are there better days than yesterday?

What a very nice day we had yesterday. We picked Ella up at 2:30 so she could attend the wedding in Janesville with us. She had planned her outfit carefully and was attired in a gray sparkly dress, pink hat, and ruffly socks.

Throughout the day, she would turn the hat's flower from front to back, or even the side. Regis always commented and she reminded him that he didn't know about girls' hats. Even in her fancy clothes, she gave me a volleyball lesson at the park. She had learned this from a friend of hers in first grade, and from watching volleyball on the Olympics.

She was very interested in all aspects of the wedding and helped Regis get his stole on correctly. She wondered if he would have to speech and if he knew how to do that. I assured her he did and it would be fine. Hmm, she said.

The wedding party arrived in fire department vehicles, the groom in his dress uniform. It was a nice touch.

We went to Pappageorge for dinner after the wedding, where Ella entertained us with her banter. She pronounced that Pappageorge was a classy place, classier than Patrick's, for sure. She had learned the word classy on Sponge Bob Squarepants.

We had wonderful steaks for dinner, shared a piece of carrot cake, and came on home. A splendid day, for sure.

lazy and lethargic ennui on saturday afternoon

I came home from River Rock and the bank about 10:50 and saw the Oktoberfest parade lining up on Third Street. I tried to convince Regis to put on a funny hat and jump in the car so we could join the parade, windows rolled down, Gus hanging his furry head out the back, radio playing Whoopee John Wilfahrt. I'm not sure he thought I was serious but I was.

I bought a loaf of Cranberry Walnut Bread, a raspberry scone, and a latte. I took all of it out to a table in the front where I watched the cars go by...and the monster trucks. The size of vehicles people drive around in is astonishing. The latte was wonderful, Helena! It's National Coffee Day so this was a good treat. A piece of advice. Never get a latte to go. It ruins the whole experience if you have to suck your drink through a little plastic hole and you can't see the latte art. The ceramic cup is so much better!

Regis and I applied for absentee ballots this year, unsure of where we'll be in the maelstrom of medical issues  in which we seem to be swirling. Mine came today and as I sat and perused it, I realized how rushed and pressure-filled the voting experience is. Nobody is badgering you to move along but the atmosphere...the gymnasium, the booths where you stand with your pencil, and the constant noise and motion does not lend itself to contemplation.

I think the voting experience should be more like a bistro or the patio of a bar. A place where a person can have a latte or a glass of wine, think about the piece of paper in front of them, and the consequences of the choices they are making. Doesn't that sound nicer? I wonder if they have some limit on the number of absentee ballots they will grant. If not, we could all agree to get one and to meet up somewhere on a given day. Or Maybe every Friday afternoon in October is voting day at Patrick's. I'm just sayin'.

I think I mentioned this morning that Regis is performing a wedding this afternoon so we went to the rehearsal yesterday. In my role as observer, the family dynamics are always interesting to watch. Most families today include a couple of ex's, a few step this or thats, maybe a grandma with a second husband. All makes for interesting walks down the aisle and seating arrangements. The best advice I have read is to not wait until the rehearsal to make those decisions. It could get ugly. This one didn't, but it could.

I told Regis he should find out what the bride and groom want, then he should be the director of the action. That way the B & G don't get the job of explaining why so-and-so has to sit in the second row. It's all very thought-provoking, don't you think?

Ah, well. Here I go again, offering my particular brand of punditry. Is somebody making the raspberry sound?

saturday morning

I've been sitting here since I woke up, drinking coffee, watching the leaves drift down in the garden, and thinking about my plan for the day. It's not too extensive, believe me. Regis took Gus to the dog park and I said I would get going and pick up my check at River Rock but I have postponed that briefly so spend some more time sitting.

Regis had good news from the doctor the other day so we're going ahead with plans to replace the right knee. We had a laugh the other day over trying to remember if we were going to the urologist about a cataract or an orthopedic surgeon about a bladder issue. There were many hilarious permutations, as you can imagine. We crack ourselves up sometimes.

