I've thought about doing an entry since Monday, but it is very very busy. We had a great 4th of July weekend. We saw fireworks on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Went to my sister's house for dinner, live doo-wop music, and fireworks, then went to my sister's house for mom's birthday, swimming and lunch. There was ice cream. mmm. And Saturday baseball with fireworks. It's been pretty relaxing and we've been enjoying the lazy days of summer.

Today's not so good. A couple of hours ago, we all heard a colleage (and one of my superiors) committed suicide. Not a good day.

Sissy's house
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LF calls this the "pencil dive", one he's perfected.
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I don't think there is going to be any 'lazy-hazy' days anytime soon. I've been fighting the weather and the critters for my food for weeks. I spend full days in the veggie garden when it's not raining and so far I think it's just a stand-off with weeds and critter parties. I am canning beans as I speak, but cleaning and snapping them is boring and I'm taking a break. My Mama used to come over and help me do up veggies. I miss that. I miss her. In my garden, beans are about like zukes. IOW, you could go out there every day and pick. It's a push to keep ahead of them, but I won't complain this winter.

The hens are still wanting to go broody and sit eggs. They're usually over that by July, but all indicators in my world are that we are still suspended somewhere in spring. Rains nearly every day and blankies at night. So, I am always seeking creative ways to use up a gazillion eggs.

My dh volunteered to do the marketing this morning and I took him up on that. He was a quick study, and I praised him no end when he actually came home with the kind of cat food I asked for. It's hard to find. There were also no impulse buys. That's usually the wife's complaint when they send the fellow shopping. He did me proud.

I still have not gotten my spring flower planting completely done. Keeping the flowers alive up in the g'houses until I do. I'm about to commit floracide and put an end to their misery.

Where are the butterflies? I've seen a decent assortment of different species, but one of each. Something is happening in our environment and it's not pretty. I used to have so many of them by this time of year, that I'd be shutting off g'house fans to free them from the screens.

A quilt sits on my dining room table, and I leave it there, instead of the sewing room on a frame, because that way, I sometimes steal a few minutes to work on it as I am passing by. The cats take turns crawling up on it when I am not looking. There is something about a quilt and cats.

Rob ~ Please ask LF to step farther away from the edge! Antics close to any pool's edge worry me because many years ago I lost a friend who was doing exactly as LF, only he was a bit closer (or maybe just arched a bit backward) and cracked his skull.

Otherwise... wish I were there. Locally it's been in the 90s, both heat and humidity. Don't dare set up the wading pool because there are dry T'storms every afternoon. Well, wet t'storms elsewhere, just not over my garden. Lots of lightning and booms, no precip.

Neighbor has rented his McMansion for the past several years to LawnGuy, who finally decided to buy his own lawn with an attached house. I think in a neighborhood of other lawnguys, so at least he will have companions. Neighbor finally found a new tenant, but tenant insisted that several of the dead/almost dead trees must be removed from around the house. DH has spent most of the week sawing and felling the deadwood, then logging into stove lengths. Not a pleasant job in these temperatures. Neighbor hired a Pro to log down one tree too close to the garage for DH to fool with. In less than 40 minutes, the pro took it down [in 4-foot sections] and left it laying in pieces. $750. I told DH that I hope neighbor appreciates DH's free work, lol.

Local gasoline is $4.07 as of this morning. The radio cheerfully comments that we should expect another 10¢ per gallon raise this week. If my car gets 33 mpg, and I drive 15 miles to get gas 15¢ per gallons cheaper, how many gallons do I have to buy before it's a real savings instead of just another pretty price?

This morning, a gas station ran a special for two hours: $2.50 per gallon. Local resident comments that same station had also changed its price immediately after Katrina: $5.99 per gallon.

We have a tendency to blame companies for opportunistic behavior, as though the business were a soul with morals. But each company is actually run by people, and what we see as the company's behavior is really the expression of the human's morals.

I just remembered that some folks use McMansion as a perjorative. I used it in the sense of being a house oversized and unsuitable for the area, and in the midst of houses which are not. The McM I referred to is a 12- (or maybe 14) room 3-story pseudo-Tudor house with attached garage (with apt) in a neighborhood of comparitively smaller 3or4-BR brick ranches. Sigh. Neighbors are very much like siblings: we don't choose them, we just live with them.

I just had Sassi out for a bit of a walk in the yard.
She is still limping from the surgery but the vet says it is
going to be that way for awhile yet.

My neighbor's mom was outside and she waved and initiated a
talk across the fence.
She is a remarkable lady of 94, takes no medications and she says she has nothing wrong except her balance is off sometimes.

It is hot and very humid today and not a good day for being outside. Lilo, I can't imagine living with 3 digit temps and smoke permeating everything around you. May you soon have a break from it all.

This afternoon I am getting a much needed break and will
spend a couple of hours at the beauty shop getting my hair cut and colored. This natural hair color comes with a price.:0)

Cats and quilts? Yep, agree so much, here's my favorite shot of my favorite cat on my favorite cover.
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