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Post by kds on May 27, 2022 12:23:23 GMT
So, we've arrived to one of my favorite weekends of the calendar year.
Since I was a kid, summer has been my favorite time of year. And, in the US, Memorial Day Weekend is the unofficial start to summer.
Growing up, the long weekend represented the "two minute warning" of the school year. It was often the first weekend my Dad would fire up the grill (grilling in the cooler months was a thought that never occurred to me until I was an adult). And, in addition to the first cook out of the year, it was pretty common for us to get our first steamed crabs of the season. I used to love watching the local news that evening to see the live reports from Ocean City, Maryland. In fact, I might DVR the 6 O Clock News tonight to see if they still do that.
Now, as an adult, the start of summertime is a little different. The days are carefree summers are long gone. But, there's still plenty to enjoy. There are about four months of warm weather to look forward to, and also about three months of post 8pm sunsets. Plus, this is typically the first weekend I play my Spotify summer playlists (a bit of a change from the summer CDRs I spent time burning back in 2006).
I really enjoy this time of year because it's all ahead. Summer goes by so, so quickly, especially after the Fourth when our summer gets busier. But, the early part of summer is a little more laid back, and I get more of a chance to soak it in.
After storms move out today, we should be seeing sun and low 80s for the weekend. Perfect for this weekend.
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Post by The Cincinnati Kid on May 27, 2022 13:07:24 GMT
Memorial Day weekend is one of my favorite weekends as well for similar reasons as you. It's also the biggest race weekend of the year, with F1's Monaco Grand Prix in the morning, Indianapolis 500 in the early afternoon and the Coca-Cola 600 to close out the evening. I'll be attending my 16th Indy 500 in a row (aside from 2020 and hate I now have to add that caveat) and can't wait. There's really nothing like having over 300,000 people gather to all watch the same event and have a good time. I get chills every time I hear Back Home Again in Indiana:
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Post by Kapitan on May 27, 2022 13:19:16 GMT
Memorial Day weekend isn't exactly a special holiday in my mind--no big family traditions or anything--but every year when it arrives, I greet it with a warm welcome. It always feels like it's time for a holiday as the weather improves, and then presto, there's a Monday off. Very welcome, indeed.
The fact that we're going from a cooler week to suddenly temps in the 80s all weekend makes it really feel like a traditional kickoff for summer, too. Despite work being quite busy at the moment and a lot due Tuesday and into next week, beyond actual work I'm going to get my various chores done today, if I can, so that I'll have all three days to truly relax and enjoy.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on May 27, 2022 13:21:58 GMT
Yes, Memorial Day is one of my favorite holidays, too. It's the whole weekend, actually. You can start sometime on Friday and go all the way through Monday. I find it unique in that way. And, yes, it does give you a feeling of "a start", in this case the start of summer. To me, Memorial Day is the unofficial first day of summer. That being said, of course it's always nice if the weather cooperates. Cookouts, maybe taking the cover off the pool (not mine ), some serious yard work, sitting on the deck, Beach Boys' music...
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Post by kds on May 27, 2022 13:57:58 GMT
Memorial Day weekend isn't exactly a special holiday in my mind--no big family traditions or anything--but every year when it arrives, I greet it with a warm welcome. It always feels like it's time for a holiday as the weather improves, and then presto, there's a Monday off. Very welcome, indeed.
The fact that we're going from a cooler week to suddenly temps in the 80s all weekend makes it really feel like a traditional kickoff for summer, too. Despite work being quite busy at the moment and a lot due Tuesday and into next week, beyond actual work I'm going to get my various chores done today, if I can, so that I'll have all three days to truly relax and enjoy.
Despite some July type weather this past weekend, this week has been pretty cool, so it'll be nice to have some more typical late spring / early summer weather this weekend.
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Post by kds on May 27, 2022 13:59:16 GMT
Yes, Memorial Day is one of my favorite holidays, too. It's the whole weekend, actually. You can start sometime on Friday and go all the way through Monday. I find it unique in that way. And, yes, it does give you a feeling of "a start", in this case the start of summer. To me, Memorial Day is the unofficial first day of summer. That being said, of course it's always nice if the weather cooperates. Cookouts, maybe taking the cover off the pool (not mine ), some serious yard work, sitting on the deck, Beach Boys' music...
Cooking out tomorrow. I'll be mowing the lawn either tomorrow or Sunday, depending on how wet the lawn gets with today's rain / storms. Definitely some sitting on the deck with some music, no doubt including The Beach Boys.
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Post by Kapitan on May 27, 2022 14:11:46 GMT
I was thinking, too, that the grill has to come out this weekend. I haven't used it yet this year, and am not sure what's going to go on it. But it seems like a crime if I don't grill some meat this weekend. Burgers, brats, kebabs, shrimp, chicken? We'll see.