I finished a book when I was awake in the middle of the night. Provenance is the title. It's non-fiction with enough drama and intrigue to make it a story of interesting people.

We shifted our exercise routine to afternoons for the month of September. Rachel needed someone to be there to cover that hour and Regis thought it would work. It didn't. I got the creeps being there alone and only one of us could usually go because the other one had something else to do. We're done with that now but we have to come up with a new routine. Back to mornings.

I bought a new digital frame a couple weeks ago and finally assembled about 500 photos for it. As I was looking over pictures from the last several years, I realized how awful my garden looks this year. My goal is to clean it up this fall so I have a clean palette in the spring. We have gradually increased the shade in our yard to the point where flowers that need sun don't grow, or at least don't grow well. They're leggy and ugly. Peter has agreed to come over and be my shoveler for day in exchange for a big steak. Here's to a better looking yard next year.

Regis is performing a wedding in Janesville this afternoon. The groom is a firefighter so the happy couple will arrive on a firetruck. I'm sure I will weep. Ella is coming along and we have plans to be mildly fancy. She enjoys a good sparkle event as much as I do.

Here I go. Into the day. Happy Saturday.

the week and a few photos

Sitting at my computer doing my social media thing which can be a gigantic time suck if I won't watch it. I could sit here for a long time, mesmerized by numbers, making comments and liking, checking it all out. I was in the shop for the first few hours of the day, chatting with customers. I love that part of my job.

A fellow came in who said he was from Southern California. I didn't get his name but the dog's name is Dewey. They're traveling together in a camper so I asked if he knew Travels with Charlie. He said the name of his blog is Travels with Dewey. Ha! Dewey waiting so patiently by the door while he visited with other customers and drank his tea.

I've been loving the summer fruit but I must say that peach was a big disappointment. By the time it smelled like a peach, it was rotten in the middle. Nice. The pears were great.

Regis and I are doing a programmer for the day spot on KMSU tomorrow morning. We're doing our favorites, Bob Dylan and Neil Young. I'm the Bob fan so I'm responsible for that portion of the show. I had to order a couple more CDs because the songs I wanted weren't on the CDs I had. You might know.

We're almost to the end of our CSA for the summer. I love some parts of it but the kale and the eggplant can get burdensome and it's just too much produce for two people. Next year we are going to be farmer's market customers.

So, here I sit. I should get up and do dishes and think about something for dinner but what I feel like doing is reading for a bit and taking a nap. It's been a rough day at work...drinking latte and chatting with nice people.

applause for a sunday

The Only Way to Respond to Life
Post written by Leo Babauta.
I went for a run along the beach at sunset yesterday, foam kissing my bare feet, smooth sand caressing my soles, and the sky exploding with color.
I paused for breath, mostly because the sky, and the Pacific, had borrowed my breath from me.
I stopped and applauded.
This is the only response that life deserves: overjoyed applause.
This morning, wherever you are, whatever life has given you, take a moment to really appreciate this gift, and applaud. I mean, actually applaud.
Then give back to life, something, anything, to show your gratitude for this miracle you’ve been given. Do anything: be kind to someone, create something, be gentle with your children, do something where your body feels full of life.
We often not only take life for granted, but complain about it. Life isn’t perfect, work is boring, people are too rude, drivers are idiots, no one gets me, I have too many things to do. But goodness, look around you! What a wonder life is! If only we would take the time to see it, to really appreciate it, and to applaud.
This moment is a ridiculously generous miracle. Give it up, folks, for life.

I love this website and the emails I get frequently from them. Always thoughtful reminders of the way you want to be.

Having said that, I am going to whine about being tired.

I am trying to sort things out in our house and get rid of stuff. I go in fits and starts. Boxes here and there. Sometimes I get crazy and get rid of stuff I probably will wish I hadn't. Sometimes I keep crap around that should have gone years ago.

