artist at work

This is a picture of the back of the house. In the window to the right of the window air conditioner is Mary sitting at the dining room table doing her painting. She was wearing a light colored blouse and so you can just barely see her.

Here is a close-up view and you can definitely see her now. The bright spot on her head is a fancy bejeweled barrette in her hair. Here is a lighter version of the previous picture in case that was too dark.

I always sit at the dining room table right by the window air conditioning unit. Actually I sit right in front of the air conditioner with the air blowing onto me. I like to be as close as possible to the source of the cold air. I do my studying here as well as using my laptop. Also, from 5:00 am to 7:00 am this is where you will find me either studying or writing a blog on my laptop. Plus, I always start the day with a game of solitaire on the laptop sitting here while having a cup of coffee and some toast, then it is on to the studying and blogs. I walked out the back door this morning while it was still dark and looked up at the sky and there were the three bright stars called the summer triangle. The summer solstice has passed and now the days will begin to get shorter and shorter until the winter solstice when everything reverses and the days once again start to get longer. But for now, with each passing day the temperatures keep edging up into the hotter range. Sort of reminds me of the song by Buster Poindexter called Hot, Hot, Hot. I liked his singing and he always portrayed himself as a lounge lizard. As I do each year, I just dread the coming of August with its high heat and stifling humidity. But August is still a month away and today is Tuesday which means movie day at the mall. Today we will see the movie Transformers. Mary has already printed out her coupon for a free popcorn. That is a pretty good coupon when you see what a bag of popcorn at the movies costs nowdays. This morning I get a haircut but unlike Sampson of olden times who had Delila cut his hair, my hair cutting will be done at Great Clips because we have a coupon for a $5 haircut (normally $12). Aren’t coupons great? We saw a good movie on a library DVD yesterday called A Beautiful Mind starring Russell Crowe based on a true life story. It was a sad and moody movie. Definitely not one to cheer you up. But it really stirred the emotions within. Dawn is breaking and it is time to go. Have a cold glass of soda and a good-sized slice of green key lime pie to cool the day. Lew

jasmine bush

jasmine bush

Just look at how much damage that the winter freeze did to the jasmine bushes. We weren’t sure how much the two bushes would recover from the winter freeze and so we waited to see how far up the stems the new green leaves would sprout from. This seems to be about the maximum regrowth of the frozen limbs so we decided to trim off the dead wood. Just look at how much dead wood there is, especially on the right hand side of the bush.

So we completed trimming the first bush and it came out pretty well. But it was very hot and we decided not to go on to the second bush the same day, but rather save it for another day.

You can see the difference in the two bushes. They definitely look better trimmed. But wait a minute. This is Florida. We aren’t suppose to get “freezing” weather in Florida. That is why we northerners left the north to come south to the land of sunshine, palm trees, surf, and sun. Have a pleasant day. Lew

Rivership Romance

Yesterday we spent a leisurely day cruising Lake Monroe and the St. Johns river on the Rivership Romance boat. Or should I call it a ship? I can never keep the designation of boat or ship straight. Never-the-less, it is a large boat with all of the amenities including very good air conditioning inside and beautifully decorated inside including Tiffany style lamps over the dining tables. Since the boat is moving, outside the boat there is always a cool breeze off of the water. A nature talk by one of the boats staff was held toward the bow of the boat and was quite interesting. There was so much wildlife to see. We were celebrating the birthdays of both Mary’s daughter Rhonda and her husband Guy and treated them to the cruise.

The meals that were served were fabulous. They started off with an appetizer buffet bar and then came the main course. Mary and I had their steaks. I was surprised by the size of the steak. It was huge. One of those “Texas” size steaks. It was very thick as well as large. We couldn’t eat all of the steak and brought the remainder home. Mary cut it into thin slices and we had steak sandwiches for supper. We definitely got a lot of protein yesterday. There were the usual sides of mixed vegetables and potatoes as well as rolls served in a wicker basket lined with a large linen cloth to keep them warm. A nice touch was that they had real butter served with the rolls instead of margarine. It was all finished off with a chocolate brownie with icing on top for dessert. Mary had a strawberry daiquiri to drink and her daughter had a drink called “tropical breeze” which was pink in color on the top half of the drink and blue in color on the bottom half of the drink. I am not sure which I liked better, going to the bow of the ship and watching the bow plow through the water or going to the back of the ship and watching the large propeller churn up the water, Both were very impressive. We went to the lounge for a while and sat and listened to a musician play songs from the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s. He asked for requests and I shouted out “Volcano” which is my favorite Jimmy Buffet song. He performed the song very well and I enjoyed listening to it. I would say that a good time was had by all. I am sure that compared to yesterday, today will be much more sedate. Have a good day. Sit back and relax and have a tall glass of pale green limeade while listening to some Jimmy Buffet music. Lew

serendipity

SERENDIPITY

This lucky kitty has gone from this to this.

