Sunday Note

Three posts in three days. How about that?

Before anyone asks, I have no idea what's currently pictured "up top"; it's just a little cluster of some sort of white flowers growing on a weed-y vine at the edge of the woods near the road. I spotted it this afternoon while out with the camera and thought it was interesting enough to take a picture.

This time of year most of our blooms come from wildflowers and things like goldenrod that are generally considered weeds. I do have to appreciate that the late summer yellows and purples do bring a lot of color to the landscape and love the few clumps of ironweed that grow in the fence-row across from the house.

Jack did bring home a little surprise for me the other day - one of those miniature rosebushes. The blooms, while small, are the most gorgeous color. The "bush" has lots of little buds on it, so hopefully it will continue to bloom. And we won't kill it.

Jack and I have had a nice, relaxing Sunday, hanging with the dogs and catching up a few little things here and there. We love having plans and doing things with family and friends, but there's a lot to be said for being people without plans.

When we have a good day, the dogs seem to have a good day, and this has been no exception.

Saturday Night Stuff

I almost hate to post an update, because that takes that great picture of sweet Lucia off the top post (I added a "bonus pic" from a CD of photos Mom gave me), but I wanted to check in and let everyone know that things are back to normal at the baby house. Mom and Dad got their phone/cable issue from yesterday's incident resolved this morning and made it home by this afternoon.

Aside from losing the tree, which was a bad tree to begin with, all is well.

Sis reports that her face feels like crap and corrected me in what I posted last evening. She has more than a raspberry, bruise and small laceration; it's a very painful injury that would've been far, far worse if she hadn't been wearing her glasses, which protected her from a direct hit in the eye. I'm just glad she wasn't more seriously hurt than she is. Facial injuries can be bad.

...and speaking of raspberries in the general sense, I intended to post this picture earlier this week in celebration of a delicious pie Jack made for our dessert Wednesday night. I'm not sure where he found the recipe, but the pie was absolutely wonderful. The filling was creamy with a slight lemon tang, covered with a variety of fresh fruit. He's already decided he will make that one again, which makes me happy.

Jack and I stayed in tonight and watched a disappointing pre-season football game in which the Tennessee Titans lost to the Cleveland Browns, of all teams. The Titans had such a good season last year, and with summer coming to a close, Jack and I are open to the idea of maybe following football again this year. Some seasons we keep up with the "local" teams and intently watch the games; other seasons we don't seem to connect with anyone...

I'm interested to see how the Volunteers do this fall with their new baby coach, and I'm always thrilled when Vanderbilt has a good year, so perhaps this fall will find Jack and I following the gridiron.

The dogs had a good day today, and Moose took turns playing "bite me" with Jimmy and Dudley. Diva wants to play too rough, so he avoids starting anything with her. Having been on the receiving end of her boxer punches, I can't say that I blame him.

A Night at the Baby House

It's been a busy and interesting week...

Work has gone well, and I managed to get quite a few things done that had been on my "to procrastinate" list entirely too long. Some tasks, like routine filing, are so tedious and time-consuming that I hate doing them. Really hate. Nonetheless, filing is now complete for the most part, and I can now find whatever I need in just one moment rather than eight or ten.

I'd intended to get a jump on today by spending the night with Mom at the baby house last night and going in early this morning. After a good visit with Sis and Lucia and dinner with the same plus Chris, Mom and I settled in for "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" and had both gone to bed by 10:30.

A great night's sleep later, I awoke as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as I can ever manage and set about the task of getting ready for work. The lights in the bathroom didn't seem as bright as normal when I first hit the switch, and they'd gone completely out by the time I got the shower on and adjusted.

Several electrical things, like Mom's clock-radio, were still "on" at the time, and I automatically assumed something was going on in the breaker box, but no.

It was a "breaker", all right. A breaker from the huge Bradford Pear tree in the front yard. Sometime in the wee hours of the morning - according to Miss Lottie, the next-door-neighbor, around 3:00 - a big branch broke free from the tree and landed on the front of the house, catching the power lines on the way down.

We were both a little bit nervous about the risk of fire because of the precarious situation with the lines, but luckily the electric company was very responsive, and one of Mom & Dad's neighbors at the baby house actually works for the local power utility, coming over to lend a hand and help out with things during the first few hours when lots of things were underway.

Dad drove over as soon as he could, but by the time he arrived, Mom had things under control with the insurance company, the power company, the electricians, carpenter and guys to finish removing the tree from the front yard. If there's anyone in this world that knows how to get things done, it's Mom. And in the middle of bad situations, she keeps an incredibly cool head - seriously, she could work for the bomb squad.

Getting "over the hump" was an hours' long process, and with no air conditioning, I quickly sweated through the shower that I'd taken in the dark before we discovered the source of the power-outage. Around noon, I opted to scratch work for the day, knowing that I was not in the state of mind, appearance or perspiration that would be welcomed by my co-workers.

