We were up earlier than usual. The Durango had been making odd noises and we wanted to get it checked out ASAP. So, after depositing two checks at First Farmers and eating sausage egg McMuffins for breakfast, we headed to Co-op. We were there less than an hour and a half. Turned out the car's power steering high-pressure line hose was busted. Cost me a little over $90 to fix. I was relieved.

We divided leftovers for lunch. I got black beans, rice, drumstick and rutabaga.

We watched Pickpocket (1959) from Netflix. French with English subtitles. Young Parisian pickpocket hones his skills, before paying a price. Wooden acting. But, pleasant enough.

Our tomatoes have been suffering from blossom-end rot. Calcium deficiency. Deborah brought me a remedy to spray, but the plants need to be dry long enough to use it. When will that be?

Been worrying about Mother's $8,000+ insurance premium. But, after comparing the increase to those of previous years, it appears to be within bounds. Now, if I could just get rid of the pebble in my other shoe...

69.5 °F, clear.

We had Leah today. Oh, boy!

For lunch, we had salmon, peas from last year's garden, stewed butternut squash and stewed rutabaga. I added okra pickles to my plate. Leah only ate grapes and her favorite, squash.

Niece Denise came for Leah fairly early, while Leah was taking her nap. We hated to wake Sleeping Beauty, so Denise and I talked for over an hour. I told her some of our family history. Learned a more about her inlaws.

Mary and I drove into town, depositing checks at First Farmers, then heading to the park for a stroll. We reached the railroad bridge before turning back. There, we could see the effect of all the rain to best advantage.

There were Moth Mullein in abundance. I couldn't get at them with my camera. Mary tried her hand. Her last shot was in focus, and not half bad.

Back home, I spent some time at the outpost, fighting a growing edginess. It's unfocused, without a definite object. But, there.

69.7 °F, scattered clouds.

Partied with Sol Gabetta last night on Youtube. Camille Saint-Saëns' Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 33: Cello Concerto No. 1. Weird intensity.

Andrea's Harrison George Warf was born 11:50 pm last night. 9 lbs., 12 oz, 21.5" and a head full of hair. I'm a grand uncle three times now.

DiGiorno's thin crust pizza for lunch today. Haven't felt right since. Have I finally learned my lesson?

We watched Long Life, Happiness & Prosperity (2004) from Netflix. A Chinese-American 12-year old girl uses magic spells to find a mate for her mother. Mildly entertaining.

Only a little sun today. I discovered that St. John's Wort near the mailbox and Wild Petunias scattered in the grass have begun to bloom. Tough, though, finding a petunia specimen in a condition to be photographed.

I also found a nice stand of wild roses in the corner of the corral.

The field is full of dayflowers in bloom. Too far for a shot. Or, not.

George stopped at the outpost to make sure I had all the news about his third grandchild. I think he was a little excited.

68.4 °F, clear.

Partied with Michael Rennie, Phyllis Thaxter and Vaughn Taylor on Youtube last night. Episode "The Long Silence" (1963) of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.

We had salad with ham for lunch today.

The sun popped out during the afternoon. Muggy.

We took in the park from the library end, turning back at the VFW. Saw several turtles. Two Great Blue Herons, a Green Heron and a pair of groundhogs.

At Walmart, we gassed up the Durango and bought several items we didn't think of Wednesday.

It was supper time back at the house, when niece Denise drove up in the golf cart with Leah. She brought the news that her sister Andrea had gone to the hospital in Columbia this morning and the baby was expected "any time now".

It has started to rain again.

72.4 °F, rain.

Chicken drumsticks, black beans, chicken-flavored rice and okra pickles for my lunch today.

During our card game, brother Marion and Mother were in better spirits than they have been in quite a while. Were in no hurry to go home.

Deborah took them home this time.

The sun came out during the afternoon. Good thing. The ground is all spongy. Don't see how it could hold much more water.

After checking out his garden, brother George dropped by the outpost to chat. Said his butternut and acorn squash had sprouted. Yum.

I understand that, now the old house is gone, inquiries have been made about the property. That raises questions. Like, where would sister Deborah live if it were sold? And, how traumatic would it be to move for David? As you can see, I always like crossing my bridges before I come to them. It's part of how I survived all these years.

