One Shot Wednesday - Bated Days

This is my first attempt at a Villanelle, which is an interestingly odd form for poetry. I had to modify it (well, had to isn't really right - I got bored with trying to make it work so I modified it just a bit). I'm not at all sure it even makes sense, but we all have to start somewhere. And, of course, since it's my blog I'm going to share it with you, regardless of quality. Aren't you lucky? No?  (Oh, and if you read my post from earlier today you'll note that my writer's block has not gone away. Heh.)

Bated Days

These are bated days
Though my heart is beating still
With summer’s wanton ways

The air is still and stays
Heavy upon the window sill
These are bated days

The parched grass sways
Marching in time downhill
Amid summer’s wanton ways

I am content with my malaise
Can I stave off winter with my will?
These are bated days

All that’s left is haze
Oh could we but distill
this summer’s wanton ways

The nut-brown child plays
Until he gets his fill
These are bated days
Teeming with summer’s wanton ways


This poem is part of One Stop Poetry's One Shot Wednesday poetry gathering, where all poets are welcome to share. Make the rounds!

Try Again

So, my last post was on Saturday night. Yeah, been kind of quiet on the old blog since then. Sometimes (and I know this will amaze and astound you) my brain takes a brief hiatus.

Last night I lay in bed composing the best blog post ever! Um, no. The morning light was a little too harsh on that bit of drivel. Aren’t you glad I didn’t get up in the night & just go ahead & post it? Really, you are.

So, since I am not having any original thoughts, I decided to quote someone else.

I’ve quoted Mother Barbara Crafton on here before. She’s an Episcopal priest who sends motivational emails (eMo’s) from The Geranium Farm. In her latest one she talks about how so often if we slack off or fail at something we just give up. “Oh well, I guess I just won’t make that happen this time.” I totally have that mentality – it’s all or nothing with me. At the end of the eMo she says:

Oh, but I've lost so much time! Well, okay. So the answer to that is to lose some more? Never mind what you've lost -- what can you find in the time that remains to you? How's this for an epitaph: She was off to a good start and then made a few errors. Concluding that this made all her past efforts worthless, she resolved never to try again, and she never did. Some time later, she died.

No? I didn't like it, either. Here's a better one:

She did the best she could, and it was often more than sufficient. When it fell short, she rested awhile and tried again. Sometimes she succeeded. In any case, she got further than any of us thought she would.

To read the whole eMo, go here.

The Poetry Bus Goes to School

Here we are at the Poetry Bus again (what, does this bus come around every week?). The lovely Karen, who apparently values education, is the driver & is planning quite a trip. Please go to her blog here to check out the other bus riders – there are already some great poems out there.

Her prompt this week was very simple: write a poem about school or schooling. Well, I have certainly had my share of school. This poem is about a paper I had to write in seminary.

Old Testament Therapy

I wailed my way
through that paper.
I covered the floor
with notes and books
and discarded pages
and tears.
Heart and soul -
if not mind -
went into those words.
At the end I felt
empty and victorious.

Dr. Ballentine
gave me a C.
We both knew that
what I had written
was catharsis
and not academia.
And that was fine.
Because a small chunk
of my dear battered self
swam free in those tears.


P.S. If you read "beer battered self" the first time, you are not alone. That's what I saw myself when I first read it through. And now I'm hungry! But disturbed…

Project 365 – Week Thirty-Five

Sunday, August 22^nd
Despite the fact that this week contains a little more variety in pictures, we start out with a little hummingbird action. (Little. Hummingbird. I kill myself).

Later that evening Dr. M got a picture of some mushrooms thriving behind our garden. The rest of the yard might be crackly dry, but The Watering Man keeps his garden moist enough for mushrooms!

Monday, August 23^rdMonday was such a nice day that I went out to my car at lunch & listened to my audio book a while (a better plan would be to put on my walking shoes & listen to the book while I walk, but let's not get crazy now).

That night Dr. M took a picture of the full moon. Gorgeous!

Tuesday, August 24^th
On Tuesday I downloaded a new audio book. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't recommend any of the books you see listed there, although the Fern Michaels series The Sisterhood is actually very entertaining. I just get annoyed with the soliloquies the characters are so fond of. You know, where a normal book might have a pause & a back & forth between characters, these ones just keep talking until they've said everything on their minds & then they let the other person talk. Very annoying. Well, and the fact that the plot is extra implausible. But a little implausibility hasn't really stopped me from enjoying a book in the past.

