(10:14 AM UTC-4)
(+82*F.....sunny)
( My Mix YouTube)
  Already took my walk, had a few things either to pickup or check out, and I would not normally walk when it's this hot, but the temperature today maybe in the 90s......now I realize that in some areas it gets much warmer but not here....I read a long time ago that the body adapts to the most common extreme.....and here high temperatures and high humidity is the most extreme, extreme.....except for 9 semesters in college, I have lived in the lee of one of the great lakes......first Erie and now Ontario....snow and cold are the most common extreme......one year ('77) we got 270+ inches of snow.....and a couple of years before that we had a day when it was -55*F...w/55MPH winds.windchill in  excess of -100*F....windchill and or hypothermia could set in in under a minute......now that's our common extreme....besides at 70 years old I really don't have much tolerance for either extreme......or any extreme at all for that matter.... 

(11:10 AM UTC-4)

(+74*F....sunny)

(My Mix YouTube)

  I really don't know exactly what the cause is today, but as we used to say growing up "I'm off my feed" today.......first day in the 80s......high pollen count.....but decided to take my walk first thing this morning when the temperature was still in the 60s.....but for some reason the walk really "kick my butt" this morning......during the walk I encountered three families of goose.....moms, dads, and in total 19 little ones......yesterday I saw 19 adults together, my guess is they are yearlings.......looks like geese have they own kind of "singles  mixers"........I have a HVAC  in my rooms and this is the first time this year I turned the AC on......

  Now I think that I'm pretty open minded, and it should be well known that I love me some YouTube...but one of the recommended videos today was a tutorial for woman and girls on how to pee in the woods......no joke...a serious tutorial......I mean......oy vey.......

(9:30 PM UTC-4)
(+68*F.....fair)
(My Mix YouTube)
  Today is Memorial Day in the US of A.......In the northern zones it is the day that you typically plant your annuals whether flowers or vegetables......that was always the first task on the day when I was a kid, then in High School we would march in local Memorial Day Parades....sometimes as many as 3.....with respect paid to the fallen veterans in the town's cemetery...w/ the traditional playing of Taps w/the "echo"......and then to the annual memorial day party/picnic held by my church's youth group.....a very busy day ( traditionally Memorial Day was always the 30th of May.....but was moved in the 1970s to a Monday to form a 3 day weekend.....)
  Took a short walk this AM.......besides that has been a very quiet day.....

(6:16 PM UTC-4)
(+73*F....partly cloudy)
( My Mix YouTube)
  Today is part of the Memorial Day Weekend, now when I was growing up Memorial day was always on the 30th of May....regardless of the day of the week on which it fell......but since 1971 it's always on the 4th Monday of May......growing up rural outside Buffalo NY...Memorial day was always the day that we planted the family vegetable garden.....and for 5 years when I was in High School our school band would march in sometimes as many as 3 parades and took part in the cemetery services honoring the veterans who had past......

(2:45 PM UTC-5)
(+78*F....fair)
(My Mix..Youtube)
  I logged on just before 10PM last night and in the midst of my typing lost my WiFi connection...not an uncommon occurrence lately.....and by 10:30 was still out so gave up and went to bed.....
  I walked early today......my ideal temperature for walking is in the +45*F to +65"F range.....so this AM it was already +71*F, but there were a few things I needed.....
  I checked the schedule for the TV channels I watch and low and behold AMC is showing back to back 2 movies that are easily in my "Top 25"......"Midway" & "The Green Berets"......probably because this is the "Memorial Day Weekend"  so from 4:00 PM to 10:05....I know what I'll be doing

(3:440 PM UTC-4)
(+72*F.......sunny)
an episode of "S.H.A.D.O.")
  Awoke a tad later then usual around 8AM....and went to log on and discovered that the WiFi was down.....and it didn't come back on until about 10:30 AM, or there about.......I had taken a walk to pick up a few things and it was back up after I ate my first meal of the day......other then that a nice, quiet day.......but the delay on getting on line did play a little hob with one of the online games I play but it " 'tis what it tis"

(9:45 PM UTC-4)
(+57*F.....clear)
(My Mix YouTube)
  A very quiet day, walked early, did stop a couple of places, didn't buy much, it was really more about the walk today then anything else.....need to stop at Aldi and maybe Ollie's and Dollar General tomorrow.....opposite directions......have to decide how I feel tomorrow, weather should be fine, but whether the legs and feet are is another thing entirely.....they've been decent lately but one can never predict what a new day will bring forth.....may make it in two trips....or not at all...

