Celestial Vision on Iron Street

Enough is enough

Ok, for some years, at least as long as I've been back in the Northwest after living in Phoenix, I've made fun of the local NWesterners and their complaining of heat. I have ridiculed and poked fun at what I've seen as a tendency to complain about the least amount of weather. 80F for a couple days does not constitute a "heat wave" any more than a few inches of snow makes a "blizzard".
Now the last couple days, last night being the worst, constitutes some real heat. It was over 90F in our kitchen yesterday afternoon and our outside temp was 101F at 1500. We've not had a decent nights sleep in 2-3 days and it looks like the heat is going to be around for a while longer.
So if I complain about the heat, please know that my parameters for complaining begin at 90F not 75F. I love snow too!

REPRESENTATIVE!!!!!!!

Ok, so we got a new computer today and despite my sister putting a bug in my ear about Macs, we ended up with a PC.
Jimmy and I are still together even after me on the phone with Jarveet, and someone else in Delhi. They were all very helpful and ever so polite, but I admit to losing it a few times.
So we have the new PC up and running.

I forgot to add that when I drove past the "tea party" yesterday, I waved my Cross of St. George back at them. The only thing is; I bet they all thought it was a flag from one of the smaller Scandanavian countries. Perhaps I should have taken the larger Union Jack with me in the truck.

Sunday morning

Sunday morning and the last day of a 3 day week-end. The dryer is humming, Jimmy is playing
silently with his headphones on, a sound so comforting even though all I hear is the thumping of
the keys. The sounds you hear here mostly only on the week-ends. A very quiet morning as last was a late one for most in the neighbourhood. We went up the stairs to the studio above the garage and watched the fireworks over Bellingham Bay from there.
Even the dogs are quiet for the moment and it's nice.

A sad note: Seattle had only one big fireworks display this year over Lake Union. The display over
Elliott Bay put on over the years by Ivar's was canceled this year. I'm not sure what the reason was
for this but I expect it was about money. Perhaps it was the smart thing to do given the seeming
wastfulness of it all. The sad part for me I suppose is the thought that there were no fireworks for the residents of Lomita Vista Apartments. Many a 4th of July I watched, with nearly a front row seat from my balcony, while
a gigantic display was shot off a barge loaded with rockets red glare etc. From that vantage point
could even smell the gunpowder.
The thought that the folks who live there now won't be able to enjoy those times is sad to me. Its like the rent rising to the point where regular folks can't afford to live there after many decades of bohemian rents in a garden district. Like what kind of flower pots you could have on your deck.
Well no one hear can tell us what kind of flower pots to have!
By the way: The local "tea party" here in Bellingham was attended by what looked like to be about 10 or so folks with flags and some plackards protesting the President. Pretty pitiful on one hand and quite promising on the other.

Independence Day

Choosing this day to show a picture of the Queen is not an accident of course. Before I moved in with Jimmy here in Bellingham, I flew the Union Jack from my balcony on Queen Anne Hill. It's mostly for fun, my Anglophileness, but I do feel that if we hadn't separated from Britain back in the 18th century we might not have capital punishment now and Jimmy and I would have a Federally recognised relationship instead of one which, though recognised by the State of Washington, is not a marriage and is not recognised anywhere else in the nation but for the states which have legalised same-sex marriage or have similar DP laws. I expect that we would still need to "re-register" or get married in what ever state we moved to (not that we are planning that). I just think that Britain, like most of Western Europe has moved on in areas where we on our side of the pond are still wallowing in issues that we should have stopped arguing about. The idea that we are still discussing whether or not to teach "Evolution" in the schools and that children in this country do not get decent sex education is ridiculous.

So happy birthday United States of America and God Save Her Majesty The Queen! Let's blow some stuff up, scare the animals, trash the beach and grill some weenies!

Coco

It's time you saw Coco, the first dog Jimmy and I adopted. In 2004, brought home from the local humane society just before Christmas Eve. Sore and drugged after her mandatory "fixing", she was quite relaxed while we had a visit from my old time friend John Bullwinkel.
When Bruno entered the scene here on Iron St. last April, Coco became the most long suffering dog in Creation. By the term "Creation", I am most definitely not suggesting that I don't accept Darwin's theory.
As Bruno has repeatedly required Veterinary attention, Coco has only needed her check-ups and shots, the usual stuff. Lately for Coco it is like Bruno gets all the attention; soaks with Jimmy in the tub, the giving of pills with slices of lunch meat, "the cone" (not that Coco would really like to wear it), the foot sprays and all.
Any way, she is such a good dog and as you can see from the photo quite the charming beast. We are generally un-molested by the poor Jehovah's Witnesses, door to door sales/fundraisers, and the like. Bruno, despite his posturing, is really a push over and not to be relied on in the protection department.