Garter snakes (see photo) apparently do well on properties that border Mud Bay as I see a lot of them. But that’s not because I go out searching for snakes. Tide, aka the Mud Cat, is a snake hunter and brings home a freshly caught live snake at least once a month just like her male predecessor Pi used to do. Mission over, it’s up to me to deal with her prey.
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As a preteen reader, one of my favorite books was The Perfect Game (see photo). I read it at least a half-dozen times. As an adult, I have never been able to find a copy of it for sale online. That is, until I worked with a librarian a few weeks ago.
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The North Mason Timberland Library in Belfair reopened this week after a three-month interior refresh. After touring the building today, my main comment is that I’m glad it’s open again even if the weekly hours took a hit.
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This time of year it’s especially noticeable that much of the 8-mile stretch of Route 3 between Gorst and Belfair is lined with Scotch broom (see photo). The hardy plant is in full bloom, and its profuse flowers create a yellow border along the highway. Since it’s on both sides of the road, that’s almost 16 miles of color. I’m just glad I don’t have any plant allergies.
Continue readingI’m not sure if Major League Baseball schedules a rivalries weekend every year, but every time they do, it must be fun for fans. Of the 15 three-game series being played this weekend, 10 feature teams from the same city/metro area or the same state. Let’s look at how the first day of rivalries weekend went.
Continue readingMy sister wrote poems for members of her family to express how she felt about them and about her life. One of my favorites is “The Best Things in Life.” In reproducing the poem below, I have modified the final verse for reasons I will explain later in this post:
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Even if the last thing the world needs is another observation about high gas prices, the Mud Bay Blog offers this post. Mostly it’s a reminder to me that the price shown in the photo is the highest I have ever paid for a gallon of unleaded regular. Hopefully it is also the high-water mark for the recent round of gas price increases. But that’s a wish not a prediction.
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It took most of April to replace my old gas stove (see photo). Along the way I hope I learned to have a bit more patience and also not to use Home Depot’s installation services for any future appliances I might buy from them.
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As a customer of two Broadband companies for years, I’m used to the annual drill. The cable company hikes your monthly bill, and you call them to find out how serious they are about the increase. Today’s call to Astound (see screen capture) was worth the effort — I ended up with a new monthly bill that will be lower than what I’m paying now.
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Yesterday I got a letter from Nielsen (see screen capture), which bills itself as a “global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics, shaping the future of media.” My household has been invited to take part in the Nielsen Media Ratings. The letter was dated April 1, but that was likely a coincidence and not a prank. As an encouragement to participate, Nielsen enclosed a $5 gift with a promise of additional cash gifts in the future.
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