Lucy's Journal

July 22, 2026 – Operation: Dave & Buster's

Dear Journal,

I should have known today was going to be interesting when I woke up and found Kiwi wearing a tiny baseball cap and carrying a hand-drawn map.

"Today," he announced from the coffee table, "we embark on our greatest mission yet!"

Peanut opened one eye.

"You said that before we stole popcorn from Rural King."

"And history remembers us favorably," Kiwi replied.

The Quackers marched in formation across the living room floor.

"Quack! Quack!"

Lucy Translation Services™ believes they were saying, "Proceed with the mission."

Just then, Gracie came bouncing into the yard, her tail wagging at approximately 300 miles per hour. Floating quietly behind her was the Ghost of Maybelline, looking amused already.

"What's today's adventure?" Gracie asked.

Kiwi dramatically unfolded his map.

"We are going to Dave & Buster's."

Peanut sat upright immediately.

"The place with unlimited flashing lights and games?"

"The very same."

"Excellent."

Maybelline floated a few inches off the ground and sighed.

"I can already tell this is going to end with someone getting chased by security."

---

After piling into our imaginary adventure wagon, we arrived at Dave & Buster's.

There was only one problem.

It wasn't open yet.

The doors were locked.

Kiwi stared through the glass.

"No! We've arrived before business hours!"

Gracie pressed her nose against the window.

"I can see Skee-Ball!"

Peanut climbed onto a nearby bench for a better view.

"I also see claw machines. This changes everything."

The Quackers had become fascinated by their reflections in the glass and were having a spirited conversation with themselves.

Maybelline floated through the front doors and came back a moment later.

"I have good news and bad news."

"What's the good news?" I asked.

"There are approximately one million games inside."

"And the bad news?"

"They're still closed."

---

Naturally, Kiwi proposed a plan.

"I call this Operation: Totally Not Breaking In."

"That name is not reassuring," Peanut said.

The plan consisted of:

1. Looking extra cute.
2. Seeing if the doors magically opened.
3. Looking even cuter.
4. Sending Gracie to wag at maximum capacity.
5. Having Maybelline report back as our ghostly scout.

Surprisingly, Step 1 worked about as well as Step 2.

Not at all.

So Maybelline floated inside to investigate.

She returned with a detailed report.

"There are racing games, basketball hoops, air hockey tables, and a giant claw machine."

Peanut gasped.

"A giant claw machine?!"

"Also," Maybelline continued, "there's a game where you roll balls up a ramp."

"Skee-Ball!" shouted Gracie.

"I was getting to that."

---

At this point, Kiwi climbed onto my back and attempted to peer through the windows.

"I've always wanted to play Pac-Man."

Peanut nodded.

"I would dominate Whack-a-Mole."

The Quackers immediately volunteered for a duck-themed racing game they hadn't actually seen.

Gracie wanted to play literally everything.

As for me?

I just wanted one of those giant pretzels.

Eventually, Kiwi spotted an employee inside vacuuming.

"This is our chance!"

Before anyone could stop him, he flew up to the window and tapped politely.

The employee looked up.

Kiwi waved.

The employee waved back.

Kiwi pointed at the games.

The employee pointed at his watch and shrugged.

Kiwi returned to us looking defeated.

"He says they open in two hours."

"Devastating," Peanut said dramatically.

---

With time to spare, we held an official meeting to determine which games everyone wanted to play.

Kiwi:

• Pac-Man
• Air Hockey
• Anything involving tickets

Peanut:

• Claw Machines
• Whack-a-Mole
• Skee-Ball (for prestige)

Lucy (me):

• Giant Pretzel Consumption
• Basketball Games
• More Pretzel Consumption

Gracie:

• EVERYTHING.

The Quackers:

• The racing games.
• Also, somehow, pinball.

Maybelline:

• "I'm a ghost. I can't physically touch anything."
• Secretly admitted she wanted to play Dance Dance Revolution.

"I knew it!" shouted Kiwi.

"I said no such thing."

"You absolutely did."

---

As the morning passed, we sat outside watching the doors and planning our strategy.

Gracie practiced her victory dance.

Peanut sharpened her claw machine skills by attempting to retrieve leaves from a nearby bush.

The Quackers raced each other across the sidewalk.

Kiwi gave an inspirational speech.

"Today, my friends, we stand on the precipice of greatness!"

"We're standing in a parking lot," Peanut corrected.

"Metaphorically!"

Maybelline floated above us, smiling.

"You know, one day you'll all realize the real prize isn't the tickets."

"What is it?" I asked.

"The friends you spent the day with."

There was a moment of silence.

Then Kiwi raised a wing.

"Counterpoint: Giant stuffed banana."

Honestly, he had a point.

Until next week,

Lucy

P.S. We never did make it inside.

P.P.S. Kiwi is already planning "Operation Giant Stuffed Banana" for next Wednesday.