In the last month, we've had, between the two of us, about fifteen medical appointments. I want to go to all of them, but it makes my head spin.

I am done complaining now.

It's a beautiful fall day and I'm going to sip my coffee at my desk (newly reorganized) while I start my week's social media planning. Regis is at the dog park with Gus. Life is very good for us.

the week of tune-ups and maintenance

I had to look back at the calendar to remember what we did this past week. The list is impressive:

1. Gus was bathed and groomed on Monday.
2. Regis and I both got haircuts on Monday.
3. We worked at the Pulse M, T, and Th from 2:30-3:30.
4. I worked Tuesday evening at River Rock for Business After Hours.
5. We had a furnace tune-up on Wednesday.
6. Jan came to clean the house on Wednesday.
7. Regis and I had annual eye appointments on Wednesday.
8. We worked at Pappageorge doing social media on Thursday night.
9. I worked my 15 hours for River Rock this week.
10. Regis had surgery Friday.

What the hell. That was a long haul for a couple of old dudes.

We've been gone so much and I know that someone has been coming into our house in our absence and leaving their shit around in random piles. Clothes, jackets, paper, bills, empty boxes. I'll be busy today making sense of the rubble.

Regis came through the surgery with flying colors as they say, although I'm not sure what that means. The doctor said everything went as expected. We went to the hospital at 12 and were home by 4. Gus went to the Paw Pet Resort in our absence so he was well cared for. Regis had a good night's sleep and now we just wait for the pathology report. We are optimistic.

I found out on Wednesday that I have cataracts in both eyes but the one in my right eye may be ready for surgery. I know that isn't such a big deal except it sounds like an old person thing again. I seem to be bumping into those all the time lately. My philosophy has always been that getting old beats the hell out of the alternative which would be not getting old so I guess I'll be patient with it.

On to a quiet weekend.

1708 posts and where does this stuff come from?

I was sitting over the keyboard this morning, in the dark, sipping my coffee and contemplating the title of this post. This is post #1709 and I wonder how I could have thought of all those titles and all that stuff I write about. I guess the words spellbound by our own imperfect lives, which I did not write, explain it.

I worked at the Chamber Business After Hours yesterday afternoon. It's been fun the two times I have done it. River Rock makes a great spread of food, business people from the area come in to mingle and sample, and I get to chat with them. I guess you could call that work, right?

It was late when I got home so Regis and I went to Whiskey River for dinner. It was a chilly evening, getting dark as we left the house, and we had a fine time sipping wine and talking about the day. I had a Reuben sandwich which was so big I could only eat a quarter of it. The French onion soup was delicious, too.

I maintain two business Facebook pages now, River Rock and Pappageorge. It's fun work and I've learned a lot, mainly that you can never have too much content or too many photos. I've studied the numbers enough to know what works. People don't want an advertisement, they want to be social. Oh, it's hard work being so engaging all the time. Hahaha!

We're heading to Mankato this morning to buy some groceries, get our annual eye exams, and to take Gus to the Paw for a few hours. That dog loves to run and play. We might stop for coffee and I might make a run into the consignment shop. The clothes I've bought there this summer I wear like uniforms. I love that last long cardigan I bought.

I better get moving. No news to report beyond what you just read.

frost on the grass and stars in the sky

Regis told me to go into the backyard when I woke up at 5 am. The stars were so pretty and so clear, with puffy clouds suspended between earth and...wherever. The grass was crunchy so apparently, fall is here, unofficially.

It's 6:10 and dark as night outside. One thing I don't appreciate about fall...shorter days. I know what's coming. I dread the days when the sun goes down before 5 o'clock and doesn't come up again until almost 8 o'clock.

I had to get up and put a sweater on last night. I have not dug out the heated mattress pad yet as it seems to early. But right now, I'm layered in t-shirt, sweater, sweatshirt, leggings, sox, and slippers. Ah, winter can come.

