Independence Day Celebrations are Over - Back to Work

I hope all of my US friends had a wonderful 4th of July. There were idiots around me who were setting off fireworks last night, but I fell asleep quickly in spite of them, and simply hoped that my yard would be unharmed when I awakened this morning. It's raining now, so any missed sparks or embers that could have been a concern are being dowsed by Mother Nature. Yesterday, however, was the 4th of July, a day off, and the weather was absolutely perfect! 

Yesterday was the 4th of July - Independence Day in the USA. 
So we had a day off, and enjoyed it by spending time in the 
garden and doing minimal cooking for maximal effect (my 
favorite type of cooking - LOL). 

I dislike fussing in the kitchen, and DH had purchased a pork shoulder for our dinner. I didn't have an immediate recipe at hand, so I did a quick search and found this one, which sounded pretty good. I followed the directions and it was AMAZING. I will TOTALLY make this one again and again. Minimal work, maximum taste - a total winner. It's called "Slow Cooker Pork Shoulder (Crockpot Recipe - Fall-Apart Tender!)" and it's posted by Foodess. Incredible! (https://foodess.com/slow-cooker-pork-loin/) Highly recommended. I've given it 5 stars and I'm putting it into my SAVE pile. I only used sliced onion at the base - didn't have carrots, don't eat potatoes, and skipped the garlic. It didn't seem to make any difference because it's the slow cooker liquid that really works the magic. I also didn't make gravy - it really was unnecessary, and I don't use cornstarch in things that I eat. 

The sear and the marinade for this pork 
loin was absolutely fabulous. I'm making this 
one again, for sure! 

Most of it cooks in the crock pot, so we headed outside to enjoy the shade on the patio while the dinner did its' thing. After it had cooked for the requisite amount of time, I pulled it out and put it into a hot oven (450F) and started the basting. I had made the basting sauce, and per instructions, poured 1/3 over the roast. Then, putting the roast into the oven, I basted it by brushing on the sauce every five minutes for at least 6 times. Instructions said until the basting sauce was used up. I'll need to clean the oven door - there was some dripping on my part. But it was absolutely amazing - so very tasty!! And all things considered, it was a pretty easy cook. 

My oval crockpot is a bit older than this version, 
but it's a fabulous appliance and I use it quite a 
lot. This time it saved me a lot of kitchen time and 
allowed me to make a total winner of a dinner without
a lot of muss and fuss. 

So I hope all of you had a lovely and safe 4th of July in the USA, and I hope that the rest of my friends who live in other nations had a great Friday. Today I'm returning to the shop for one day of work, and then I'll get tomorrow off. Two days off in three days total is so rare. I'm going to enjoy every little bit of it. Have an excellent weekend, I'll be back on Monday morning. Slava Ukraini. 

Friday, Wildfires and Holidays

Good morning, happy Friday and happy last day of June. Looking at my calendar, next week will be a busy one, despite the fact that I will have Tuesday off to celebrate the 4th of July. Chickie will be lucky - she's going to get three days in a row off - Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Her body can probably use the rest - it's not been her friend over the past year or so. DH and I thought about taking both Monday and Tuesday off for Independence Day. Certainly many people are indulging in an extra long weekend. But when we thought about it, it seemed more logical to grab what sales we could, and DH can continue working in the warehouse, one step closer to closing. 

Tuesday is the 4th of July - Independence Day in the USA. 
We'll have the day off from work, and thought about taking 
the Monday off too, but decided against it. We both need 
to get work done at the shop, so it'll be a good day to get that 
done, and maybe do some sales also. 

Yesterday's swim was magnificent, despite the poor air quality. We're getting slammed with smoke from the hundreds (perhaps thousands) of wildfires in Canada right now. The pool has a sign that the outdoor pool will be closed if the air quality reaches 201, but yesterday's quality was around 125-130. Not great, but not horrible. Our outside lifeguard, Beth, was wearing a mask, however. It makes sense - she's outside for hours while doing her job. Several of the swimmers opted for the indoor pool instead of the outdoor one because of the smoke. We're fortunate - we have two lifeguards, so both pools are usually available. My friend Gail swims indoors only - two hours of non-stop swimming every day. She had both hips replaced a few months ago, but as soon as she was able, she was right back in the pool. She's amazing! 

The air quality has been horrid. The wildfires in 
Canada have been affecting all of the northern states, 
from Washington through to New York. It's not 
fun for anyone with breathing issues. 

