"A real patriot is the fellow who gets a parking ticket and rejoices that the system works." - Bill Vaughan

The Fourth looked just like the third at our piece of Baker Rd., except I didn't shave.

Josh and Aubri, Megan & Caedon were here last month.
We're hopeful that Sheila will stop in later this week. She's Pathway people and up here in OR, her original home, visiting family.
Sunday we'll see Mauri & Sherry, VIFs from way back who now live up in Newburg.
Next week we'll be in Seattle to celebrate my dad's 94th. Both brothers and their wives will also be present for the occasion.
In September Bruce & Debbie will visit Baker Rd. They're also VIF's and go back to our time in Prunedale, CA in the late 70's.
A few days after they're here we'll head to AZ to see ALL our kids & grandkids and visit with some VIF's in the Phoenix area, many of whom we haven't seen since we left there last October.
The dates aren't set yet but later in the fall we'll go back to MI to see Pam's mom and spend time with more VIF's from our years at Celebration.
All of this makes me very happy.

I titled this blog Vagabond Thoughts because my brain wanders all over the place. That word also describes our 44-year marriage, having lived in six cities in three states (and in nine homes). I don't think either of us feels that was difficult or stressful except for moving away from VIF's. The upside: we have VIF's all over the country and have been blessed to see many of them from time to time. That's also why I like Facebook; it allows me to stay in touch, including with former students who now live all over this country and the world.

The mouse (mice?) in Fred's loft like peanut butter and manages to eat it off the trap without the consequences I intend. They don't seem interested in the blocks of "irresistible" poison I put out. So today I decided to mix my own cocktail: crumbs of poison mixed into peanut butter.
Here's hoping the mice will do a line of this killer mix.

The chickens find their way back to the coop an hour or so before sunset each night 'cause...
chickens will always come home to roost.
I go down to close the pen shortly thereafter so no critter could sneak in under cover of darkness and kill them as they sleep. The other night I took this pic of them up on the roost but not yet asleep. When I opened the door to the coop they looked at me as if to say, "What do YOU want??"

Pam's garden is doing pretty well. Most of it. Alas, the Brussel sprouts don't show much action (aw, shucks!), and the peppers never germinated, but we weren't surprised at that. It doesn't get hot enough and the current location for the garden doesn't get enough sunlight. We're already using greens in our salads.

I went wandering on the other side of the creek and walked an area I hadn't seen before. I came across this used-to-be-a-tree that broke off about 6' up. The lower portion has several deep holes, the work of woodpeckers looking for lunch. I took this pic to show how deep the holes are.

The pundits seem to agree that there's no realistic chance a movement at the Republican convention will deny Trump the nomination. That's really depressing.

The creek was alive with frogs that made LOTS of noise all night long...until about two weeks ago. When the kids were here we enjoyed listening to them starting an hour or so before sunset.
They're gone. Or at least gone silent.
Nothing!
What happened?