I finished a book last night called The Light Between Oceans by ML Stedman. It was hard to put down and I read it in just a couple of days.

I'm fascinated by the book reviews on Amazon and B&N. Some people read a book and then spend a LOT of time writing summaries and their opinions. You can't put too much stock in them because even books I thought sucked something fierce had fans on Amazon. Larry McMurtry's Berrybender Sage trilogy, for one. Worst book ever. I didn't get past book one and I would take that to work and read the dumb sentences aloud at the lunch table for entertainment. Sorry if I am insulting Larry, but if you write a book that bad, you deserve to take a few on the chin. Even those books got lots of 5 star reviews. What the...

I didn't write this review, but I wish I had:

This silly book could not possibly have been written by the genius of Lonesome Dove, so Larry McMurtry must be dead or missing in the wilderness, perhaps stuffed inside some frozen dead buffalo on the prairie in a blizzard , trapped by the frozen hide. Or hiding, maybe. I read the first book, hoping it would Start at some point and Go somewhere, but it never did. This is the silliest, dumbest, most surreal book purporting to be about something actual, that I've ever read and contains some of the most annoying, egregious, and insulting characters ever created. This book must be a spoof on spoofs of the J. F. Cooper genre, is all I can conclude. I will not bother reading the rest of this "series," it is irredeemable! Mr. Larry McMurtry must be found---No Author Left Behind! (Jeffrey A. Friedberg on Amazon.com)

I know, I know. I'm losing the point.

I'm also continuing to be a bit obsessive about crossword puzzles. I didn't finish last Sunday's  which I appreciate. I work until I'm stuck then he takes it for the evening. Sometimes I put in words, like ideate, and he asks me if it's a real word. To tell the truth, I'm not sure but it fit. Turns out it is a word. I have some weird mental rules about when it's ok to check google for an answer.

We've been having internet issues which will drive you insane. Regis has been to Mediacom once, has been on the phone several times to tech support, we bought a new router and we still have what he calls drop-offs. Internet is like phones used to be...you just expect that it will work and when it doesn't, it's frustrating.

Yesterday, we all got haircuts. Gus went down to Terry by 7:30 and was home bathed and groomed and smelling sweet by noon. Regis and I went to Nate's at 10 where we were duly entertained by Nate and Don. Best entertainment deal in town. We had a latte at River Rock, picked up the dog, and went home. Retirement is good.

It's not that I don't work. I work more some days than others but I keep busy between River Rock, the new place, doing some consulting, and filling in at the Pulse. I am not a complete sloth, is my point.

I have taken on another social media client (restaurant in Mankato) which has been fun. It's a team effort with Regis taking pictures and me doing the writing and posting. Notice how I always choose places with good coffee, food, wine, and flowers? I would never take on an auto repair client, for example, because I'd have to hang out there sniffing bad fumes and eating out of vending machines.

I've rambled enough. If you got this far, I hope you stopped in the middle and went out to look at the stars!

smurfs play football

Regis performed a wedding in Mankato yesterday afternoon. We were so dehydrated by the warm wind and I was traumatized by a bee sting so we stopped at Pappageorge, one of our very favorite places to have a cold beer and a bite to eat.

One of the reasons I like to go there is that it's fairly easy to avoid a television, of which they have only two. Yesterday, we were the only patrons in attendance and I wasn't thinking so we sat within eye-shot of a football game. I don't know what this team is called, but seriously, the field is bright blue, their helmets are bright blue, and their uniforms are bright blue. Is this an attempt to be camouflaged? Most of the time it looked like only one team on the field. Whose idea was this?

I know that isn't real grass, but shouldn't it be green?

This is Regis waiting for the wedding party to come down the hill. He got to stand in this cool little arbor thing made by the groom. The wedding had an Iowa Hawkeye theme in honor of Grandpa's 75th birthday, hence the Hawkeye at the top and the black and gold colors. It was a very sweet wedding and Regis did a great job. He looked so handsome and I was very proud of him.

