Raise a glass

To those who have gone before, who fought for our freedom, for those who came back and those who didn't. For those left howling at the moon. For those who lost friends and family. For those who have stories and dreams and nightmares. For those who gave the last full measure.

I appreciate your sacrifices.

I am not big on celebrating the 4th - have seen the fireworks on the National Mall and survived the crush of humanity there, saw them through the fog in Maine, saw easily a dozen different cities' displays from atop my apartment building in Sunnyvale, saw the displays every year as a child in the small town I grew up in. Back in '61 or so one enterprising friend climbed the fireworks tower on the 5th and found an unexploded report. Of course we took it home, lit it and tossed it over the hedge at the back of the yard - it truly was an earth shattering explosion - it blew a crater a foot deep in our neighbor's yard. Oops. We scattered. He did it, not me!

But now I stay home, try to comfort my 16 year old dog who does not like explosions, and also try not to test fire any weapons. Hey, I'm not that kind of guy - I have a rudimentary understanding of gravity - what goes up will probably come down, somewhere.

But I have decided that I will have a shot of single malt. It's time. Summer is moving along, work is getting done and I am grateful for all that I have including the ability to work. I'll drink to that.

(Click to enlarge picture)

Tonight's fireworks will be provided by nature.

Here's mud in your eye.

Back in July of '16...

...I took my dogs for a walk and noticed that a large portion of a neighbor's red mulberry tree had split off and fallen.

A day or two later I talked to the owner and got permission to saw up that log for things that I make. Yesterday I finished up a natural edge bowl made from that very chunk of wood.

I like the way that one turned out, but that's not what I am here to talk about -- today's subject is driving. I just changed the oil in the vehicle I drive most often - after just under a year I had put 2,983 miles on it. I haven't checked, but I think I only put a couple of hundred miles on my pickup, which means that even with a trip down to the coast last year I was hard pressed to drive even 3,000 miles in 2017. I have no idea what all that means, other than I tend to be a homebody. 

Bad at the home.

Oh yeah, one more thing - we had snow on Sunday, it barely got above 40 degrees here today, but the forecast is for temperatures in the low 80s by Thursday - what's a body to do?