P.P.P.S. I'm bringing extra quarters.

Wednesday

Tuesday's Tidbits

* Monday is over, now we are staring straight down at another Summertime Tuesday, time for a tidbits

* It has been 22,838 days since I was born, that is 21 years using my new,  new, new, and improved 1,069-day Calendar. Mom is at 30,487, which would make her 28 according to my new and improved calendar. 

* It has been 8,093 days since I graduated from WVU with a Degree in Geography. I love what I do and am thankful to still be working in my field. Has it really been 22 years? 

* 6,686 days ago, Michelle and I had our first date together. Life has been much better since then. 

* 5,890 days ago, I proposed to Michelle in the backyard at 4:00 in the morning. I've been the luckiest guy since that fateful day. 

* It was 5,927 days ago in front of our closest friends and family, for the most part, Michelle and I became husband and wife at the Marilla Center, it was a great day with friends and family. 

* I have now lived 3,065 days longer than my Dad did and I'm still going strong, slowing down but still going. 

* Michelle has been living a clean and productive life and beat that alcohol demon 1,719 days ago today. 

* My older Brother Jonathan lived 21,280 days, I've now outlived him by 1,576 days, making me Senior Supreme Sibling once again! 

* Old roommate Gregg proposed to his fiancée 297 days ago, I'm happy for those two. I asked him a couple weeks ago if they set a date yet, he said we would be the first to know. 

* I have 2,053 days to go until I retire, give or take a few hundred days here or there, but I love doing what I do. Who knows, though, doing what I do I may never retire.

* 210 more days until Phil steps to the center stage once again for Groundhog Day. I'm still mad at the damn rat

* 177 more days to go until my Goodbye 2026 Blog is posted. 

* There are 170 more shopping days left until Christmas 2026. 

* There are 155 days until I hit the age of 63. Yeah, I know, I'm really older than 21. 

* WVU Football opens the season in 60 more days as they play Host to Coastal Carolina. 

* There are only 39 more days to go until Michelle and I celebrate our 15th Wedding Anniversary......maybe

* It has been ∞ (infinity symbol) days since I have hated both Pitt and Penn State.

* I have written 8,416 blogs in what is now 21 3/4 years of Blogging.

* Still working 10's this week and probably next week as well. 

* Progress on my Selfie in Space, right here. We are ready for liftoff and holding. 

* Hi ho hi ho

Monday

All good things must come to an end—but if you’ve got to wrap up the weekend, today’s a pretty exciting way to do it. Now it’s time to take our collective noses and press them firmly back onto the grindstone of life. Back to work, back to the hustle, back to doing our part to make this spinning rock a better place.

Nothing much has changed, still working 10s this week, but I didn't work any over the weekend. We're trying to finish this round-up before we move on to the next phase of the analysis. We're cleaning up data so when the script runs, it doesn't blow up because of some topology errors. So, just some housekeeping on a large dataset so we can move on. I have a couple of other projects I am working in but they brought me in on this one because there was a lot of editing to be done, so I enjoyed going back and doing that for a while. I am teaching another class this week on the Outage Management System, this will probably be the last one I do for a group, but you never know. 

Michelle got to come home early late last week, they are taking their computer system down to make some upgrades, so they sent everyone home for the day. 

Have yoursleves a great day

Hi ho hi ho

Sunday Morning Ramblings

Here I sit in a semi-quiet household. Kiwi and Peanut are upstairs, all happy that Mommy's car got 4 new tires, and they are really excited about them. Kiwi wants to drive, but neither one of them can drive a 5-speed, so it will be humans only driving Pearl. 

I was up early yesterday and got Michelle's tires all changed; it rides and handles much better. The tires still had tread, but one of them was starting to show the wires inside the tires, so we decided it was just time to get her a fresh set of tires before the winter months hit.

I was going to cut grass yesterday, but it was sprinkling when I got home. I may re-evaluate today and see if if needs cut. Plus all that smoke that was in Morgantown from the Canadian wildfires was a little less than favorable, so I decided I could wait another day or even another week. It wasn't as bad yesterday as it was Friday, but I already tend to have coughing fits so I'll wait until the aire quality is a little better before I go joy riding on the tractor in the yard. 

Have yourselves a great day. 

Happy Birthday Kynlea Dalton

I would like to take this opportunity to wish my inspiring young great niece a very happy 14th Birthday today. 

Kynlea has a creative side, one that I think that she gets from her Mom and that I pretty much lack, she has creativity and likes making tiktok videos as well as other things. 

Wishing Kylea the happiest of birthdays as you officially become a teenager today! May your day be filled with laughter, cake, surprises, and all the things that make you smile. Keep being amazing, kind, and uniquely YOU. The world is lucky to have someone as bright and awesome as you in it.

Have a fantastic birthday, Kylea! 

