Just in time for winter. So much for the salad idea!! LOL
The Nasturtiums FINALLY Get Going
November 8, 2026
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You can VOTE at 89 (or younger)
November 8, 2026
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Romey made sure her mom got to the polls. We got our country back from the goons. See how this works? Sure you do.
And you know what’s best about the whole thing? Showing the next generation how to vote and telling them why it’s important.
You don’t think it’s important? Read this.
—
Thanks Romey!
Future voter.
The Church of Cheese Sandwich
November 8, 2026
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Ginkos Go Yellow
November 8, 2026
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.
Woo hoo! The ginkos have changed, the ginkos have changed. The state arboretum us in our county. We are lucky buggers.
A quick interview regarding the ginkos
More joy
Iulie Makes Pancakes
November 8, 2026
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I mean from scratch. Get out the box. Read the instructions. Get the bowls and pans. Think about the order. Execute.
So fun to watch. Only minimal supervision these days.
Yum
Watch the Babies Grow
November 8, 2026
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Good lord, Leiden is walking and burbling. He’s like a little guy now.
And his big sister is so good with him.
We came back from Japan bearing gifts.
Mama.
Fall on the River
November 8, 2026
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Fall on the shenandoah brings out the colors.
.
Even an hour can make a difference.
House Gets a Haircut
November 8, 2026
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The ivy always needs a trim. So here we go. Freshly trimmed.
This makes the dogs happy.
Rush at Fifty-something
November 1, 2026
art, film, music, photography alex lifeson, anika nilles, Capital One Arena, closer to the heart, concert, dreamline, geddy lee, grace under pressure, la villa stragiato, limelight, live music, moving pictures, neil peart, red barcetta, red sector a, roll the bones, rush, spirit of the radio, the camera eye, tom sawyer, vital signs, washington dc, witch hunt, xanadu, yyz 1 Comment
Well hell, we’re 60! That means we were very young indeed when Rush started out in the ’70s. (I saw my first Rush show 45 years ago in 1981 at the Johnson City Civic Center at the ripe old age of 15—during the Exit Stage Left/Moving Pictures tour. I have only seen them one other time in Indianapolis in 1992—during the Roll the Bones tour.)
For my 60th birthday (which happened way back in February), Romey got us tickets to see Rush perform again. They were unbelievably good. But don’t believe me, have a listen to the videos shot using a pixel 8 posted below. And make sure you scroll down to the part where they play EVERY DAMN SONG ON MOVING PICTURES.
How good were they? I mean this face says it all.
Watching Geddy Lee bounce around on stage is an inspiration. Focused talent honed razor sharp.
The show opened with an extended Xanadu run
As you can tell, Anika Nilles fits into the sound perfectly…doing her own thing while respecting the world class drumming of Neil Peart. And the band is clearly having a great time.
Dreamline (from Roll the Bones). “like learning we are only immortal, for a limited time”
Cleanup on aisle 7. The crowd was not at all unruly (unlike, say, the Tennessee metal heads in 1981). They were as orderly as they were elderly.
Red Sector A (from Grace Under Pressure),
An extended version of La Villa Strangiato from Hemispheres
Set one (?!) ended with another song from 1980 Spirit of the Radio. I mean, this would have been a complete show all by itself. These guys are monsters!
I guess the real monsters are the old rich white guys who love Rush but still vote Republican. Idiots gonna idiot. There were many a bald head in sight. Maybe they are old rich liberals like me? Lets hope so.
After a short intermission (with a timer running on stage), the second half started with a complete run of Moving Pictures. Holy shit. Like a time machine to 15.
Tom Sawyer
Red Barchetta
YYZ
Limelight
The Camera Eye
Witch Hunt
Vital Signs “everybody got to deviate from the norm”
I mean, every frigging song on Moving Pictures as part of a set?! Bliss for the audience.
Though my phone battery was toast, I did manage to record Closer to the Heart, a song close to my heart.
It was extraordinary. The battery recharge will last me through the next Rush show, slated for 2071. Best birthday present ever.
Tokyo Last Licks: Gewgaws and Yukata at Sensō-ji
October 31, 2026
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The plan was to acquire some last minute gifts for family before hitting the airport. So after our very last organic Peninsula breakfast weirdness, we asked the concierge where to pick up a yukata in Ginza. The anwer was the neighborhood by Sensō-ji, so we added that to the Tokyo plan and off we went. Sadly, we taxied up and metro’ed back down…exactly backwards. (Just don’t even bother with the Ginza line which seems to have been built only for tourists.)
We arrived just as the stalls opened and found everything we were looking for at one stall! godzilla and the wave, red yukata, astro boy…the whole nine yards.
So that meant we had some time to wander the temple grounds before the crowds arrived. And arrive they did.
Romey played the fortune game. You’ll have to ask her about that.
And we witnessed part of a morning ceremony.
Of course the grounds and little gardens are the best part.
Romey and I traded photo taking with a french couple here at the very same spot where the kids and I were in 2019.
Well honey, the honeymoon is over.
Arigatō gozaimasu
