When a crazy guy shoots up a school, it is the fault of the gun and not the shooter.  But, when two crazy guys blowup the Boston Marathon, it is the fault of the crazy guys and not the pressure cookers.

Is it just me or does this seem to reek of media bias?

Well, I just got word today that the band that I am in has been selected to perform this summer at the Grand Rapids Festival of the Arts.  WOW!!

Festival is a three day celebration of the arts and is held in downtown Grand Rapids every summer.  Over that three day weekend, hundreds of  thousands will visit the event.  It is music, dance, food and fun.

This year, it is June 7,8, and 9.   We play on the 8th at 11:15.  Check it out!  http://www.festivalgr.org/

How many varieties of apples can you think of?  I can think of around a dozen.  Now, how many varieties of bananas can you think of?  I can think of Plantains and, well, just regular bananas.  That is all.

When it comes to apples, the variety that we select depends on the usage.  Some apples are good for pies, some are good  for eating raw while other make great apple sauce.  Still others work well with canning.

But with bananas, they are primarily eaten raw.  On occasion, they are used in pies, and bread and pudding.  But, no one makes banana sauce and they are certainly not canned.

And, unlike apples, biting into a crisp banana means that the banana is not ripe.

And, it is not just the banana that is limited in its varieties, the same can be said for most fruit.

The thought of a several day power outage, did not appeal to me.  I got very paranoid.  Communities with out power tend to attract thieves.  After all, homes without power tend to be unoccupied.  And, unoccupied homes are easy pickings.

And so, I debated with myself.  Do I go into work or do I stay home and protect my property?  While staying home sounded boring, I didn’t feel right about leaving my property unprotected either.  Plus, I wasn’t sure how work would respond.  Would they accept  my situation?  Could I work  from home?  All very good questions.

Fortunately, on Sunday morning,  I awoke to a clock radio that was still alive and well.  The impending power outage did not happen.  YES!!!

When I saw the generators at Meijer (regional grocery chain), my whole power outage strategy changed.  With a generator, I could keep my frig and freezer cold indefinitely.  Plus, I would have enough power left over to run my stereo and internet connection, maybe even enough for a small reading light.

As I was quickly doing the math as to what size generator I needed, a clerk pointed out that if I used my Meijer card, I would get an additional 15% off my purchase, today only.  And given the fact that large areas of West Michigan were without power, I was surprised that Meijer was not sold out.   But then again, I would not have expected to see generators at Meijer.  So, I really felt that God was leading me to buy this generator.  And, so I did.  Talk about Divine Providence!

So, with a generator, a 5 gallon gas can and a couple of heavy duty extension cords, I was ready for the worst.

The rivers here in Lowell, flood several times a year, so flooding is no big deal.  But this time, the water was starting to edge out onto city streets.

So, on Saturday morning when I was at Meijer (regional grocery chain) I decided that maybe I should buy some candles just in case the power went off.  So,  I bought two 10″ pillar candles.  And since I have a lot of votive candle holders, I bought 200 tea candles.

Good, I thought, if the power goes off, I can at least see to read.  But then early in the afternoon, the city left me a flyer saying that power to my side of town might be shut off late Saturday night or early Sunday morning and that it might be off for several days.

SEVERAL DAYS!!  This information changed my whole way of thinking.  After all, it is one thing to lose power for an evening and quite another to lose power for several days.  And, while I have plenty of candles, the thought of sitting in a silent house for several days, did not appeal to me.

Maybe I needed a battery operated radio.  And, not just a radio, but an iPhone enabled radio.  So, I was off to Meijer again.

In reviewing the battery operated radios, I found one that would not only let me listen to my iPhone but would also charge my iPhone.  Yes!!  Now all I needed was some batteries.

So, as I am headed down the aisle that stocked flashlights and batteries, I discovered that it was also the aisle with portable generators.  Generators!!!

Lowell City Hall

This is the back side of Lowell City Hall.  On the left side of the fence is a sidewalk and a street.  On the right side is a play ground.  This was taken before the river crested.  By the time it crested, the play ground was totally flooded.  For whatever reason, the city covered the street sign.  Maybe they were going to replace it with a “No Fishing” sign.

This is not the river, it is the 4H fair grounds.  The river is very high.

I may loose power before morning.

Happy Birthday Honey!!  I love you!!  I miss you so very very much!!

When I first started dating, I made a point of introducing my new girlfriend to my friends and family members.  After all, such introductions would help to cement the relationship and show a genuine interest on my part.

But, after several new girlfriends, it became apparent that such introductions only tended to confuse my friends and family members.  This confusion resulted in the names getting mixed up, which created some embarrassing moments.

Now, I am reluctant to introduce them until we have been dating for several months.  And even then, I am somewhat skeptical.