(7:48 PM UTC-4)
(+60*F......cloudy)
("Avengers" on FX)
  Was a rainy, dreary, day but walked anyways......checked radar and there was a "hole" in the storm, and besides I didn't buy rain gear to have it sit in my rooms and collect dust......on my way between the to stops I planned I past a "Sub Shop".....it's a part of a small chain/franchise that is in central and northern NYS....and make a very nice roast beef sub..... (Time Now: 8:23 PM UTC-4)( lost my WiFi connection)
  I really enjoyed the first season of HBO's "Westworld".....but the new season IMHO is not up to the standard of the first season, and to watch it is a waste of my time.......

(1:52 PM UTC-4)
(68*F....sunny)
(movie: "Stealth")
  To those who read yesterday's posting, I actually did make it to Dollar General and Ollie's this AM.....straight there...used the shortcut.....I've been thinking of getting a walking stick to add to my collection of canes, this is not, repeat not, the gentleman's walking stick, but rather a hikers walking stick, most of my "short cuts" are off sidewalk, and in the grass w/some pretty steep grades.....anyways one caught my eye at Ollie's and it came home with me.....but I must have been quite a sight......sling bag.....using a walking stick with the right hand, and carrying my cane in my left.....After all if a driver of a car carries I spare tire, why can a walker carry a spare cane....on my way back I past 2 family groups of Canada geese....mom, dad, and the kids having breakfast......

(1:36 PM UTC-4)
(+64*F......cloudy)
( a gospel mix)
  I decided to take a walk this AM down to Dollar General and Ollie's.....which I can easily get to with a short cut.....just for somethings for my pantry...really could have waited a couple of days....but felt like a walk and figured I "kill 2 birds w/one stone" and then decided to make a quick stop at the ATM for some pocket money which took the short cut out of play.....so I'm walking down the sidewalk of the busy street I live by, and got to the point to take the road into the Plaza that the two stores are in......but was thirsty and then thought that I needed a few things from Price Chopper, so bypassed the entry and further up to a convenient store for a bottle of water and then across the street to Price Chopper, and as I was standing there after Price Chopper to cross back to my side of the street, decided I was on the same side of the street for a quick stop at Aldi ( well as quickly as a gimpy old man w/cane can be).....then back across the street......now Arsenal Street is one of the busiest streets in the small city I live in and where I live is at the edge of one of the most popular shopping areas in town ( which is why I live here) now the posted speed limit is 30 MPH.....which is NOT enforced......average speed is more like 45 MPH+....and the drivers tend to be distracted and when the walk light tells me to walk turn arrows are also on......so many times I need to avoid cars that have little respect for crosswalks......and playing bumper cars with SUVs is not high on my list......one would have got me today if I hadn't stopped......I can't see much future for me as a hood ornament on a SUV......but as I continued my journey I past my lodgings and my back and legs suggested that we were home, so I never did get to the two places I had originally intended to stop at.....but there's always tomorrow, or later in the day today.....and I might need another excuse to walk  

( 7:55 PM UTC-4)
(+59*F.......cloudy.)
(Handel: Te Deums (complete)
  A quiet day by enlarge....rain abated mid afternoon, and took a quick trip to Aldi, yogurt, tomatoes, rolls,  because of limited storage space, I get my perishables every couple of days
  TNT showed the first 3 episodes of Star Wars today and since they usually have a marathon of 5 or 6 episodes, episode I usually airs at 2AM.......It's one of my favs......but not at 2AM...showed it at 1:50 PM......finally........

(3:49 PM UTC-4)
(+68*F.....sunny)
( a Columbo episode )
  Beautiful day today and had intended to stay in today......but then looked at the forecast for the next couple of days.....and rain is in the forecast....so had been thinking of what I might need until Monday.....and it was just a few things.....so walked.....On a whim went to "Ollie's"......found a compact umbrella that would fit in my sling bag, and a couple of spices I had wanted to try, a stop at the Thrift store and Dollar General, and with the exception of one item, didn't get anything I had intended to get in the first place, but a nice walk........ 

