This coming Saturday, we are going to hear the Lt. Dan Band at Cantigny in Wheaton, Illinois. Lt. Dan is the character in the movie Forrest Gump played by Gary Sinease. Sinease has formed a band to raise funds for our troops.
Dear Husband came home more than a month ago and told me that he had seen something advertising the concert, and asked if I’d like to go. We surfed to find more about it, and ordered the tickets. My youngest sis will be visiting that night, and she’s going to go with us.
I’m looking forward to a lovely evening on the grounds of Cantigny, sitting in lawn chairs, listening to the band. It’s a beautiful setting, and the band should be great!
Rock on!!!!

It’s almost as dark at 8:30 this morning as it will be at 8:30 tonight. I was up early, did a few chores, and went out to weed. Unfortunately, Mother Nature says we are FINALLY going to get some rain. So far, it’s been rather light and spotty. I COULD have kept weeding, I suppose, but I have a few other things to do before a meeting at 10:00. I checked the radar and some major storms are working this way, so we may get the rain we desperately need, yet.
Elegante Mother is hosting her Empty Nester Sewing group this afternoon. We’re all set up to receive them. I’ll bet you anything that there will be a major downpour when they arrive!
I have an eye exam this afternoon. (So does Dear Husband. I made his appointment when I made mine.) I’m looking forward to it. I’ve had a minor problem with the form of conjunctivitis that is allergy related, and I can’t shake it. I hope Doc K will not only have a way to resolve this, but sharpen my eyesight, too.
Sooooo…..I’d best get on to the rest of my day. “Good Day” to you all! *S*

If you do, I hope you will visit two blogs to learn about a project that involves granny squares.
Janet, at Life in Westcliffe, has a blogging friend who is asking people to donate 6″ granny squares to be used to make afghans for kids who will attend cancer camp next summer.
Janet has jumped in whole-heartedly, and you can see the results of her efforts over at her blog today. She inspired me, so I started making the squares and hope to have five or six to share.
But….beyond my own work, I’ve asked the ladies at my exercise group, my mother and several other relatives, and two of my blogging friends, if they would be interested in participating in this endeavor. I’ve heard a resounding “YES!” from everyone! I’m going to ask my mother’s Empty Nester group if they would do blocks, too.
The idea is that a LOT of people contributing make the load light.
Go read what Shelly has to say about what they need. If you go to the main page, you’ll find a button to click to “Share a Square”, but the link here should take you directly to that page in her blog. She is accepting the squares, and finding people to assemble them into afghans. They are doing the lion’s share of the work. All we have to do is make a square or two and mail them off. You can make a square while you watch your favorite TV show, or while you sit and talk to your sister, or while you wait at the doctor’s office. Use yarn that you have on hand, as long as it’s washable, in any color.
This is the best kind of generosity, to me. First, the exercise for your hands is GREAT! This is going to keep your hands mobile, longer. Secondly, you get to use up scraps of yarn that might otherwise go to waste. Remember, “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.” Let’s not make these kids “Do Without.” Let’s show them that we care, and that they have our prayers and best wishes.
Join us, won’t you? Share a Square!