Saturday Morning Ramblings

Well, here we all sit in a quiet household, Kiwi and Peanut are lying around on a lazy morning watching some Saturday Morning Cartoons. They are sometimes easily entertained on Saturday Mornings. As long as they are happy, I'm happy. 

Today is the day I get my new tires for Pearl, I ordered them last Saturday but they didn't come in until Monday and both Michelle and I work during the week, so I have the 8:00 AM time slot this morning to get the new tires. 

Weather permitting I will probably be cutting grass this afternoon. It's hard to believe it is already the middle of July and this summer is just flying by. 

Michelle will do our running around the grocery shopping this morning, so we will be completing two tasks simultaneously and getting her car ready for inspection next month. 

Have yourselves a great day. 

Big Ole Hairy Friday

Yes, it is once again that time of the week that we all look forward to when we can take time to cease the labors for the week and take a little bit of needed time out to enjoy the fruits of those labors. It is again the dawn of another weekend and a Big Ole Hairy Friday!!!!

Are you looking for a little bit of Cheap Entertainment this evening, and by cheap, I mean free? Well, head on down to the Ruby Ampitheatre this evening. Everclear will be the featured act for tonight. The sages will be the opening act, should be a good evening of some good music. 

Nothing really on mine or Michelle's agenda this weekend other than what we do most weekends. Grocery shop and, weather permitting, I'll be mowing the grass. We are at the point in our lives where everything seems to be lather, rinse, and repeat. We have become too predictable in our, or at least my, old age. 

Michelle has been going to Hayley's doctor appointments with her, she is really excited that Hayley is starting to develop that bump. I'm not sure who is more excited, Hayley to be a mother or Michelle to be a Grandmother again. 

Have yourselves a great day

Hi ho hi ho

Photo Flashback Thursday

Once a week, I like to take a little bit of time out, time to look at some of the 30,000+ photos that I have stored on my computer. Little lost moments in time that I either captured with a lens, scanned, or just stole from somewhere on the internet. I like to find just one and post it up, recalling or reliving the picture to the best of my ability. Sometimes this is a pretty easy task, and sometimes it's not that easy, but one thing it has always been a lot of fun.

I swear this was one of my favorite Halloweens. We had always done Halloween at my Dad's up at East Gate. Everyone would congregate up there, and it was always a good time. 

2015 was the first one after Jean passed, so neither she nor my dad was around. Amy and Ralphie stepped up and did so in amazing fashion. They were doing a Wizard of Oz theme, and Ralphie got smart and hooked the trailer up to his 4-wheeler and drove everyone around where they live to be able to cover more ground and hit more houses. 

Thank you for the memories Ralph and Amy. 

Go create your own memories today. 

Hi ho hi ho

Lucy's Journal

July 15, 2026 – The Great Pet Store Debate

Dear Journal,

What. A. Day.

I barely had breakfast before Kiwi landed on the kitchen chair, fluffed up his feathers, and announced, "Gentlepets, today's mission is scientific research!"

Whenever Kiwi says "scientific research," somebody usually ends up in trouble.

Peanut stretched across the couch without opening her eyes.

"So... we're causing chaos again?"

"Absolutely not," Kiwi replied. "We're conducting a completely unbiased comparison of Petco and PetSmart."

The Quackers immediately began quacking excitedly, although I don't think they had any idea what we were talking about.

Just then, our friends arrived.

Gracie, the black-and-white Shih Tzu, bounced through the yard with enough energy to power a small city.

And floating just behind her was our favorite guardian spirit—the Ghost of Maybelline. Her tail wagged gently as she shimmered in the morning sunlight.

"I'll supervise," Maybelline said with a ghostly smile.

That should have been my first warning.

---

Stop #1 – Petco

As soon as we walked inside, Kiwi flew straight toward the bird toys.

"I have found my kingdom!"

He tested every perch, inspected every bell, and attempted to critique the engineering of a wooden ladder.

Peanut wandered over to the cat aisle.

"The beds are acceptable," she declared. "But this scratching post lacks artistic vision."

The Quackers became fascinated with a display of rubber ducks.

Honestly, I've never seen ducks so excited about fake ducks.

Gracie somehow convinced a tennis ball to bounce down three aisles.

Meanwhile, Maybelline drifted through a display of squeaky toys, causing several of them to squeak all by themselves.

The employees looked very confused.

We left Petco with one conclusion:

Excellent bird toys.
Very respectable treats.
Friendly atmosphere.

Kiwi gave it four-and-a-half feathers out of five.

---

Stop #2 – PetSmart

PetSmart was much larger.

Peanut immediately discovered an entire wall of cat towers.

"I have found civilization."

She climbed to the very top and refused to come down for almost fifteen minutes.

Gracie found the dog toy aisle and somehow had six plush squeaky animals surrounding her before anyone noticed.