(12:36 PM UTC-4)
(+69*F..partially cloudy)
(Bach: Mass in B minor)
  Took a long walk this AM.......5 stops....first T J Maxx...have dropped a bunch of weight over the last few months, and some of my sweat pants are way too loose, they didn't have a pair I liked, but did buy a nice pair of shorts, it's almost summer after all......then dropped down to Price Chopper for a bottle of Tabasco Sauce, bottle I have is almost empty....and a couple of other things.......had looked at T J Maxx for a windbreaker/rain jacket.....no dice...... so off to the Thrift Store.....found a nice one with a hood.....( I love me some hoodies)......then the Dollar general for a cup of Ice Cream (it's warm after all) and a bottle of Frank's RedHot....and a bottle of Texas Pete.....all three of the ones I have are almost empty.....and besides you can never have too many bottles of hot sauce.....last stop which is right next store to my lodgings....an ATM.....needed some pocket money......since it's the bank I have my accounts with, I can withdraw money with out paying a service charge and I don't need to go into the bank.....and can use it 24/7..... 

(7:58 PM UTC-4)
(+68*F....sunny)
(Brahms "A German Requiem")
  A beautiful day had a couple stops to make, and thought I had timed my walk to be at Aldi when it opened at 9AM but got there about 5 minutes early and there was a long queue waiting to get in ......what I didn't know was that twice in May, they sell potted plants and hanging baskets.....and put them down the center of one aisle.....what a traffic jam......in many ways it reminded me of pigs one of my friends dad raised at feeding time at the trough.....funny to watch..but they had the aisle plugged and I had to detour to get the food items I wanted......which included some imported german smoked knockwurst....(or knackwurst.....can be spelled either way) never had the smoked variety before but it was excellent, I love all sausages in general but knockwurst in particular......a little iced tea...some potato salad..and the knockwurst just as is hot and dipped in good whole grain mustard.........did you know why you never take a seagull for a knockwurst lunch...."you'd be taking a tern for the wurst"  (sorry..but not really)......past that battle for the knockwurst it's been a quiet day......... 

(11:05 PM UTC-4)
(+51*F.clear)
("Hec Ramsey" pilot)
  To preface the following story I a destroyer of all eyeglasses in general, and reading glasses in particular...when I was a kid I broke so many pairs, my dad wanted to know if the optometrist had a cot in the back room so I'd be there when I broke another pair.....and in many ways I'm even worse with reading glass at any one time I have multiple pairs with different focal lengths for different purposes.......but for my computer (a desktop.....I also destroy tablets).....I need a slightly weaker magnification then for reading.....
  I lost a pair when I changed rooms about a year and a half ago......and replaced them twice...but the second time got the wrong magnification........so tonight I was looking for something else..there in the bottom of a box were the pair of readers I thought I had lost.......but somehow I think I heard the readers whispering......"Dang, I thought I hide so well"......and then "We who are about to be destroyed Salute You" 

(6:38 PM UTC-4)
(+64*F ....sunny)
("Sink the Bismark")
  I had not watch/listened to "Sink the Bismark" for quite awhile, and decided to play it again, and discovered that the film had been deleted, because apparently that whole channel was deleted....so ran a search and found a much better copy....
  Rain overnight and into the morning hours, but after housekeeping left ( Tuesday is the day that they come in and clean my rooms, and change the linen. and the good ladies do my laundry if they have time )....I kicked around the old computer for awhile, rain had stopped, and needed to get a bottle of juice that I keep "on-hand".....got some things for my "gorp" (read trail mix), and a small ice cream cup....and the juice...I actually remembered what I had gone out for in the first place.....which hasn't always been the case in the past.....yes I have a list.....and more times then not I forget that too......

(7:52 PM UTC-4)
(+67*F sunny)
( a mix of polka music)
  Had intended to just spend a quiet day in my rooms, surfing the net..and walk tomorrow, but a check of the forecast.....rain overnight and tomorrow......I mentioned below that my bill for a few items last night was $6.66.....so my bill at Aldi today was $9.99......interest coincidence.......knock wood
  I grew up in the 50's and 60's in a rural area outside Buffalo NY, and more then half my class was Polish and/or assorted other eastern Europeans is origin.....in fact at the time there was a Polish language radio station in the area......and I've always like a good oompah band......the East Prussian city my family came from in the late 1800's is now a Polish city...... 

(5:46 PM UTC-4)
(+70*F.....sunny)
(The Hound of the Baskervilles (1954 Hammer Film)
  Took a long walk early this AM, 4 different stops, and as per usual left the shopping lists in my rooms, and did better then usual, and only forgot one thing, fortunately it was a short walk to the local "Dollar General" and picked up the item I had forgotten...a 2 more I didn't know i needed......It's a good thing I'm not superstitious.....h bill for the 3 items was $6.66.....but have had a quiet day besides my brief brush with Armageddon..... 

