Titus and Mark discuss the cup and cardboard method

Jamming outside on 5/25

It was a beautiful sunny day in Southern New England. Mark drove to Titus’s house bright and early, hitting no traffic on the way. It was so nice outside that we decided to play on the deck. Kate had recently upgraded the back deck by adding a fantastic love seat with cushions and ottomans, plus a large umbrella with a base that can be moved around for optimal shade. It’s quite a nice setup. Here’s a picture of Mark demonstrating the relaxation:

This being the time of transition from spring to summer, there were a few flies and bees around, but not too many. Both Mark and Titus had found bees inside their houses recently. Titus killed his bee with the Executioner tennis racket. It was just too big and scary, it had to go. Mark took the more humane approach with his bee: the cup and cardboard method. This is where you trap a bee or fly with a cup, preferably a clear cup or glass. Then you slide a thin piece of cardboard - beer boxes work best - under the cup and the bee. Hold the cup and cardboard securely. Finally, take the trapped bee outside and release it back into the wild.  We both agreed that cup and cardboard was the best method around. But let us know in the comments what techniques you use to remove flying insects from your homes.

Here are the songs we played today:

Seaside
Nothing to Check
Canyon Bland
Bonafide (new song 1)
Being Here (new song 2)

(Carrot cake break)

12:59
My Mind Needs a Place to Go (Titus solo)
Bonafide (again)
Lift Our Spoons
Radiation Vibe (Fountains of Wayne)
Falling (The Quiet Turnaround)
The Girl I Love is Just Out of Reach

The two new songs are the ones we worked on at our last practice. Mark wrote the music and vocal melody for these and Titus came up with the lyrics. We hope you enjoy ‘Being Here’ today and we’ll try to record ‘Bonafide’ next time.

The carrot cake was another excellent bake by Kate, entitled ‘Hokey Chocolate and Ancient Buttercreams are No Match for a Good Carrot at Your Side.’ This was her weekly Star Wars Sunday bake. It’s a bundt cake with cheesecake filling and orange syrup. Wow. Kate brought us each a slice to eat on the deck, and we enjoyed it thoroughly.

That’s all for now dear readers. Enjoy the weather, and see you next month.