Tilapia for lunch, with stewed acorn squash and a steamer mix of broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, water chestnuts, sweet peas, mushrooms, corn and red pepper. Guava juice on the side. Cantaloupe appetizer.

Pleasant afternoon at the outpost and round about.

69.7 °F, clear.

Continued wet and chilly. Mary bundled us up and eventually talked herself out of going to Tabitha's wedding shower in Cornersville. That suited me just fine. I would have had to drive, in the rain maybe, then cool my heels in some corner of the church till it was over.

For lunch, we had black beans, fried rice and patacónes with more of the chicken thighs. Avocado on the side.

Deborah called. She, George and Robert have begun the process of taking down the old house in front of Deborah's. Removing siding, doors, cabinets, what-not. The real tearing down should start Monday.

Mary and I zombied till 3:30 pm, then watched All is Lost (2013) from Netflix. Almost no dialogue. Robert Redford is shipwrecked and totally alone in the middle of the Indian Ocean. In this one, I like him. As a life-long fan of survival stories, I got all that I wanted. Too true to life at times. A real thriller.

53.3 °F, overcast.

Mary phoned Blanca yesterday evening. Blanca has lost her job. Was asked to do some business under the table to avoid taxes. Refused on principle.

Boneless chicken breast for lunch today, with stewed yellow baby potatoes and a mix of broccoli, carrots, sweet peas and baby corn.

Mother was what's normal for her nowadays at cards. It has become a somewhat somber routine. Especially when brother Marion doesn't join us. We'd probably call it quits, if it weren't the only mental exercise she gets all week. She maintains a tenuous connection to the world around her. These weekly card games cannot stop.

We took Mother home after the game, depositing a check for her at First Farmers on the way.

119 lbs.

60.7 °F, scattered clouds.

Partied with the BBC on YouTube last night. Episode 9 of World War 1: The Great War. A subject that has always fascinated me.

Chilly and wet today.

We misbehaved. Shared a medium DiGiorno's pepperoni pizza for lunch. Better than what we had delivered from Pizza Hut week before last.

George came twice to work on the mower. Took care of five problems. It runs like a top now.

Mary realized she only had this evening to shop for Leah's birthday present. At Goody's, she bought a little outfit for her. In TSC she bought a Leah-sized sweeping broom. I spent my time dodging shoppers. Better than stewing in my own juices at home.

Where am I headed?

56.4 °F, partly cloudy.

Feeling some better today. Maybe it's the full moon.

Mary did some housecleaning till lunch time. But, we didn't feel especially hungry then. Watched the first half of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) from Netflix. Two hours, forty minute! Spanish language option, with English subtitles. I love LOR, but this prequel left us with a blah feeling. No unifying theme I could see.

We took a break for a late lunch. More of the chicken noodle soup.

Almost 4:00 pm. before we headed into town. We don't usually do our Walmart thing so late, but we were in a weird, rainy day, schedule-be-damned full moon mood. Looked for more lantanas in the garden section. None. Bought a navy bathroom towel set for nephew Joel and his Tabitha's wedding shower. Shopped for groceries. Continued in the weird mode by buying a frozen pizza. Imagine that. Pizza is a no no. Frozen is worse. Full moon.

Mary was button-holed by the Mexican Jehovah Witness lady she tries to avoid. Mary, a devout Catholic, avoids those folks, nice as they are, like the plague. She attempts to direct them to other topics, but has only momentary success. Every turn in the road finds its way back to proselytizing.

Took the wrong camera with me, the older Sony "travel zoom" I use for closeups. The resulting pics, taken with Walmart's lighting, were muddy.

We had left for Walmart during a break in the rain. When we came out, we noticed it had rained again while we were inside. Back home, more rain set in. We never got wet. Full moon.

63 °F, rain.

I never remember my dreams any more.

Lunch today was seared beef chunks topped with a mix of tomato, jalapeño and cilantro; steamed sweet peas, steamed carrots and a spicy chicken tamale. Avocado on the side.

Mary cleaned house during the afternoon.

Robert and Todd were making rounds with Leah in the golf cart. Stopped to say hello. Leah ran to me and climbed onto the scooter. I let her drive it a little in the slow setting.

