Sunday Shortcakes

Got strawberries, angel food cake & cool whip in the fridge!  Which will be eaten later today, since we're all kind of stuffed from the chicken wraps we made for lunch.

Yard Sale Season has begun.  We went to one in the neighborhood last week, where we found a smaller desk for me and Otter found some craft stuff.  We went to three today, Otter found a necklace at one but that was all we bought.  We followed signs to another one, but they were apparently yesterday's signs because it wasn't there.  We also hit a thrift store, but that is a regular activity for us (no luck there).  Sunday yard sales are not really common here, for some reason.

While we were out, we also went to the library.  Which is also a regular activity for us!  Otter found a bunch of books, she also turned in the majority of the last haul.

It's been really warm lately.  Yesterday was so pleasant, we had the house open most of the day with a fan in the window.  It was breezy, but we were able to sit out on the deck in the morning and it was really nice.  Today is warmer and still pretty, but it's also WINDY.  Enough that I was nearly blown off my feet by one gust.  It's another one of those days where we keep expecting to see the beagle fly by.  We could get rain tonight, with the chance of more tomorrow.  Hopefully, any rain we do get will be ended by the afternoon.  The beagle has to go get her rear end squished at the vet's and I do not look forward to the idea of loading wet dogs in the car!

Bill cleaned out some junk from the shed while Otter and I were out hitting yard sales.  We have wasps in there.  They get in at one end, by the door, and then they can't find their way out.  They go to the window at the opposite end from the door, since they see the light shining through.  Then they spend their time batting against the window, trying to get out.  We have to go open the door and let them out on a regular basis.  They are not smart, it takes them a while to figure out that all they have to do is go back the way they came in and they'll be fine.  They are not nesting in the shed, we check frequently.  They just aren't too bright!

Otter saw the first honey bee of spring today.  She was cleaning out the dog yard, which is her least favorite chore and I don't blame her.  She said that the honey bee was busily collecting pollen from all the dandelions that have suddenly sprung up.  We also heard the first frog of the year yesterday, so Otter replaced the bricks in the dog's water dish because we don't want drowned frogs!

Bill didn't quite get to the bikes when he was working in the shed.  But I'm thinking that we're going to have to get them out pretty soon.  Someone gave us a bike that they weren't going to use a while back, so I'm thinking that I might start riding it in place of the one I bought a couple of years ago.  My bike isn't quite tall enough for me and it also needs new brakes.  If the other bike is in decent shape, which it looks like it is, I'll probably start riding it instead of buying new brakes for mine.  Depending on how tall it is.  I'm fairly tall, 5' 9".

My allergies are both better and worse today.  The respiratory allergies are better, which is surprising considering the wind and the fact that everything is blooming.  But my skin allergies are starting to kick in today.  I'm itchy!  I don't particularly like having allergies to so much stuff, but Otter's are even worse than mine.  I'm allergic to lots of things, she's allergic to nearly everything!

Wednesday's Mid-Week Whining

Not all that much to whine about actually.  Just sore feet & legs, but that's because I got on the bike again this afternoon after about a week of not riding.  It was a short ride, the wind was playing a game with my allergies, but it was nice to be able to ride again.  Otter went with me this time, the wind bothered me more than it did her.  I'm going to pay for it tomorrow, my allergies are already reminding me that they are there.  Unfortunately, there isn't an allergy medicine that really works for me.  Think I'm going to convert my Whining Wednesday into Wine Wednesday! :)

We also spent a long time out in the back yard, watching the dogs alternating between tracking moles & coming up to us to get affection.  We discovered that the morning glories are starting to come up.  I saw the first one the other day, but now there are several more that have poked through the dirt.  They might be some of the assorted seeds I planted, they are in the right area but I'm not picky.  I 'm just glad that they are starting to grow.  The ones at Otter's trellis are the ones I'm referring to, I didn't get out to the fence to check those but they should be up soon if they aren't already.

Otter's got about 3 weeks of school left.  She's happy about that, for some strange reason.