My youngest sister, and her daughter, who live in the wilds of Indiana, came to visit for the weekend. We were lucky that they were able to fit most of three days into their schedule because we wanted to celebrate our niece’s eighteenth birthday!
We asked her what she wanted to do. Her requests were amazingly reasonable. She wanted us to go with her to the mall nearest us so that she could shop. She wanted to eat pot-stickers at a restaurant that’s just a few miles from us, and when we offered, she also wanted to see the new Harry Potter movie.
It’s roughly a 4 hour trip when they come to visit (five going home, because of the change in time zones). They arrived about 2:00 on Friday. We chatted, got dinner ready and then my sis, my niece and I piled into the car to accomplish the shopping trip. We split up, agreeing to meet at the same place in an hour, and my sister gave me their cell phone numbers, just in case anything happened. I am SO not into technology. I should have had my niece put the numbers into the phone and show me how to retrieve them.
At any rate, I had a battery put into my watch, picked up what I needed, and started back to our meeting place. I was one door away from my goal when I realized my sister was still shopping in the first place she had entered, and things were going great! She was so excited about what she’d found that everyone in the store was infected with her pleasure. She found the most incredible linen jacket that paired perfectly with pants she already had. Then she added several tops and a skirt for an incredible range of mix and match in mostly neutrals or earth tones. The best part of it all was that she got seven wonderful items for SIXTY-FIVE DOLLARS! Gawd, can that woman shop!
My niece also did well. She found a top that went with things she already had, and proudly wore it Saturday. It’s the cutest design that only a young woman could wear well….sort of a bustier with a halter top and wide lapel, in red and white plaid, and black. Really cute!
Saturday started early. I had a hair cut at 8:00, so I made everyone get up early to go to breakfast at 6:30. While I was being clipped, Dear Husband drove the ladies around to see some of the jobs that our company has just finished. When they got home, my sister took my mother to the mall, to the same shop where she had been the night before. I think the two of them must have bought everything in the shop! Lunch was a pick-up affair. If you were hungry, you ate. If you were not hungry, you held out for theater popcorn.
We were able to get tickets at the Omni-Max for Harry Potter. We sat at the very top of the theater, which was considerably smaller than I thought it would be. I’m guessing, but I think there might have been 200 seats. We enjoyed the movie. My niece and I discussed the changes and omissions from the book, but agreed we liked what they had done.
Despite the popcorn, we headed out to dinner around 5:00. Pot stickers were the appetizer of choice, and I think we should have ordered one more tray of them! *G* We were all so full that we brought home FIVE containers of Asian food. I don’t have to cook tonight. YEAH!!
This morning we got off to a slower start. We chatted over coffee and tea. Breakfast was strung out over several hours, as everyone got what suited them, when they were ready. We tried to remember all the details that needed to be shared before parting.
I know that my family has to get back to their regularly scheduled lives, but I hate to see them go. I had a great time this weekend. Perhaps because I knew they were coming, I made more effort to get things done early for this coming week. I have a little bit of office work that has to be finished, but I’m probably more relaxed than I would have been if I had worked all through the weekend.
Thank you for coming, ladies! I had a lovely visit with you. And…..Happy 18th Birthday, sweetie! Enjoy the coming year. *S*

That’s what our son, the one who was in food service, used to say when there were just too many customers to care for well.
I’m not in the real weeds, that comes later in the week. Right now, I’m chained to my desk trying to get some office work done. Next week I have the first of two audits, and it’s time to be working on tax and union reports, the type of thing that won’t wait.
We have a doozy of a storm headed our way. I think the bottom of it might side-swipe us. We’re expecting thunderstorms throughout tomorrow, too. That will make weed pulling ever so much easier, so I’m working inside today and tomorrow, and outside on Wednesday.
My youngest sister is one to prioritize, so I’m taking a lesson from her, and trying to fit activities in where they will allow me to get the most done.
Accounts Payable, anyone?

My husband is addicted to puns. He likes the quick ones, the cheap shots. I like the long, drawn out ones that are a story with a pun as the pun-ch line, like “The beer that made Mill Famy Walk Us.
Here then, is a collection that came across my desk today. If you know who compiled these puns, please let me know. I’ll be happy to give credit for the compilation.
HUMOR FOR LEXOPHILES (LOVERS OF WORDS):
I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then
it hit me.
Police were called to a day care where a
three-year-old was resisting a rest.
Did you hear about the guy whose whole left side was
cut off? He’s all right now.
The roundest knight at King Arthur’s round table was
Sir Cumference.
The butcher backed up into the meat grinder and got
a little behind in his work.
To write with a broken pencil is pointless.
When fish are in schools they sometimes take debate.
The short fortune teller who escaped from prison was
a small medium at large.
A thief who stole a calendar got twelve months.
A thief fell and broke his leg in wet cement. He
became a hardened criminal.
Thieves who steal corn from a garden could be
charged with stalking.
We’ll never run out of math teachers because they
always multiply.
When the smog lifts in Los Angeles, U.C.L.A.
The math professor went crazy with the blackboard.
He did a number on it.
The professor discovered that her theory of
earthquakes was on shaky ground.
The dead batteries were given out free of charge.
If you take a laptop computer for a run you could
jog your memory.
A dentist and a manicurist fought tooth and nail.
A bicycle can’t stand alone; it is two tired.
A will is a dead giveaway.
Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.
A backward poet writes inverse.
In a democracy it’s your vote that counts; in
feudalism, it’s your Count that votes.
A chicken crossing the road: poultry in motion.
If you don’t pay your exorcist you can get
repossessed.
With her marriage she got a new name and a dress.
Show me a piano falling down a mine shaft and I’ll
show you A-flat miner.
When a clock is hungry it goes back four seconds.
The guy who fell onto an upholstery machine was
fully recovered.
A grenade fell onto a kitchen floor in France,
resulted in Linoleum Blownapart.
You are stuck with your debt if you can’t budge it.
Local Area Network in Australia: The LAN down under.
He broke into song because he couldn’t find the key.
A calendar’s days are numbered.
A boiled egg is hard to beat.
He had a photographic memory which was never
developed.
A plateau is a high form of flattery.
Those who get too big for their britches will be
exposed in the end.
When you’ve seen one shopping center you’ve seen a
mall.
If you jump off a Paris bridge, you are in Seine.
When she saw her first strands of gray hair, she
thought she’d dye.
Bakers trade bread recipes on a knead to know basis.
Santa’s helpers are subordinate clauses.
Acupuncture: a jab well done