To this.

Mary definitely has her arms full with the juvenile cat that the kitten has grown into. It seems hard to imagine that such a tiny kitten could grow into such a large cat. The kitten trusts the both of us totally, which can be bad because when I walk down the hallway, she won’t move and I have to step over her. The cat won’t budge so much as an inch. I stepped on her tail once a long time ago but that didn’t change her self-assured behavior pattern. In the background of the 2nd picture is a cement birdbath which the birds use because we always keep it filled with plenty of water. There is also a cement angel statue in the birdbath as well. Sort of reminds of the statue of St. Francis of Assissi who I believe is the patron saint of animals. I like the classical statue of him with the birds and animals around him. He is undoubtedly my favorite saint. Under the lattice work is the well pump. Plenty of water which is run through a water softener to remove the minerals. Just have yourself a fabulous day. Lew

suicidal tree

The tree is a southern dogwood and it keeps growing up to the electric lines. As fast as I trim it back, it grows again. It is a constant battle with this tree. I jokingly say that the tree is trying to commit suicide by reaching for the electric wires. But I will keep it cut back so that it won’t be able to reach the wires and knock out the electric. To the left of the tree you can see the small clumps of wildflowers growing up out of the grass. These are the pretty blue wildflowers. They have a really strange looking root system. They seem to be popping up all over the yard and increasing in numbers. On the fence is a potato vine. It is small and they never seem to get very big.

At this stage of trimming there was a “V” cut into the top of the tree. But since then I have smoothed the top to make it all even. There are so many things that don’t want to grow here but this southern dogwood tree just seems to be thriving. I am not sure but didn’t the wood for Christ’s cross come from the dogwood tree. That would sort of make this tree a bit of living history in a way. Stay cool one and all. Lew

rivership romance

This saturday we are going on a boat cruise up the St. Johns river. The ship sails out of Sanford. It a dinner cruise and they have really fancy gourmet type meals. We have been on it before and it is a lot of fun plus very relaxing also. Mary's daughter Rhonda and her husband Guy are going also. I think that a good time will be had by all. The ship leaves at 11:00 and gets back at 2:00 pm. They have a special, buy one ticket at the regular price and get the second ticket at half price. The price came to $ 65 for Mary and I, which is a really good price considering that we are getting a gourmet meal for two people in addition to a nice cruise. Looking forward to a fine time. Lew

little red rooster

Little red rooster. Wasn’t there a song by the band The Rolling Stones by that name? This rooster is part of a flock of roosters and chickens that the next door neighbors have. What I don’t understand is why there is a leash tied to the roosters leg keeping him from wandering around the yard. Any ideas? It is a pretty bird though and very colorful. Aren’t the tail feathers nice? Sort of like being on a farm. A Green Acres farm of television fame that is. Lew

ants

Yep, that’s an ant hill. But not just any ordinary ant hill, this one is a fire ant hill. You know, those tiny reddish-brown ants that pack quite a wallop in their stinging bite. The ones to be avoided at all costs. But no one seems to have told Tammy the cat about ants.

