It’s a glorious springtime Saturday morning. Coffee is made. And I am barely awake.

See, last night I enjoyed a great hockey game; solo. Well, not really ‘solo’ since the lower section of the arena was pretty well filled with fans, but I did go by myself. Hence, I think it worth a riddle:

One big ice-hockey fan claimed to be able to tell the score before any game. ~ How did he do it?

[answer shown once you open the comments section at the bottom]

Weather – yesterday morning was all sunshine and the temperature was quickly climbing towards 80. Then fast moving clouds moved in.

Minutes later our warning sirens began to wail. Rains began to fall – hard. Winds picked up – trees and the like. And that is when the automated radio alert kicked in. This is 2019 and really, nothing on the radio should sound like Alexander Graham Bell’s very first test message made on March 10, 1876.

We’re told that later today will be a repeat of yesterday morning.

The corner of Chaos and Mayhem – I might as well be honest. It’s reached a point where the vast array of daily activities on our corner have taken air; upbeat, high-spirited, effervescent, sprightly, and at times even a bit lugubrious.

All of this is to say that our thoughts are quickly turning to the calming quiet and charm of the North Woods.

These were some of the events experienced this week;

The replacement of a knocked-down fire hydrant. A eight foot high waterspout emerged when it was turned on.

You can only leave a wreck for so long, and it disappears.

Spring means house cleaning and sometimes even the car trunk. Items spotted emerging from their winter hibernation; fish-net, egg cartons, football, Frisbee, lots of odds and ends, and a gas can and a tiny spare.

Plumbing Issue – Last week I moaned about a newly installed toilet at Adrianne and Tevita’s rental unit. Two identical new ones were installed and one worked perfectly, the other did not.

Number two had an issue. Well, Tevita came home late Saturday from work. The two of us sprang into action. Turns out that something had gone amiss with the wax seal. Since Tevita had been a Rugby player he got to lift the toilet, I got to replace the defective ring underneath. It was simple; replace, check for leaks, and all was well. What a team!

Adrianne has begun to show the place. Hats off to all who assisted in this venture; especially to Marcia and her magic paintbrush.

Busy – Time to get dressed. I just got a phone call that a cement contractor is on his way over to give a quote. Sidewalk issues on the drive apron and a section affected by some tree root heaving. They also do asphalt work so I’ll get pricing for a parking lot reseal, crack fill, and some striping.

Finis – This week we were treated to a first. The first photo ever of a Black Hole. To ‘snap’ this photo a 29-year old woman, PhD graduate from MIT, developed the algorithm which allowed an array of telescopes from around the world to join up to accomplish this feat.

That tiny spot is the black hole, 6.5 billion times the mass of our sun. The astrophysical jet protruding from it is 1000 light years long. The rest of the image is the entire M87 galaxy, the thing this Black Hole is feeding off. Mind blowing, astounding, awesome, and amazing.

Do well and make it a safe week.
Ciao
Dirk