Tally got to spend time with her schnauzer brothers yesterday, returning home clean and well-groomed. She did not get to go to my oldest granddaughter’s birthday party because she still growls at little kids. This dates back to an incident years ago when a little girl screamed at her in fear – although unprovoked. Since that time, she been leery of little ones and has yet to befriend my youngest granddaughter. We end up locking her in the bedroom when she comes to visit. Hopefully, this behavior will eventually stop. Tally also growled at the sand cranes this morning, but they probably deserved it.

It’s time for another Indy 500 that I plan to watch this year from the comfort of my living room. I still recall all those years of getting up early on race day and fighting the traffic. During that timeframe, it was blacked out on TV, so as a result radio became my favorite way to follow the event. The race became the backdrop for home improvement projects like painting and building decks. Last year, the much anticipated start didn’t happen until August because of Covid, so the month of May was also not the same. In 2019 we were in Walla-Walla for the first time and in 2018 we were on our way to Oregon wine country while the race was underway. The early morning West Coast start never seemed to put me in front of the TV for the race, but the move to Florida has me back in sync with the traditional singing of “Back Home Again in Indiana” and the call to “Start Your Engines.”

This year’s Memorial Weekend project is more boxes to unpack and pictures to hang. Both cars are now back in the garage, as the “Box Score” nears ten. My wife planted her lanai garden yesterday, so things are really coming into shape. My son is due to come over so we can handle some of the heavier items that need to be organized. We did go to the fireworks last night, but the evening did not go as planned. There’s a meeting tonight to discuss our finances that we are clearly not in agreement about. She and Tally are at the dog park doing their morning routine while I wrap up this last post of the 1600s and move to number 1700, another milestone in this 5-year retirement blog.