At the outpost, I listened to audiobooks on my iPhone. The Sorrowful Rosary. Some Isaiah. Some of John Lloyd Stephens' Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatán, Volume 2. (1841)

Have suddenly lost wind out of my sails.

Our day to keep Leah. A real fire cracker.

Mary barely found time to eat her own lunch.

Salmon, with stewed butternut squash and steamed asparagus. Jalapeno and tomato topping. A glass of guava juice on the side.

With some major effort, Mary finally got Leah to take her nap. Still sleeping when Denise came to pick her up.

Mary and I did a round at Rock Creek Park. Left the Durango at the VFW and headed west. To make it a real walk, I persuaded Mary to take in the Lone Oak Cemetery. There was a fresh grave for Gil Hunter, my one time colleague on the County Court. His family was well-respected. But, Gil ended his days broke, I expect, asking everyone he knew for a loan, trying to save the family farm.

Browsing the grave stones, I was hit by the realization that I recognize more people from the stone inscriptions than the folks I see still walking around. Hmmm.

After supper, I retreated to the outpost, determined to see the night fall there. George, returning from a Lions Club meeting that never happened, stopped to chat.

70.8 °F, clear.

Pork chops for lunch, with arepas and a mix of broccoli, carrots, snow peas and baby corn.

Down at the outpost, I was listening to the Joyous Rosary on my iPhone, when I heard a roar back at the house. It was brother George. He had ridden over on his old John Deere mower and begun to mow our yard. In a whirlwind of activity, he had the whole yard done in no time. Then, without stopping for thanks, drove straight to the woods on the way back to his house. Must have been a phantom that just looked like George. Anyway, Mary was delighted with her Mothers Day present.

After things calmed down, I checked out the tomato plants. Two already had blossoms.

Then, I returned to the outpost. Spied something interesting near the pond. It was what Mother calls Cow-eats-vine, hanging low enough for me to photograph. Seldom do I get such an opportunity.

Wikipedia and my books have it as Trumpet creeper or Cow Itch vine. There is a European vine called Cowage that causes an itch. I've always strongly suspected that the early settlers here borrowed its name to give to the trumpet creeper. Cowage sounds just too much like Cow Itch.

I began to explore the edge of the field. The Pacesaver I bought last year has more power and ground clearance than any scooter before it. I was tempted to enter the field. The wild flowers kept calling me. The field is fairly rough, but not too much so. I was encouraged. Went down to the end of the driveway and entered the street right-of-way to try the field from that side. No steep inclines or ditches encountered. Woo hoo!

The beardtongues I found were in decline, stems already burned. The ones at my mailbox have yet to pop. Quite a difference between sun and shade.

I continued my survey.

No spectacular pics to show, but I had the satisfaction of having made a complete list of plants flowering in the field at this time of year.

Marion made it out today.

Chicken noodle soup for lunch. Mother ate all of hers.

Mother was unusually alert for cards. Marion's presence brings out her best it seems.

Mary and I needed to deposit checks. So, after cards, we took Mother and Marion home, stopping at First Farmers and First National on the way.

Back home, we watched Born to Raise Hell (2010) from Netflix. Steven Seagal gone to pot. Belly, that is.

119 lbs.

65.9 °F, clear.

I was to accompany Mary to the car wash this morning. The Durango hadn't been washed and cleaned for maybe two years! We breakfasted at McDonald's. Two Sausage McMuffins with Egg for $3.33 special.

I heard the call of nature. Mary took me home and decided she'd get by alright without my company. Knew I wasn't eager for this outing.

The last of Mary's soup for lunch.

I spent a great deal of time outside this day. The weather continued perfect and it was entertaining to watch Bill bale his hay in Mother's field.

Mary came out eventually. Moved limbs up front and mowed on the riding mower.

Mary's labors ended when she wasn't able to raise the blades. Luckily, Bill was visiting me down at the outpost. He went up to look at the machine. Was about to throw in the towel, when brother George drove up to see what was going on. Mary had some real brains working on her problem now.

One small worn roller was the cause of these efforts. George also discovered Mary's battery was worn out too. In short, the mower could be put back into operation tomorrow.

After the guardian angels left, I took advantage of the perfect light to snap a few final pictures.

Give this day an 8.5.

70.2 °F, clear.