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Post by kds on May 27, 2022 15:25:13 GMT
I was thinking, too, that the grill has to come out this weekend. I haven't used it yet this year, and am not sure what's going to go on it. But it seems like a crime if I don't grill some meat this weekend. Burgers, brats, kebabs, shrimp, chicken? We'll see. I've been grilling, probably on average of every other weekend this year. But, since we've been trying to watch what we eat, it's been mostly chicken or steak. This weekend will be the first time since last September that I'll be grilling burgers.
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Post by B.E. on May 28, 2022 13:19:57 GMT
It's so nice to have this three day weekend. I also got off work a couple hours early yesterday. I've worked 17 of the last 20 Saturdays, including last week when I had COVID (for the first time). Now, I've recovered and I'm feeling good. I'm looking forward to relaxing, exercising a bit (basketball, pickleball, and/or cycling), and maybe getting some chores done that I'd been putting off. Enjoy the weekend!
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Post by kds on May 29, 2022 19:05:52 GMT
Since the rain moved through on Friday, the weather's been perfect.
Yesterday, I grilled in the afternoon, then sat on the deck for about an hour and a half after my son went down, listening to summer music, and enjoying cold beers.
Today, I cut the grass. I'm having a couple post mow beers. Then, I'm getting a shower and going over to my mother in law's for a cookout.
Plenty of Vitamin D, plenty of music, good food, good beer. This weekend has been just what the doctor ordered.
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Post by Kapitan on May 29, 2022 19:31:06 GMT
It's been up-and-down here. We had thunderstorms Friday night into Saturday morning, but then a hot, sunny day yesterday. Showers in the wee hours into early morning again today, and hot weather again that's back and forth between sunny and cloudy. A friend in the northwest part of the city told me they had a sudden burst of heavy storms with huge hail, meanwhile it was about 78 and sunny here in south Minneapolis.
It means you can't be confident being outdoors for a long time at a spell, but I've had a great time walking along the lakes and creek in this part of town. This morning, in fact, after the rain, I saw something I've never seen before: three or four different schools (?) of big fish, 4-8 in each bunch, and each of them a foot to 18" long, right near the surface presumably feasting on the bugs that were swarming after the rain in the heat. Quite a sight! It would've been easy fishing, that's for sure.
Speaking of, last night I did a trout with lemon-garlic-herb sauce; and today I'm planning to grill some burgers with jalapenos, onions, cheese...the works. And yes, all this means I'm going to have to put on some miles again tomorrow to work it off.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on May 29, 2022 20:26:07 GMT
It's been up-and-down here. We had thunderstorms Friday night into Saturday morning, but then a hot, sunny day yesterday. Showers in the wee hours into early morning again today, and hot weather again that's back and forth between sunny and cloudy. A friend in the northwest part of the city told me they had a sudden burst of heavy storms with huge hail, meanwhile it was about 78 and sunny here in south Minneapolis.
It means you can't be confident being outdoors for a long time at a spell, but I've had a great time walking along the lakes and creek in this part of town. This morning, in fact, after the rain, I saw something I've never seen before: three or four different schools (?) of big fish, 4-8 in each bunch, and each of them a foot to 18" long, right near the surface presumably feasting on the bugs that were swarming after the rain in the heat. Quite a sight! It would've been easy fishing, that's for sure.
Speaking of, last night I did a trout with lemon-garlic-herb sauce; and today I'm planning to grill some burgers with jalapenos, onions, cheese...the works. And yes, all this means I'm going to have to put on some miles again tomorrow to work it off.
We had a family cookout yesterday with lots and lots of food and drink. And, with cell phones everywhere, there were plenty of photos taken. Well, that's it - it's serious diet time! On every picture I'm in, there's this balloon face and protruding gut. I'm embarrassed. I've never been this heavy, and it's all diet-driven, because I am getting my exercise, and especially at this time of the year, I've been working (sweating!) outside doing yard work. I'm just not eating right. Some serious changes have to be made.
It's 80 degrees and sunny right now. Beautiful Memorial Day weekend weather. Tomorrow it's supposed to be close to 90 but I plan on doing a lot of trimming of several shrubs, which of course means picking up all of the clippings, too. That should help things.
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Post by kds on May 30, 2022 0:29:41 GMT
I'm actually down 28 pounds since New Years. So, I could justify some beers and burgers this weekend.
Although, I did a rare Friday night workout so I could imbibe tonight.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on May 30, 2022 11:26:15 GMT
I'm actually down 28 pounds since New Years. So, I could justify some beers and burgers this weekend. Although, I did a rare Friday night workout so I could imbibe tonight. Wow, that's great! How'd you do it?
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Post by kds on May 30, 2022 13:02:22 GMT
I'm actually down 28 pounds since New Years. So, I could justify some beers and burgers this weekend. Although, I did a rare Friday night workout so I could imbibe tonight. Wow, that's great! How'd you do it? Exercising five nights a week and watching calories.
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