Good morning Paul, Kitty, and all.  Cooler at 46 this morn.  I envy you some Paul, being able to go

jogging but I had my time.  My jogging was slow but still made you feel better much quicker than

walking does.  The foot doctor was mad I wasn't happy with walking 5 to 10 miles because most

of his patients would love to be able to walk like that, maybe give up an arm for the privilege.

We had a lot of sun afternoon yesterday.  Have another heat wave coming, hope it's not 100

degrees down south on the keys where Susan is.  Grandkids might make it over to swim in the pool.

Our pool is only 10 or 15 feet from the back door and is fenced so don't get any geese.  Did have that

stork one morning but he was gone in a flash. 

I can get up later on weekends because the traffic is lighter to walk the pups.  Nice not to have to rush.

I still have to be awake for a while before we head out so I'm more alert.

We used to see snapping turtles walking home from church when we were little when we walked past a

larger creek than there was on dad's farm.  Like many people these days, I stop and guard them or carry

them across the road when I see them crossing.  Brian is probably finding more projects now that the rock

walls are finished.

I did get the large amplifier transistors in the mail yesterday and soldered them into the little sub boards. 

Slow and tedious task.  The guy sent me a whole spare set.  Was nice of him but I have spent over $400 for

parts with him.  Still he didn't have to do it.  If these burn out I will get a second chance to correct another

cause if there is one.

Was right after Memorial Day weekend I started the last job of my career and the same day wife and I retired.

They didn't want to pay me for a holiday one day after I started so they did when I retired.   

Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday weekend, guess Paul is the only one still working so enjoy the time off.

Ernie

Dumping kitty litter boxes at the tree line on the farm. 

The farm picture is lovely......we are at 58 sunny degrees ... your big bird? was more likely an egret.....we get them here in Ct. in our pond....so upset about another school shooting....we need to do something....please.....have a good day.....

I had to come back to brag about my husband.....it isn't even 8:30 and I just finished my breakfast after getting up at 6 he has already started dinner in the crockpot....cleaned the kitchen, changed the sheets and washed them and dried and folded them....all I have to do is put them away....he is so special....and as I have said before he married me, divorced with 5 kids....and the oldest was just hitting his teens.....now he is outside working in the garden (vegetables)

and now there is a great Blue Heron in the pond....

Good morning, all.  I don't see much wildlife in NYC. There might be various birds of interest in Central Park, but I don't really notice. There are some raccoons, maybe the most exotic thing here. Occasionally a cougar or something comes down from upstate.

The rain cleared up and it should be two beautiful days. It's Fleet Week so I was talking to some sailors and marines last night. God Bless them all. Sadly a few were smoking. Most were in NYC for the first time. They said everyone they met treated them well. Glad to hear that.

Enjoy the day,

Paul

Good morning Paul, Kitty, and all.  Hope Susan is enjoying her vacation but I wonder about the heat

and humidity in the keys.  Hot here on Memorial Day. 

I watched that "Band of Brothers" show, yesterday while exercising.  I knew my dad was in WW2 but

didn't know he fought in all these terrible battles until he was almost gone.  Him and my uncle came

back from the war.

Could be be an egret, wife got me a bird book but it's been about 15 years when that bird came here.

My granddaughter was little on that walk the night before.  She's starting college now.  Helped talk me

into this last attempt at stopping smoking 15 years ago.

The part of the farm in the foreground my brother still owns but the barn and 83 acres in the back is

sold.  Guess it's just a thing to trade for money to my brother.  To me it represents my parents struggles

when they were younger.  But it's gone and was sold at a low price with septic pipes run through there. 

Would be twice as much or close to half a million before they would think about selling it back.  They are

growing ethanol corn on it so thousands of gallons of weed killer are being sprayed on it every year.  I was

there once when the guy was spraying, his kids were playing around the tank where they fill the sprayer. 

Think his wife was there also, can't believe that but I get lots of people in PA that don't think about poisons.

Kitty,  Brian keeps busy, hard to remember what you wrote over the years.  I know he picked up that

job in Florida when you moved down there year round.  Managing a store or something like that, jobs were

probably scarce on the island.

Paul, we're starting to get bears taring up bird feeders all over the place.  Has been going on in PA for many

years, now spreading up here.  I've only seen one bear go through here and he passed through quickly in the

daytime.  Never heard of Fleet Week before so that's a new one on me.  Guess the Navy ships dock and soldiers

stay there for a while.  I only rode on a Navy ship once and we landed on Virginia Beach in it's smaller boats, ones

with tailgates that swing down into the water.  I didn't fire the blanks through my rifle.  I had learned by then it

takes all day to clean the burned powder out of it.  Supply won't take it back until they think it's clean, usually all

day or all night.  Can't turn in the rifle and go home until the rifle is accepted by supply. 

A hot day for all of us.  Maybe I'll swim in the pool for the first time this year.

Enjoy the day.

Ernie.

Florida Keys

Hope everyone is doing well.  Today is the really hot day here.  Will be hot and humid tomorrow before the storm.

I had enough of cold and snow, this is good for now. 

It's so great we are smoke free and enjoying life.

Replaced some output power transistors in my Kenwood audio amp.  Found a shorted transistor in a IC also, but

still failing and going into protect mode at power on.  So continue troubleshooting.

I'm sure Brian is keeping busy, always has.

Ernie

My mom and dad's rotary phone from 1957.  I'm fortunate to have it.

it was 73 here at 6 this morning....no open windows for us....Brian will be mowing later and it is supposed to be getting up in the 90's too hot for so early in the season....I have no agenda as of yet....maybe I will play the piano.....see if I still can....haven't touched it in over a year.....used to be hard to play when I was smoking....a piece of music took a long time....used to have an ashtray on the piano.....no more....and no still can't believe it....

Good morning, everyone. Hot here yesterday also, the same today. I think it cools off tomorrow.

Ernie, yes, sailors, marines, & coast guard dock in NYC for a week before Memorial Day. I guess it's great for any of them who have never been to here. They also open up the ships for tourists, so it's a chance for civilians to see them. One of them told me, the NYPD gave them tours on their police boats. The FDNY opened up their fire houses to feed them.  

USS Bataan.

Good morning Kitty, Paul, and all.  62 here for early morn.  Think this is the second time we've approached

90 degrees already.  Cool down after the storm, cool temps coming from the east so gets to all of you first.

Kitty was wondering how smoking slowed piano playing at first.  I wasted lots of time smoking that could've

been better used.  I wasn't very musical except listening.  I learned the trombone in elementary school but

they sent a letter home eventually, had to purchase the instrument for around $260, a fortune in the 60s.

When a new car was around $1200.  Told my parents I didn't want it.  Glad you got back to your piano Kitty.

Paul that looks like some pictures of helicopters I used to see at work.  Mark 5, think we used to develop,

build, and test for the military, at IBM Federal Systems Division and Lockheed Martin in Owego, NY.  I also

worked on the Black hawk, Stealth, B52, B1B, F15, and surveillance aircraft. 

All our grandkids were here last eve to swim, was great to see them.  Also great to get some use from our

pool.  Takes some work to keep it up and it's initial cost was around $17k.  Almost 3 times that to put in now.

Put ours in in 89.  Our granddaughter went home but the boys are staying for couple days. 

Was checking voltages in the Kenwood amplifier I'm working on and found different readings for pins on two

ICs that were supposed to be connected to each other.  Eventually found a broken jumper, must have somehow

gotten broke in the last couple years while I was working on it, installing the modification kits.  So see how it works

today.

Stay cool and enjoy the day all.

Ernie