Here she seems to be using an ant hill as a pillow to rest her chin on. It doesn’t seem too smart to use an ant mound as a pillow. She even has her eyes shut as if she were taking a nap. The strange thing is that the ants don’t seem to be bothering her at all. Isn’t that something. I know that the ants dislike me because they have bitten me many, many times over the years. But these ants seem to like her or at the very least tolerate her leaning on their ant hill. One day in downtown Miami I was returning from lunch and cutting through the parking lot of the City of Miami police headquarters. Up rode a mounted policeman on his horse. He stopped near a tree, got off, and tied the reins of the horse to the tree. It was shady and sandy under the tree. The policeman went into the building and within a minute or two the horse went crazy, bucking, kicking, and thrashing around all over the place. The horse was acting like a rodeo bronco horse. A bystander ran into the police building and told him what was happening. The officer came out and got his horse and led it away. He was glaring at the people. I can only guess that he must have thought that someone may have done something to his horse. After he left I walked over to the tree and there on the ground was an ant colony. Without realizing it he had tied his horse on top of an ant colony. It was a small ant colony but evidently there were enough ants to drive the horse crazy. So why didn’t they drive Tammy the cat crazy? I have no idea. It will probably remain a mystery. Lew
p.s., Today is free Wednesday at Arbys and the free giveaway is a roast beef sandwich and Mary and I will each get a free roast beef sandwich. Plus we will buy a couple of sodas and split a large french fry. Their french fries are the curly type. I like them because they hold a lot of ketchup. You know me and my love of ketchup. The more, the better.

star trek glasses

These are the star trek glasses that my daughter got me for father’s day. She knows that I am a star trek fan. This is the complete set from Burger King. The only character to appear on the glasses from the original series was Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock. The glasses are very colorful. I am already using them. My favorite glass is the Captain Kirk glass because of its pretty blue color.

The opposite side of the glasses each had a different character from the movie on it.

The movie was a lot better than I had expected it to be. I enjoyed the movie and the popcorn too, after all a movie at the movie theater just isn’t a movie without a bag of popcorn on my lap and a cup of soda resting in the hole in the armrest of the chair. I wish that I could make the popcorn made at home taste like the popcorn at the movie theaters. Have a fun-filled day. Live long and prosper. Lew

little miss prissy

Little Miss Prissy. That is how I think of the Tammy the cat in this picture. She is walking on the scalloped cement to avoid the grass which is still slightly damp from the morning dew. I guess that she doesn't like getting her feet wet. Perhaps this picture should be included in the dictionary under the definition of fastidious. She is having the “good life” right now and spends a lot of her time outside either exploring or playing with her brother Tony. Have a grand day. Lew

spanish moss

Can you see the Spanish moss on the tree? It is close to the top of the picture.

It is just a baby Spanish moss beginning its life. I guess that life just keeps springing anew everywhere I look. Whether it be a baby being born in the hospital or a Spanish moss being born on the side of a tree.

The baby Spanish moss seems to have found its niche in life on the side of the tree. It looks as though it is sitting in a recess in the bark. What luck for the moss that it landed here in the bark after being blown here by the wind. It is always nice to see life starting anew. In a sense, it gives hope for the world. These pictures were taken with my new camera.

Perhaps someday the small baby Spanish moss will grow into some magnificent garlands hanging down majestically from the limbs. This is my neighbors tree and I always like looking at the moss. It isn’t often that you see a tree as laden as this one with Spanish moss. It reminds me of the plantation Tara from the movie Gone With the Wind. I could almost envision Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler walking beneath a tree such as this one. When my parents would travel from New York to Florida for vacation, my parents would always stop for the night just across the Georgia state line in some small mom-and-pop motel. Invariably there would always be lots of southern oak trees dripping with Spanish moss at the motel. I was always fascinated by the Spanish moss because we didn’t have anything like that in New York. But now I get to see it on a daily basis. Spanish moss is one of the perks of living in Florida. The other perk is living next to the ocean and getting to see the waves each day. I don’t have that perk and Seaside does. They say that “envy is the green eyed monster”. I am not quite sure what that means but I am envious of Seaside for being able to visit the beach each day. Enjoy the day as best you can even though I know that it is hot. Summer is here. Lew
p.s., Could you pass me the ice tea please.

swan boats

This is Lake Eola in central Orlando. These swan boats are foot powered paddle boats that you can rent for cruising around the lake on. I use the word cruising cautiously because the foot pedals connected to the boat paddles are a very inefficient method of propulsion and you have to work your butt off to get the swan boat to “go”. It would be a great way to get your exercise. You don’t have to get on a stationary exercise bike to get a work-out, just rent a paddle boat and “cruise” from one side of the lake to the other.

Do you think that the woman on the dock is trying to feed one of the swan boats thinking that it is just a large swan?

I can’t decide. What do you think? Lew

tippy toes

Isn’t there an old expression about “the curiosity of a cat”? Well, it appears that our cat Tammy is exhibiting that very same curiosity.