I noticed, about half-way through my swim, that Walter, the guy in the lane next to me, and the guy directly to his other side, both stopped, nodded to each other, and raised their hands in salutation to the sun as it crested the eastern treeline. I loved this - got a real kick out of it. It wasn't anything serious, but so out of character for these two - I totally had to smile. 

Just to give you an idea of the scale of the Canadian 
wildfires, here they are. Spread across the entire nation 
of Canada, they are affecting the air quality of everyone 
south of them. I'm just to the West of the Great Lakes, 
so my area is certainly impacted. 

So, today's blog is up a bit late. I had some shipping stuff I had to take care of first thing, so that I could start my day out comfortably and a bit less rushed. But that box is by my exit to the garage, and I'll be dropping the box by my Post Office within the next 90 minutes. For today, I'll be making a batch of Ogre Juice, paying a couple of bills, and working on my beading project for my holiday cards. Sunday is the first day of Le Tour de France, so I'll put up the Stage 1 profile for all of you tomorrow. Summer is officially here - Le Tour is starting again! LOL Have an excellent Friday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

The First Part Went Well - Then Things Changed *sigh*

Well, best laid plans, etc, etc. I had my day planned out - grocery shopping, a bit of computer work, then on to the movie theatre to see Minions, then Best Buy to return one item I had purchased on Wednesday, and finally home to make Ogre Juice and dinner. The first part went well. 

I really wanted to see "Rise of Gru" on opening day. It was 
a special treat for myself. Unfortunately an idiot decided 
to use a gun and mess it up for me and other people. GRRRR. 

The second part ... well ... let's just call that one a clusterf**k. On Wednesday night (the 29th), at the last showing of the night in the multiplex, some asshole had started shooting in one of the screening rooms. Apparently it was a directed shooting, not some random thing, but still, it was guns, in the movies, yet again. But that was Wednesday night, and it was now Friday. I figured things would be back to normal. I was too busy to check my email. 

I love that Mini Gru and the Minions are 
gathered in the movie theatre and the 
poster is for Jaws. That dates it from Summer, 
1975, no earlier, because Jaws was released then. 

If I had checked my email, I would have seen that my showing was cancelled and my ticket refunded. I didn't see that, actually knocked on the locked doors until the manager came out to tell me (and the woman with two kids accompanying her who also, obviously, hadn't read her email either). So, I got a refund, but I didn't get the opportunity to see Minions on opening day. My next chance to see the movie on my own is on the 15th. Maybe I'll grab Chickie for a Tuesday showing on the 5th or 12th instead. But I'm VERY disappointed, nonetheless. 

I love stir fried Crimari mushrooms with 
onions. I added some fresh Thyme to the 
mix this time too. They're very tasty. 

So I busied myself in the kitchen for the afternoon. I made my next batches of Ogre Juice, fried up some onions and mushrooms for dinner over the next few days, and baked a cubed butternut squash I had planned to bake up two weeks prior. I'm one of those "make something, then clean the kitchen completely, then make the next thing" people, so I now have a refrigerator full of food, a clean kitchen, and I had a good afternoon with my Oladance bone induction headphone on and my Hip-Hop play list blaring from Spotify to my headphones. I was a whirling dervish, who missed her Minions; so sad, but at least I accomplished a lot. I also got the hummingbird feeder refilled, so I'll have happy birds once again. 

I'm a bit of a headphone junkie and my Oladance 
open ear bone induction earphones are my 
favorite non-swimming headphones. I love their 
fit and I love their sound. For swimming I use 
Shokz - they have one that is made for swimming 
and other watery activities and I use that for the 
pool and the treadmill. 

That's all for today. It's back to the grind now - work today then Sunday off. But I'll also have Monday off for Independence Day and it's rare to have two days off in a row. I'm already looking forward to it. I might do a minimal post wishing everyone a good 4th of July, but a serious post won't happen again until Tuesday. So have a good extended weekend and I'll be back on Tuesday. Slava Ukraini. 

The Holiday is Over - Time to Get Back to Work and Back to Le Tour de France

I hope all of you, my friends, had a lovely extended July 4th holiday (or simply a wonderful weekend if you're not in the USA). Although we're still in the middle of a record heat wave, we turned on the fans indoors, and spent some time outdoors on the patio. We were generally pretty comfortable until we had to go to bed. The bedroom was an oven. But with a fan, and an open window to take advantage of the dropping temps overnight, eventually sleep was accomplished. 