118 lbs.

70.4 °F, overcast.

Mary came up with today's lunch menu. Lentils, rice, poached egg and plantain. Avocado on the side.

Rain into the foreseeable future. I enjoyed sitting in the garage, watching and listening to it.

Tidying up loose ends at the desk now, listening to Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D major op.35 on YouTube. Romanticism at its purest.

65.2 °F, scattered clouds.

Ham for lunch, with cranberry sauce, potato salad and a steamer of broccoli, carrots, snap peas and baby corn.

We dropped off checks at First Farmers and First National before doing our weekly shopping.

In Walmart, Mary was enchanted by a young couple's six-day-old baby.

***Warning: TMI***

Back home, I scootered down to the mailbox and snapped the renovation/repair that was going on across the street. The Sony RX100 insisted on using its flash again. In full daylight. Resulting in a dark picture. Grrr.

The shot had been made at ISO 160, lowered by the Sony in the Auto Mode for the bright sky. Hmm. That made the rest of the picture too dark. No way to change the metering in Auto Mode. Seems to me to be a design flaw. There should be exposure bracketing.

Next I tried the Sony HX20V in Auto Mode. No problem with the flash. Either the sky was whited out or it wasn't. In two attempts, the resulting pictures were better than those using the more pricy Sony.

I tried again at the outpost. No problem with the flash there. The RX100 has no problem when there is no high contrast in the scene.

After thinking it over a while, I decided to try the RX100 at the mailbox again. This time, shooting in the Program Mode so that I could change the Multi-frame metering to Centered Metering from the menu.

Eureka! I had some control now. But, I still think Sony should have solved this for the Auto Mode.

At the outpost, got a visit from George. Told him I might have a tomato ready to eat next week. Rub it in, rub it in. Hehe.

74.6 °F, clear.

Swai fish for lunch today, with steamed carrots, asparagus and yuca. Avocado on the side.

After siesta and coffee, we set out for the park. Began our walk heading west. The sun was hot, persuading Mary to overcome her fear of the new addition. It has more shade. We went all the way to the college before heading back.

From the park we drove to Walmart where Mary bought a bag of red mulch to keep weeds off her flowers and a wire frame to place around the yellow poplar sprout. Maybe George would see that and not run over the little survivor. Later, Mary tied red ribbons to the frame.

Near sundown, Anna and Denise drove up on the golf cart with Leah to bring me a check to deposit for Mother. Leah ran over to my scooter and climbed on. I let her make it go up the driveway and back. I steered. She then ran into the house and spent a little quality time with Mary. Leah doesn't get to see Mary on Mondays during summer vacation. Her mother Denise is an art teacher.

I've been noticing a scarlet tanager flitting about.

71.5 °F, clear.

Partied with Herbie Hancock last night. Takin' Off on YouTube. "Watermelon Man".

While Mary was at mass today, I enjoyed the out-of-doors. Caught a Morning Glory giving lie to its name by a good half hour. Teasel near the barn almost ready to bloom. At the outpost, I listened to the five Glorious Mysteries of the Holy Rosary on my iPhone. All was fresh breezes gathering themselves into an occasional gust of wind. The sun playing at peek-a-boo amongst the scudding clouds. Delicious.

I passed up to the side from where brother George's garden could be seen in the distance. Heading back, I notice something that took froze me in my tracks. Tulip poplar leaves on the ground. They had sprung up from the roots of the tree we had set out last year and was killed, we thought, by a deer. The first leaf to sprout had been chewed up by the lawnmower, and still the tree survived!

That set me to thinking. If the poplar survived by some kind of miracle, then maybe the fig-tree behind the house had as well. I quickly scootered up to take a look. Lo and behold, there was a tiny fig sprout that had apparently sprung up from the root in the last day or so!

When Mary returned home, I immediately showed her my two "glorious mysteries". She was not at all surprised by the poplar. As for the fig-tree, she had been telling me all along that it still had life in it.

For lunch, I ate the last of Mary's chicken and noodle soup. Avocado on the side. Cantaloupe appetizers.

Much welcome rain late.

72.8 °F, partly cloudy.