I sampled several dog beds.

For research purposes.

They were wonderfully soft.

Kiwi was impressed with the selection of bird food.

"The millet quality appears exceptional."

Nobody knew what he meant, but he sounded very confident.

The Quackers discovered a display of tiny pet swimming pools.

Naturally, they tried to climb into every single one.

Maybelline floated nearby, laughing so hard she became almost transparent.

Final score:

PetSmart earned high marks for beds, toys, and overall variety.

Peanut awarded it five purrs.

---

The Rural King Detour

On the way home, someone—I won't name names, Kiwi—suggested we stop at Rural King.

That turned out to be the most exciting part of the day.

The outdoor farm equipment looked like the world's greatest playground.

Gracie climbed onto a shiny tractor.

I posed proudly beside a riding mower.

Peanut sat on the driver's seat of a utility vehicle as if she owned the dealership.

The Quackers marched around inspecting every wagon and trailer like tiny construction supervisors.

Kiwi climbed onto the steering wheel of the biggest tractor he could find.

"I am now Captain Kiwi, Commander of Agricultural Operations!"

He looked ridiculously proud.

Maybelline floated above all of us, shaking her ghostly head.

"I leave you alone for five minutes..."

Then we smelled it.

Fresh popcorn.

Someone had a popcorn machine running.

Kiwi looked at Peanut.

Peanut looked at me.

I looked at Gracie.

Nobody said a word.

Five seconds later we were all happily sharing what was definitely "borrowed" popcorn while sitting on a display wagon.

The Quackers each managed to carry away popcorn pieces nearly as big as their heads.

Maybelline couldn't actually eat any, but she insisted she could still smell it.

"It reminds me of county fairs," she said softly.

For a little while, everyone simply sat together enjoying the afternoon.

---

The Official Results

After much discussion, several taste tests, and one completely unnecessary debate led by Kiwi, we reached our official conclusions.

Best Bird Supplies: Petco (according to Kiwi)

Best Cat Furniture: PetSmart (according to Peanut)

Best Dog Beds: PetSmart (my professional opinion)

Best Toys: Tie

Best Unexpected Adventure: Rural King

Best Popcorn: Rural King.
(Definitely Rural King.)

As the sun began to set, we headed home with full bellies and happy hearts.

Maybelline floated beside us until we reached the yard.

She smiled at all of us.

"You know," she whispered, "the best place isn't Petco or PetSmart."

"Where?" I asked.

"Wherever your friends are."

Then she slowly faded into the evening breeze.

Even Peanut got a little emotional.

She'll deny it, of course.

Until next week,

Lucy

Wednesday

Tuesday's Tidbits

* Monday is over, now we are staring straight down at another Summertime Tuesday, time for a tidbits!!

* It has been 22,845 days since I was born, that is 21 years using my new,  new, new, and improved 1,069-day Calendar. Mom is at 30,494, which would make her 28 according to my new and improved calendar. 

* It has been 8,100 days since I graduated from WVU with a Degree in Geography. I love what I do and am thankful to still be working in my field. Has it really been 22 years? 

* 6,693 days ago, Michelle and I had our first date together. Life has been much better since then. 

* 5,897 days ago, I proposed to Michelle in the backyard at 4:00 in the morning. I've been the luckiest guy since that fateful day. 

* It was 5,934 days ago in front of our closest friends and family, for the most part, Michelle and I became husband and wife at the Marilla Center, it was a great day with friends and family. 

* I have now lived 3,072 days longer than my Dad did and I'm still going strong, slowing down but still going. 

* Michelle has been living a clean and productive life and beat that alcohol demon 1,726 days ago today. 

* My older Brother Jonathan lived 21,280 days, I've now outlived him by 1,583 days, making me Senior Supreme Sibling once again! 

* Old roommate Gregg proposed to his fiancée 304 days ago, I'm happy for those two. I asked him a couple weeks ago if they set a date yet, he said we would be the first to know. 

* I have 2,060 days to go until I retire, give or take a few hundred days here or there, but I love doing what I do. Who knows, though, doing what I do I may never retire.

* 203 more days until Phil steps to the center stage once again for Groundhog Day. I'm still mad at the damn rat

* 170 more days to go until my Goodbye 2026 Blog is posted. 

* There are 163 more shopping days left until Christmas 2026. 

* There are 148 days until I hit the age of 63. Yeah, I know, I'm really older than 21. 

* WVU Football opens the season in 53 more days as they play Host to Coastal Carolina. 

* There are only 32 more days to go until Michelle and I celebrate our 15th Wedding Anniversary......maybe

* It has been ∞ (infinity symbol) days since I have hated both Pitt and Penn State.

* I have written 8,425 blogs in what is now 21 3/4 years of Blogging.

* Still working 10's this week and probably next week as well. 

