Wife's sister was over for dinner last night and asked about when are we doing another rain dance. My wife said we just got rain. Her response was " well we need more don't we"? From extremely hesitant to full blown fan. Go figure.

That was enough to refill about 75% of the ponds and about half of the lake levels. So in about three days we will need another rainy day.






If not; let the dancing begin.

Chaps,

Jens,

I nearly always buy Taylor's Yorkshire Tea. It make a fairly strong brew with one teabag. Don't take sugar just semi-skimmed milk. Tried to get used to it without milk for years. Can't.

I very rarely ever drank tea until I was 40. My second wife made it quite weak and I soon got used to it. After I married her a second time I noticed that she was making it stronger so I got used to that, too.

She was the one who bought me The Sex Maniacs Diary for 1980. It had different positions in silhouette form at the top left side of each page and she forced me to do every one which was something of an imposition I can tell you. Sometimes twice.

I told her I couldn't continue because I was shagged out by the month of February. I might have expected the Christian Missionary's Diary 1981 but we had split up long before then.

Folks,

I see from your new avatar that you managed to find the cash for the BIG operation. Expensive I understand and undertaken not without, shall I say, a certain sacrifice....

I have drunk tea all my life. Before very long it had replaced the milk in my baby bottle I suspect. We southerners drink sweet iced tea. IMHO that is quite different in taste from the hot variety which I have now learned to appreciate as well. I seldom add milk to hot tea however I do add a squeeze or slice of fresh lemon to iced tea. Sometimes I add a bit of raw, clover honey. I am not a connoisseur of fine teas. Earl Grey, Green or even cheap Lipton with the man's face still on the box is OK with moi. I do prefer my hot tea in bags not loose and properly prepared. I've always heated my water on the stove in a tea kettle. When in Canada, I was convinced to buy an electric kettle by C51 and his lovely wife AKA "She who must not be named " or on high holy days, "The Magster.

I have not picked one out of the many available for purchase online. So if you have a favorite LMK. Yes, it has been some time since my visit across the northern boarder. My visit was back in the summer of 2015. As a card carrying member in good standing of the NC chapter of "Procrastinators Anonymous", I've been waiting patiently for the 2010 election of officers before I bought the new pot. I might be elected to office, you see. And should I be elected Sgt. at Arms I would be in charge of making the tea at meetings. As I would also be required to bring my own pot and tea I must wait to be sure I buy a big enough kettle. Of course even though the election might be today it might take several months before anyone got around to notifying me.

I do drink coffee but mostly in cold weather. Then I drink only about 2 cups per morning as I sit here and type. I drink coffee sweetened with aspartame and a good dollop of cream or milk. My late wife loved coffee and drank a pot full or more every day, black, no sweetener, no nothin' . I can drink really good, freshly ground coffee black and enjoy it. America's Test kitchen recommended what their testers found to be the BEST super market black teas. Teas they liked with milk tended to have the most tannins in them. Those they liked plain had fewer. super market teas are mostly blends of teas from many regions to satisfy a broad market, the rest is marketing.

The tests revealed there can be a difference in how much tea is in the bag. A difference of up to 25% in some cases. Brands that packed more tea into their bags tended to contain more tannins, likely (in part) because more tea in the bag means a stronger, more tannic brew. Testers liked those best with milk and sugar. ATK's top choice is Tetley’s British Blend. If you’re a purist, they recommend stick to the milder Twinings English Breakfast Tea. I know this because I watched that episode on PBS and wrote the names down in my notes for future reference.

Folks,

Jens:

You seem to be the experten on all things shaven. Here is some advice on shaving that fell unsolicited into my inbox today. It seems to me rather obvious and in some ways unashamedly commercial in nature in that it requires several drugstore items beyond just shaving cream and a razor. Oddly enough, the need for a sharp razor is not mentioned.

ALWAYS SHOWER FIRST
The water and steam can soften the beard hairs and release trapped dirt and dead skin cells.

PAT DRY AND PREP THE HAIRS
Prepare the beard hairs with a pre-shave oil before adding a moisturizing shaving cream.

SHAVE WITHIN 5 MINUTES WITH THE GRAIN
Shave only in direction hair is growing. Going against the grain could lead to irritation and ingrown hair.

