4th of July, 2012.  I was working, making 100 lbs of mozzarella, running around to fill things and help customers.  I started thinking about how things just sort of fall off as we move through life.  As if one were a vehicle of some kind, traveling with speed, and loosening up over time.  I thought about the time the wiper blades came loose during a downpour as we approached Wapakoneta traveling south on I-75, and were flailing about as the wiper arms kept going, back and forth.  I imagined the vehicle losing the parts that become unnecessary as life goes on, until finally the physical part of the vehicle is gone and nothing is left but the motion itself.

There's a gentleman who stops by my department at work to chat whenever he's in the store.  He's a retired dentist, around 80 years old, who owns a pug and has a daughter about my age.  He keeps me up to date on his tomato-growing techniques and travel plans, and sometimes asks for advice on cooking or cheese.  Yesterday he stopped in wearing a pair of Sanuk slippers, which I recognized as not your regular grandpa slippers.  I asked him where he got his hipster shoes, and he said that they were a gift from his daughter.  I immediately traveled back in time to the era of the Jerry Garcia tie, when my dad was the first old guy on his block to have one.  I thought, I wish I could give my dad a pair of hipster shoes.  For a few minutes I really missed him.

I haven't posted in over a year. 
Time to get it in gear. 
Spring is here!

Wake me up when it's over

Filthy, sodden snow
Sky of lead above my head
My heart longs for SPRING

Emily asked if I wanted to go skydiving...

I said YES!

It was a tandem jump, and my instructor/partner was David.

Had to back into position in the plane...

The fella with the dreads was the pro/partner of one of Emily's friends.

This was the door:

Showtime!

Anticipation... watching two other teams go first...

Here we go!

When we exited the plane, there was a brief moment of realization that there was no undoing it...

...then the awe set in!

Now we're falling at about 120 mph.

It was spectacular!

We spun around a bit...

Here we're still falling with nothing but a teeny white parachutelette to provide a little drag...

Then we fell through a cloud...

At this point the camera man kept going and David popped the chute just as we came out of the cloud...

It was a soft landing, right on the butt.

It was exhilarating!

BUG

Concoction of the day:

1. Prepare 1 box Near East Whole Grain Wheat Couscous using 1 1/2 c V-8 juice seasoned with 1 t ground cumin, 1/2 t Ancho chili powder, a pinch or two of salt and 1 1/2 T olive oil.

2. Heat one can black beans (I used Kuner's Southwestern Jalapeno Black Beans with Lime Juice).

3. Procure some salsa--I used Sweg's Medium Restaurant Style Salsa, sour cream and shredded cheese (if desired).

4. Cut 3 leaves of Romaine lettuce into strips (a large chiffonade) and dice half a ripe avocado.

5. Assemble in pasta bowl or on large plate in the following order: Bed of Romaine, 1/2 cup or so seasoned couscous, 1/2 c or so beans, avocado, salsa, sour cream and shredded cheese. Dee-lish.

It was a glorious day!

Took Buster for a well-deserved walk, his first in 3 days. We were barely out of the yard when we encountered Jenny the Pug and her two human companions. Jenny's people were happy to allow Jenny the opportunity to interact with Buster, as she doesn't get a lot of canine interaction and seems to be about as well-behaved as Buster. After a few minutes they were sniffing in proper friendly dog fashion.


We passed the yard with all the flowers in bloom.

We stopped to visit with Tyler, another canine friend, but his person wasn't home so there was no frolicking in the schoolyard.

Later, back at the homestead, Robert and I brewed some beer. We took turns stirring the wort.

It made the whole house smell like malt and hops. Mmmmmmm...