who Zoe (of all people) took a motherly role towards.

Mom and One Baby Robin

Mom is convinced she is sitting below the nest to make sure the bird family remains safe and is NOT waiting for one of them to fall out of the nest to snack on. I’m no ornithologist, but I don’t think our feathered friends have a pancreas to provide the enzymes she needs when she eats, so maybe Mom is right (shocking)?

Guarding the Robin’s Nest

Of course, when I first heard Dad talk about a Robin’s Nest, my mind went directly to Hawaii and one of my fav old TV series: Magnum PI (and not just because Tom always wore a Detroit Tigers baseball cap).

Then the real action started. Our friends Molly, Jose, and Frank, whom we met a few weeks ago (or maybe a month ago…again, time not one of our strong suits in the canine nation and the pandemic making things weird), came back and started working on our backyard project.

Little did Zoe and I realize the first stage of this project was to extend our fence line beyond the pile of rocks which were always just out of our reach (paw-wise) but where we could smell lots of little furry rebels holing up (holes still a topic I have to cover in a blog soon).

Phase 2 included the addition a blue stone patio just outside our downstairs slidahs. Interestingly, these stones provide some nice coolth during some of the recent hot days.

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Or, if you are really wise (like myself), you sit inside the slidah in the air conditioned basement, while looking out on the blue stones and extended back yard.

A Smart and Chill Pup

I am very curious about what all these stones that have been assembled around the old fire pit we inherited when we moved in here, but never used, will be used for. In fact, I don’t really care if they are used for anything as they are more than fun to walk on and sniff around!

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The Tempest

Aside: While perusing the net the other day, I found out that part of the reason my Scribe hasn’t been focused entirely on my blog, is that he has his own project that he recently started to publish on a separate wordpress blog. I’ve read the first few he published and found they contain some adult language – which I guess isn’t a surprise as he is using the lyrics from rock songs to tell “his” stories. At least I get his attention every now and then but I think if he focused on what I am trying to do, I would already have a novel/autobiography (or two) in press.

https://wordpress.com/post/footnotesbytrn.wordpress.com/41

https://wordpress.com/post/footnotesbytrn.wordpress.com/19

https://wordpress.com/post/footnotesbytrn.wordpress.com/35

The Tempest

Free Safety

Shortly after I posted my last blog in which Zoe made a film about me catching pop-ups (and inproportionally missing a few) during recent lunch time infield practices, a follower of the blog comment on my athletic ability…to be more accurate, the quote was: “YOU are quite the athlete Miss Tempe”, sent by my BFF tammyj!

What she didn’t realize is how spot on she is about my athletic abilities. And the comment got me recalling some of my other first-star-of-the-game moments.

One in particular took place back in Illinois at the dog park Zoe and I use to frequent. In this particular instance, Zoe and I found a new friend who we immediately engaged us in a feisty and fast paced game of chase inside the gate Zoe famously jumped over (many times) which is near the pond.

As it turns out, this new pup was quite fast, but not so fast that he could lose Zoe. Unfortunately, due to various factors with the turf and other impediments to yours truly, I continued to lose ground on the other two.

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The situation I found myself in is why I think I’d be a good (great) free safety if I was playing football*. Instead of trying to catch up with the two speedsters, I used my make up speed and dead on accuracy at taking the appropriate angle, at the appropriate time, to “break up” the play.

If this was a comic book version (or a Batman TV show starring Adam West version) of the event I am describing there would be a big “KAPOW!” OR “BANG” at the intersection of the point our chasing companions circular arc was currently at and my trans-section of the circle in which I met him sidelong

…totally (and legally) breaking up the play.

I’m thinking if someone would recognize my abilities, I’d be an All-Star every year!

The Tempest

*I realize this nomenclature for a certain sport is uniquely American as the rest of the world refers to what we call soccer as football – which I must say uses the feet a lot more than our football…but whatever.

Zoe and I have lots of toys. Among these, which we play with occasionally, are both an American football and a soccer ball. Although we never use our “hands” while playing with the soccer ball, we do tend to run with it clamped between our teeth – which again, I think, is totally within the rules of the game.