USE A POST SHAVE LOTION OR BALM
Apply an alcohol-free post-shave lotion or balm to soothe your skin.

Dermatologist and Dove Men+ Care expert Dr. Terrence Keaney

I shave in the shower with cheap shaving cream a sharp razor and just splash on some 91% isopropyl alcohol afterward. A good shave in the right places and no irritation so far, but then I do have a full beard.

Chaps,

JRT,

They wouldn't have been capable of giving me eyes like that.

Chaps,

Had ongoing trouble trying to uninstall a game with which I had two accounts and it kept conflicting with startup of the other one with message saying 'game app still running'. I validated the Steam game files time and again but it made no difference.

Then I got a tip from YouTube and downloaded the temp free Revo uninstaller. Worked a treat. If any files are left after the first pass it will go back and wipe them out, too. muhahahaha...very satisfying after so much exasperation.

Gents, Thank you for your enlightening, entertaining messages.

Roger; I saw that shaving advice too and I'm afraid the author has got most of it wrong. It must be meant for people shaving without the use of shaving cream and using cheap disposable plastic razors with not-so-cheap replaceable multi-blade cartridges. Shaving after showering. OK but I rarely use pre-shave oil and I happily and regularly shave with the grain, across the grain and against the grain + touch up with open comb DE razors and the sharpest blades. After rinse off I apply an alum block as an astringent, post shave balm and alcohol based aftershave. I never have problems with razor burn or in-grown hair, as long as I assure that I have plenty of later applied to may face before each pass.

Dux; Yorkshire tea is a fine choice. Glad that Revo unistaller worked. Yes sometimes Steam is a pain in the neck. However, when reinstalling the OS it is wonderful to just push a button and have one's games installed without having to bother about boxes and discs.

Gents,

Jens,

Yes, agreed. I saved main game to Steam backup and brought it back later with no probs. Now, I will soon be doing the 'return to factory settings' which will wipe off 5 years of crap, leaving the Win7 OS to build again. Everything I still want is on flashdrive ready to re-install. I hate discs with a passion!

Shaving: I just use me old Remington and get it over with. Spares easily and cheaply available on Ebay. I only wet-shave when attending for honours and awards at the Palace.

Folks,

Pant, wheeze, cough! The reason I am out of breath is because I had to rush downstairs to see why my granddaughter was screaming bloody murder. OK, that is not all that unusual, so I wasn't actually worried, I just needed it to stop. I also have a teenage grandson, you see, and he would rather torment his little sister than eat cake. Sure enough, "T" had found a very large, very dead moth which he was attempting to show his sister by sticking it up her nose. All is now well for everyone but the innocent deceased moth.

The Temp here is 76°F. at 10:45 AM. The humidity today is a less comfortable than yesterday 66%. There is no recorded wind coming from anywhere and our reported visibility is the usual 10 miles. No rain is in our holiday weekend forecast. Today may be a dangerous day for traveling. Our local hospital is anticipating a record breaking 250+ visits to the emergency room. I know this because my former daughter-in-law is a paramedic presently studying for her PA or MD degree. It is not the kind of record anyone would wish to break. Thank goodness for our first responders on a weekend like this. They do a remarkable job. Many are well trained, certified volunteers who devote their time to be there when the summons comes day or night.

Jens:
As you know, thirty-three drivers from ten different countries (gentlemen or not) will be starting their engines in the 101st running of the Indy 500 at the world famous Brickyard very soon.Memorial Day weekend is finally here.

I was always clean shaven until I married. Ok, I had tried a mustache once in college but my girlfriend said it tickled her so I shaved it off. I actually started the full beard on my honeymoon and because my new wife liked it I have had it for 45 years. In that time you might say I have grown rather attached to it. My little niece (now grown up with two nearly grown girls herself) saw my beard for the first time and immediately responded with this unintended left-handed compliment, "Oh, uncle Roger, your beard makes you look so extinguished." Next morning, as I was looking at the fellow reflected in the mirror, I was deeply conflicted about it but kept the whiskers anyway.

Gents,

Absloutely appallng 'singer' performing in Saundersfoot harbour this afternoon. Sounded like she was undergoing open-air sterilization. Ghastly. Every third or fourth note was E.