It has been really cool the last few nights, last night was in the 40's.  The days have been nice, partly cloudy and warm but not hot.  Today, it's very nice but it's also very windy.  Tomorrow is supposed to be the same and then we could get rain on Friday.  The rain might last through to Sunday, it depends on which tv forecaster we want to believe!

Whatever, I'm just ready for Friday to get here.

Today!

Today is April 15. Tax Day. Tea Party Day (you already know which side of the aisle I'm on for this, right?) Thursday.

And, it's also International High Five Day. So go High Five somebody, hopefully you won't get left hanging!

It's been a long, hard week and I'm very glad that it's nearly over. Sabbath can not get her fast enough. I am in desperate need of several hours of uninterruped crochet and/or reading time. Oh, also nap time sounds really good.

Frasier probably agrees with that last statement, he's parked in the floor beside me and is currently doing his pedicure but that's generally the last activity before he puts his head down on the floor and starts snoozing.

Nevermind, he just got up and left the room. Probably to go to his spot in the living room and nap there. Dog's got his priorities.

I took Otter to a local park yesterday. Froggy - the one where we fed the squirrels and walked around the stream. The azaleas are blooming and it was just beautiful! There were lots and lots of people, a few dogs (on leash only at this place) and billions of kids. Kids of all ages, there was also a senior center that had a field trip and they seemed to be having as much fun as the kids that were there. We contributed to the welfare of several squirrels and they followed us for a while. They are very used to people, and they are tame enough to take peanuts out of our hands. We're careful about it. There were a lot of birds, they tend to congregate where people are feeding the squirrels because they get fed that way, too. No tadpoles yet, it's a little early for them. Surprisingly, my knee wasn't too bad. The ground is very uneven but I managed to walk the stream area without too much difficulty. Of course, my allergies were "full speed ahead" and I was itchy for hours afterwards. But it was worth it! Nana, this is the same park where we took Otter when she was young and you took pictures - which you then turned into a painting of her sitting in front of some of the azaleas. We try to go several times a year, but I don't think we made it more than once last year - Froggy, when you were hear and the squirrels weren't very hungry (for once).

I have ridden my bike twice this week, Sunday and Tuesday. I would have ridden it today, but I didn't have enough time this evening. It might be rainy the next couple of days, so I'm not sure when I'll get back on it but soon. My knees were not happy with me yesterday, the day after a bike ride, which is why it was so surprising that I didn't have problems at the park.

Froggy, I haven't forgotten about the crochet project I have in mind for you. I think I've narrowed it down to how I want to do it (which pattern/stitch I want to use). I'm thinking that Saturday is when I'll see how it works. I'll keep you posted.

Sunday Advil

Today's installment is brought to you by the wonderful product, Advil. Something I'm on a first name basis with, as far as my knees are concerned. Especially today. Because I finally, finally! got to go on a bike ride. And it was wonderful! I think I'm really going to enjoy my new bike. I've had it since November or thereabouts, so it's probably not really "new" anymore but I've only ridden it twice aside from today - when we went to look at it, and then I took a test ride around the neighborhood when we got it home. Actually, I think it was the next day or a day or two later. But then it became winter and my bike had to be cooped up in the shed, waiting for me and warm weather. Bill replaced the bad brakes, although it still squeaks (loudly) but at least they do what they are meant to do which is stop all motion. After Otter and I got home from running our errands, Bill had gotten the bikes out of the shed and was in the process of airing up the tires for us. So we took a ride. We raised the seat on Otter's bike (again!) and I think mine will probably need to be raised just a little bit, but I'm very pleased. It's a really good ride, it feels like a solid bike and I'm happy with it.

But my knees aren't happy. Which is why this post is titled what it is. It will take a little time, my knees will probably be really unhappy with me for a while but after I've gotten back into the routine and have ridden a few more times, my knees will adjust to the excercise and will be happier. It's the best excercise for bad knees, repetitive motion without a lot of stress on certain parts of the knee and no impact. It's just not going to be fun getting to that point...