In the middle of making phone calls this morning, Mom talked to Chris, who reported that we weren't the only ones having an "off" morning. While letting the dogs out, Roger knocked the storm door into Sis' face, giving her a large raspberry and a small laceration. She's going to be fine, and I doubt she'll have much of a scar, but she had a "not fun" day today and is still not feeling great this evening.

So far, so good at our house, but considering what happened with the dogs and Jack's baby Japanese maple trees the end of last week, I can't say that we've been completely unscathed in the past few days. Considering that bad things often happen in threes, that's how we're going to call this one.

On a brighter note, Lucia was revved up and ready for a visit when I arrived at the baby house yesterday afternoon. She's having a growth spurt and changing almost every day. Last Friday when I saw her, she wasn't crawling yet. Yesterday she was crawling like she's done it her whole life. Amazing.

Her smiles are delightful.

When Have I Been Here on a Monday?

The rare Monday night post -- I don't know what's gotten into me. I'm giving credit to the strawberry slush float I had as an afternoon snack.

When I called Jack to let him know I was cruising into town and find out if there was anything I needed to pick up on my way through, he suggested a detour through Sonic, and I quickly agreed with his thinking. I can't remember the last time I had a float - WOW! We'll splurge on those again sometime before the end of summer.

I highly recommend the strawberry - Jack loves the lime!

We've had a great evening but are winding down toward sleep at this point...

Weekend's End

Yes. And Surprise!

It's a two-post weekend --

We've had a great couple of days. The weather could not have been nicer, and while I'm sad to think about the end of summer, I must admit it was much more comfortable to get out and play with the dogs this afternoon than in recent weeks.

Moose has gotten a lot more familiar with his crate and the time-out process after chewing up and destroying at least two of Jack's little Japanese maple trees. He hasn't done it alone, and we think Roxie from next door is his chief co-conspirator, so we've taken some measures to curb the behavior. Moose seems to have caught on, avoiding that part of the porch. Whether Roxie has seen the light or not remains to be seen. She hasn't been back since she got into such terrible trouble this afternoon.

Jack grilled us a delicious steak for dinner, using a method that involves using a specific type of tea as a dry rub. The tea imparts a smoky flavor and makes for a delicious steak. I put together another tub of Asian Vegetable Noodle Salad. Perfect dinner. With leftovers.

It's hard to believe that another weekend is coming to a close. I'm hoping for a nice, calm week wtih no big surprises for the good or the bad. A sleepover with Mom is in the works and more baby-time with Lucia goes with it.

Goodnight all!

Happy Weekend!!!

We're cruising toward fall at a steady pace, and for the first time this summer, we're experiencing cool, pleasant evenings. Today was beautiful - almost perfect - and this evening was just as wonderful.

Jack and I took a little road trip to the 'boro this evening to spend some time with a group of our old friends, many whom have birthdays in the month of August, and had a lot of fun catching up with them.

This particular group of friends is particularly dear to us, because there's so much cross-over within it -- people that Jack and I knew through different circumstances from before the time we met. Common threads. Special people.

While on the subject of special people, I got a nice dose of baby-love from Lucia yesterday afternoon. I hadn't seen her since her church dedication in July and was glad when she finally realized who I was.

I did get a great new haircut yesterday at lunchtime and have a better looking 'do than I've had since she's known me - perhaps that's what threw here off there at that the beginning. We took several pictures with Mom's camera (I forgot mine), and she hasn't yet e-mailed any of them to me, but I'll post them here on the blog as soon as she does. (that's a hint, Mom haha)

She gets cuter every time I see her and is growing like a weed. I'm planning a sleepover with Mom one night this week and will get to visit more with Lucia then. I'll also take my camera this time...

Well, it's late, and all the caffeine I consumed over the course of the afternoon and evening seems to finally be working its way out of my system, so I'm calling it a night.

Lights out.

Sunday Afternoon

Again, it's the weekend, and I haven't written in a week. Bad blogger. Bad, bad blogger.

OK, I've apologized, so on with the post...

I had a great, SHORT week. Having not taken an official vacation this summer, I felt the need for some hot-weather time off and took a long weekend to include both Thursday and Friday. Jack's cousin Marcie, who I'd never met before, was coming to Tennessee and wanted to spend some time with us, so for the first time in eight years, Friday night we had a houseguest.

Marcie has big dogs - a Great Dane named Mea and another ginormous dog named Riley - and a couple of cats, so she's accustomed to the kind of high-impact critter-love that goes down in our house routinely and actually welcomed having her personal space absolutely invaded by Jimmy, Diva, Dudley and Moose.

We had a great visit with her, eating some tasty Mexican food at the "new" place in McTown, toasting summer and loved ones with a couple margaritas.

If you don't recognize the name "Moose" in our team line-up, that's the name we've selected for the new puppy. He's growing exponentially faster than a weed - I swear he's bigger every time he wakes up from a nap, no matter how brief the nap might be. The huge feet, lanky legs and big head are a dead giveaway that someday he's going to be Bullwinkle-like. "Moose" was on the short-list of possible names for the Obama-dog, too -- we consider it recycling!