One final note about soccer – as the European Cup is being competed for across the Atlantic from us. Best wishes to Christian Eriksen as he recovers from his collapse in Copenhagen this weekend. We are just so happy that he was resuscitated and he seems to be on the path to a full recovery. As a partial Dane (as a result of my father being 3/4 Danish) that was the best result that could have come from the match. That and the stellar sportsmanship of the Finish and Danish fans as they chanted his name across the stadium as they awaited to hear an update on his condition. Truly a class act!

More Infield Practice…Popups

So, as I may have mentioned, Zoe now gets lunch everyday in order to get her more calories and more enzymes so she digests her food properly. And while she is diving into her bowl of encrusted kibble, I am forced to work on my infield drills; grounders, line drives, pop ups.

Of course our in-house film director (Zoe), though dedicated to scarfing up every last morsel in her bowl, directs our father, on many days, to film my training sessions.

And below is the “film” she made based on these videos. Of course she ends it with me barely missing a few from a very tough angle and stops the shot before you can see how quickly I recover and gobble up the “ball.” I guess I should be thankful that she at least showed a couple of my best grabs!

https://videopress.com/v/5IVy1mAQ?preloadContent=metadata

The Tempest

Down Pour (2)

“Down came the rain and washed the yellow out”

Last weekend, due to the Memorial Day holiday in our country…and a “Covid-relief” day granted by our mother’s employer, she had a four day weekend.

For some reason, Thor did not acknowledge this opportunity granted to her to get some gardening done in our yard (or enjoy some sunshine) and instead decided to wreak multiple storms on our homestead resulting in 3.00″ of rain in our ‘hood according to DarkSky. Therefore it turned into a weekend for breaking out a new jigsaw puzzle and watching some Russel Crowe movies (not sure why he was featured but Zoe and I are all in for movie nights (and days)- especially when popcorn is involved)!

In another turn of fate, or the cruelty of the weather gods, the upcoming three days are supposed to be sunny and warm – but she only has two days off.

The storms reminded me of another instance not too long ago when a rain fall hampered one of our parents’ activities…described below.

So the other day, Dad was putting the final touches on the dual seat “pallet” chair with me watching from my perch on the table that was moved recently from our screened in porch to our lower level -soon to be – patio.

Just prior to him putting the final coat of paint on this construction, I sniffed a storm a’brewin’! As he continued to paint, I rushed inside to avoid getting soaking wet. However, my father apparently did not clue in to the impending storm and kept working, using up the rest of the of the “Sun-Kissed Yellow” paint.

Then the storm descended on him and the recently “completed” chair.

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  The Yellow being washed away

I should mention, I tested out a number of stages of the construction to determine if he was done yet.

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At this stage, I could only stand lying on it for a few minutes.

At this point I was thinking he was getting close – despite the inconsistent paint job (colors not really a priority for me – or Zoe, for the record).

After another trip to the hardware store* and the purchase of another quart of 2022-20 Benjamin Moore paint, the seat was finally finished (on a warm and sunny day). It was then moved up to the top of “Mom’s Mountain” (https://montanamomentstrn.wordpress.com/2020/11/27/moms-mountain/) facing due west.

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We really appreciated the view but don’t expect to see many sunsets with all those trees in the way. We are just wondering where our parents will sit. Turns out the neighborhood kids are loving this… so happy it is enjoyed!

Maybe they can haul up the Adirondack pallet chairs Dad also made?

But then again…

The Tempest!

*Okay, so this is a long story. Suffice to say, Mom learned from work colleagues (a story that emanated from Zoe FREAKIN’ out on a zoom call of Mom’s) that lead to an understanding that Billerica is not pronounced BILL-ERICA, but is pronounced BILL-RiCAh. I believe the funny now family quote from Mom’s work zoom was “I don’t know what is funnier. That he (Dad) left, or that she (Mom) is saying BILL-ERICA.” Let us know if you want to know more, patient reader. You mean a lot to us.

Apparently, by inserting this “portrait mode” picture into the blog nothing but the title got published last night. We tried a number of things to fix the problem (uploading it different ways) but each time we previewed the blog all the pictures were missing or pictures and text. So we opted for a taking a screenshot of me in the Adirondack chair and posting that instead of the original. This seems to have worked in preview…hopefully it continues to work when published. 🤞

Down Pour