I also attended St. Peter Day at Gustavus for a while before the wedding. I had planned on this for a while but somehow it had escaped my conscious mind that the event was taking place a football game. It was probably the first one I have attended in 30 years.

I would say that I had my fill of football yesterday. Small and innocuous bites, but enough exposure for a while.

Speaking of bites, the bee sting story is as follows. I was wearing a hat because I was going to be out in the sun for the afternoon and didn't want a sunburn. In the car after the wedding, I felt this biting sting at the back of my neck, under my hat brim, and I developed a huge welt. I never did find the culprit...only the evidence.

On to Sunday.

going to the basement for the day

I hate high winds. I also hate the critical fire alert they keep blabbing about in the paper. I think I'll spend the day in the basement. Oh, wait. I have to go to Gustavus this afternoon...the windiest spot in Nicollet County...and spend three hours standing on the mall outside the student union. I better load my pockets with rocks.

A critical fire alert, for anyone other than a member of the fire department, seems meaningless. I will refrain from burning leaves (common sense?) but otherwise I'm not sure of the action to take. It seems to be like the time they had the sniper in Washington. They advised people to walk in a zig-zag pattern. I tried it a couple times but it was awkward. Or the government's color alert system for terrorism. Sometimes I think we get too much information.

I set my alarm so I would get up and put the trash and recycling out this morning. Sometimes we wake up when we hear the truck rumbling down the street. Nothing like a mad dash in front of the trash hauler at 7 am, although it's probably a scene he is accustomed to seeing.

We have a little unspoken rivalry on our street. You don't want to be the last to bring your trash containers up on the day of collection. It's ok to wait until you get home from work, but you don't want to let them sit there for days. That would be middle class slothfulness. Like wearing your pajamas until noon.

I read in the paper once about a fancy neighborhood that had "covenants" about trash containers. Lots of them. You were not allowed to leave your trash container outside of an enclosed building, take it to the front of your house, or leave it out for more than thirty minutes after the truck had passed. Too many rules for me.

I looked covenants up on Wikipedia. A covenant usually refers to a sacred agreement between God and humanity. Doesn't that seem kind of serious for a rule about trash cans and clothes lines? What the hell.

I'm reading another book of historical fiction. This time, I swear, I am really done. I have to get out of the 1600s and read something with more modern language and a tad bit more action of the kind that does not include lopping off heads and running men through with giant swords. I can't believe the main character has lived more than 60 years...those were bad ass times.

Regis is still sleeping. We had a medical backhand yesterday that we did not anticipate. We've been to so many appointments lately that we expected this one to be fine, too. Not so. We're optimistic about the surgery next week and we try not to spend too much time dwelling on the bad crap that can happen.

Enough of this and that. Stay cool and fire-free today.

a killer workout

Yesterday, I'm working out with Rachel who must sometimes forget that I am almost sixty. She says, "Do the sidewinder down and back two times." I looked at her dumbly so she demonstrated. Plank position, cross hands, move down the floor. Who invents this stuff?

This picture of Kermit doing the plank looks more like me than the other muscle-bound and scantily-clad women I saw in my google search.

I had to do a frog jump, too, which must be easier if you are an actual frog. Getting my old bones to crouch down and move horizontally down the mat is not an easy thing to muster and might have been hilarious to watch. Similar to the ministry of silly walks. I'm here to tell the story, though, so I guess it didn't kill me.

My goals for exercise are simply to be strong and active. I'm not looking to appear in public in a bikini anymore but would settle for being able to get out of my chair alone when I'm really old.

Elliot came to spend the day with us on Thursday. We met his Aunt Emily and Cousin Alex at the coffee shop where the boys played with trains for an hour while we chatted.

Elliot is on the patio watching a woodpecker eat peanuts. He was fascinated and was able to get very close. The woodpecker turned his head from time to time to keep at eye on him, but didn't seem bothered. I think we've kept him well-fed on peanuts for a long time so he trusts us.