(4:48 PM UTC-4)
(+62*F........sunny)
(Best off Clara Schumann)
  Now although I have changed stores for the bulk of my grocery shopping there are still a few items I either can't get at the new place, or prefer the brands the other store sells.....the new place has no deli.....got some rare roast beef, that with a roll, tomato and condiments, and some potato salad made a very nice 2nd meal.....also got some oil packed yellow fin tuna, some precooked italian sausage, the sausage replaced the usual breakfast sausage or bacon for 1st meal......oh and a Friendly's cherry chocolate sundae cup instead of the usual yogurt.....I figured they are both dairy so it a reasonable substitution.....anyways that the way I see it......Other then the walk, has been a quiet day.......

(7:14 PM UTC-4)
(+46*F......sunny)
( a Youtube mix)
  A tad cooler today but still had a pleasant walk.....2 stops and the path between 1 & 2 took me past 1 of the 3 drainage ponds, but the geese and other assorted water fowl, think that they just naturally occurred and they have claim sovereignty over them.....so as I walk on the sidewalk toward my second stop, I had a close encounter of the goose variety.......mom, dad and the 6 kids were having breakfast on a patch of grass maybe 6' from the sidewalk...I stopped and watched them for a time, and then walked by to a chorus of hissing......and then to my second stop where I had a close encounter of quite a different kind......which I have recounted on "Random Thoughts"  if you are so inclined 

(12:07 PM UTC-4)
(+68*F......overcast)
( a Youtube mix)
  Not a pretty day, butt a comfortable day for a walk....needed to pick up a few things at Aldi....and as per usual ended up with a few items I didn't know I needed.....had a nice chat with one of the other shoppers.......she was in the military.....but being so close to Fort Drum it's a common occurrence.....
  Got some good news today......starting next month my rent is going down...this is not a misprint, I live and have lived in a hotel for the last 7+ years....which is in the middle of a shopping area, and since i no longer drive, having everything I need within a max 10 minute walk including my doc's office is just what the trollie ordered.....now even before this rate decrease if I watched my budget it was affordable.....I'm on my own "dime" and on a fixed income....new rate will give me a whole new set of options.....
  The mix I'm listening to is in part Baroque Trumpet music play by Alison Balsom, really a great musician.....really technically sound.....and did I mention she's nice to look at as well......but as a former boss I had when we teased him about his "girl watching" used to say " The day I stop looking is the day they nail the lid over my head"

(10:57 UTC-4)
(+74*F...sunny)
(Handel "Messiah (Christmas parts))
  Had an opportunity a few years back to sing this with the local choral society, had an absolute blast...fun piece of music to sing...
  Now anyone who knows me, knows I'm not a morning person....I awake with every joint in my body stiff as a board.....and generally in a bad mood....usually takers a couple of hours before my joints are loose, and my attitude is at least neutral......but today I awoke in a foul mood.....but took a short walk and watched mom and dad Canada goose and their hatch of 4 little ones for about 15 minutes, over the last several years this area has become an area where the geese summer and breed.....fun to watch.........( but the trollie in me wonders if they have their green cards )...needless to say mood now fine.....

(5:00 PM UTC-4)
(+71*..sunny)
(best of Tallis)
  I walked earlier when the temperature was in the mid 50s......more my kind of weather......I'd be very happy if I could find a climate with the daily temperature in the mid 50s to mid 60s......but was in the neighborhood of the pharmacy I use and stopped in to order one of my meds....the girl there is very helpful.....and with the facts that one...I'm hard of hearing.....and with my tremors even "dialing" a phone can be difficult...new prescription as luck would have it they filled it when the doc's office called.....so no wait......I have a confession to make.......I don't have a cellphone..smartphone......had one briefly a few years back.....but really didn't see the point.....but you must remember that the first phone I remember was a rotary dial phone, and we were on a 4 party line......grew up rural.....we didn't have a TV until I was 9 or 10 and then only 3 channels....broadcast locally.....and we had rabbit ears to get the signal (see bottom of the page)......oh and least I forget it had vacuum tubes.......yes I am older then dirt....

(12:28 PM)
(+58*F......sunny day)
( Best o Smetana)
  Got the bill Saturday from my semi-annual checkup......and that presented me with options.....now I pay by check....and there is the rub.....now my penmanship has never been the best, I had a grade school teacher describe my writing as a cross between hen scratching and Egyptian Hieroglyphics...and it's got worse with age, I have a condition called essential tremor....ET for short...(not that ET, although I have been accused of being in my own little world before ) it runs in my mom's side of the family but it's called "The Baumeister Shakes".....rather then find someone to write the check, find a stamp and mail it..... it's just easier to grab my check book, walk the 10 minutes or less to my doctor's office, hand the check book to the nice lady at the front desk and be done with it.....besides needed to go to Aldi to get a few groceries, and the two stops are in the same direction.....two birds with one stone as the old adage goes.......

