Happy Friday

K. and I stayed up until 1 in the morning watching season 2 of Scrubs and eating crackers and cheese last night. WIld times, my friends, wild times. We've both been a bit cranky, a bit on edge, a bit going-through-the-motions, and I think we are more than ready for our week in Vermont. We leave next Wednesday. We haven't left Mississippi since... January (with the exception of my overnighter in Birmingham), and I can't wait.

In other news, it's been delightfully chilly at night, Shadow waited to vomit this morning until we let her outside (this is a first), and we ate some of our own lettuce! Those are the good things.

Have a wonderful Friday chickies.

I know, it's been a while.

I have finally learned to appreciate gray days.

These last few days have been clouded-over, and it is fan-tastic, as we were in the middle of ever-increasing humidity that scared the ca-tooie out of me since it is May. I know it is a reprieve, but last night, with the temperature downright nippy and the fan blowing all the sweet cold air in, I slept through the night for the first time in forever.

You see, in the course of our marriage, K. and I have discovered that I am the furnace and he is the freezer, but only at night; during the day, roles are reversed. He's put pillows between us before because I'm "glowing hot and making him sweat," which I prefer to take as a testament to something besides temperature, heehee, I'm so clever.

In other news, we are going to Vermont next week (wee!) and I am resigned to my slipcovers getting trashed during the week I'm away. I don't know what's wrong with my damn dogs. They have two perfectly comfortable beds that I fluff out every DAY for them, despite the fact that doing this emits great puffballs of hair, and then they pull stunts like Shadow last night, ever so casually sauntering out of our bedroom, ostensibly to her dog bed in the hall.

But I know my girl. I craned my neck, saw her veer into the living room, and said "not on your life!" while I shut the doors to K's great amusement.

That did not deter her this afternoon when I was ON THE COUCH and she tried to hop onto the armchair.

Someone got a smacking. I know, I'm tough, but she sheds like a banshee and she's a bit incontinent. All these things equal not on the furniture.

Lastly, we have people coming for dinner, and I must bestir myself. Grr. If there was a sushi restaraunt in Water Valley-- well, for one, you probably wouldn't want to eat there-- but if there was a clean and safe and delicious sushi restaraunt in town, I'd be getting some bento boxes and telling them to sit on the dog-haired sofa.

Double grr.

today is the day...

Y'all,

This morning Shadow found two baby raccoons being tormented by blowflies, dehydrated and upset, under a tree. I ran inside, googled "orphaned raccoons" and proceeded with what I think could be fairly described as admirable competence--- but I did not take a picture, and thus you can not understand how cute they were (don't freak out about the past tense, just wait).

The size of very small kittens, about 3 weeks old I think, eyes open but teeny-tiny.

On the advice of the internet, I dripped condensed milk onto a rag, which they-- eventually-- were big fans of, and I put them in a box with blankets. After a feed and a poo and a quick sponge-off, I put aforesaid box in the dark bathroom, and they fell asleep. I then called a wildlife rehabilitator, because it turns out that 1. it's illegal to raise wild animals and 2. there was one right in my town! She came by, very competent, and said that they were orphaned for sure; since we live in town, it's likely their mom was trapped by the animal controller or hit by a car. She then put them in a carrier, and will take them home; one had a small injury to a foot (which I hadn't even noticed, being so unfamiliar with baby raccoons), but she said they were dehydrated but in good shape and that they'd be released into the wild-- a more country wild-- by the end of the summer.

She also confirmed their sex: a boy and a girl.

So pray for the baby raccoons! I kind of miss them. They make the coolest noises, cooing and clucking and... just wonderful.

Saturday Night Fever

Spring is almost gone, down here in Mississippi; when it's above seventy degrees at night, that spell s-u-m-m-e-r to me. Although I know it gets much, much worse; at least our house has air conditioning, which we haven't had to turn on yet. I like hearing the birds in the morning, and the screen door to the porch off our bedroom is such a gift; drowning it all out with sweet cold air will be a mixed blessing.

It is strange how short-sighted we-- or at least I-- are. During the winter, when all the trees are bare and the grass brown, I never fully believe that spring will come. But every night, I fall asleep knowing that the sun will be there in the morning. 10-12 hours versus four months-- a lot easier to count on the first one.

I am sweaty and dirty from pulling out nails and staples in the building, painting my new chair, and playing in the garden. The cherry tomatoes, that started out so small and spindly, are getting bigger and bigger, strong green leaves and a few star-shaped yellow flowers. It's all very exciting.

Despite all my preparation re. the second novel, I find that I've got to rewrite and start-- not entirely-- over. I was working on a sewing project last night, and the same thing happened-- even though I'd measured, even though I'd thought it through as much as I could, I had to discard everything and take what I now know (like the zip will have to be under the arm, and to allow for darts before measuring the back piece) and hope this second attempt will work better. I turned to K. that night and said that I was tired of having to start over, even after I tried so hard, even ater I'd given my best effort to the first attempt. (Sewing is a lot like writing for me-- a love-hate relationship with imperfect products.) He didn't say much, just listened, but man, it feels good to complain sometimes. So now I am rolling up my sleeves and trying, trying again.

I think that's why I like cooking-- it's nearly all passable the first time.

I have to walk the dogs before the sun sets; happy weekend, y'all.

a long delayed-post

My stomach is pleasantly full of free barbeque, I'm fighting off the siren call of a nap, and it's Friday. All in all, it's been a superb week. Why?

I took a book sabbatical, and man, it has been good. I polished silver, downloaded free yoga podcasts, spent two hours weeding the garden, and cleaned the house more thoroughly than I usually do. I folded mountains of laundry; I cooked one of the 2+ pound steaks I bought at Whole Foods in Birmingham last weekend and made mashed potatoes for my duly appreciative husband. I have slept like I was drowning every night. It's been delicious.

And now it's time to get back to work. Last act of procrastination: updating the blog.

We've had a ton of rain in the last two days, and the spindly tomato plants we bought from the high school's greenhouse need attention. That'll be this evening, right after we gt interviewed by the paper about our main street purchase. But our squashes and cucumbers and melons have begun poking through, and I've reseeded the herbs that didn't come up. Here's some shots of the corn and the lettuce, as well as my panty panty dogs, who are tired of being walked in the rain.











Wimps.

Last weekend cost a fortune in gas but it was fab; I traveled the 3+ hours to spend the night with Stinkerina, aka Daffodilchild, and she indulged her country mouse of a best friend by taking me to a Whole Foods that made my heart shudder. And then we got up at 6.40 am for the Junior League's annual sale, which is *un*believable. I brought the truck (hence the fortune in gas), but look at our new dining room chairs! I have to replace the fabric, but what a steal, and handsome to boot.





Not to mention this cool thing which I love that cost $2 and now houses sewing/yarn supplies (the bottom half is empty awaiting K.) and is shockingly well made:



And this mirror, too big for this space, but when I put it on K's dresser he began preening and ordered me to keep it there. "I like it," he said, turning his head to the side. "It reflects such beautiful things."





Also an old chair and stool, which are not camera-ready, but lovely nonetheless. Stinkie and I had a great time, manuevered the truck safely, and ate at IHOPs to celebrate. Good times always with that girl; she starts law school in June!

This weekend, we'll be at the building a fair bit, and we plan to run up to Memphis to go to Costco. Big times in our small town. It's going to be great.