We packed a picnic lunch and went to the park to play. Elliot says this is his happy face. I also took some pictures of what he called his not happy face. We had a fine time.

Regis is making me coffee, it's Bob's 33rd birthday, I'm watching the birds flit around the garden, and it's a beautiful morning. Grand start to the day!

Happy birthday, Bob!

bear rides trike: like a lot of things in life

This picture really amused me. The more I think about it, it's a good metaphor for life. In more situations than not, we're ill-equipped to deal with what comes down the road but we grab the handle bars and pedal anyway. What else can we do?

I've been going to yoga classes periodically for a few years. It's been frustrating because I felt like I didn't know anything and it went too fast. It was like playing football when you don't know the rules. Not that I've ever done that. I couldn't watch the instructor and do the difficult poses at the same time, as hard as I tried.

I ordered a DVD and tried it the other day. The instructor goes very slow with the directions and tells me to focus on breathing. I know a few simple things now and feel competent enough to keep practicing. Interesting how we think we will learn just by being around someone who knows how to do it. It's the bear on the tricycle metaphor again.

It was my second fall with no first day of school and I can say I felt no pangs of regret or nostalgia. None. I got another one of those mildly threatening letters from some statewide organization for school administrators. They think that because I had a license, I should pay them a yearly fee. I sent them a letter once and said when I had a snow ball's chance in hell of getting a job as one, I would consider paying dues. Until then, not a chance. They keep sending the annual letter and I keep ripping it up in fits of maniacal laughter.

Now that I have been distracted by many things, I'll try to focus on getting to work. Get on your tricycle today and pedal like hell.

more royalty news

I forgot to mention our other tie to royal lines. The names of the three sisters in Regis's mom's family were Anastasia, Alexandra, and ...now we can't remember the third one. Unlikely we will be able to claim that throne. What the hell.

I rode my bike to work and stopped at the PO on the way home. I have liked to call it the PO ever since I read the story by Eudora Welty called Why I Live at the PO. It was hysterical. Still is. You should read it.

Anyway, back to the PO. It was hotter than hell in there. Someone told me that one dude who works there thinks he pays the electric bill (I guess technically, he does.) and he turns the AC off when he leaves on Friday. After a blistering three-day weekend like we just had, that old brick building doesn't cool off very fast. There were old people in line behind me and I had a pile of things to mail, so fearing that they might expire from heat exhaustion, I kept letting them go ahead in line. It was a busy mail day, though, and eventually I had to call a stop to that humanitarian act.

The lesson is this: Go to the PO at the end of the week during the summer.

security questions and being in line for the throne

I've been reading lots of historical fiction this summer, mostly about all the different kings named Henry, Edward, or John and wives named Elizabeth or Mary. I think they only had about fifteen names to choose from in those days. It makes it very hard to keep it all straight.

Then there is the practice of people tagging their title onto their name, as in Grand Lord Duke Richard Waddlington of Buckingham. So, sometimes he is called the Duck of Buckingham, sometimes Richard, and sometimes another combination of any of his names. It's very confusing.

They are all related, as well, which leads you to believe if someone did a family tree for the whole country they would go back to the same fifteen people of paragraph one. I think it's what leads to the bad teeth and weird hair.

The monarchy has their own official website which is quite a hoot to peruse. There are official rules for this and that, and of course, official photographs, among which I did not find the nude billiard photos of Prince Harry. Pity.

So, the point of this is that Regis was sitting in his chair last night reviewing his family tree on ancestry.com because it was free this weekend. I pointed out that he has a lot of Marys, Howards, and Harrys in his lineage, which according to my fiction reading means he could be in line for the throne.

As I pondered this, I decided it would not be such a good thing after all because the minute you are crowned, someone is trying to take your head off with a giant axe. I think we'll remain common and keep our heads.

