It’s been hot across the Midwest and to add to the heat, there have been successive days of air quality warnings.
This week’s sign offering is a tie.
a local sign spied on the main east-west road in Wheaton, IL July 16, 2026 at 3:11 PM CDT
I ran into this sign on the way home from an outing on Friday, Ottawa, IL July 17, 2026 at 3:57 PM CDT
I am tickled by both. But they don’t make it any cooler.
Thursday evening’s sunset looked like I was looking through those eclipse glasses from 2024.
photo at normal magnification… 1X
photo at zoomed magnification… 2X
photo at zoomed magnification… 5X
Yesterday, I drove to Dwight, Illinois – a town southwest of home to see the Big Boy locomotive stop as it traveled back to it’s base in Wyoming after touring the USA for America’s 250th Independence Celebration.
The Big Boy travelled through Wheaton in early June and I was at the lake. I’ll write more later on this… but the skies were clear and hardly any smoke south of here.
the Big Boy in Dwight
blue skies and puffy clouds south of home
blue skies and big thunder clouds close to home, haze had left
This morning (Saturday), it’s hazy and we still e an air quality warning until midnight but the temperatures are slowly dropping. My regular Saturday morning gig – the food pantry – is closed and was closed Thursday as well due to the air quality. Hopefully, we’ll be back Monday.
I’ll be happy to wave goodbye to the heat, too.Β
I head back to the lake for the annual canoe race next weekend. It’s going to be a family weekend with the my son and his family (the grandies) coming to enjoy a long weekend at the lake. I am looking forward to it.
I’ve been working on this post for a bit too long – so I’d better jump up, jump in, and seize the day. Today is going to be an amazing day. Making the Days Count, one day at a time, even. when it takes a couple of days to finish a post.
Do you ever get distracted and lose ‘steam’ on a post?
It’s been a busy few days since I last posted. I skipped the sign of the week and a few other things. I have been at the lake for the Independence holiday weekend.
Sign of the Week
America’s 250 years since declaring our independence from the United Kingdom, pales in comparison to our mother country and almost every people across the globe besides those of us whom live in the New World. Yet, we celebrate our milestone proudly.
I bring you three flags, yes there is a third flag in the background.
Attempting to capture a image which does justice to the alignment of hundreds of American flags flying in the breeze is impossible, but I tried.
I was allowed to pick up the flags and planted them along the road at our lake house Friday.
I left Friday morning and was surprised by the lack of traffic on the highway as I patiently drove east, then north.
I was two hours into my drive when I remembered a blog post from my friend Dawn at Change is Hard. She had posted about a field filled with poppies which she and a friend had visited in mid-June. I commented that I drive past the field on my to our lake house. At the time I thought about driving over and back, but decided I had other things I should be doing and filed it away for another time. As I drove along, I remembered the poppy field and recalculated my route to include stopping and paying a visit.
I am glad I stopped. Words cannot describe, nor can a picture; but I tried.
The poppy filed was stunning. I’ll be passing there this evening as I head home for a doctor’s appointment and a Β few other things before coming back for the canoe race. I am excited to see the poppy field in the evening sun.
Independence Day at the lake is always fun, except if you are a dog. Especially, Fern who is terrified of fireworks. She’s a hunting dog breed, but we aren’t hunters so she hasn’t been acclimated to the sounds. She’ll hide when the Guard Camp is doing live fire across the lake or during thunderstorms.
There were fireworks on the lake Friday and Saturday evening, but I chose to stay close to Fern and Nova.
Saturday morning was the day of the boat parade and my daughter had been busy creating her theme for this year’s 250th Independence Day Lake Margrethe Boat Parade.
She dressed as George Washington with her ‘troops’ riding behind. It’s her cousin and his young family as American soldiers crossing the Delaware for a sneak attack on the British at Trenton on Christmas night 1776.
The boat parade wound the shores of the lake and lasted a little over an hour before we finished and gathered for hot dogs, hamburgers, and judge’s results. I am surprised our little band of soldiers made it.
I created the video of the event with other entries, but not all of them. I set it to Ray Charles’ rendition of ‘America the Beautiful.’ Enjoy.
So there you have it, three flags (in front of the house) with three events to celebrate American independence.