There is a hedge that runs along the front porch in a planter wall. This one of Tammy’s favorite places to be. She has the shade from the hedge, the cool earth to lie on, and a secluded spot to watch the goings-on of the neighborhood. Here she seems to be curious about something in the hedge and is up on her tippy toes to get in as far as she can without really going all the way in. I got the picture because I really don’t remember seeing her or any other cat get on their tippy toes before. I guess that something in the hedge really has her curiosity.

A few moments later she came back down flat-footed.

I never did discover what had her attention but exploring is what she seems to do most of the day. And if there is an empty cardboard box in the house. then Tammy, the curious cat, just has to see what is inside of it. Have an inquisitive day and read the latest issue of the Enquirer tabloid which is for enquiring minds. Lew

mafia cat

This is Tony the cat. He is a half-brother of Tammy the cat but from a previous litter and obviously a different father. The small town in New York where I grew up was dominated by Italians and it seemed most of the boys were named Anthony and called Tony. If you yelled Tony at the malt shop, at least five heads would turn around in response. So around here he probably tells the other cats, “you’se guys goona do what I want or is Luca Brasi going to have to make you an offer you can’t refuse.” So I guess that makes him a mafia cat. Mister tough guy. But in reality, he is like his sister, very gentle. But with the name of Tony I like to think of him as a mafia cat. It just seems more colorful that way. So everyone out there have a good day cause Mafia Tony says so. Lew

orange tree

This is one of the oranges on the orange tree in the backyard. The orange tree is now about 4 feet high and has about 5 or 6 oranges on it. It is still green and looks like a large lime but with time we should have a large juicy orange (optimism at its finest). The orange tree should grow big and strong, what with all of the pampering, watering, and fertilizing that it is getting. Now I just have to decide on how to eat that first orange. Do I just peel it and eat it or section it and eat it or squeeze the juice out and drink it. A lot of options and decisions on what to do with that very first orange. Have a nice day. Lew

Bashful Flowers

Bashful Flowers

Our pretty blue wildflowers are open in all their glory in the morning. Such an intense blue color that they have.

The flowers are really popular with the bees. On this particular bunch there were several bees drinking up the nectar and gathering the pollen. In the picture below you can see a bee on a flower at the very bottom of the picture.

There are several more bees in the picture but they are a little bit harder to see. Fortunately for me they weren’t of the killer bee variety. They looked like just plain old-fashioned honeybees. But in the early afternoon when the bright sun is high in the cloudless sky making me a believer in global warming, the flowers close up (see picture below). I guess that they don’t like the heat either.

It’s amazing to me that plants have the power of movement. They know which way they want to move. For example if they want to close the flower, they do. When they want to move the petals to open the flower they can do that too. Sort of gives some credibility to the sci-fi classic Day of the Triffids. I have both read the book and seen the movie. Some of the old science fiction I really like. But these flowers keep opening and closing on a daily basis like most flowers. By the way, I now have four marigolds growing in my little cluster living in the tree stump. They are sharing the tree stump with some carpenter ants who are chewing up the stump which will eventually make the stump easier to get rid of. The tree was an old southern oak and the wood was so hard that when I took a chain saw to the top of the stump, I couldn’t cut more than about ¼ of an inch deep and it dulled my chain to where it would not cut any further. Plus the chain saw started to heat up from my efforts to cut into the oak stump. I gave up and now these carpenter ants are doing the job. Isn’t it amazing that the smallest of God’s creatures, the ant, can do what a big human with a mean powerful chain saw wasn’t able to do. I must admit that it is a little humbling. Have a good evening and don’t forget to watch the shuttle launch early tomorrow morning. I was going to say “bright and early” but the “bright” part wouldn’t apply at 5:40 am when it is still dark out. Lew