Wednesday, August 25^th
I just noticed that last Wednesday's post had tomatoes in it too – but here are my grape tomatoes, still going strong.

If there's a Reds or Braves game on, we're watching it.

Thursday, August 26^th
Thursday was a gorgeous day, so Dr. M & I both couldn't resist taking pictures. This first one is one I took on my way home from work.

Here's a finch picture Dr. M took. I like how it looks like the finch is doing some sort of yoga – Downward Bird perhaps?

One of our dry cornfields, on Dr. M's way home from work.

The spires of Antioch College. It went bankrupt a few years ago, but it's planning on reopening. It's a lovely campus. Dr. M drives by it every day. I have a secret hope that he would get a job there – it's closer than his current school. However, perhaps he should wait until it's actually a viable enterprise again. (Please note, Dr. M doesn't necessarily share this pipe dream. That's ok - I think it's healthy for couples to have separate pipe dreams).

Friday, August 27^th
It's the Tax Time Pig! This week she's Minnie Mouse.

Dr. M got this picture of a finch who appears to be checking out the antics of a squirrel running across our yard.

Saturday, August 28^th
Today I went to a birthday party for three year old twins. Oh man I'm exhausted & all I did was take pictures & eat cake. Fortunately it was held at a petting farm in Cincinnati – it was fun watching the kids pet the animals (although some of them weren't too sure about these creatures). Here are a handful of pictures I took.

I dream of a day when ducks & chickens can sit down at a meal together…

On my way home I finally stopped to take a picture of a tobacco barn I pass every day. It's actually the same farm that has sheep, but I haven't seen them very often this summer – they're too smart to be out in the sun! I don't like smoking or the smell of cigarettes, but I'll bet the tobacco in this barn smells like heaven – really!

While I was at the birthday party, Dr. M took some excellent butterfly pictures - now that you've read my post you have to go here to see his pictures.

Go here to see the blogs of all the other Project 365 participants.

Weekly Wordzzle - The Fluffy Edition

Oh my goodness it’s fluffy Wordzzle week! I’ve been reading too many really terrible books that I can’t put down. And there’s no end in sight – I’m reading a whole series of books (I’m on Book 7 of 16) and I feel like a rubbernecker at a train wreck. I can’t stop watching. Oh well, I have a Dean Koontz book scheduled for next month. I can regain some of my capacity for intelligent thought then.


Words for the mini: fluid, acreage, fasten, tripe, pages

Sighing, I flip through the pages. I can’t believe I’m really reading this tripe. I’m starting to wonder if I was hypnotized as a child & told that it was illegal to skip through to the end if I didn’t want to read the whole book. Because I just can’t do it – and that’s illogical! The story is ok, but the writing is horrendous. But I’m hooked now – I have to find out what the mysterious fluid is that’s seeping into the ground at Torpor House. It’s amazing that the heroine found it at all, what with the vast acreage of the estate. I fasten my gaze on the paragraphs in front of me, ready to slog through to the end.


Words for the 10-worder: corner, cold-stone, rolex, sole, effortless, raindrops, eyebrow, speaker, amusing, leapt

Standing in the corner by the enormous speaker, Allison wondered if she’d ever get up the nerve to actually join the party. Her friend Julie obviously found all the mingling effortless. She didn’t have any trouble talking to the handsome guy with the cold-stone stare and the Rolex watch. He even lifted an eyebrow, seeming to find Julie amusing. Allison sighed, then her heart leapt as Mr. Gorgeous headed her way. “Calm down, Allison, calm down, it’s just some normal human interaction. People do it all the time without tragic consequences.” Allison was horrified to realize that the words were actually coming out of her mouth. Mr. Gorgeous started laughing out loud and said that Julie had decided that they should get to know each other & had sent him over. Allison was mortified all over again – she might have to kill Julie later. But maybe not. He started talking to her as if his sole purpose in life was to find out her deepest secrets and make them his. Allison never did join the party. They talked long into the night, and all the words were cool raindrops washing away her loneliness.


Words for the mega: corner, cold-stone, rolex, sole, effortless, raindrops, eyebrow, speaker, amusing, leapt, fluid, acreage, fasten, tripe, pages

I have spent entirely too much time indulging in my favorite ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery. Truthfully, I would rather have Peanut Butter Cup Perfection than a Rolex. Actually, this is an easy decision to make because I’ve given up wearing watches. As a Type F personality (I’m sure that one exists – or maybe it should be Type S for Slothful) I have made a fluid transition into watchless existence.