It’s Wednesday and it’s already the best Wednesday this week. I’ve got a couple of chores and some packing before I head home. So, I’d better jump up, jump in, and seize the rest of the day. Making the days COUNT, one day at a time, making every moment worthwhile.
Have you ever been somewhere special and gone back to see it in a different light?
While I was writing Wednesday’s W^2 post, I was sipping coffee at a Starbuck’s because a thunderstorm had knocked our power out. I figured I could charge my devices, create an overdue post, and maybe collect my thoughts from an already busy week.
I finished my post and my coffee, then stopped to grab dinner and head home.
The power had not been restored; fortunately the storm brought relief from the heat and humidity, so sleeping without power came quickly.
the culprit, a large branch had snapped and taken out the electric lines when it crashed to the ground…
The power was still out when I awakened Thursday morning. I checked with the power company – the update stated that they planned to have power restored by Saturday at 3:00 PM! I knew that our outrage was relatively small – only a 100 customers. According to the power company, they had more than 200,000 customers without power, so I understood the three-day timeline.
No power meant no coffee. So, I left the house to grab a cup of coffee. I had a lot to think about.
Thursday’s forecast called for two more waves of severe storms, with the latter being the strongest.
Besides the power being out, I planned to be at Β lake the following day , but I couldn’t leave the house without power including a full refrigerator and freezer. I had a lot to think about and do.
My first thought was to get a generator, which I quickly realized made little sense. Then it shifted to empty both freezer and refrigerator, clean them, and restock later when the power was restored. Finally, it dawned on me I could donate the salvage the frozen food and donate them to the food pantry, while tossing the what couldn’t. To do the salvage and donate, I needed to borrow a cooler from my son, so I left the house to pick it up and passed the cause of the power outage where I discovered two power company repair trucks parked and waiting. So maybe, power might be restored after all. I got the cooler, anyway, and was back a half-hour later.
a large branch had been cut here….
the damage…
the street is is ready and the lineman haven’t started , yet..
and the cut, created an opportunity for animals to create the hollow that weakened the limb…
When I returned, the power company was starting to stage the repair by closing off the two lane road before beginning the repair.
I took a walk to inspect, and be nosey. I took a few photos, too. On the way back I ran onto a few neighbors and I shared what I had learned.
So, I waited. I took a short nap.
The first wave of thunderstorms rolled through, then power came back on. We had been without power for twenty-three hours.
We still had one more wave of weather to roll through and it would be the most severe of the week, possibly the season. But I was relieved and I could start thinking, again.
The last line of storms passed through with the worst of the storms passing south of our home. And the electricity stayed on.
Friday morning, I drove to the lake, stopping along the way to visit my brother and his wife at their campsite in Holland, Michigan. Yesterday, they joined us at the lake for a visit and dinner. Today, we hope to take a ride on the lake and finish the day with dinner.
Until then, I need to get moving and jump up, jump in, and seize the day. Today is going to be a great day. Making the Days COUNT, one day at a time, slowing down to restart thinking.
Saturday, I took the longest hike in a long time β just under three miles with two dogs in tow. Or rather being towed by one dog and staying out of the way of the other.
In the past couple of years, Iβve gone on shorter hikes but I havenβt been getting out for longer hikes for more than a while. Itβs a new year for the Take a Hike Challenge from the forest preserve and I skipped β23 and β24βs challenges but I am back this year.
outward bound Herrick Lake Forest Preserve, Wheaton, IL September 6, 2025 3:53 EDT
Saturday Fern, Nova, and I walked through Herrick Lake Forest Preserve. Itβs a favorite of mine, itβs close and a good length with forest and prairie landscapes with just enough up and down to get the heart moving while the feet are following each other round moving me from start to finish.
on the way back to the trailhead. Herrick Lake Forest Preserve, Wheaton, IL September 6, 2025 4:22 EDT
When I got home, I had enough energy to refresh the bird feeders and a few other chores before calling it a day. Fern and Nova were completely spent, too.
It is Wednesday and today is going to be a wonderful Wednesday. Itβs the middle of the week and school has a late start with a faculty gathering first thing at 7:30 AM. The bells will ring before I know it, so Iβd better jump up, jump in, and seize the day. Making the Days Count, one day at a time, one foot after another is way to tackle life.
Is there something you’ve recently re-started that youβve been avoiding?