I snapped a quick picture of the finished 
tattoo (Stage 1) to share. It's hard to get 
into a single shot, but this isn't too bad. 
Everything's shiny because of the skin 
conditioner I'm using. But I'm pretty 
pleased - there's no real problem with 
infection and it's healing beautifully. 

Yesterday I was finally allowed to remove the burn tape from my tattoo and wash it, condition it, and allow it to breathe. There's not a lot of red at all - one spot along one line, and a flurry of heat rash (rather unavoidable with our temperatures lately). After a day of being open and exposed, it's much happier. I'm vigilant about putting the appropriate conditioners on it, and washing it carefully in the morning with a specific anti-bacterial soap. I am glad my next appointment won't be until the 21st, though. Those extra few days of healing will be welcome. 

Checking today's stage, it's a long one with one Cat 4 
hill and other ups and downs. The riders are now 
heading southwest towards the Pyrenees. I'll put the full 
route map up below again, every so often it's helpful 
to get the larger picture. Today should be a good 
recovery day for the riders, as they get used to being 
back in the race. 

DH and I did minimal work over the past two days. We did watch Le Tour de France through the Alps - so much fun to watch, so little fun to actually be a rider who had to arrive within the time limitations. I know we had quite a few riders drop out of the race after the weekend. The Tour resumes today, and I haven't checked the listing of dropped riders yet, but I know there are some big names among them. 

Today we go from Albertville to Valence, 
the diagonal line heading from the center 
of the Alps in a southwestern angle. 
The next few days will be a bit more 
confusing and crowded, so I'll try 
to find a better overall map for you to 
look at. 

All in all, since we didn't do a whole lot, and since it was a long weekend with a rest day yesterday, I don't have a lot to report either personally or about Le Tour. I don't think that's a problem, though. All in all, not every post has to be filled to bursting with this and that. Have an excellent Tuesday, enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow. Above all, please stay safe and be kind. 

Finally - The Big Mountains and Happy Birthday America - A Long Holiday Weekend

I hope my fellow lovers of Le Tour de France had a chance to watch yesterday's stage. Unfortunately, I missed it because I was arranging for and then driving out and back from a northern suburb. What was I arranging? DH's computer has been acting up, but yesterday he couldn't keep it functional for more than 10 minutes at a time. I phoned my computer Guru, finally getting in touch with him, and we discussed possibilities and scheduling. The fact that this is a long holiday weekend made things even more difficult. 

Matej Mohoric (Bahrain) won Stage 7 of Le Tour 
de France yesterday, but the basic standings haven't 
changed. Van der Poel is still in Yellow, Mark 
Cavendish is still in Green. The Polka Dot jersey will 
really come into play now as we enter the Alps. 

Leaving it in the air whether I would drop the computer over on Friday or on Tuesday, I texted DH who was in the middle of grocery and supply shopping at Target. He said he'd be over to work for me as soon as he was finished with shopping, so I called Dale back and arranged to bring the CPU over to him around noon. 

Finally we get a stage map with some decent topography. 
There's nothing like the big mountain stages, and the Alps 
never fails to amaze and delight. Lots of ups and 
downs in today's first Alpen stage. It should be a battle 
between Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert (Jumbo-
Visma) and Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emerates) for 
the win and the Yellow Jersey. This is going to be a 
fun two days. 

All of this kept me on the phone and unable to watch Le Tour until after the finish. When DH texted he was on his way, I left the shop and drove home to pull the CPU, load it into Minion, and take it to Dale, a 1/2 hour drive north of my house. It was a lovely day, so the drive was quite pleasant, still, it's unlikely that we'll have a repaired computer until Wednesday at the earliest. Dale thinks it's either the memory or the motherboard, but he built the computer and knows what to check to get things back to 100%. Also, if he needs to swap anything out, he has the parts available. Total cost should be around $100-$150 for the parts and some labor added to that. Much less expensive than having him build a new system - something which we will have to do late this year or early next. 

Sunday's Alpen stage is massive. The three men listed above 
will battle alongside others for the joy of the Yellow 
Jersey and the headaches that it can bring. The sprinters 
will hang on just trying to get over the mountains within 
the time limits, and those of us watching will get 
spectacular views from all sides. I love the mountain 
stages SOOOOO much! You might remember last 
year's freak snowstorm in the Alps. The finish here 
is the same finish, but the route to get there is different. 