I made another vat of "Asian Noodle Salad" last night, and this might be the best batch yet. I used red cabbage instead of Napa -- the Napa we got at the grocery store had a huge, brown rotten place running through the middle of it, making it not really an option -- and I poured in a whole can of cashews that Jack brought home from Sav-a-Lot at the end and mixed them in with the bamboo "jazz hands pour salad" Mom gave us for Christmas. Then Jack skewered some chicken breast strips and threw them on the grill. Deliciousness followed.

There's nothing like a light, refreshing meal at the end of a long, hot, summer day.

Now that my long weekend is drawing to a close, I can't help but wish I had another couple of days to play, but time passes quickly, and it will be Friday again before we know it.

Saturday Stuff

Happy Saturday!

Jack got up early this morning and made the trip to McTown for shopping at the Farmers Market and then the grocery. He figured making the trip earlier would help him avoid the heat and the crowds, but with this being Tennessee Tax-Free weekend, he said folks were already out and moving.

He came home with a bounty of stuff from the market - he picked up everything you see in the picture for $4!!! McTown has the best local Farmers Market happening anywhere nearby with lots of fabulous produce this time of year. Jack also got us some okra that's just the perfect size for roasting!

And while we're on the subject of roasting - the heat has been "up there" the last couple of days with more in the forecast. I think we're sitting somewhere around 95 degrees right now. Yeah. Hot. With the heat index it seems hotter than that, but it's OK - this is what summer is all about, and there's nothing like a hot afternoon to bathe the big dogs out on the porch with the hose. (One down, two to go.)

Puppy is great - he still doesn't have a name, but we are throwing some ideas around to see what sticks to the wall (or the dog, in this case). Jeffrey was a front-runner - he looks like a Jeffrey - but he doesn't seem wild about it, and on second thought, neither does Jack. He's going to be a cool dog, and we want to make sure he has a cool name. Jack killed the idea of Avery the very second I said it out loud. Murphy is a possibility. Naming a puppy is hard - when you're having a baby you have months to think of just the perfect name, and who knows how long this is going to take...

He's learned to go to the pond for a swim - twice this morning already - and has decided that digging holes is fun, though he likes to dig his holes from the laying-down position, which I find hilarious. For a young dog, he is very laid-back and doesn't create nearly so much ruckus as we expected. It's a good thing too, as Roxie, our neighbor's chocolate lab, has returned from boarding school in Kentucky every bit as energetic and uncontrollable as she was when she went.

When she left a few weeks ago, I lamented that she would come home a different dog and that we'd never see fun-loving Roxie again. Boy, was I wrong. Her first morning home, she came galloping through our open sliding glass door and ran a couple of laps through the house before we could get her herded back outside. She's perhaps a bit more obedient these days, but we're talking about a "bit". She is pretty, and we love her...

With the rain, heat and humidity, we've had all kinds of interesting mushrooms coming up in the yard. We have so much shade in the yard that flowers don't do well this time of year, so we appreciate our color and form however we can get it. Here are some interesting selections from the past several days:

Have a great rest of the weekend, and good luck to Sis as she gets started back to school next week (and Mom and Dad resuming their roles at The Baby House!!)

Odds & Ends

Once again I've fallen behind in my blogging for the week, but as some of you already know, I had a very busy week at work. My boss has been on vacation, so in addition to my own rat-killing, I've had someone else's to contend with...

July passed in a flash, and I can't believe we're already sitting on the first weekend in August. As much as I hate to say it, because it's terribly cliche, "Christmas is just around the corner."

The kids here "at home" start back to school this week, and Sis gets started back with inservice training in preparation for her school year getting underway next Monday. I understand that an early start is a good thing, but it seems to me that the first week in August is pushing it. With several weeks of potentially really hot weather still to be endured, it seems that waiting until closer to the end of the month would make more sense from an air conditioning expense standpoint. Sure, the kids and their teachers get more breaks during the year with this newer scheduling that more schools seem to be adopting, but from talking to the parents I know, none of them are ready for their kids to go back, which tells me that the break hasn't been long enough.

Puppy is still without a name - nothing seems to fit yet, but this isn't the first time we've delayed the naming of a pet until we arrive at just the right one. I think we took about a month to determine "the perfect name" for Beulah, our old boxer. I sort of like the name "Archie", but he's ambivalent about it. We have to come up with something, or he's going to go through life as simply Puppy. He's cute as a button and just as good as can be. He's getting more and more comfortable with spending time in the crate, which is a good thing, and the other dogs have accepted him into the pack (means we have yummy puppy food in the house), though he's most definitely at the tail end of the pecking order - including the cats'. He seems OK with being the lowest man on the totem pole so long as there's food to eat and a soft place to nap. I don't know when I've known a more laid-back pup.

Have a good rest of the weekend and a safe week ahead!