Part of the errands Otter and I ran included (big surprise) the library. We both got a lot of books, she probably got more but mine are thicker and we're about even on the amount of book weight.

We also went to an estate sale. It was a lot of fun, and Otter found a couple of things. There was Fenton, but it was overpriced Fenton. So it didn't come home with me. There were a couple of yard sales we were going to, but we never found the first one (we realized later on that we turned the wrong direction at an intersection) and were out of the mood then because the library was waiting. And we couldn't keep the library waiting.

We went to Lowe's and I found some other plants to put in the whiskey barrel. I had 4 Gerbera daisies. Two of them died almost immediately. Two were doing well, but I decided to replace them because the two remaining ones looked kind of lonely. However, when we got home I noticed something. One of the remaining healthy ones is gone. As in somebody took it, the entire plant is gone and it was obviously dug up. Really tacky! It was there this morning, I remember noticing it when we left for Church.

(I decided to drown my sorrows in chicken fajita with an Advil chaser. It was very good, and now I'm stuffed. But my knees are still yelling at me.)

Think I'll go get into my chocolate stash now.

Sunday A1 Steak Sauce

Because I still don't really care for ketchup! Well, I do like it a little. Just not as much as Otter.

It's been a long week, and it's been stressful. I have been extremely worried about Virginia all week, I've talked to her several times and also to her 6-year old granddaughter. It's really hard that I wasn't able to be there for her, Froggy I can not thank you enough for taking over for me and going to the visitation today. Virginia is my dearest friend, in fact we are more like sisters than friends and have been for years. She's had so much happen in her life, she's dealt with more tragedy than most people.

OK, I'm going to change the subject now. They still need prayers, but I'm trying not to get depressed!

Well, let's see. What else has been going on this week? Well, I got my new glasses on Monday and they seem to be right. I had to go back and get them tightened up on Tuesday, I have had a sore area on the bridge of my nose and behind one ear from the frames fitting differently than the old ones, but not anything really bad.

Thanksgiving was Thursday, we had a really nice time at Grandpa & Sweeties. Lots of food and family, and Otter got to play Wii for a while - all the adults were so overfed by this point that nobody had the energy to play with her! We had a great time, we haven't seen them in several weeks.

Bill's got a new toy. He bought a planer. You know, to plane wood smooth - not a planner! Yes, it has a blade. I try to keep him away from that type of thing but sometimes ... He needed this particular piece of sharp object. He was making shoe shelves for Otter, but he decided that the ones he was making weren't what he wanted them to be. So he bought her 2 more 2-row shoe shelves which stack on the top of the one she had. The ones he was making will become a plant stand for me. The planer will come in handy for the shoe rack turned planter, and also on some other projects he has in the works.

It's raining. It has been pretty cool most of the day, and it started raining late morning. Not a hard rain, just a nice slow rain. The kind that we need to go on for days.

Otter's allergies are back in full force. She's been alternating between sneezing, stuffy nosed, hoarse and runny nosed. She took benadryl at bedtime last night and it helped quite a bit. She has a day off from school tomorrow, so she's going to stay home and enjoy a relaxed day. And she'll probably sneeze quite a bit! Maggie Moo will be happy that her mom is home with her. She'll probably show her happiness by snoozing all day.

Fraiser is acting strangely at the moment. His blanket is in the dryer. He doesn't like it when it's not where it belongs! He followed me to the laundry room and stared at me, very intently, when I was putting the blanket in the washing machine. Then he turned around, flipped his tail at me, and booked it back to the living room. He's made several trips to the laundry room, just to look in the door. When the blanket comes out of the dryer, he'll probably sniff it a few times and then possibly ignore it for a while. It won't smell the same. But that's the point!

Bill fixed the brakes on my bike. They were sticking slightly. I took it on a test ride Friday afternoon, it rides wonderfully but the brakes were sticking and also squeaky. Now they don't stick, but I think they still squeak. I haven't been able to ride it since then, it's been too cool and now rainy. But I think I'm going to be very happy with it.