Thanks for all of the positive feedback on my tattoo. We're in serious heat here, and of course I'm in a house with no air conditioning, and with burn tape cellophane covering the entire top of my head. I'm HOT. The sacrifices I make for a personal statement - LOL. I can hardly wait until Monday morning when I can finally pull off the tape and rinse off the gunk (very gently). Then I can start applying creams to help healing, and my head can start breathing again. 

Happy 4th of July to my friends here in the USA. Many of 
you won't have fireworks this year (our fire danger is too 
severe, so fireworks have been cancelled). But I still
feel lucky to live in the UDA. Even with the 
problems our nation has, we're attempting to work 
through them and become the equal and inclusive 
society I've always hoped for. Celebrate safely and 
I'll be back on Tuesday. 

It's a long, holiday weekend for us here in the USA. We're celebrating Independence Day on July 4th, but since the 4th is a Sunday, we'll be taking July 5th as a vacation day - at least most people are. We're closing the store on the 5th - and I'm going to relish having two days in a row off. I'm not sure if I'll post on Monday, so I've included the next few stages of Le Tour above. We're in the Alps for Saturday and Sunday, and Monday is a rest day. Have an excellent weekend and please, be kind and stay safe. I'll be back on Tuesday. 

Happy 4th of July

Just popping in quickly to wish all of my friends and readers a very happy 4th of July. No municipal fireworks shows this year, and no massive gatherings, but I'm sure there will still be speeches and posturing by those who should know better. What I care about is the fact that we've managed to survive some pretty awful leaders over our history, and we're still standing. That's what I'm celebrating today - LOL. 

No fireworks, but we're still celebrating. Happy 4th to my US friends
and neighbors. 

Burgers and brats for dinner today, ribs for dinner tomorrow. All's good. Be safe, be happy, and have a safe and wonderful 4th. I'll be back on Monday. 

Tiny Wildlife in My Garden

Yesterday, the 4th of July, was a relaxing day. I had planned to help DH clean out the backyard gutters (a two-person job for safety's sake), but he decided we deserved a relaxed day instead, and we swept off the patio instead. One of the items on the patio was the old, rusted wheel barrow. We have it turned face down to keep water from accumulating in it, and it's just rusted enough to have one corner with a small gap. Apparently it was being used by a miniature toad, because he was quite unhappy when we removed his safe roof. 

This little guy had been hiding underneath our old
wheelbarrow. To get an idea of size, that's a maple
seed in front of him. He's really tiny. I love our
toads - we actually have quite a few of them sharing
our upper and lower yards. 

After a while, he moved into the grass, and for all I know he's back underneath the old wheel barrow again. After the patio was clean, we moved up to our second seating location to get away from the kids next door who were setting off fireworks while their Dad was building a wooden structure of some sort in the backyard. Our second seating is underneath a large maple tree in the middle of the upper yard. Looking over to my right, I saw another toad - this time on the hunt because he wasn't there long. 

This little toad in the upper backyard is on an old patio
brick. He wasn't there long, but long enough for me
to take a quick photo. 

Looking around me, I also saw this little odd bit of wood. Doesn't it rather look like a lizard slinking toward me? I loved the texture and could imagine eyes so easily. 

This log looked rather like a lizard slinking its
way through the undergrowth. I love the
different patterning of the bark and can almost
imagine eyes and a little forked tongue. 

So that was my 4th of July. Quiet, spent outdoors for much of it, and topped off by a lovely dinner that DH cooked on the charcoal grill. We had a delightful day off, but it's back to routine today. I hope all of you had a great mid-week holiday (if you're in the USA), and enjoyed your Thursday too. I'll be back tomorrow and I'm already looking forward to Sunday and one more day in my garden. 

Family Surprises and the Fourth of July

Tomorrow is the 4th of July, and I'm taking a break from my blog for a day to sleep in and have a nice day with DH, rain (unfortunately), and my computer. All in all, my plan is relaxing because I need/want it. I hope all of you will have the opportunity to spend your holiday with friends and loved ones. So here's the surprise for my day. 

Yes, I have a landline phone. I do most everything
on my cell phone, but there are things about a land
line that are good, and times when it's been
a life saver. 

Last night I received a phone call on my land line. (Yes, I still have a land line as well as my cell phone. I have my reasons, even if it is a silly expense.) I was popping in and out of that room, so let it switch over to voice mail. I finally had a chance to listen to it an hour or two later. It was a blast from the past and caught me a bit off-guard (in a good way). 

