01-31MAY25 - Sultan, WA

Thursday, may day, & Friday beautiful sunny days; lots of yard work yard work and some mowing.  And grandsons Jaxson and Mason get promoted to Yellow Belts at Jiu Jitsu!  Saturday wake up to cloudy and sporadic rain.  Early evening is Mason’s soccer, this is the semi-final for single elimination tournament that started with eight teams two months ago.

Sunday afternoon head to Mason’ soccer game; tournament is part of USYS Presidents Cup and USYS National Championship Series.  The US Youth Soccer National Championships, is presented by New York Life, and elimination games played every weekend in yearlong series of competitions for boys and girls teams in multiple age brackets.  Teams earn their way from the top teams in their state to the regional championship tournaments.

Mason’s has been playing qualifying games each weekend against teams from all over the Seattle area.  This is a semi-final game, if they win this and the final, the team goes to the next level of competition against statewide teams for the state title.  Unfortunately they lost 3 to 2 on unbelievable last second goal.  Opposing player was thirty yards from endline on left sideline unmarked; long pass to his feet, traps ball and launches rocket to far upper corner of goal – GOOAAL!!!  All parents were stunned and everyone broke into applause and cheers (even our team parents but not too loud).

Sunday (May the Force Be With You?), more yard work and lawn tractor repairman shows up; this is same guy who fixed mower two years ago; Dan found him by luck and he is only one on internet does all work at your house. Originally he had no room for Dan until end of May, but someone cancelled and we benefited.  Via internet he told Dan problem was carburetor float was allowing fuel to flood cylinder.  So new carburetor installed; then oil and filter were changed to be safe. Four quarts of oil/gas drained from two quart system!

Monday (cinco de mayo) great weather; Corrie has medical and runs errands; Dan continues outside choirs and then fires up newly fixed rid-em mower.  Unfortunately, same problem arises – new carburetor floods cylinders, mower dead.  Early dinner at mexican restaurant Mi Tierra.  Wednesday, 07MAY, cloudy; Corrie has girl’s day out with Jan Formisano.  Dan cleans barn and gets another pre-cancer dermatology treatment; more mowing☹

Thursday AM Dan off to Cardio everything is ok.  In afternoon mower repairman comes-by and makes free repair (including free carburetor) to lawn tractor.  Friday we load truck and pack up Rocket and head to the Pitre’s in Silverdale for Mother Day weekend; after arrival not much done.

Saturday mid-day Dan, Rebecca and Mason head to Jaxson’s soccer tryout for premier team.

Then off to a “pacific island” celebration at an event center in east Bremerton.  Hawaiian sno-balls; whole roast pig, and other island food.

Back to house before heading to Loft at Latitude 47 in Poulsbo for Mother’s Day dinner for Oma and Rebecca.  Back to house to collapse.  Sunday (mom’s day) early breakfast, pack-up truck, catch ferry and drive home; rain arrives soon after our return and not much done.

Monday 12MAY, Corrie runs errands and then works in veggie garden.  Dan fixes major leak in irrigations system and then starts mowing.

Sunday, 18MAY, rain stops early AM and this will be last clear day for a week.  So nothing but outdoor projects.  Big one is trimming bottom of all the Leland Cypress Corrie planted almost fifteen years ago.  Later Dan gets half the big yard mowed.  Monday (joe’s b-day) little rain AM; not much done until sun, comes back and then back to yard work and little more mowing.

Friday beautiful day spent on outdoor maintenance & small repair to ride-em mower.  One drawback to weather is cottonwood tree seeds are being released☹  The seeds are infinitesimal and surrounded by “fluff” and float down to accumulate everywhere. And then float thru open doors into house, RV garage and sheds!

Friday, 24MAY, glorious weather.  Dan rounds up miscellaneous metal in garage, barn and shop to take to recycle center.  Few years ago most cities had small private business barely making profit taking small quantities of scrap metal and paying you pennies.  Now they are all gone and municipal dumps only take larger pieces of steel or aluminum.   And they won’t take copper because it is often stolen.  Dan found one large facility thirty mile away that took any quantity.  And since he had copper - his driver license and picture was entered into data base; total "profit" was $28.00.

Monday (Memorial Day) rain in AM, sun returns after lunch; little yard work done and then BBQ’ing ribs for dinner.  Tuesday great weather for yard work and mowing.  Dan sees cardio clinic for pacemaker check out.  Mows most of the front yard (mower acting up)☹  Wednesday, 28MAY, first 80 plus degree day in more than eight months.  At lunch Dan heads to Poulsbo to watch Jaxson middle school football team.  Jaxson is seventh grade so he plays on JV and only gets ten plays at end of Varsity game (varsity is eighth graders).  Then catch the ferry home to Corrie and Rocket.

Thursday late morning Dan heads to southcenter mall in Tukwila for a luncheon gathering of some of his Academy Classmates that meet every two months.  Another great time.  Then long drive of home to miss dinner and small bit of mowing.

Saturday, last day of May, rain, after lunch sun returns, last bit of mowing, and then start on repairing spare wheelbarrow.