I spent several hours yesterday, with a crochet hook in one hand and yarn in the other. Froggy, the scarf for your friend is finished. I'm going to work on Kid#3's next and then her hat. I think that's her name! Anyway, I am also finished with the jewelry roll pouch for your friend, I just have to attach a button so it will close and then after I get Kid#3's scarf & hat done, I'll get it all in the mail to you. I'll let you know.

Looks like Otter's tulip bed won't have tulips next spring. We kind of forgot about getting bulbs, then when we realized it (Friday), we discovered that nobody has any bulbs in stock anymore. So she's decided that she'll just plant something pretty in it next spring and then we'll make sure we get bulbs early next fall.

I gotta go see what Billyboy is up to, he's baking cookies. I spent quite a bit of time this morning cleaning up after his cookie baking yesterday, and now he's probably undone all my hard work!

Rainy Fall Sunday

But busy!

Bill bought a new toy last week, it's a compressor. It's about as tall as he is and very heavy. There are a lot of times when he needs one, so he finally just decided to buy one. He found it on Craigslist. It needed a couple of parts replaced, but it was a very good deal so it was worth putting a little $$ into. The problem was, where to put it? Between our work benches was a plastic shelf unit, and that's where the compressor found a home. The shelf unit has been taken apart and moved to another place in the garage, where Bill did need storage. While we were at it, he cleaned off a wooden 5-shelf unit that we've had for many years. The wooden unit was in Otter's room at one point, then when we moved it joined the clutter, I mean Bill's supplies, out in the garage.

But Otter needed a place to put her many books and magazines, so guess what? The wooden shelf is now back in her room. So she's spent a couple of hours reorganizing her books and magazines, and now there are no more stacks in corners! And the shelf still has some room, which is a good thing because she is her mother's daughter, after all, and books play a major part in our lives. She did comment that the last time she had that shelf in her room, she was unable to reach the top of it. Now she's able to see the top!

I have a Craiglist find myself. I just bought a bicycle! I bought a new one a couple of years ago and did ride it but it was not really big enough. I have long legs, and we thought it would work when we got it but even with the seat raised up all the way it was just barely too short for me to ride comfortably. Otter outgrew her bike, so I gave her my newer one and went back to my old 10-speed yard sale cheapie. That's the one that had the blowout a while back. That particular bike was fine for a long time, but it was a more expensive brand/model and that meant that I couldn't just go buy standard parts when it needed work (which might have been why it was practically free!). It was kind of a pain to have to go to specialty shops for it, and I didn't want to deal with it anymore. The brakes were acting up on it, the chain kept slipping off and the shifter just plain wouldn't work but I was coping with it until the blowout. That was the final straw and I decided to go ahead and replace it. I never had time to deal with it this last summer, we had so much going on between company (which we loved!), summer school and then the rent house so I figured I'd just wait until next spring/summer and get one then. But Bill's been checking Craigslist for me on a regular basis and a likely one showed up Friday. We went to check it out today and it came home with me. It's in decent shape, it's sturdy and the seat is new (and soft), the brakes need a little adjusting but they work - unlike my last one! And the tires are good. Of course, it's raining and probably will be for days. But as soon as the weather is good, I'm going to start riding again and I think it will help my knees a lot. They were better when I was riding on a regular basis. And they have been really bad lately.

I have two lazy dogs on the floor beside me at the moment. One of them is a very clean beagle, she got a bath Friday afternoon. She was not amused! But she was crazed afterwards, she ran all over the house several times and zoomed up and down the hall 7 or 8 times. She really seemed to enjoy the drying process, and she doesn't stink anymore. Frasier needs one, but he's a harder target to catch! He always seems to know when he's about to get a bath, even if I just think about it! He was sleeping so soundly while ago that I actually had to check to see if he was breathing!

If Thursday if Baby Friday, Then What is Sunday?

Baby Monday? Stands to reason, doesn't it?

I need to make a quick correction. Virginia and David's hearing for the custody of their grandchildren is TUESDAY, not Monday! Prayers are always needed, whatever day.