Folks,

Dux:

It is so very nice to have you posting regularly once more. I missed that.

LOL. Could you tell what songs she was attempting to sing? C not E is by far the most common key for pop songs. It is easy to play on guitar and piano I guess. I always left the E notes out of my songs if I could, just to save time, you see. Perhaps in your case, it was kinda like the king told Mozart in the movie... too many notes in her songs, far too many Es. Perhaps she specialized in singing "Es" at the famous DR. I. M. Awllshookup Conservatory of Rock and Hillbilly Music located in lovely Nashville? That would be Nashville North Carolina, not Tennessee.

Chaps,

JRT,

Thanks for your 'welcome back' )

She sounded a bit like Cher with laryngitis and possessing a dedication to pitching slightly off key. It was definitely E slightly flat because I checked the cacophony on one of my bass guitars. Not an uncommon R&B key. I mean old school R&B, not this modern drivel. I could still hear her at Coppet Beach, half a mile away as she slaughtered the Kinks' 'You Really Got Me'.

The Bank Holiday bikers rode through town a few hours ago and a backfire coincided with her end of performance song. I thought, 'Thank god! Somebody just shot her' but sadly it would have been from a Harley or Triumph, not a Pembrokeshire farmer's 12 bore.

Folks,

Dux:

My grandson is following along in his dad's boot prints. He has taken up the acoustic guitar, also the harmonica of all things. Today he announced an interest in a keyboard. His dad is an electric plucker and also fairly good on a keyboard so perhaps he will succeed. How did I get left out? All I ever played (besides the radio and TV) were drums. You'll recall that my mates unanimously agreed to protect the tender ears of our expanding audience. So, at the next Saturday night American Legion dance, all agreed that it would be wise to disconnect my guitar cord from my amp. That would allow me to strum away to my heart's content as I sang, thus doing no harm. I do wish they had told me in advance though. To this day I do not know who was delegated to pull out the cord every time I stuck it back in. I thought the jack was faulty.

We tried a female vocalist only once. She was the sister of the girlfriend of our drummer/sax player. That did not turn out the way we hoped. I do not recall what her first song for the evening was. Possibly this was due to the fact that what came out of her mouth only vaguely resembled singing, at least in any form I was accustomed to. Perhaps somewhere deep in the darkest, most wild and remote part of Africa an obscure native tribe suffering from an epidemic of severe loss of hearing, might have broken the natural peace if not quiet of the jungle in the same raucous manner. Mercifully, I do not know.

Only one time since have I heard anything that even remotely reminded me of what came out of her mouth that night. That was at the NC ZOO at feeding time near the gorilla compound. An unfortunate peacock had somehow found its way into a cage with a big male silver back and was being stretched like a slingshot. Funny, that girl had sung so well at band practice. Perhaps the change in her voice was due to the half bottle of Terpin Hydrate I saw her gulp down just before I introduced the band? You cannot buy that powerful cough syrup OTC anymore so there is no way for me to test my hypothesis today.

Folks,

Before noon we already enjoy a toasty temp of 79°F. As the big race is about to start at the Brickyard, w e are submerged in a deep humidity level of 71% and rising. There is a wind blowing from the South at 10 mph. Visibility is reported to be, you guessed it, 10 miles.

Dux:

I see that the jet owned by Elvis 30 years ago has recently been sold. Naturally I immediately began to wonder what you planned to do with that. After three decades in moth balls (who knew moths had them?) it might possibly require a few expensive touch ups. Chances are, it will go somewhere in Wales to be on static display thought I. Then I thought, Dux will probably charge a month's wages to get a closeup view of the lifestyle of the real king. Genius thought I, pure genius. If ever I get to Wales I will be broke when I get there so I will hope for a free tour.

Gotta move on, the race begins soon. It seems there is no end to the power of that Florida rain dance. There is a possibility of rain at the Brickyard today. That is power beyond my imagination. And friends, I can imagine quite a lot.

Gents,

Saturday was spent enjoying very good weather; 25 C, sunny and little wind preparing for today's mostly indoor activities; first the Monaco Grand Prix and then the 101st Indy 500. I thought it a fine idea featuring the 101st Division in the pre-race ceremonies with a moving rendition of America including the soprano lead singer. Much better performance than the National Anthem which was presented by the ever-present "recording artist" paraded at such events.