For example, it’s so much easier to listen to the speaker up there spouting his tripe when I don’t have any idea how long he’s been at it. I have, however, been counting his pages of notes as he turns them. Yikes! Perhaps, if I pull out my small hand mirror I can practice raising one eyebrow as if I find all of this amusing, in a “you are so beneath me” sort of way. But I’m afraid the folks sitting beside me might not think that was quite the thing to do at a lecture on time management. Sigh. He needs to finish – I think they’re calling for rain later.

Anyway, about ice cream. I couldn’t fasten my jeans this morning. I got them zipped, but the button was a no go. This used to be an effortless part of my day, and the sole reason it no longer is lurks on a corner scant minutes from my home. All this additional acreage on my backside is really unattractive. Next time I go I’ll get the Berry Berry Good with Sinless Sweet Cream.

Who am I kidding – I’ll get the peanut butter again. Sigh. I might have to move.

What’s this? All the people around me have leapt to their feet. Talking Dude must be finished at last! Obviously this attempt to better myself was a bust. Perhaps I should take up bicycling instead. I ponder this idea all the way to my car, where I miss the raindrops by minutes. Am I lucky or what?


You should go to Raven's blog to read the other Wordzzle participants. And join in – it can be addictive!

Here’s Something Weird…

I can’t believe I haven’t blogged about this before. It’s such a bizarre phenomenon. It all started almost a year ago.

Whenever I get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night I invariably have to sneeze. Sometimes, if I’m patient, I can stand by the bed until the sneeze comes. But usually it’s only after I’ve snuggled down under the covers that sneezing occurs. And I am no dainty sneezer. Poor Dr. M - I’m sure I startle him awake (he’s been too polite to mention it).

I have tried to come up with explanations for this explosive dead of night sneezing. I thought maybe it was our laundry detergent, or dust on my nightstand. But we’ve had those same things for YEARS (I’m not much of a housekeeper, as you well know). AND I do the sneezing thing on vacations and at my dad’s house. It’s a mystery.

So I’ve finally decided that it can only be explained by one thing. As I approach peri-menopause I have developed an allergy to going back to bed once awakened. An allergy that is apparently not soothed by my nightly Claritin. I’m a little traumatized by the whole concept - one of the great pleasures of life is to wake at 3:00 in the morning, go to the bathroom, & realize that you have another 3 hours to sleep. What if this sneezing starts interfering with that? Is the answer to wear adult diapers & not have to get up? Will I start having sneeze induced insomnia?

Hi, my name is Bug, and I have a sneeze disorder.*

* I am being a tad overdramatic - I usually only sneeze once & then go right back to sleep. Still, weird, right?

One Shot Wednesday – Stormy Weather

Stormy Weather

I close my eyes.
Breathe in, breathe out.
Concentrate on that point
just over the horizon.
I imagine my thoughts
drifting by like clouds.
I imagine that I will
brush them aside
like some grand god.

Well, like some grand god
who takes each cloud
and examines it
minutely for chances
of rain or hail
or snow or sleet.
Because the weather
in my soul is always
tricky like that

I never get past these
turbulent clouds.
Is that all there is?
I am drifting in
a weather balloon
terrified that there
is nothing below me,
nothing within me.
Nothing at all.


I've been reading Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I just finished the "Pray" section. Apparently it blew my mind just a little bit. Or a lot.


This poem is part of One Stop Poetry's One Shot Wednesday poetry gathering, where all poets are welcome to share. Make the rounds!

Here Now Are Some Words

I’ve been staring at this blank page.
It’s a bit late for a post or a poem,
but I had something I wanted to say.

I wanted to say
that if Jesus could heal on the Sabbath
perhaps I can let go of my legalistic ways.

I wanted to say
that just because someone else isn’t tolerant
doesn’t mean that I must close my mind.

I wanted to say
that 8 minutes of snoozing in the morning
isn’t nearly enough time to awaken my brain.

I wanted to say
that I feel an internal disquiet that I understand
but don’t know how to comfort.

I wanted to say
that if filling up this page with words was my goal -
well, here now are some words.