Today is Fall Housecleaning Day. Otter hates it when I have cleaning fits. I don't feel a bit sorry for her. She's been working in her room and is now going through some of her books. She has enough to stretch from here to the moon and back. Several times. But she occasionally does go through them and when she has some she doesn't want, we take them to a local book store where she has an account set up. She gives them the books, they give her a store credit and then she goes shopping for replacements. The book store donates to a local senior center's book sale, and Otter sends any books that the store isn't interested in to be donated. It's a win-win situation for everybody.

Our multi-legged friend the spider has apparently forgiven me for walking through his web the other day. Because he's been back several times, in the same space. He's actually a pretty smart bug, he builds his webs in front of the back window and since there is light on inside the window the bugs fly towards the light. Right into the web. We watched him yesterday, working on the web. I love to watch spiders, they are so neat. And this one is apparently a very sucessful hunter, judging by the number of neatly wrapped dead bugs we see him carrying off. We try to avoid destroying the web when we walk out the back door in the mornings.

Froggy asked me a few questions regarding my last blog entry. I'm going to expand on some of them a little bit. Starting with my bike. It's not dangerous. But it is getting to be very annoying. I am most likely going to replace it, but not right now. This would probably be the best time, stores start clearing out their summer stuff now to bring in winter things. But it's not in budget right now, so next spring is when I'll worry about that. Unless I find a super deal somewhere, but I'm not really looking. I think we paid about $10.00 for it at a yard sale, actually I think we only paid about $5.00 for it. Years before we moved, which was over 4 years ago. It was used when we bought it and I've gotten a lot of use out of it. I just need a newer one now.

Let's see, what was next? Oh yeah - Otter and karate. Froggy asked me if maybe it was something in the gym that is causing the problem. Quick answer: No. Otter's asthma is coming out of remission a bit, and it's changing. Which is a normal pattern. Her asthma seems to be following the same pattern as mine. This is something that has been a concern for months, it's not new. We just haven't mentioned anything about it because we weren't sure what we were going to do. She's going to attempt to go tomorrow and possibly Wednesday. But I think we're going to have to make the decision fairly quickly. I don't remember if I mentioned it or not, but I've already talked to the lady in charge at the gym and she said that they would keep Otter's membership open, since she's come so far. And it's possible that she might be able to go back to it later, when she's a little older. We are going to discuss it more this week and probably decide soon.

Froggy, you reminded me about the beanie baby hummingbird. We are still looking. We just haven't been anywhere lately. It was actually something we discussed the morning I posted the blog entry, before you asked about it. Great minds think alike, huh? Or they run in the same gutter maybe. But we did realize that we have hardly found anything at thrift stores since you left. So you need to come back and go shopping with us again! We might possibly go to a thrift store later on, Otter needs some driving practice and that would give us a fun destination.

Politics maybe next time.

Did You Know that Today is Baby Friday? & Later Update

I heard that expression on the news a couple of weeks back, now I've noticed that the newscasters all seem to use it on Thursday. Apparently, it's not really Thursday. It's Baby Friday. Ok, whatever floats your boat. But to me, it's still Thursday!

However, it is the day before Friday so that is a good thing.

Otter drove us to school this morning. Where she was promptly seen by two girls from one of her classes. They looked pleasantly surprised, Otter looked more than just a little smug! She did very well, by the way. And I don't blame her a bit for being proud of herself.

In a little while, we are going to attempt a bike ride. I say attempt because I have to get the tires aired up a little bit first. I have this fear of blowing up my bike! :) We don't have a tire pump, Bill has an air compressor and a portable tank. He filled up the portable tank for me the day before yesterday but yesterday was karate so we didn't get anywhere near the bikes. Actually, I'm just waiting on Otter to finish today's homework. But we do need to air up the tires before we head out.

I am probably going to post some political thoughts in the next few days. Just thought I should warn anyone who might need warning! I'm not politically correct, which I think we all know by now. I'm also extremely conservative, which is probably no surprise either. By extremely conservative, I mean militantly extremely conservative. Just so there are no misunderstandings! Don't say you weren't warned...