We had a wonderful Fourth of July celebration!
For years Elegante Mother and I have stayed home on the Fourth. EM is a tiny person, and she’s rather frail now. I wasn’t willing to take her into crowded areas to see fireworks, unless other family members were traveling with us. I watched the fireworks displays on T.V. and she went to bed early.
This year, I decided to ask My-Oldest-Sister-The-Nurse if we could join their celebration. Sis has five kids, and the eldest resides in Australia these days. Eldest Niece, her husband and their youngest son have been visiting, and they’ve been joined by their twins who are going to be sophomores in college this year. With all of MOSTN’s family in one place, it seemed like the perfect time to take Elegante Mother to visit. We were even honored to have Dear Husband, who gave up half a day sailing to join us!
MOSTN has two sons who live in the same subdivision. As a matter of fact, their back yards connect, so they hosted the celebration. There was a lot of to-ing and fro-ing between the houses and games set up in the yard for all ages. The adults were playing boccie ball and a bean bag toss. The youngest kids seemed to like water sports the most; the older kids gravitated toward tossing a football, and trying to find sneaky ways to make successful passes around the opposition.
The meal was mostly potluck. Just about every salad you could want was there, and after dinner, it seemed that there was every dessert, too! The guys grilled hot dogs, hamburgers and brats. No one went hungry!
My brother and his wife joined us for the meal, and took EM and me to see their gardens. They live just a few blocks away, and the gardens were at their peak. They have a dab hand at planting. I envy them the shrubs and cypress trees, and the pergola with wisteria at the back of the house.
We settled into the shade after dinner to wait for the neighbors to shoot fireworks. EM was beginning to look tired, so we left around 8:00. The drive home was amazing. We had constant firework displays all the way home. It was delightful!
I’m pleased to say that my mother’s youngest great-grandson was prepared to celebrate the birth of our nation. His gramma (MOSTN) had taken him to the library and he was told all about the Fourth of July, and got to read several books about the country’s “birthday.” He asked for, and was given, a red, white and blue “Uncle Sam” hat to wear, and they made sure the American flag waved at their house on the Fourth.
I hope that you all enjoyed time with your families, and that you remembered the reason for the day off. Whether you think we are on the right course or not, the United States is still our country and deserves our support. Happy Birthday, America!

My quilting bee meets tonight. They’ll come half an hour early and bring a dish to pass for our annual Fourth of July pot luck. The meal is a little more organized than it sounds. Last month we chatted about the coming meeting and those who were going to be present volunteered for items on the menu, so that we didn’t have six different pasta salads.
Dear Husband levitated me out of bed at 5:00 A.M., before he left for work. By 5:15, laundry was underway, the dish washer had been emptied and refilled, and the sink was full of hot soapy water for knives, measuring spoons, pots, pans and pitchers. The kitchen looks a LOT better now.
I’m blessed to have a cleaning lady come in once a week, and Friday is her day. She knows that the first Friday of the month is Bee Night, and never misses on that day. When she’s finished the house will be ready for guests, and I’ll be able to focus on our part of the menu. DH is grilling hamburgers and brats, and I’ll lay out all the trimmings to go with them. If there’s time, I might make chocolate frosted devil’s food cupcakes.
It’s possible that the bee ladies may put some stitches into the sails and whales quilt tonight. But, even if they don’t, I’m close to halfway done with the hand quilting. I want to machine quilt the wave areas to finish the work. I can already hear them saying, “It’s not DONE YET!!??”
Procrastination is my middle name. Give me an interesting book and I can procrastinate with the best of them. Perhaps I’ll have to do a blog about procrastination…….one day.
If there’s time later this afternoon, I’ll try my hand at posting pictures to the blog, so we can see what they look like against a lighter background. ~T~ said she would try to figure out how to return my blog to the orange and black Lone Star background, but I rather like this version for summer.
I have a TON of office work to do. I took the first three days of this week off, so now it’s all catching up to me. I have just about ten days to get everything done before the CPA’s assistant comes to work with me on the Federal Quarterly Reports. In addition to that, I have to get ready for at least two audits. We’ve just begun a new insurance year, so the insurance companies will audit us for the past year to make sure we paid them enough. Hmpf….enough. They’re as bad as the government! It’s a wonder that anyone can get ahead any more.
We’re headed toward a couple of days in the 90s. If I do any gardening, it will be VERY early in the morning. I hope to water today, and I may water again on Sunday to help the plants through the heat. Then, I’m going to retreat to my cool cave and either quilt, cut out pieces for new quilts, or work in the office. I know that it doesn’t sound like fun, but to my mind it’s MUCH better than being out in the heat and humidity, and all of those things will move me forward toward goals I hope to reach.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. If you’re outside, wear a hat! Put on sunscreen, and look for shade now and then. Take care of yourself, or your mother will have to go with you to nag! *G*