A Premature Post about Fall

Unlike last year at this time, I am not bemoaning the end of summer. I don't know if it's because I'm tired of having the same finch, garden & hummingbird pictures on my Project 365 post (not!) or if posting those pictures has made me more aware of necessary passage of time (yes). In any case, here is a list of reasons why I know I'm ready for fall:

1. I am tired of messing with my toes! Polish* them, take the polish off, file them for heaven's sake (instead of clipping them within an inch of their life), put more polish on. It just takes entirely too much effort. I'm ready to slather those puppies with lotion & cover them with cotton socks (can't contemplate woollies until winter).
2. I'm ready for baseball season to end. Yes, I know that I have two more months, but we're winding down. I want to start going to bed by 10:00 every night!
3. I am so tired of my summer clothes. I guess I could buy something new, but I really hate shopping, & we are trying to not spend unnecessary dollars right now.
4. I'm ready for cooler temps (she says with "dew" on her upper lip).
5. I can't think of anything else. The truth is that I'm still a little sad at the idea that summer will be over (sort of) soon. But I'm going to put my game face on & get ready to take pictures of fall leaves. After all, I don't actually have much choice in the matter!

*Does anyone else see the country first & then realize that it's supposed to be color for nails?

The Poetry Bus Doesn’t Want to Wake Up

This week the bus is being driven by the slightly manic Chiccoreal, who is asking us to actually use our brains right as we wake up. Here is my early morning thought process:


The Snooze Button

I slap the infernal machine
several times until I hit
the correct button.
Ah quiet!

In 8 minutes I'll get up,
face the day,
shower and towel,
and do something
to this hair.

But not just yet.
I'd rather snuggle
for 8 minutes
with my dreams
of trying to find
a bathroom.

Project 365 – Week Thirty-Four

Sunday, August 15^th
Dr. M spent some time stalking another hummingbird today. I think it's so interesting to see their bodies so still while their wings are just going to town.

Monday, August 16^th
We finally gave in and replaced our Vonage phone service with Time Warner Cable. It's going to save us about $30 per month, and I can already tell that the quality is much better. However, we've already received way more sales calls than we ever did with Vonage. The very day we made the switch AT&T called to see if we wanted their phone service. Apparently TWC is very generous with distributing its new numbers!

Tuesday, August 17^th
Today is all about the finches. And I couldn't just pick one picture. They're so pretty & goofy – a very photogenic combination!

I took a picture of the Tax Time Pig (you thought I'd forgotten her, didn't you?) – she's a smiley face this week.

Wednesday, August 18^th
On Wednesday I took this picture of the tomatoes Dr. M picked this day. He gave all of these away to people at school.

Here is a fat boy still on the vine.

Thursday, August 19^th
On Thursday Dr. M captured this pretty lady on one of our wildflowers.

And I took a picture of the Watering Man in action.

Friday, August 20^th
On Friday Dr. M took another picture in our frog series. Poor guy, just waited so patiently for all the drama to go away.

Saturday, August 21^st
Today is finch & hummingbird, the sequel. That hummingbird is looking EXTRA fat – getting ready for its journey south I guess.

The finch is clinging to one of the daisy stems – I hadn't seen them in our wildflower bed like that before!

Go here to see the blogs of all the other Project 365 participants.

Weekly Wordzzle - The Humorless Edition

Lookit! I actually did three stories this week! Unfortunately I didn't feel all that humorous apparently, but you can't get everything all the time.

The mini: wine, plundered, signifying, river, survivor

A day by the river is as heady as wine. As a survivor of the rat race I appreciate this stolen day when I could be doing something more productive. The sun dips below the horizon, signifying the end of the magic. Sighing, having plundered all the riches this day had to offer, I head for home.

The 10-worder: rocks, rip this joint, casino, tumbling dice, frayed, angel, cup, on the run, ventilator, face

Her nerves frayed & her hands trembling, Angel placed her cup gingerly on the table. Only a little of the water sloshed over the edge. She wished she'd been able to get scotch on the rocks instead, but the hospital cafeteria didn't offer liquor on the menu. Imagine that. Hiding in the cafeteria gave her a sense of being on the run from reality, a reality she wasn't sure she could face just now. The ventilator on that beloved face. The incessant beeping. The knowledge that this was the end of the road. She'd spent most of her life tumbling dice in a casino – where was her luck now? Where was his? Suddenly, she was horrifyingly angry. So angry that she felt she could rip this joint apart without even breaking a sweat. Just as suddenly, the anger was gone. In its place was an emptiness she didn't want to examine too closely. Sighing, she finished her water and headed to the elevator bank. On the way up she'd practice her best smile for her best guy.