Happy First Birthday, Scarlet! A couple of days late, but at least I did remember. And in the same month this time!

Otter had karate last night. First time since the early summer or possibly late spring, I forget exactly. It was just like it's been most times for the majority of the most recent classes: she was unable to finish class and had to leave early because of her asthma and needing to use the inhaler more than once. This is not something I've mentioned before, but we are about to be forced to make a decision regarding her future in karate and it's a decision we really don't want to make. In all probability, there is only one decision to make. We just aren't quite there yet. More on that later. But she is part of the decision making process.

We have had lovely weather lately, it's been in the low- to mid-80's for a couple of weeks. It's been really nice. It is supposed to be like that for a few more days, then mid-week next week it will start to cool down more. We are supposed to be in the low- to mid-70's by this time next week. Guess it's time to get ready for winter! I think Otter and I might go coat shopping this weekend, although I'm not sure if any are out in the stores yet anyway. I've seen jackets in a few stores, but we both need coats so we'll look but we might not have any luck for a couple of weeks. She also needs a few things like warmer shirts and could probably use a couple additional pairs of jeans. So we might go on Sunday. Froggy, we will think of you if we hit any thrift stores! I am also going to look for a few things myself, I have quit wearing slacks to work entirely and I think I need a couple of longer skirts. Theoretically, they might be a little warmer! (I don't even own a pair of slacks anymore, when my last few pairs "outgrew" me because of my weight loss I gave them to Goodwill and am not replacing them.)

Prayer Request: Virginia's custody hearing is Monday. Please keep praying! They need it.

Now I'm going to go see if Otter is finished with her math so we can go on that bike ride.

Ok, here's the later update: I couldn't get the air tank to work, Bill was home by that time so he wound up filling the tires on both bikes. Then off we went. And I promptly had a blowout! The back tire, it was not overinflated but the tubes are a few years old and we think that was the problem. We hadn't gone too far, and it felt like the chain was trying to slip off (happens a lot with my bike) so I was slowing down and nearly stopped when BOOM! Which threw Otter into a tizzy, I think she thought I'd been shot! I was almost stopped so I didn't fall off or anything. But I did have to walk the beast home and then I got the dogs on their leashes so I could still get some excercise along with Otter. I really think I need a new bike, but I am trying to watch expenses so I might just get new tubes. But there is still the matter of the gears not shifting well on my bike and the chain that comes off frequently. So I may get a newer one, but not right away!

In Case We Forget That We Live in Oklahoma

we got reminded last night. Specifically, that we live in the part of Oklahoma frequently referred to as Tornado Alley. Otter went with her best friend to the friend's church youth event so she wasn't home for the excitement. But she had plenty of her own!

I think it was around 7:15 or so, we were watching a satelitte tv station so we weren't aware of a weather warning. Until we heard what we at first thought was a sound effect on the tv. Then we realized that it was "the" siren. Trust me, that is a sound you don't ever want to hear! We turned the tv to a local station and then realized that we were right in the firing line of a storm that had previously been tornadic and was still rotating. And moving quickly. We thought it was going to go south of us, then we realized that it was coming FROM the south towards us. Which is unusual, that type of storm generally comes from the west. We're watching the tv reports, then Bill heads down the hall to the bedroom tv to see what another channel had. At that point, I look out the back door and realize that I can see the area that the news bulletins are about. So I go find Bill and he points something out to me that I'd missed entirely! And it was about to sprout, it was very low (almost looked like I could have reached it from the back yard), and it was definetely rotating. It went right over the house, but it was still terrifying and much, much too close for comfort! That's when we went to the laundry room, which is our safe spot in the house.

Within just a few minutes of that fun event, I get a frantic call from Otter. Everyone had been moved inside the church when the sirens sounded and they were all in an inside, windowless room. Some of the adults were upstairs to where the only tv was, so they knew at least that it was heading their direction. I told her to stay put, do what she was told and pay attention - which she was already doing. I also told her to keep in touch with me and keep me posted, I think she called me 3 or 4 times and I called her at one point when we realized that it was almost on top of them. But it passed over them safely, then her friend's parents brought her back home. I don't think I have ever seen her so glad to get home. She's a pretty brave girl, but this one was potentially very serious and I was as terrified as she was I think.

