Weather has remained cool verging on cold nights and warm verging on hot days.
Cool nights have been in the low to mid 50s triggering my nose which lets me know when the temp is 55º or below. Days have gotten as high as 90º so our walkabouts are starting earlier.
The pattern of opening the cross ventilation windows after 1900 and closing them when I finish breakfast about 0700 or so seems to be working.
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I am told July is Ice Cream Month so there is a quart of Cookie Dough and another of Vanilla in the freezer. We used to keep a bucket of ice cream in the freezer but the space in my new freezer is smaller.
Oh well …
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McCloud is now on water restrictions. The water supply for the entire town is drawn from Mud Creek on the south face of the Mountain which was caused by a “recent event” to the water line meaning the town is facing the depleting of the water level in the reserve tank.
We are now restricted to one day a week for outdoor watering such as lawns. The town has been using more than the springs being used are producing and any available supplemental water is possibly contaminated.
My guess is the growth of the south county due to the influx of seasonal owners is the major cause.
Whatever the cause, we in the Village, as well as anyone whose address ends in an even number (we are 212), can water outdoors only on monday from midnight to no later than 1000 and from 1900 to the next midnight.
This restriction doesn’t apply to me since my “garden” is my small front yard and I have no lawn area. I bathe only twice a week so I am not really a heavy user.
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On “This American Life” on JPR (one of our local repeaters) the subject of this week’s program was “Funny funeral” stories. There were several which made me laugh.
One of them was about a family whose grandmother lived in her birth country and wanted to be buried there. So her grandson made the arrangements. He and his wife traveled to be there for the service. Unfortunately, they didn’t speak the language and so were unable to understand the service.
The Priest knew this and so at the end of the service he wanted to say something comforting to the family. In halting English he said “Your grandmother was a good lay … d”
The grandson and his wife burst into laughter, knowing that Grandmother would enjoy the situation.
Of course, none of the others in the church seemed to be able to to understand what was so funny that they were laughing at an intended compliment.
Fortunately, it turned out there was someone who had enough English was able to explain.
Another funeral funny next week.
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I remember seeing what remained in a section of the Erie canal which remained in Rochester, NY one time when I was visiting my son Mark and his family.
Then, in a news section on JPR, there was a rather extensive story about the construction of the canal (it was once cited and the “Eighth Wonder of the World”), its role in facilitating commerce connecting the East to the Center of the US, the locks along the route were also considered marvels and other interesting facts.
However what caught my attention was the report there are plans to fully cement it for a hiking and bicycle trail.
Reminded me of the fate of the Los Angeles River which became a race track for street racers and places to dump cadavers.
Rather an ignominious end.
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When reading the latest issue of the Smithsonian magazine I was struck by the possibly overlooked use of it by those interested in Genealogy. There were several articles, some including pictures, about various events dealing with history from the 1700s to the mid-1900s in which I counted 20 names in the first 30 pages containing information about location, occupation, and other facts concerning some ancestor about whom someone is probably doing research looking for such information.
Information about the Black cowboys important in the creation of some of the most popular events in today’s rodeos … a Havana born artist … coal and its uses in the 18th century to the early 20th century …. The founding of Liberia … the painting of the signing of the US Constitution in 1787 … then beginning on page 80 there was an article about the “Southbound Underground Railroad” … and even more contemporary history about the women responsible for creating maps of the South Pacific during WW II, both surface and underwater, which were vital to the winning of several battles as well as the rescue of Rickenbacker when he went down and was found on information provided by these women about drift patterns in that area in the south Pacific.
Wealth of information there !!!
Genealogists Go.
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And that’s enough for this week, so to end this week’s blog …
When life seems dark;
When despair grows around you;
You are sent this thought …
Move with flames to light the darkness.
Rise from the Earth like a tree.
From the rivers and mountains life runs
Bringing you surprises.
Receive and accept this wish.
It is named and brings you … Hope.
So ‘til next week …