* Progress on my Selfie in Space, right here. We are ready for liftoff and holding. 

* I have not heard from Daniel yet. I called Kamey a few days ago and she has not heard a word from him yet either. He is out. 

* Michelle has a doctor's appointment this afternoon. 

* Have I ever mentioned that I hate snow? 

* Hi ho hi ho

Monday

All good things must come to an end—but if you’ve got to wrap up the weekend, today’s a pretty exciting way to do it. Now it’s time to take our collective noses and press them firmly back onto the grindstone of life. Back to work, back to the hustle, back to doing our part to make this spinning rock a better place.

Peanut and Kiwi are a little bit sad. Gracie was here all weekend visiting, as Hayley and Tyler were down in the Southern Part of the state visiting a friend of theirs. They were planning what kind of mischief they are going to get into this week when the gang is all together again. They are keeping it a big secret from us humans. I guess we'll have to wait and find out. They were hinting about pet stores. 

Still working 10's this week after I worked the weekend, we have a very important project that we are trying to drive home and it is all hands on deck so I put in a few hours from home. 

Have yourselves a great day. 

Hi ho hi ho

Sunday

Here I sit in a non-quiet household, Gracie is here for a visit, and they have been up all night playing Texas Hold Em and drinking Grape Kool-Aid. I think Kiwi and Gracie are both cheating, with only Peanut playing legitimately, you only get two cards in hold'em, not three. 

Going to have some tires put on Pearl today, I went yesterday to two Walmarts and the place at the triangle in Westover. Walmart said you needed to schedule an appointment (to buy 4 tires), and I called Sam's, and that bunch of lazy asses weren't open until 9:00. I ended up being able to shop the tires that I wanted and schedule installation for noon today, much cheaper than anyplace I visited at NTB. I wasn't too happy with them with a tire repair last year, but their ability to shop and schedule an appointment was quite easy. I'm having them put on at noon today after the tires I wanted were not in the store yesterday. 

Not too much else planned, I may put in a few hours of work today, but that will be done at my convenience and when I want to do it. I have my computer at home and have it set up, it's just a matter of doing it. 

In case anyone is wondering, I still have not heard anything from Daniel. I talked to Kamey late last week and she has not heard anything from him either. I have continued to give him the benefit of the doubt, hoping he at least lets me know he is alright. 

Have yourselves a great day. 

Saturday Morning Ramblings

Here I sit in a quiet household, Kiwi and Peanut are both up and Kiwi has his little engineering table all set up, he pencils sharpened and is ready to start designing something. I think I heard them talking about a ski jump and a chair lift for this winter. Middle of summer and he's thinking ski ramp; at least he is just in the planning stages at this point.

Nothing planned for today. I might go and try to get new tires on Pearl today; she is due for a new set of tires, and it's probably smarter to do it now than after the first snowflake falls. I wonder if I can find any deals, since it is the offseason. 

Other than that it is going to be a boring and uneventful weekend. 

Have yourselves a great day and a great weekend. 

Big Ole Hairy Friday

Kiwi and Peanut

Yes, it is once again that time of the week that we all look forward to when we can take time to cease the labors for the week and take a little bit of needed time out to enjoy the fruits of those labors. It is again the dawn of another weekend and a Big Ole Hairy Friday!!!!

Are you looking for a little bit of Cheap Entertainment this evening, and by cheap, I mean free? Well, head on down to the Ruby Ampitheatre this evening. Dark Side of the Moonshine, a Pink Floyd Tribute Band, will be the headliner this evening. Kiwi and Peanut are both Pink Floyd fans, so they are planning on being there and grabbing their normal seats. They like to be back a little so they can let loose and sing and dance the night away. 

No plans on the agenda as far as I know, but like always, that can change at the drop of a hat. OK< enough chit chat, let's get this day started so we can start the weekend.

Hi ho hi ho

Photo Flashback Thursday

Once a week, I like to take a little bit of time out, time to look at some of the 30,000+ photos that I have stored on my computer. Little lost moments in time that I either captured with a lens, scanned, or just stole from somewhere on the internet. I like to find just one and post it up, recalling or reliving the picture to the best of my ability. Sometimes this is a pretty easy task, and sometimes it's not that easy, but one thing it has always been a lot of fun.

I'm going to try something a little different today, I'm actually uploading a video to Blogger and it's of Hayley's Gender Reveal announcement a couple of weeks ago. 

Just look at Hayley's face when she realizes that it is a girl, that look says it all and you can see the excitement is genuine at that exact moment. 

Have yourselves a great day

HI ho hi ho

Lucy's Journal

Dear Journal,

Today turned into one of our biggest adventures yet!

After breakfast, Kiwi flew down from his perch and chirped, "Adventure Day! Adventure Day!" That was all it took. Within minutes everyone had packed snacks, water, and enough imagination to last all afternoon.