When we watched the news at 10:00, we saw a report that turned out to be a small tornado - after it passed over us but before it got to where Otter and her friend were. Not a comforting thought! There was a little bit of property damage, but nobody was actually hurt.

Yes, Froggy - I can hear Dad's voice so clearly. I know exactly what he would be telling me. To get my behind back to Texas, where I belong! Then he would tell me that he grew up in this area so he knew what he was talking about, and that I should listen to him and come home. I got that lecture from him several times after we moved up here. Always during the spring. And he always meant it from the heart. And I would dearly love to be able to hear him lecture me again.

Ok, back to the regularly scheduled blog posting!

Mother's Day is Sunday. I got my gift from Bill today. He's a smart man, he knew I'd want Fenton and he knew that he'd better ask me to get my own gift this time. Which is not because he just didn't want to go shopping, but because he knew he couldn't keep straight which one I wanted once he got there! So I said I didn't mind, and I went to the Fenton store at lunch today. I went in with one of two pieces in mind, one is a candle holder and one is a vase. So what did I come out with? A blue elephant! Which is another good reason that Bill didn't try to get my gift this year - he knew I'd change my mind once I got in there! Smart man.

I promised Otter I'd go for a bike ride with her, so I'd better get this posted now.

Bicycles!

We finally got Bill convinced to get the bikes out of the shed! Actually, I had to start taking them out myself yesterday for him to realize that I was serious about it. He was afraid I'd hurt myself, so he said that he would get them today if I would remind him as soon as he got home. So, as he was walking in the door Otter and I were standing right there and we said one phrase over and over and over and over and.... "Bicycles, we want bicycles!" It worked. Of course, the tires were flat so Bill had to take care of that for us. Then Otter and I got the seat adjusted on her new one (my "old" one - really just a few months old) and then away we went.

And about 20 feet later, the chain slipped off of my bike so I had to walk it back and get Bill to fix it for me. It's an old 10-speed, it was a pretty expensive brand at one point but I bought it at a yard sale for $5.00. It takes specialty tires, so I didn't actually get to ride it for quite a while after we got it because it took a while to find the tires. Now I'm thinking that it might be on it's last legs, but I'll ride it until it falls apart. If I do have to replace it, I'm getting a plain old one speed! I'm sure that my knees will be rebelling tomorrow, but it is actually good therapy for them. It may be rainy the next couple of days, but I am going to ride as often as I can.

Bill actually cleaned out an area of the shed so we can store the bikes there, then get them out easily when we want them. It was kind of a mess and still is in the shed, but one thing at a time!

I think Otter will enjoy her new one, it's a better size for her. The purple one is only about 3 years old, but she's grown a lot in those 3 years. The doctor said that she's probably just about at her adult height and the blue bike should work for her for many years - or until she gets a car and forgets about the bike!

I had a close encounter of the hummingbird kind this morning. I was watering the venus flytraps, which have been relocated to the deck. They are on the outside window ledge of the dining room window, right under the feeder. I heard a buzz and looked up, there was a male ruby-throat about 4" from my head. He was just suspended there, for several minutes then he landed on the feeder which was just a couple of inches higher and fed for several minutes more. I think maybe he's one of last year's crew returning since he was not afraid of me at all. It was a wonderful experience! It lasted until another hummer showed up and the first one chased the second one off. They will return to the same areas year after year, if the food source is one that they like. We also had an oriole on the feeder on Saturday. They will feed from hummingbird feeders. I've just never seen them here before.

That's it for now! I'm just waiting for Otter to get out of the shower so I can take one. But she's a typical teenage girl, she could stay in the shower for hours. Froggy, do you remember Dad yelling at you to get out of the shower because you'd been in there so long? I remember him telling me that he was going to start giving me the water bill to pay!