…that the cat’s tail is always where you don’t want it to be??
The other day I fixed myself a big glass of iced tea and set it on the table next to the couch. I sat down, and the cat walked over to see me, and as he turned, he dragged his tail across the top of the tea. YUCK!!
This morning, he came to visit me while my mug of tea is near the monitor, and as he turned,,,, Yup! His ever-present tail brushed over the mug!!
One day I caught him lapping at the ice cubes in my tea!
The cat is fixated on my glass, my cup, my mug…..MY TEA!!!

I love rainy Saturdays. Actually, I suppose I love any kind of Saturday.
It’s overcast this morning, and we’re getting occasional showers which we really need. Because the back half of our house is surrounded by trees and shrubs, there’s a very green cast to the light. The leaves look refreshed from their showers, and the grass or ground covers are all perking up, showing dozens of shades of green. It has the feel of a secret garden.
Our household is off to a quiet start. Dear Husband had to drop off some materials at a job site before he left to sail, so he was up at his usual 4:30 a.m. He’s been gone for hours. Elegante Mother was also an early riser. She’s listening to the local jazz station on the radio, reading the newspaper. StepSon2 is snoozing. He’s a night owl and tends to sleep through the morning. Even Ed (Edward Scissorhands, to you), our cat, is napping.
I’m contemplating all the things I’d like to get done, trying to decide just what to start on. I need to do some more hand quilting. I’d like to cut up a batt for four small quilt tops that I made last summer, and create the quilt sandwich of the top, batt and backing. I’ve started cutting out a very simple quilt, and I could lay out the center blocks to be sewn today.
I have all the fabric for the quilt after that. I’m ready to cut out the patches for that quilt, but I just discovered that the patches are 4.25″ x 2 13/16″. It takes precision cutting to cut fabric to sixteenths of an inch. I’m capable of it, but I’m not sure that I want to start that project today. I haven’t added up the number of pieces that have to be cut, but I think it might be a thousand or more. (I’m contemplating making two of these quilts, one to give and one to keep.) Perhaps I’ll cut just enough for the first quilt.
I’ve shared the story of the clematis in past blogs (May 6, 2007 archive). I have a jackmanii clematis on an arbor at the north end of the herb garden. It’s bloomed well for years but several years ago, the leaves began to drain of their glossy green. I’d get a funny yellow leaf with prominent veining. I researched the problem, and thought I needed to add iron to the soil, which I did. That helped, but last fall it looked as though the plant was giving up the ghost. I cut the canes back to the ground, prepared to let the ground go fallow for a while.
This spring, we were surprised to see healthy starts shooting up out of the soil! I guided them up the arbor on lengths of twine, and this is the result:

What a Cinderella story! This turned out so well that I plan to cut back the rugosa rose at the curve of the drive. Bogie tells me that she cuts hers back regularly, and I think this rose will respond just as the clematis has. By the way, that lone little yellow bloom in the bottom left corner is NOT a dandelion. It’s one of the few Yarrow that returned this year. Usually there is a big display of yellow blooms against the green and purple of the clematis, but the winter was hard on this particular perennial.
So, we’re having a quiet Saturday at the Arrrgh!! household. Mother Nature has spared me from weeding and watering today, so I’m going to take advantage of play time. I hope you all have a good day, too!