This Week in Pictures

Blissfully quiet for the most part.

The lilies are blooming.

Our favorite Stargazer lilies. We planted 3 plants two years ago and they didn't return last summer. To our surprise, one re-appeared this summer. 

It was so hot and humid during the day, we spent our time reading in the sun and cooling off in the pool.

In the evening the dogs came out to play. Our Miss LuLu has taken huge steps toward trusting us the past month.

The biggest obstacle is avoiding mosquitos this big. Seriously, what the hell is in the water to make these mutants! I'm going to die from DEET toxicity. 

When you're just laying around the house what else is there to do but eat. Blueberry pancakes for breakfast.

A made each of the dogs their own personal 50 cent piece size pancake.

Add Turkish coffee to give a little jolt to your day.

Birthday dinner of grilled lobster, shrimp and asparagus.

A wanted my artery-clogging pineapple upside down cake. Here she is enjoying a late night snack of cake, Cool-Whip and milk.

A movie and popcorn night.

LuLu goes absolutely crazy when she hears the popcorn hit the pan. There is much dancing, spinning and  chirping.

And the old man Giz is always there to protect his claim on the popcorn bowl and keep the youngsters in line if they get too pushy.

LuLu had to be rescued after the sticker on the watermelon got the best of her.

And I had to be rescued when a violent thunderstorm went through. The sirens went off, the power went out and I found myself in total blackness trying to round up dogs and get them to the basement. A came to the rescue with flashlights and candles...we made it through without any major damage.

She's got her mother's fiery disposition.

I woke up Sunday morning with freakish swollen eyelids. I mean really, really swollen like I've seen with severe heart failure patients. I tried everything to get the swelling down but the only real solution is time. At least I had no where to go and no one to see, no one that mattered anyway. The plus side is I also woke up feeling much better just as I expected and it was a beautiful, gloriously sunny and warm day here in Minnesota, especially for this time of year. When you get 65 degrees in November you take it as a blessing and soak up every second.

We had all the major outdoor chores completed already so I lazed in our sunroom with all the windows wide open as I sorted through the massive amount of paperwork I brought home from Dad's apartment when we moved him out. OMG he saved every receipt for every loaf of bread and little scraps of paper with phone numbers of who knows who, paid utility bills from the last several years and even old cell phone bills from the carrier he had 4+ years ago. I managed to sort through, organize and condense many boxes into one rubbermaid tub for easier transport. My older brother is leaving next week to go visit Dad and the rest of his family and is taking Dad's belongings down to him. I'm thankful to have the stuff out of my house.

We had a visitor to the backyard yesterday. Sia let out her telltale screaming bark from the deck to announce their arrival. Meet Bliss the Collie who lives over on the next street. She comes to visit on occasion when her family isn't home. I think she just gets lonely.

As you can tell she is very sweet and timid. It still scared the shit out of me the first time I found her and my girl nose-to-nose at the fence.

Today Sia and Timmy led the charge and Bliss just looked confused and whined as they lunged and barked.

She paced the fence line as my crew chased her and barked on the other side.

There was enough ruckus that the old man Giz actually got up off the couch and came outside to see what was happening. He usually only moves for dinner and bedtime and hardly ever holds that tail up anymore.

Sia finally succeeded in chasing Bliss off and watched as she returned to her own home. Really her family pulled into their driveway and Bliss went running happy to see them. We won't tell Sia though since she thinks she's pretty tough. The lazy boys all filed back into the house to resume afternoon nap time. Not my fiery 12 pound girl with only 3 teeth in her head.

For the rest of the afternoon Sia parked herself at the gate waiting for Bliss to dare return to our yard. A just shakes her head like always and tells me , "She's your girl!"

Saturday Trip to the Vineyard in Pictures

A has been anxious to get me away from the house for a little relaxation and time together. She planned a trip to a local winery and then a tour of their vineyard. It was a beautiful day but cooler than normal for this time of year. I didn't care since it was nice to just be out spending time with my love and soaking up the sunshine.

I loved this shelter and think it would be a great spot for a wedding.

There are 2 resident vineyard dogs. They are definitely NOT guard dogs and I made fast friends with this girl. Later I shared my lunch with her and the other lab.

These grapes are the variety used in our favorite wine produced by this winery.

During the tour we could pick and eat as many grapes as we wanted.

I took advantage of that.

Hiding in the vineyard.

Wine produced from the very grapes grown here.

We stopped at the deli in town to pick up fried chicken and other goodies for a picnic.

We found a quiet spot on the hillside and poured our wine in the fancy glasses the winery gave us.

After lunch we purchased baskets and went out to pick grapes. For $3 you could fit as many grapes as possible in one of those containers to take home.

 Our haul...the extra full one on the left is mine of course. I LOVED these Blue Bells and they are the most vibrant color. The picture really doesn't do them justice.

Weekend in Pictures...Cuz I'm Too Lazy to Write

After over a week of cold, damp and rainy weather finally the sun came out. Isn't it amazing what a difference it can make? I feel like myself again. We spent most of our time outdoors just soaking up the sun and taking care of the yard.