The Grand Union

An exercise in pronunciation; unnecessary, unkempt, unimaginable. Do you see the pronunciation of the “un” portion of the words? My dad was manager of a Grand Union grocery store and the kids would tease me when I was young. They would pronounce the “un” like above so that union would sound like onion. They would take great pleasure in teasing me by saying that my dad was the manager of the Grand “Onion”. They did this frequently for a while and it would make me angry and although I don’t remember getting into a fight over it, I probably chased a few of them. Kids love to tease and we are all on the receiving end at one time or another. The picture above is of onions that have sprouted so Mary is going to plant them outside in the ground to see if they will grow. Hopefully it will result in a grand “onion”. I just couldn’t resist the pun. Mary remains very active in her gardening here at the house and has a lot more luck at it than I do. Instead of my the having the touch of Midas I seem to be more like the kiss of death with plants. The only thing that I seem to have luck with is the marigolds thanks to Villager. When they look dried up and completely dead, I remember her advice about watering them and they come back to life, turn green, and sprout flowers. I have started watering the marigolds by hand a few days ago because they were all dried up and they have already produced several flowers. When I am at Wal-Mart and in their garden department, I always taken time to smell the marigolds. Surprisingly the different colors have different degrees of intensity of scent. The orange ones seem to have the strongest scent. I would have thought that they would have all been the same. Is it true that marigolds are in a class of plants that is suppose to repel mosquitoes? Have a “grand” day. Lew

SQUIRREL FEAST

I have finally seen a squirrel using the squirrel feeder and he is having quite a feast. I am giving him (or maybe her) the wild bird seed that was meant for the bird feeder and the cardinals. The squirrel just chows down on it. Plus this way he doesn’t have to come all the way down to the ground to eat where all kinds of dangers lurk.

He can now eat in the tree in relative safety. But what about water? How can he get a drink of water?

Not to fear, I have wedged a small can with water in it in the tree. I see the water disappearing along with the seeds and so the squirrel is drinking the water also. This good because peanuts make me thirsty also. Lew

time warp

Time warp. I warped ahead in time by one week and had a wonderful father’s day celebration. Then I warped back in time to the present. I didn’t check the calendar to verify when father’s day was and was off by one week-end. I felt foolish at the simple mistake but it worked out for the best. No lines at the Olive Garden. We went there for lunch today and when we walked in they said that there would only be a five minute wait. I am sure that next week-end there will be a much longer wait and larger crowds. We had a fabulous lunch. I had eggplant parmesan and Mary had shrimp and scallops with noodles alfredo. We had a huge bowl of salad which was really good and two orders of garlic bread sticks. We each had half of our lunch left over and brought it home for supper tonight. I think that I may celebrate holidays one week early from now on and avoid the crowds.

Father's Day

It is early morning and as I look out the window eastward toward the horizon I see the golden hues given to the sky by the rising sun which is about to peek itself above the horizon. It is a pretty sight and I can see why the ancient cultures worship the rising sun. Today is father’s day and because my daughter is not here Mary has very kindly decided to celebrate it with me. Knowing that I am a star trek fan, my daughter did get me a complete set of the four star trek glasses from Burger King. They are very nice. My new camera which is great was suppose to be my father’s day gift from Mary but I see a large blue wrapped package of something else which she has gotten me. She is very generous.

Last night she baked a lemon cake for me with white frosting and on top of the frosting she sprinkled some sugary sprinkles which are called funfetti. I like lemon cake because the lightness of the lemon offsets some of the sweetness.

This morning Mary is going to make pancakes with strawberries. For lunch she is taking me to the Olive Garden for some Italian food. Their salads with the house dressing and warm garlic bread sticks is a meal in itself. And they always bring such a large bowl of salad. They call it the “bottomless bowl” because they will keep refilling it as often as you like. They do the same thing with the warm garlic breadsticks, they keep refilling your bread basket. It has been a long time since I have been to the Olive Garden. The Olive Garden will definitely be a step up from Cicci’s. I like their eggplant parmesan and their lasagna also. Gotta go. It will be time for breakfast pretty soon. Lew