The Mega: rocks, rip this joint, casino, tumbling dice, frayed, angel, cup, on the run, ventilator, face, wine, plundered, signifying, river, survivor

The Survivor watched from the shadows, his face hidden while people entered & exited the casino. He hadn't expected to end up here, on this night, watching this door, when he'd first gone looking for justice. On the run, really, hiding from those who wished him harm. He was no angel. The thought made him laugh so hard inside he almost made a sound. Almost. Gotta keep quiet and keep watching the door. When it opened he could hear the sound of a wine-soaked, vodka on the rocks, tumbling dice good time. When it shut he could hear the sound of his shallow breathing and the cars on the road a few feet away.

Then the white limousine pulled to the door, signifying that his vigil was almost over. Delia was leaving the casino. With his evidence. Quickly and quietly he started toward the white car, planning to slip inside while the chauffer was on the other side. Mick and the boys were singing, "Rip this Joint" as the casino door opened. Delia seemed a little worse for wear – frayed around the edges – as she minced toward the chauffer. She always did wear heels too high for the bit of grace she possessed. The giant shoulder bag seemed out of place with the slinky evening wear, but then again, he wasn't the fashion police. As long as that bag held the evidence he needed to prove his innocence.

He hadn't plundered the casino accounts. He was no embezzler. What he was, was framed. But the Survivor would not slink off into the night. He would work until every last one of his enemies was looking up at him from a hospital bed, breathing through a ventilator, with terror filled eyes. Forcing himself to calm down, he silently opened the car door & slid inside. Delia let out a small gasp when she got in the car, automatically reaching for the small gun in her bag before she recognized him. She put out a hand to cup his face and smiled with triumph right before she pulled the trigger.

Gasping, the Survivor awoke from the nightmare. His old bones creaked as he rose from the bed to sit in his one chair, dropping his head in his hands. He never had avenged those old wrongs. His love for Delia and that damned dream kept him chained to the past. He knew he was a coward, but he would never know if she would have betrayed him. He didn't want to know. What was beyond the bend in the river was always going to be just that – beyond.

You should go to Raven's blog to read the other Wordzzle participants. And join in – it can be addictive!

Magpie #28

She's Gonna Wash That Man

At page one hundred twelve
she adds more hot
At page two hundred three
she decides it’s not
working anymore.
The plot is a mystery
and the characters,
strangers. Wistfully
she closes the book
and considers her dilemma.
Bubbles burst in empathy.
Hopes dashed are in a
lather of disappointment
She sinks beneath the surface
where her heart beat
is loud with purpose.
At last the bath is done.
As she dries off that shame
despair swirls down the drain.
She can’t even remember his name.

To participate in Magpie Tales, or to read other entries (you won't be sorry!), just click here.

A Lamp in the Darkness

First things first – Dr. M (or should I just call him Linthead now?) had a wonderful post yesterday explaining why he shouldn’t have a blog. It’s a really good way to get to know him better, and to give you insight into why I say I’m the fluff to his depth. He’s a really cool person, if I do say so myself (having had very little influence into how he turned out, I take full credit). So go read it. Now. And then come back to read my not quite as fluffy as usual post.

Our diocese has a monthly publication with stories about the goings on in southern Ohio. This past month one of the members of my former church (hey Nancy!) had an article about an immigration reform rally that she attended. I know that immigration is a hot button for a lot of people, but this story*, told at the rally, sums up my feelings on the subject pretty well:

A rabbi put this question to his students: "How can we determine the hour of dawn. When the night ends and the day begins?”

"When from a distance you can distinguish between a dog and a sheep," suggested one. "When you can distinguish between a fig tree and a grapevine,” offered another.

"No," the rabbi said, "When you look into the face of a human being and have enough light to recognize that person as your brother or sister. Up until then it is night, and darkness is still with us."

If we aren’t able to recognize the person in front of us as a brother or sister, then we dwell in darkness. And I’m not just talking about the way we look at immigrants either. It feels like everyone around me is in an armed camp – me & mine versus you and yours. It’s ours, people. Really – we’re all on this earth together. Sitting in the dark, or holding out a lamp to the incoming stranger.

*Not having the Interchange with me when I wrote this post I looked the story up online. There are a lot of different versions, so I just picked one to use. However, I have since found the Interchange online. You can read the artcle on page 17 here.