A bit of backstory: I've never been fully engaged with my family roots - I rarely met relatives of my parents except for those living close, and they rarely discussed distant family members. I know more about my father's side of the family because of a single, involved, family member who founded "Alexander's Children" which now has family reunions every five years. I know little about Mom's side of the family. Mom didn't talk about her family much, although she did travel to the East Coast to meet relations every year or two, and a few times people came to Denver to visit her. 

Mayo Clinic is huge and world famous. It's come a long way
from two brothers practicing medicine in Rochester, Minnesota. 

Last night's phone call was from my second cousin in New Jersey, who took a chance on a whim and phoned. Her daughter, Ariella, will be starting a medical residency at Mayo Clinic today, so Judy will be flying in and heading down to Rochester to help her settle in. Judy, (my cousin), thought it would be fun to take a chance and reach out to me. I'm pleased that she did, and a bit astonished. I guess I have a lot of relatives spread out that I never knew about. We had a really nice conversation and we'll keep in touch through FaceBook. Wow - a whole new group of family I hadn't thought about in more than forty years! 

Happy Fourth of July to all! 

Have a great 4th of July, whether you're celebrating in the USA with fireworks, bar-b-que, and music, or whether it's just another day in July. I'll be back on Friday. 

My Crazy 4th of July Holiday

I hope all of my friends in the USA had a wonderful 4th of July. Although I was awake (for a minute or two) in time to get to the pool, I turned over and went back to sleep instead, giving myself a true day off. Our weather was a combination of drenching rains followed by sun-filled high humidity followed by more rain. In the middle of everything, around 11:30 am or so, I heard a soft "POP" from outside of the house. The result? ... the house went dark immediately. Apparently an electrical transformer had blown and the neighborhood was without power. Two-and-one-half hours later, it was fixed, but it was an interesting interruption. I wasn't sure exactly how a transformer worked, so I went hunting. Interested in a small article about them? Follow the link. 

This is NOT our repair (this particular transformer
repair was from San Jose, CA), but the concept
is the same. The repair person has to get up to
where the transformer is and repair or replace it. 

During the height of the morning 'rain-no rain-rain' times, DH and I took a quick trip to Home Depot for 12 40-pound bags of black dirt. We also ended up with two tie-on outdoor cushions for our patio set. Now sitting out at the table is much more comfortable, and what we found was much less expensive and more attractive than what I was finding on-line. Huzzah! 

The old grill served us well and we used it a lot. It had holes in the sides
from the heat of the coals, and rust creeping through the sides and the
lid. It was time for a replacement. 

Our big task for the day was to assemble the new Weber grill which we purchased late last year. The old grill has been in constant use since the early 1980's and we use it a lot. But, as you can tell from the photo, the sides have burned through completely and rust is attacking the lid. It was time for a new one. 

What a difference! The new grill is all neat and shiny. We have a
cover to protect it from the weather, and we'll store it in the shed
over the winter. If we take care of it, this grill might well
outlast us. 

DH probably could have assembled the new grill on his own - I only helped with the wheels - but whether I helped or not, we were successful and in late afternoon, after our power had been restored, we had burgers grilled on the new grill. They were wonderful. 

The burgers were really good, and it was a nice way to use our
new grill for the first time. We'll grill bratwurst on Sunday. 

So today I hop back into my normal schedule. Mid-week holidays are tough for me. I get into a mood where the day off feels like a Sunday, but today is Thursday, not Monday. Yesterday's dinner also led to a few pounds that must come off. It was fun, but I'm glad to be back into my normal schedule. Have a wonderful Thursday and enjoy the height of summer that we're currently in (or winter if you're one of my friends/readers from the other hemisphere). I'll be back tomorrow. 

Wearing and Flying the Flag

Earlier this week it was Canada Day (waving "Hello" to my Canadian friends), and tomorrow will be July 4th, Independence Day, here in the USA. These are days of celebration - basically large, nation-wide birthdays for our nations, and as such are celebrated throughout the country with feats, music, and often, fireworks. There will be a lot of flag-waving going on, and that sparked my interest in flags here in the USA. 

Want a flag? This place in Atlanta, Georgia has just the flag for you. 

We're a bit flag crazy here. It's not that other nations are less patriotic than we are, just that we tend to wave the flag, wear the flag, and post the flag everywhere here in the USA. Public buildings, of course - governmental halls of justice, etc - always fly the flag; always the federal flag, but also often the state flag and maybe the city one as well. But in the USA, businesses of all kinds as well as some individual people fly the national flag. The flag is everywhere. 

My own sticker is probably similar in size, but it is a
re-positionable static cling sticker that I have on the
lower passenger side front window. My car does wear
the flag, though, along with millions of others
throughout the USA. 