Our crew—me (Lucy, the fearless tan and white Shih Tzu), Peanut the gray tiger cat, Kiwi the green cheek conure, the Quackers (our identical twin ducks), Gracie the black and white Shih Tzu, and our wonderful friend, the Ghost of Maybelline—set off down the Rails-to-Trails path.

The morning air was cool, birds were singing, and butterflies floated around us as we walked beneath the big shady trees. Every few minutes Kiwi would fly ahead to scout the trail before circling back to announce, "All clear!"

Eventually we came upon a place Dad used to tell stories about.

There it was...

Old Pappy Harold's Pond.

Dad always said years ago it was one of the best fishing holes around. Folks would spend all day there catching fish and swapping stories under the big sycamore trees.

The pond was peaceful now, with lily pads floating across the surface, dragonflies zipping through the air, frogs croaking from the shoreline, and turtles sunning themselves on old logs.

Naturally...

We decided we needed to have a fishing tournament.

Since nobody had brought fishing poles, everyone built their own.

I found a sturdy walking stick, tied some string to it with Dad's help, and used a bright red bobber I found tucked inside an old tackle box.

Peanut crafted the fanciest fishing pole of them all. She carefully selected a long, flexible branch and proudly tied on a shiny feather she had "borrowed" from Kiwi. For bait, she insisted fresh catnip leaves would attract the biggest catfish in the pond.

Kiwi built the smallest fishing pole anyone had ever seen. It was just the right size for a green cheek conure. His bait was a bright red cherry, because he was convinced bass couldn't resist something colorful.

The Quackers worked together as usual. They built one extra-long fishing pole that they both operated from opposite ends. Their secret bait was corn kernels mixed with tiny pieces of bread, and they confidently announced they were going to catch the biggest bluegill in West Virginia.

Gracie made a surprisingly professional-looking fishing pole using a straight sapling branch. Her bait was a juicy garden worm, and she declared she was after a beautiful rainbow trout—even though everyone gently reminded her that rainbow trout don't usually live in warm ponds like this one.

"Oh," Gracie smiled.

"Then maybe one forgot."

Finally, Ghost Maybelline floated over to an old willow tree. Since she couldn't exactly hold a fishing pole, she gently guided one with little ghostly breezes. Her mysterious bait was a glowing feather that shimmered in the sunlight.

"I'm fishing for memories," she whispered softly.

We all smiled.

Everyone spread out around the pond.

Before long the fun began.

Peanut's bobber disappeared beneath the water.

She pulled with all her might...

...only to discover she'd hooked an old boot.

"I think it's vintage," she proudly announced.

Kiwi's cherry disappeared almost instantly.

He excitedly reeled in...

...a very confused turtle who politely accepted the cherry before swimming away.

The Quackers caught three bluegill almost at the same time.

Well...

Actually two bluegill and one very surprised frog.

The frog seemed far less impressed with the competition than everyone else.

Gracie's line suddenly bent over.

"This has to be my rainbow trout!" she barked excitedly.

Instead...

Up came the largest snapping turtle anyone had ever seen.

Gracie wisely decided second place sounded just fine.

As for me...

I patiently waited while watching my bobber float peacefully across the pond.

Suddenly...

Splash!

I reeled and reeled and reeled.

To everyone's amazement, I landed a beautiful largemouth bass that gave one mighty splash before Dad carefully helped release it back into the pond.

Everyone cheered!

Then all eyes turned toward Ghost Maybelline.

Her fishing line slowly lifted from the water.

There wasn't a fish attached.

Instead...

An old wooden fishing lure floated gently to the surface, weathered by many years in the pond.

Dad picked it up carefully.

"I'll bet old Pappy Harold used this," he said with a smile.

For a quiet moment, everyone simply looked out across the pond.

It felt like the old fishing stories were still there, drifting across the water with the breeze.

As the afternoon sun began to sink lower in the sky, we packed up our homemade fishing poles, took one last look at Old Pappy Harold's Pond, and headed back up the trail.

Nobody really cared who caught the biggest fish.

The best catch of the day was another wonderful adventure shared together.

Until next time,

Love,

Lucy 🐾

Wednesday

Tuesday's

* Monday is over, now we are staring straight down at another Summertime Tuesday, time for a tidbits

* It has been 22,838 days since I was born, that is 21 years using my new,  new, new, and improved 1,069-day Calendar. Mom is at 30,487, which would make her 28 according to my new and improved calendar. 

* It has been 8,093 days since I graduated from WVU with a Degree in Geography. I love what I do and am thankful to still be working in my field. Has it really been 22 years? 

* 6,686 days ago, Michelle and I had our first date together. Life has been much better since then. 

* 5,890 days ago, I proposed to Michelle in the backyard at 4:00 in the morning. I've been the luckiest guy since that fateful day. 

