I’m listening to some MLB baseball and relaxing out in the driveway, and Zoey decided to lie down on the grass - very unusual for her! #DrivewayParty

Frannie the Corgi, from a Fall photo shoot I did in 2023.

It’s that time of year again… The local park field has turned yellow with flowers on the spurge that’s growing. Also, the cicadas seem loud and early this year. #Nature #YellowFlowers

I had a great night playing #AmericanMahjongg this week. I won three games out of four. Up until this point, I had only called Mahjong three times ever. #Mahjong #Mahjongg

Frannie out enjoying the sunny driveway.

I’m making up a big batch of vegetable stew for meals for the week. The recipe is in the ALT text. Lots of vegetable plus lentils and tofu for protein and fiber. 365 calories per serving. You can spice to your liking. #VegetableStew #HealthyEating #OffsetsBourbonAndCigars #OrSoIHope

The next canning project is raspberry preserves. We stocked up at Costco today, and I put up 10 pint jars this evening. #HomeCanning #WaterBathCanning #Canning #Raspberries

Back from our cruise to #Mexico and #Belize and had to take care of the out-of-control yard today. The string trimmer that I’ve owned for 30 years or so finally crapped out. It wound down with a gentle fizzle and is now in the garbage can. I’ve resurrected this a couple of times over the decades.

Today’s project was canning organic blueberries. My wife likes them with her yogurt, and it seems to be peak season for them in the stores. I hot packed these (water only, no added sugar) and put up seven pint jars today. #Costco #Canning #HomeCanning #Homesteading

My friend @zoorat.bsky.social and I rode bicycles yesterday up to the Saylor Dam marina for lunch. I logged 70 miles for the day. Got home, then mowed the yard. Boy, I slept well last night! Frannie found the last sunny corner on the deck as we sat on the deck admiring my work. #CorgiCrew #Corgi

Partly cloudy, 77° and a light breeze. What a perfect day it is outside! The wife and I walked the dogs around the neighborhood, and are now sitting on the deck in the shade relaxing. Not to self: It’s time to power wash and seal the deck again. #DeckWeather #Bourbon

These are the rhubarb sauce jar lids clicking down as the vacuum seals are being made. #HomeCanning #Canning #Rhubarb

I harvested rhubarb yesterday, then water bath canned the sauce that I made. I chose method this because our small freezer is pretty full, and I hate wasting rhubarb. I got eight 1/4-pint jars and three 1/2-pint jars of sauce. I use this sauce on toast and ice cream. #HomeCanning #Canning #Rhubarb

We went out Friday night to see a band from North Dakota called Jennifer Lyn and the Groove Revival. They were great! It was their first time in Des Moines. It was also only my second time seeing a show at the Temple Theater. #BluesMusic #LiveMusic #DesMoines #TempleTheater

We’ve moved the MLB listening party inside into the A/C, so I poured myself some Jack Daniels 12-yr batch 03. #JackDaniels #JackDaniels12-yr #TennesseeWhiskey #ControversialHotTake #Bourbon #YesItsBourbonToo

Many days, Zoey will hide back in the corner of the garage under my workbench. Today, she is snoozing on her carpet squares at the entrance of the garage, right behind the motorcycles. It’s shaded and still catches the breeze. #Dogs #DogDays #SeemsLikeSummer #ZoeyTheMiniFoxTerrier

My friend, @zoorat.bsky.social , and I put on about 35 miles on the bicycles today before the heat got too bad. #Bicycles #IceCreamRide

Listening to #DetroitTigers baseball and enjoying a My Father Le Bijou 1922 cigar in the driveway. The #ChicageCubs game starts in a few minutes. 84°, sunny and breezy. It is a good Saturday afternoon! #Cigars #MLBBaseball #DrivewayParty

The weather is about to get ugly! This is the night sky to the South of our house. Lots of cloud-to-cloud lightning on the way... #Lightning #Thunderstorms

I finally bought a humidor for proper long-term storage of the growing supply of cigars I’ve purchased. It has been seasoned and is holding the humidity steadily. #Cigars #Humidor #Padrón #DrewEstate #Oliva #ArturoFuente #MyFather

I was asked to photograph a friend’s daughter’s graduation ceremony tonight. Having done it at the this venue before, I arrived way early, came in the back door entrance, and found my seat on the side of the stage that allows me to capture the grads walking toward me to receive their diploma.

Usually, Frannie the #Corgi carries comically large sticks around on our walks. Not so today. #CorgiCrew

Setting up for dress rehearsal of the next incarnation of Cover That band. Cover That lost their lead singer, a guitar player, and bassist in 2025. But, they found a new rhythm guitar playing lead singer, who had a bassist for a husband. The six-piece band has now become a five-piece. #CoverThat

The city is redoing the basketball court and hoops in the park near my house. Frannie, always eager to supervise, introduced herself to the workers and inspected their progress. #FrannieTheCorgi #CorgiCrew #Corgi #PembrokeWelshCorgi

I stopped at a local cigar lounge at lunchtime today. I’m trying a cigar I’ve never had - Liga Privada No. 9. I like it! I’m going to take several home to put in the newly-seasoned humidor. #Cigars #CigarLounge #LigaPrivadaNo9

The 2026 Spring Guy’s Motorcycle Ride is over for me, and I’m back home safely. I logged just under 1,983 miles riding to NW Arkansas, and picked up 4 #Bourbon bottles to bring home. #ElijahCraig #SagamoreRye #RareCharacter #HarleyDavidson

Frannie the Corgi, half sitting on the stairs.

Bottle sharing after a day of motorcycle riding, and a friend from AZ brought a SazeracRye 125 proof. I can hardly wait until these hit the liquor store shelves in the State of Iowa. Good stuff! #SazeracRye125 #RyeWhiskey #Whiskey

Breakfast at The Big Biscuit this morning. We logged about 400 miles yesterday. We also had clear skies and 78°. Today sounds like more of the same weather. #RoadTrip #HarleyDavidson #HD

Cruising around Arkansas on the motorcycle today, and stopped at a liquor store. I chatted up the owner, and he found an extra bottle of Elijah Craig 15-yr Single Barrel bourbon in the back room. I found a bottle of Evan Williams Single Barrel special for Americas 250th - 117.76 proof. #Bourbon