The philox are blooming.

The Lily-of-the-Valley bulbs I planted over a year ago finally grew this sping and bloomed. I was sure the squirrels dug them up over that winter since they didn't grow at all last summer. I was pleasantly surprised to see them peeking through the soil this year. They have the most wonderful scent. 

My hostas are thriving also.

Caligula has kept watch over the flower beds for several years already. Last summer I glued a rhinestone in his belly-button (just to gay him up a bit) but it was missing this spring.

This year we added a lobster we found on clearance last fall.

We had not taken the dogs out for a ride in the RV yet so we decided to head out on a little road test. We loaded up everyone, including the newbies, and gave them a little time to check out the interior. Then we gated off the driver's area and headed out on the road. A was driving while I had doggie duty on the short 14 mile ride.

5 of the 7 on the rear bench.

Sia watches the world pass by out the rear window.

The old man, Giz, was nervous in back but once I put him in the passenger seat he settled right in like he had been riding there for years. Looks like he beat me out for riding shotgun. I'll have to pick up a special seat so he can be harnessed in for safety.

There are actually 6 dogs in this picture. Can you count them all?

Saturday evening A made margaritas (thanks Jude for the recipe) and built a fire. We sat out until well after dark and just enjoyed each other's company.

Since the bugs love me so, A had the tiki torch ready and I'm not quite sure what she was planning to do with the garden weasel.

Even the old cat Stink joined us.

Sunday we had a bridal shower to attend. Our friends were married in Jamaica in January but will be having a small family ceremony in their church and then their large reception in just a few weeks for their friends and family who were unable to attend. The mother of the groom had a special surprise gift for the bride and insisted that A and I be there when it was opened. 

When the bride opened the box there was Dirty Harry (the 18 inch double headed dildo A had given the bride for her bachlorette) buried in sand.

 The bride gifted it back to us in Jamaica and A and I buried it on the beach before we left. We were convinced that it would never be seen again. To our surprise the parents of the groom dug him up as soon as we left the resort and packed him back to the U.S. The funny part was the groom's father (who is around 65 years old) rolled it up in a towel and packed it in his carry-on for the trip home. At the airport his bag was searched, they pulled it out, un-rolled it, dropped it like it was a hot potato and quickly shooed him through security. I wonder what they thought when they saw these two 60-something grandparents carrying something like that around?  I'm sure they were they were the talk of the breakroom that day!

Sunny Sunday

The rain clouds blew out last night and took my blue mood along. I will admit that yesterday I was a bit sad to learn my baby brother is definitely moving away. I will never admit it to him though and will continue to be helpful and supportive.

Thank you for those who commented on my post about the childhood friend. Today I'm fine and no longer worried about trying to re-connect with people I no longer have anything in common with. I don't  know why I even wasted my time thinking about it. If she calls me again I will be polite but have no desire to become best-friends again. I did tell A that the next trip we take back to my hometown we are definitely going to stop for a visit though. I'm too nosey for my own good and I want A to experience it too.

This morning A and I slept late (with means about 8:30am). We had a hot cup of Blue Moutain coffee, watched The Soup and then went to brunch at the new mexican restaurant that opened in this town last month.  The Juevos Rancheros were great and we just enjoyed talking, flirting, holding hands and being together. Those are the things that bring the sunshine back into my life.

We went shopping and A helped me pick out new undies at Victoria's Secret. She is the one who had so much fun picking things out. I told her right away I was looking for my comfy work panties. I have to change in front of how many people everyday at work and I need full coverage. She just kept bringing me those lacy things. I finally submitted and bought one pair of her choosing. ;)

Oh, and why do they make it such a pain to upgrade your phone? If mine wasn't on its last leg I would have told them to fuck off!

A brought up the fact that my birthday is coming up in a couple of months and asked if there was something special I wanted to do this year. Then she asks if I would rather have the lovely (and somewhat expensive) purse I had been admiring today or a powerwasher. Now a powerwasher is a nice thing to have but I have to weigh the choices and decide what I would enjoy more. The purse...I'm definitely going for the purse.

Snow Day

To my extreme disappointment the inflatable decorations survived the blizzard conditions and high winds. Last night I looked out and the penguins were on their backs rollling around on the front lawn held down by 2 or 3 little stakes. The snowman looked like one of those clowns you punch and it always pops back up. I told A I just knew they were going to be gone when we got up this morning. I had convinced myself that one 50mph wind gust and they would be gone forever; found in the spring stuck in someone's tree.

This morning we pulled ourselves out of bed at 6am and found 8 inches of snow,  -20 degree windchill and those damn penguins were still there. They were even upright again. Well, it never hurts to have hope, right?

We had 3 foot snow drifts on our street so neither A or I went to work. We shoveled shitfields for the dogs and A made them paths all through the back yard. I don't know why she bothered because the little brats didn't want to go outside anyway. We just hung out, drank tea and took an afternoon nap. Not bad for a snow day. Back to reality tomorrow.