* It was 5,927 days ago in front of our closest friends and family, for the most part, Michelle and I became husband and wife at the Marilla Center, it was a great day with friends and family. 

* I have now lived 3,065 days longer than my Dad did and I'm still going strong, slowing down but still going. 

* Michelle has been living a clean and productive life and beat that alcohol demon 1,719 days ago today. 

* My older Brother Jonathan lived 21,280 days, I've now outlived him by 1,576 days, making me Senior Supreme Sibling once again! 

* Old roommate Gregg proposed to his fiancée 297 days ago, I'm happy for those two. I asked him a couple weeks ago if they set a date yet, he said we would be the first to know. 

* I have 2,053 days to go until I retire, give or take a few hundred days here or there, but I love doing what I do. Who knows, though, doing what I do I may never retire.

* 210 more days until Phil steps to the center stage once again for Groundhog Day. I'm still mad at the damn rat

* 177 more days to go until my Goodbye 2026 Blog is posted. 

* There are 170 more shopping days left until Christmas 2026. 

* There are 155 days until I hit the age of 63. Yeah, I know, I'm really older than 21. 

* WVU Football opens the season in 60 more days as they play Host to Coastal Carolina. 

* There are only 39 more days to go until Michelle and I celebrate our 15th Wedding Anniversary......maybe

* It has been ∞ (infinity symbol) days since I have hated both Pitt and Penn State.

* I have written 8,417 blogs in what is now 21 3/4 years of Blogging.

* Still working 10's this week and probably next week as well. 

* Progress on my Selfie in Space, right here. We are ready for liftoff and holding. 

* Looking for Girl Scout Cookies? Ryleigh's Page

* Looking for Girl Scout Cookies still? Arabellas Page

* Hi ho hi ho

Monday

All good things must come to an end—but if you’ve got to wrap up the weekend, today’s a pretty exciting way to do it. Now it’s time to take our collective noses and press them firmly back onto the grindstone of life. Back to work, back to the hustle, back to doing our part to make this spinning rock a better place.

Kiwi and Peanut have both decided that they are too weekended out and need to take a day or so to rest and recover. They have one again decided to both stay home and sleep all day. 

Well it may be back in the office for me, they sent us all home on Wednesday last week since the Air Conditioning was out in our entire building. They are doing a lot of remodeling to the third floor, I'm not sure if one is related to the other. Hope bought the building earlier this year and is making a number of renovations, including acquiring the entire top floor as well. People are going to be moving around, so I'm just waiting to hear if I will be staying put or if I will be moving up to the third floor. Anyways I am planning on being back in the office today if they don't tell us to work remote again. 

Have yourselves a great day, I hope everyone had a Happy 4th of July. 

Hi ho hi ho

Sunday Morning Ramblings

Here I sit once again in a quiet household, Kiwi and Peanut are out in the yard cleaning up all the discarded fireworks that they let off last night. Let's just say they didn't order the snakes and sparklers and wanted stuff that went boom so this is what we get. 

Yesterday was pretty productive. Michelle was out of the house early to grocery shop, and I was going to tackle the grass that has been growing for three weeks. Rainy and wet weather had prevented me from cutting it, and with showers on the horizon, I knew I needed to address it yesterday before the 90°+ Temps started to kick in. Let's just say my tractor has headlights...lol

I put Ice in the shop on Friday to get new brakes and get it inspected. My front brakes were shot and have been for a while, but with 2-year inspections now a thing, I was waiting until it had to be inspected again. She is all good to go; now I have to put new tires on Pearl, and the white Subaru is ready for inspection. It could probably pass but her tires are a little worn and with Michelle having to possibly make a few maternity visits with Hayley, I would just feel safer with her having new tires on the car. I would have had it done yesterday, but 4th of July and all. 

Have yourselves a great day

Happy 4th of July

Here I sit in a semi-quiet household, Kiwi and Peanut have a big day planned as they are planning on pulling out the Weber kettle grill and doing some hot dogs and burgers on the grill as they prepare for their own homemade fireworks that they plan on letting off this evening. I'm a little worried. I was cutting grass and noticed they installed a blast shield to protect themselves. 

Today is the 4th of July, it was 250 years ago today that we officially declared ourselves a country. My Great-Great-Great-Great-Great Grandfather's brother was Lyman Hall, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. I've always had a copy of it hanging in my home to honor my family lineage and our country's formation. I've just recently leanred a little more information about him, so it's going to make some interesting research. Something my readers might be interested in and finding out about their own heritage. No time like the present. There is a great movie called 1776 that was done in 1972, I linked it to the bottom. Great movie, worth a watch. 

So agenda for the day, I'll try cutting the grass this morning, and Michelle will do the grocery shopping. Other than that and a BBQ it's going to be a quit 4th of July. 

Have yourselves a great 4th. 