Dallas Boulevard

Mary is pointing to the sign which is Dallas Blvd. How about that? Having a street named after me. This was located in a new upscale housing area which is located south of Bithlo. It is a very upscale housing development with absolutely huge homes. They must be $ 1,000,000 and up. Really. That is how big these homes are. How ironic that on the north side of Colonial Drive you have Bithlo which is as I understand mainly a working class neighborhood. Then on the south side of Colonial Drive you have a very upscale neighborhood. We were there to look at some property that one of Mary’s daughters and her husband has bought in the upscale housing development. It is certainly out in the country. But then what is country today is metropolis tomorrow. It is early morning and the sky was initially gray but is now turning to its pretty blue. Where I sit typing on my laptop I face east and can see out the window as the horizon changes its colors as the sun approaches. It is a beautiful sight as the reds are turning to pinks. It is the start of another day and another example of the old saying “Today is the first day of the rest of your life”. It is a saying that I really like because it is full of optimism. It is as if we get a second chance with each new day. By the way, the sky is absolutely clear and not a cloud is in sight. And I know what that cloudless sky means, it is going to be a hot one today. But then what else would you expect living in Florida in the summer. Today is Saturday and that means “big breakfast day”. Sort of like the Grand Slam at Denny’s. Mary is going to make fried eggs with some broiled slices of spam light on the side. I don’t care for regular spam because the flavor is just so strong, but the spam light is pretty good. We will have a bagel to go along with breakfast. After breakfast we are going to a rummage sale at a community center a couple of blocks away. The rummage sale is being held by a group known as the West Orange Seniors. They put on all kinds of activities for seniors like field trips, pot-luck lunches, movies, and yes even bingo and cards. Each day they do something different and about 70 people usually come to each days activities. Membership is free and the hold all of their meetings in the Thomas Ison community center two blocks away which is very convenient for us. It is time to go. Mary’s son gave her a clock with a pendulum which chimes out the Westminster chimes tune each hour and a gong for each hour. I heard 7 gongs so it must be 7:00 am. Have a terrific day. Lew

solar dryer

This is the neighbor’s solar clothes dryer. In the last sew months it has become so completely overgrown by grape vines that it has virtually disappeared. If you can’t spot it in the picture, the yellow arrows point to the cross-tees at either end and the curved yellow is where the sagging clotheslines are.

Still hard to believe that there is a solar clothes dryer in there. If you were standing facing it as the camera is and then turned to your left you would se the very large garage in the backyard. Here is a picture of the garage below.

Some day this too will probably disappear under the grapevines. Almost like something out of a science fiction movie. Perhaps we should call it Attack of the Killer Grape Vines. Sound far fetched? Have you ever heard of or seen the movie Attack of the Killer Tomatoes about tomato plants attacking people. Now that is stranger than Attack of the Killer Grapevines. How about the television series about what would happen if man were to disappear. In the movie they had the plants growing all over the buildings much like my neighbors garage. It will be a nightmarish job for him to clear all of these vines away if he ever decides to do it. Have a nice day and keep your plants trimmed back. Lew

lazy days

The lazy hazy days of summer are upon us and there is nothing so comfortable as lying on a nice cool concrete floor with a breeze blowing through the doorway. This is Tammy who has the longest tail that I have seen on a cat. It runs the length of her body as can be seen in this picture. The end of her tail is under her front paws and chest. I am still amazed by her serendipity at going from a miserable starving existence to the pampered good life that she now leads. Unfortunately, on an individual basis we can’t save all of the animals of the world but Mary managed to save this one kitten and give it a very good life. Reminds me of the story of the man on a south seas Pacific island with the starfish washed up on the shore. It is a long story which is one of my favorites and most everyone has heard some version of it so I won’t repeat the story but that is what Mary did for a helpless sick kitten one day. Have a good day, I know the cat will. Her only problem is trying to decide whether to eat the dry cat food, the canned cat food, or hold out for table scraps. Or maybe just not eat anything at the moment and go take a nap on the super soft bed. Decisions, decisions. But it is a good type of problem to have. Lew

squirle feeder

This is the squirrel feeder that Mary built. We used scrap lumber for this because it is an experimental prototype as they say. I had initially set a small cat food can on the shelf with the seeds in it. I figured that the can could act as a food dish for storing the seed. But something kept knocking the can off of the shelf onto the ground spilling the seed all over the ground. This happened about 4 or 5 times before I gave up on that idea. I have tried pouring the seed directly onto the shelf itself as shown in the picture above. So far this seems to be working better. Only time will tell for sure. As you can see they have a nice variety of seeds. For lunch today we had open-faced meatball sandwiches and for supper we had oriental pork chops with fried rice. The pork chops were fried and then Mary poured some soy sauce over them and some white wine to deglaze the pan. She made the fried rice from scratch adding in a generous amount of scrambled egg and some scallion greens. Where would oriental cooking be if it weren’t for scallion greens. The days just seem to go by so quickly. It rained here this afternoon but, hey, this is Florida and afternoon rains are to be expected. Plus the rains make everything grow. Have a good day and if you go shopping don’t forget your raincoat. I don’t like umbrellas because they remind me of lightning rods. You say that lightning would never hit the umbrella? You’re talking to the wrong guy about that since I have some personal experience along those lines. Be good. Lew