(8:22 PM UTC-4)
(+63*F)
(Beethoven: "Christ on the Mount of Olives)
  Beautiful day, a quiet day walked a couple of times, it's nice after a long winter to be able to walk without having to "bundle up"......went to the local market that I used for many years before changing stores, still get a few things there either because the other place doesn't carry the item I want, or I just prefer the product, and I'm there sometimes because their in store pharmacy is where I get my meds......but the new store ......Aldi.....has better pricing...and is right across thee street from my lodgings....
  I'm about to watch the 3 episode of season 2 of "Westworld".....really enjoyed season 1....but haven't quite made up m mind about the direction the plot is going......

(2:45 PM UTC-4)
(+67*F...winds out of the SW 15 MPH)
(a YouTube mix)
   Walked this AM quite windy but actually quite pleasant....although we had no ill effects from the storm yesterday.....my brother who lives east of here lost power over night....
   Have some time earlier setting up "Trollie's Game Room"......it's private right now, until I get a few posts up, but will list a link here when I take it public......

(5:45 PM UTC-4)
(+72*F)
( "The Return of the Jedi")
  Despite all the severe weather warnings, it seems that the worst of it went below us, the power has flickered a couple of times but haven't heard or seen any thunder/lighting.......just lost the signal for the TV.....(dish not cable).....and sometimes any bad weather in thee area will affect reception.....very briefly...channels are back.....
  Walked a couple of times, once because I couldn't find a salt shaker i wanted to use for some pink sea salt I had bought.....so went back out to the store where I got the one I couldn't find and they no-longer had stocked them, and ended up with a few things I didn't know I needed, got home and was rummaging through the drawer I keep my containers for food in, and you guessed it, there at the bottom of the drawer was the shaker I couldn't find, what I can't figure out is why I didn't look there first.....
  I got to laugh when someone says thy were looking for something and found it in the last place they looked, well of course they did, once they found it, they obviously stopped looking.....  

(3:28 PM UTC-4)
(+65*F...light rain)
( a "Bones" rerun)
  Managed to find a "hole" in the rain and walked out to pickup a few things, rain is predicted through tomorrow with a high probability of the first thunder and lightning storm.....
  Now I'm very picky about chips.....except for an occasional vinegar and salt, and some corn chips, I usually eat ripple chips.....I dislike the standard tortilla chips, but I found some tortilla chips made out of pumpkin seeds.....One of my fav snacks, even from my childhood I've loved dried, salted pumpkin seeds.....so a great walk....
  For the second day in a row I lost a post to an interruption in my WiFi, apparently they are upgrading the hardware and software.....plus it disrupted some timed plans with the online  game I play as well.....
  I'm considering starting another blog, to talk about my perspective on online gaming, both the positives and the negatives of online play.....nothing decided as of yet....

(7:43 PM UTC-4)
(+64*F)
( a "Lord Peter Wimsey" episode )
  I beautiful day, except for the breeze was quite brisk, but went mostly wasted on me because of a combination of my joints were singing and I was a little stuffed up from pollen, the pollen count was high today.....up until a few years ago I had no environmental allergies.....but especially in the spring a high pollen count does do a number on me at times........
  This is my second attempt at a posting here today, and hopefully my last....the first one was aborted  because my WiFi connection was interrupted for the better part of an hour, and I lost the post......or most of it anyways........and decided to quick and try later...which I'm doing now.....
  I did do a bit of "fiddling" with the layout and theme of this slag heap yesterday after I posted.....nothing major but I've always been told that sometimes I just can't leave well enough alone.....

(4:53 PM UTC-4)
(+68*F)
("Clash of the Titans"(1981) on TCM)
  Was a gorgeous day.....mid 60s, mostly sunny, just light winds, took a long walk....partially to view the 3 ponds within a few 100 yards of my lodging....the closest ponds ( the pond were initially dug for drainage, but he water fowl have made the ponds their own )  has a nesting pair of Canada geese......saw the adults and although I did see the goslings I'm told they number 4...will enjoy watching them grow....
  Being the first of the month some fiddling on my part with the layout of this slag heap that I call a blog.....have not decided whether just the necessary "house cleaning" or major changes in both theme and layout.....it's been quite some time since I've made any major changes, and it maybe time....