We have a young gray squirrel enjoying eating the bird sunflower seeds. Apparently, the youngster is learning the hazards of life as you can see the stump where the tail used to be. We have observed it is not necessary to have a tail to shimmy up a shepherd’s crook and take one sunflower at a time, hanging upside down while eating the seed.

At the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally this year, AARP hosted a block rally with free ice cream and a virtual reality station. Boy, have things at Sturgis changed, for the better.

Their ads, plus the sign on the door, say, “We lose money being open on Mondays. Come eat and help us break even. Free pic with your meal on Monday.” Do you suppose that is the same reasoning at Perkins restaurants?

Another interesting restaurant ad, “$5 burger basket Mondays — keep the basket.”

Another enticing ad, “Buy two beers, get the second one free — Mondays only.”

The Central Division of the American League has become a tight race for three baseball teams (Twins, Cleveland and Kansas City). If either one of those three has a hot winning streak, like winning 25 out of 30 games, that team will be the Central Division champ. Unless the Twins can find a winning reliable pitcher, I don’t think it will be the Twins. If neither team has a hot streak, the Twins could be the Central Division champs.

It’s the time of year to watch the spring-borns becoming young adults. We have a pair of bluebirds teaching their youngsters how to survive in the human world. This is the first time I’ve seen bluebirds raise a family from eggs to youngsters in a city.

The hawks have raised youngsters on our city block high up in a tree next once again. The youngsters will, when we have the garage door up, fly into the garage after sparrows. Why the sparrows fly into the garage, I don’t know.

Genie attended the ELCA (Evangelical Church of America) ladies convention in Minneapolis. The convention was great, with about 3,300 attendees, the largest number ever.

She wasn’t used to the high prices ($4 for a bottle of water, $23 for a chicken sandwich, fries and hot tea). Genie stayed at the Hilton close to the convention center. She felt that they ripped her off when you couldn’t get into your room until after 3 p.m. If you wanted to get into the reserved room before 3 p.m., you could by paying $25. If you wanted to get your luggage before 3 p.m., you could by paying $10. Thus, by paying $35, Genie got into a room reserved for her before 3 p.m. The total price of the room was $183.71 before the extra $25. Per Genie, the room was very nice with a view. She was on the ninth floor. My one word reaction to the rip-off, “Uffda.”

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Bob is a retired AAL (Aid Association for Lutherans) agent, currently working on his master’s degree in Volunteering. His wife, Genie, is a retired RN, currently working on her doctor’s degree in Volunteering. They have two children, Deb in North Carolina, and Dan in Vermont. Bob says if you enjoy his column, let him know. If you don’t enjoy it, keep on reading, it can get worse. Words of wisdom: There is always room for God.