Big Ole Hairy Friday

Yes, it is once again that time of the week that we all look forward to when we can take time to cease the labors for the week and take a little bit of needed time out to enjoy the fruits of those labors. It is again the dawn of another weekend and a Big Ole Hairy Friday!!!!

Are you looking for a little bit of Cheap Entertainment this evening, and by cheap, I mean free? Well, head on down to the Ruby Ampitheatre this evening and see no one. It's July 3rd and many people have it as a Holiday, but I'll be working. I'm sure the city of Morgantown is doing something to celebrate the 4th of July.

Ice is in the shop today; she has some repairs that really need to be made, namely my brakes and my inspection for the two-year period. I need to do Pearl next month on her normal schedule, but I'm goiung to put 4 new tires on it before that. They are fine, but one of them is starting to show threads so I'll just replace them all and stay ahead of the game. 

Have yourselves a very special day, for me it is Hi ho hi ho

Photo Flashback Thursday

Once a week, I like to take a little bit of time out, time to look at some of the 30,000+ photos that I have stored on my computer. Little lost moments in time that I either captured with a lens, scanned, or just stole from somewhere on the internet. I like to find just one and post it up, recalling or reliving the picture to the best of my ability. Sometimes this is a pretty easy task, and sometimes it's not that easy, but one thing it has always been a lot of fun.

This picture was taken last Thanksgiving, it's of Chris, Michelle and Dani and notice Michelle's shirt. She can finally wear that shirt again because this one is going to be healthy and spoiled. I can't tell you how excited she is for this whole thing. 

Have yourselves a great day

Hi ho hi ho

Lucy's Journal

 

Lucy's Journal – July 1, 2026

Dear Journal,

What started out as a peaceful Bocce Ball Tournament in the backyard somehow turned into the biggest water fight of the summer!

Dad marked out a beautiful bocce court in the grass and announced the first annual Backyard Bocce Championship. Naturally, everyone believed they were destined to become champion.

I, Lucy the tan and white Shih Tzu, proudly declared myself both Team Captain and Official Scorekeeper. I even carried around a little clipboard, although I may have accidentally added a few extra points to my own team every now and then. Totally by mistake... probably.

Peanut, the gray tiger cat, claimed she had "cat vision" that allowed her to determine exactly which ball was closest to the little white pallino. Conveniently, every measurement seemed to favor her. When nobody was looking, she gave one of her team's bocce balls the tiniest little nudge with her paw.

Kiwi, our clever green cheek conure, decided the easiest way to win was from the air. He'd swoop down, land beside the pallino, loudly announce, "Looks good to me!" and then quietly roll the little white ball an inch or two before flying away whistling like nothing had happened.

The Quackers, our identical twin ducks, formed the most suspicious team of all. Whenever one duck rolled a ball, the other would "accidentally" stand in everyone's line of sight, flapping her wings and quacking loudly while her sister secretly repositioned another ball with her beak.

Just then our friends arrived.

Gracie, the black and white Shih Tzu, smiled sweetly and said she was only there to cheer everyone on. Five minutes later she was hiding bocce balls behind flower pots and pretending she had no idea where they had gone.

Then, floating gently into the yard, came the Ghost of Maybelline, our sweet brown pit bull. Being a ghost gave her one very unfair advantage. Every time someone rolled a nearly perfect shot, a mysterious little breeze would appear and gently curve the ball just enough to change the score.

Nobody could prove it was Maybelline...

...but everyone knew.

After nearly an hour of playful accusations, suspicious measurements, disappearing bocce balls, and ghostly breezes, Dad finally laughed and declared that absolutely nobody was playing by the rules anymore.

That's when Kiwi had a brilliant—or terrible—idea.

He flew over to the garden hose.

Before anyone could stop him, he turned the nozzle just enough for a tiny stream of water to spray across the yard.

"SURPRISE!"

The Quackers immediately charged into the puddles, splashing water everywhere with their happy little feet.

Peanut darted behind a lawn chair, grabbed a small squirt toy, and soaked Lucy right on the nose.

"Oh, it is ON!" I barked.

Gracie found another squirt toy and joined the battle while laughing so hard she could barely aim.

Kiwi flew overhead making bombing runs with tiny drops of water he'd scoop up from a birdbath.

Ghost Maybelline drifted through everyone, creating cool gusts of mist that made it feel like a magical summer rainstorm.

Within minutes the backyard had become complete chaos.

Everyone was soaked.

Everyone was laughing.

Even the bocce balls ended up floating in a little kiddie pool that the Quackers had completely taken over.

As the sun began to set, we all collapsed on the patio, tired, dripping wet, and smiling from ear to ear.

Dad handed out treats to everyone and officially declared the tournament a tie.

Personally...

I still think I won.

After all, I was the scorekeeper.

Until next time,

Love,

Lucy 🐾

Wednesday