If you have used iTunes or the Apple store, you know that their security questions are almost impossible:

• What was the first thing you learned to cook?
• What is the last name of your favorite elementary school teacher?
• Where was the first place you ever flew?

Who can remember those things? And if you make something up, which is what I am inclined to do, then the next time, you can't remember what that was.

I propose instead, security questions for old people:

• What's the name of your current pet?
• What year did you start receiving Medicare?
• What kind of car do you drive?

These are all easy to check and don't change that often. I think I'll send Apple an email.

on the boardwalk

We had a grand boardwalk party yesterday. The food was mostly of the carb-laden, junk variety but you can't be health conscious every day, now can you? When people were bending at the waist and exclaiming that they were stuffed at the end of the party, Regis said that's exactly the effect you want when you visit the shore.

We did have fresh green beans as a concession to the vegetable world.Green beans with bacon.

Testament to the different types of food and the labor involved in the preparation is that there was not one photo taken. Regis looked hot and sweaty when he came in from the grill after cooking onions and peppers, two dozen brats, and a batch of zippoles. As they say in the small town papers, a good time was had by all.

Usually at the end of a party, I just go to bed and don't wash a dish or clean up any of the mess. Tiffany dug right in and helped with the dishes, bless her heart, so I didn't have to face a frightful kitchen disaster this morning.

After 3+ years of going to the Pulse in the morning, we are turning our schedule on its head and going in the early afternoon. I'm a creature of habit so we'll see how this goes. Regis is a way more flexible character than I am and convinced me that it would be fine. I'm trying not to be so rigid but I did write everything on my google calendar and printed it so I can keep it front and center this week.

It's Labor Day. Honor labor and don't labor too much!

where did summer go?

Aside from the temperatures, which are decidedly summer-like, it's September already. We feel like the summer flew by us and Regis is somewhat interested in a do-over. I'm not sure he'd like doing the surgery and post-surgery again, but whatever. That won't work anyway. We have to take what comes.

Regis took Gus to the backyard last night and when he came in, he said "Get in the car!" I jumped out of my chair, thinking off all the bad things he might have discovered in the moonlit yard...zombies, a flash fire, a rabid skunk.

No, it was the moon light that captivated him. It was the blue moon, the second full moon in a month and he wanted to get some pictures of it so we jumped in the car and drove to the highest point in town, First Lutheran's parking lot.

I woke up at 5 and walked outside to see the moon again. It was clearer than it had been last night but I didn't think my photographer would be interested in waking up just then.

The blue moon is not really blue; it's a Photoshop trick. Never trust a photograph anymore.

We took Gus to the dog park about 6 o'clock last night. It was like a family reunion there...lots of people and lots of dogs. One cranky one named Bernie made me nervous because he liked to wrestle, frequently right around my legs. At one point I let out a small shriek and put my legs up on the bench. All the dog people looked at me with disdain, as you can imagine, because they think their dogs are small saints in furry suits. Even though, I might add, they are licking their private parts, taking dumps in plain sight, peeing on anything vertical, or attempting to hump each other. Gus chased a hundred balls, got very dirty and slobbered all over my skirt. In his perception, it was a successful outing.

My POD is to finish my coffee and go for a bike ride. Regis will take Gus back to the park before his weekend bath which entails Gus and me getting into the tub. He's good about it but it's like bathing a pony in your bathtub.

Tomorrow is our boardwalk party so I need to review my agenda and do some preparation today. I think I'll make a list and ask everyone to sign up for one food item. It will be like the fair, everyone gets a booth and the little kids get a handful of nickels. Hahaha!

I just had the obscene notion to make party hats and I actually did a google search for party hat templates before I checked my sanity and stopped myself. I saw the list of supplies including glue, staple gun, crepe paper, and ribbon. What the hell. There will be no party hats tomorrow, so Young Regis, if you are disappointed, you will have to bring your own. A plaid Elmer Fudd hat would be nice.

Off we go. Into the day.