Bloom Where You’re Planted

On Saturday I finally tackled a task that I'd been avoiding for over a year. We had put up a handful of pictures in our house when we moved last July, but the rest have been stacked in the bedroom. So I finally went through them to decide what I want to hang up, what I want to get rid of, and what I want to store (because we don't have room for them). I had a grand old time. I got into one box where all the pictures were wrapped in newspaper. Just for fun I checked out the date – 1995! This box had been packed up three moves ago & never opened! Needless to say, most of those pictures went into the discard pile.

I bundled up all the newspaper and took it out to the recycling bin in the garage. Out of the corner of my eye I saw this:

"Life, uh... finds a way." Dr. Ian Malcom in Jurassic Park

Really? I posted pictures on Saturday about how, um, abundant, the cypress vine has been, but snaking under the garage door and blooming in a place where there isn't very much light? There aren't any windows in our garage, and the door isn't left open that many hours a day. Wow.

All I can say is that if this vine can find a place to bloom in the garage, then perhaps I can stop my (mostly inward) whining and pay more attention to the blessings of my life. Which apparently include flowers wherever I go!

The Poetry Bus Is Undecided

Enchanted Oak is our very capable bus driver this week. She gave us the choice between two pictures for our prompt this week. I chose the idyllic scene below.

Eugène Atget

Etang de Corot, Ville-d'Avray, 1900-1910

 
The Mad River flows
away from my heart's desire.
The thrum of possibility
muted under rushing water.

I stand on the bank
and think twice about
what that means – heart's
desire – and what I need.

I need ice cream
and contentment.
I need to know that
you want ice cream too.

Or maybe not ice cream.
Maybe I need what
is just down river –
a sound on the edge of my ear.

Caught, I stand on the bank
and think thrice about
my heart's desire
and what do I need…

To plunge into that mad water,
or bide on the bank,
or turn and head back home
to you?

Project 365 – Week Thirty-Three

Note - if you'd like to see more of our pictures from this week you should check out these two posts by Dr. M - here and here. They're pretty fabulous!

Sunday, August 8^th
You'll notice a theme this week – our pictures are for the birds! Dr. M took nearly all the pictures & there was a lot of bird activity in our back yard. The bird bath was very popular since it's been so hot & dry. Here is the first of five birdbath pictures.

And here is one of our squashes. I think they look so odd while they're growing.

Monday, August 9^th
On Monday took these butterfly pictures – I think it's the same butterfly, but the light hits it so differently that in one picture its wings are translucent & in the other picture they're fairly opaque. Do ya'll agree – same dude?

Here's another birdbath picture. I laugh every time I see it – as Dr. M says in his Facebook caption – Did you have to do that? Heh.

Tuesday, August 10^th
With so much activity in the birdbath there is bound to be some debris. I love this feather.

Wednesday, August 11^th
On Wednesday Dr. M took this cow picture on his way home from school. I don't know why, but the combo of the color of the cow & the color of the grass is just very pleasing to me – I think this is the third cow picture I've posted for that very reason.

More birdbath fun – this little fellow is REALLY getting into the splashing!

After seeing all the little birds, this dove looks like Godzilla or something. If you look you can see a wasp taking a drink of water in the birdbath too. I have a close-up of the wasp below.

Thursday, August 12^th
On Thursday Dr. M followed a hummingbird and a butterfly around. I think he got some pretty good shots!

Here's a close-up of that "coming in for a landing" shot

Friday, August 13^th
On Friday I took a picture of some banana peppers that we left on the vine to change color. Wonder if they'll taste any good?

And here is a picture of a wind chime that has been totally claimed by the tomatoes. Can you see it in there?

For reference, here's a picture from July 8^th where you can see the wind chime pretty well – it's the one on the right.

Saturday, August 14^th

Today I've spent most of the morning doing bookkeeping stuff - shredding checks for an old account, updating accounts with a new phone number, reconciling statements. I did a lot of shredding!

Then I went out into the sauna to check out the yard. It's so hot & muggy here - I really hope we have some rain this weekend! A couple of weeks ago I had taken this next picture to show how the cyprus vine was making its way up a step ladder we had left in one spot for too long.

Well look at it now! It's practically a jungle in this little area. Good thing we don't use that door into the garage very often.

Go here to see the blogs of all the other Project 365 participants.