I admit that I have a flag sticker on my car's windshield. The sticker was given to me by an acquaintance right after 9/11. I put it on my car that day, and with the exception of moving it from my PT Cruiser to my Mazda CX-5 when I bought the new car, it's still there. I don't fly the flag at home often, but I actually do own a flag which was left in the house when we bought it, and there is a flagpole bracket near the front door. Other people in the neighborhood have individual flagpoles centrally located in their gardens and fly their flags daily. 

Abbie Hoffman wore a flag shirt in 1970. 

I remember people getting arrested in the 1960's for wearing the flag, or burning the flag during protests of the military draft and the Vietnam War. It's part of my personal history, not just something to look at with the curiosity of "Look at what those hippies were doing back then!" attitudes. A lot of people were arrested for desecrating the flag. Now wearing the flag barely causes a blink - the flag and its' image have become almost commonplace. Is this a good thing? Hard to say. 

The flag has become mainstream. Here's a flag
dress designed by Tommy Hilfiger. 

So, since tomorrow is a holiday (in spite of the fact that it's still my normal Wednesday "day off" and I'll still be shopping, doing laundry, and cleaning house while having to clean around my Hubby instead of on my own schedule) I won't be posting. I wish all of you a happy and safe Fourth of July, and I'll be back on Thursday. Enjoy your Tuesday and celebrate with your own families on Wednesday. 

Summer's Here - The Lake, Le Tour and the 4th of July

It's hot and the town is empty. Well ... that's over-exaggerated, but it seems as if everyone has left the Cities and gone to "the lake". It doesn't matter which of our more than 10,000 lakes the population has dispersed to, but the traffic is sparse, the outside pool gave me a lane to myself on Saturday (!?!), and I suspect the locker room for the next week will be echoing. With a mid-week national holiday (July 4th - Independence Day for my non-USA friends), people throughout the area have taken advantage, added their vacation days, and a lot of people have taken the week off. Add in two weekends, and that provides a lot of "at the lake" time. 

Minnesota is peppered with lakeside resorts featuring fine dining,
fishing, swimming and golf. This is Madden's Resort on Gull
Lake. I was here for a short conference many years ago and it
was beautiful. I'm sure it's a wonderful place to spend a few days. 

Quite obviously I'm not at the lake. I don't own a lake cabin, I didn't make reservations at a lakeside resort or a camping site in the Boundary Waters, I am staying home. I'll get my Wednesday off, which is my usual day off, and I'll get to spend my laundry, housecleaning, 'day for myself day' sharing it with DH. In fact, I'm not even sure I'll sleep in. I won't have to open the store up in the morning, but except for that, it will be a semi-normal Wednesday. 

The summer heat wave started last week and is continuing into
July. I'm in the upper part of the "H" circle, and a lot of my
friends around the nation are included in it as well. It's
going to be a hot week, y'all. 

It's hot. We cooled off a bit on Sunday with some rain for much of the day, but it's July and it's hot and there's nothing unexpected about that. I'll survive, and I can wear light-weight skirts and swim every morning. There are worse things. But with the exception of shoveling the snow, I think I prefer the colder temps of spring and late fall and even the winter. I can always put on another layer, but there's a limit to how much can be removed when it's hot out. 

DH has decided on hamburgers and bratwurst on the Weber
for our 4th of July. He even mentioned that it would be
a great time to assemble the new grill (the old one is
seriously rusted and burned out and is scattering ash all
over my new patio). I'm totally in favor of assembly! 

Still, it's a week of celebration and I'm going to enjoy it. We'll fire up the grill and make good stuff for dinner, we'll revel in cold desserts - ice cream and chilled fruit - and we'll enjoy drinks on the patio. At least we'll enjoy the patio as much as possible until the mosquitoes get too bad. 

Le Tour, with or without Froome, will be interesting this year.
We get Alpe d'Huez and the Roubaix Cobbles as well
as some stellar mountains, and we finish with the
Pyrenees. I'm already excited. 

I know that soccer picks up again today, so enjoy the games, and Le Tour de France 2018 starts on Saturday. I need to find the stage maps and get everything ready to watch. Of course, the big news this morning is that Chris Froome has been banned from this year's Tour. He's appealing, of course, but with only a few days until the start ... this could be dicey. 

Have a wonderful Monday and try to stay comfortable, whatever your weather. I'll be back tomorrow, hopefully a bit cooler.