W^2 or W squared for Wordless Wednesday, August 13, 2025
The Great hall – Union Station, Chicago, IL Sunday, August 10, 2025 5:10 CDT
Summer break is finished. Every year when I get to this point, this day on the calendar, and I ask myself the question,
Did I do enough?
This year, I can answer yes.
Of course there are things I didnβt do, but I did a lot.
This past summer I passed through several train stations β Paddington, Swansea, St. Pancras, Gare du Nord, Amsterdamβs Schiphol, Central, and North, and this past Sunday β Chicagoβs Union Station.
Sunday, I used public transit to attend a baseball game on the southside. It was a good game and getting to the city and back was easy and efficient.
I am partial to the black and white, which do you prefer?
Itβs the last day of summer break and I am going to finish strong and be ready when the alarm rings early tomorrow morning. Today is going to be like the last sixty-nine days have been β AMAZING. I know it and I can feel it, so Iβd better jump up, jump in, and seize the day. Making the Days Count, one day at a time, especially when a last day leads to a first day.
I pass this place on my way to and from the lake house. When it is open, there is often a line to get in, sometimes the line stretches down the block and tests your resolve about whether the ‘exercise’ is worth the wait. But it’s summer and ice cream is refreshing and tasty.
It was National Ice Cream on Sunday, July 20th. We celebrated early with an ice cream treat in Paris at Berthillon on Ile St-Louis. It was delicious and there was a line to get a treat, but it was worth it as we waited patiently in the shade with other ice cream lovers on a warm Parisian Friday afternoon.
it’s the best exercise… Tasty Treat, Lake City, Michigan, July 25, 2025
It’s Friday and today is going to be an amazing day. This morning I am off to Boston to complete my bucket list at Fenway Park, three days and three baseball games, then home to finish summer and getting ready for school to restart in a couple of weeks. Where does summer break go? Making the Days Count, one day at a time, enjoying an ice cream cone while it’s summer.
I’ll be trading my summer office for a hotel room, park bench, or cafe somewhere or someplace.
βCause Iβm leaving on a jet plane,Β
I remember when this song was popular. It was 1970 and we were living in Venezuela and preparing to move back to the states. I can remembering hearing this song playing on the record player in our home as my mom packed the house before Β the movers arrived to load everything to return the states. We weren’t much help – me aged 8, and my two brothers aged 7, and 5; likely more in the way than a help.
Jet travel was new and novel, and probably very expensive. But for an eight year-old, it was a wonderful experience and lasting memory. It was a propellor plane to Caracas and jet plane to Miami, then another jet home to Houston. Even today, when I smell diesel exhaust which Β smells similar to jet exhaust, it takes me back to those early days of jet travel.
my mom – 1966 Paris at Orly, watching planes with us
Funny, but I am not alone. Every year when I teach the unit on smells and particles, the students make a list of smells they like and don’t like and we compare as a class. Invariably, there is always at least one kiddo (or more) who says they like the smell of diesel exhaust for the same reason; it’s usually a boy.
βCause Iβm leaving on a jet plane,Β
Today is going to be a great day, it could be a million and six times better than yesterday. So, Iβd better jump up, jump in, and seize the day. Still need to finish packing and taking care of things around the house. Making the Days Count, one day at a time going back and forward all at the same time.
Today is going to be an amzing day, so Iβd better jump up, jump in, and seize the day. Making the Days Count, one day at a time. Finding color everywhere I look!
W^2 or W squared for Wordless Wednesday, June 25, 2025
Happy Wednesday! Our heat wave has broken and it is a bit cooler this morning. Last night thunderstorms rolled through dropping almost an inch (2.54 cm) of rain overnight.
Normally on summer morning, Iβd be out at the βsummer officeβ listening to the birds and feeling the gentle breeze as the world around me awakens, but the βofficeβ is wet and damp, so Iβll wait for another morning, or late evening to enjoy the backyard.
Sadly these Dahliaβs went north to lake with my wife yesterdayβ¦..β¦. But I am left with these kindβs of viewsβ¦ a house finch enjoys the sunflower seed feeder
I am going to enjoy the inside office of the breakfast table and my office desk in the basement for today and maybe the βsummer officeβ will be available tomorrow. Who knows? But today could possible be the best day ever, so Iβd better jump up, jump in, and seize the day. Making the days COUNT, one day at a time, getting things done wherever I work.
Does your workspace vary? Where do you find yourself working today?Β