Scott Dixon is the luckiest man alive today, he was just granted a new birthday because that was one scary accident he had and it might have ended very badly if the stars hadn't aligned to his favour.

Gents,

I just checked that out. Complete disintegration! The other car seemed to deflect from the side wall before cutting across. Dixon incredibly lucky to survive.

Folks,

It is10:15 AM on what, so far, appears to be a very warm Monday and Memorial Day. The prevailing temp is 79°F. and rising. The humidity is 59% and the reported visibility ( I could almost type this without checking) 10 miles. We have a 7 mph wind from the West. Actually, I could tell it will be a warm and sunny day just by the cat sitting in the window.

Indeed, Scot Dixon is a very fortunate fellow. It was his lucky day just getting the pole position in the first place. The race is unpredictable and that is part of the attraction. Maybe MG did but I did not expect the final outcome at all.

Get a boat Dux. I noticed that a Great White shark recently jumped into a fisherman's boat. I don't know how big the boat was. I suspect the fisherman felt it was not big enough for both of them. Not much physical damage done to the fellow, just abrasions and a big surprise for whomever does his laundry. . I do not know what happened to the shark. If I were you, I'd check into whatever he was using for bait and get some. OK, maybe not.

Folks,

This new Tuesday we have 78°F. A 6 mph wind from the SW, 90% humidity, a reported visibility of 9 miles with overcast conditions and the chance of rain. Last night we received 0.1 inches of precipitation. It seems like we've had some rain most days for a solid week. I wonder if that rain dance had been discovered way back in Noah's day? That could explain quite a lot.

The holiday being over, the race having been run, folks are getting back to what passes for normal I guess. I remember way back when holidays were marked in red on my desk calendar and looked forward to because I could get reacquainted with my family and have some fun with my wife and son. Now the holidays are much like any other day. My wife has passed away and my son is grown and living elsewhere. I am retired. I ty to keep busy to keep my curious mind fed and satisfied. I do not wish to have the same thing happen to me that struck down my dad and granddad.

They had been so busy and active all their life, my dad as a captain in the merchant marine and my granddad was occupied running his small business. When they retired they had no hobby no activities they wished to pursue. Neither lasted very long after their retirement. My dad died of cardiac failure and my granddad sank into the terrible depths of dementia. Nothing to live for perhaps and nothing to feed their hungry minds. No challenge left after a challenging life of hard, brain exercising, work. I am doing something right, I've lived 20 years longer than my dad did and, though it may not seem so at times when reading what I write, I have managed to stave off dementia.

I've added a freeware macro creating program "Perfect Automation" recently. My old friend T-Clock has been updated so I have installed that again to replace the system clock with more features. I still had my previous XP settings in my notes. I even had the name of the font I downloaded and used. That was still available. Those detailed PC notes pay off quite often.

Dux:
My son went pier fishing Sunday and Monday and, according to him, he was pulling in fish like he had never seen before. He claimed that before the sinker hit bottom there was another fish on the hook. This went on for two days. They were catching a lot of small fish but also larger ones as well. The weather was perfect and the sea was reasonably calm. He said he was hard pressed to get a cigarette break unless he pulled in his line an laid his fishing tackle on the pier. That sounded like fun and I am not an avid angler. My wife loved to fish and had she been there I'd guess as long as the fish were biting she would have stayed there untill someone dragged her screaming away to bring her home.

Folks,

The temp is 76°F. with a bright overcast in the East and a 7 mph wind from the West. A visibility of 11 m is reported and the reported humidity is a sultry 84%.

Dux:

I failed to mention what they were catching off the pier Sunday and Monday. Flounder, Dogfish and Croakers with one or two other species I do not now remember. I hope your recent luck has been equally good.

Chaps,

JRT,

Nothing of note over the last few days from the harbour. Light rain this morning but a bright start tomorrow will see the locals and a few others back to try their luck.

Online game is working again now after 34 days. No explanation or announcement from Steam or devs.

Putting Win10 on soon with all required files copied to flashdrive. That will eliminate 5 years worth of accumulated crap embedded where I would not be able to find it.
Apparently, It is far easier to restore to 'factory settings' with Win10 so I would be able to do that regulary.