Unintended view...

On the way home from the auto body shop, I pulled into this beautiful viewpoint about 8 blocks downhill from our condo. I made a phone call that was longer than I had expected, then realized the key hadn't been turned off all the way. While I waited for the AAA battery guy, I took pix of this city panorama & read a mystery on my iPad.
Much better than the last time I called AAA while standing in the driveway in a rainstorm wearing my bathrobe.

Assistant...

Bizzy has been helping with my projects. She protects the keyboard against coffee spills and keeps the automatic spell checker from malfungsh...melphu...malfunctioning.

Computer Cat...

She's already figured out how to type just sitting on the keyboard. She can change my homepage with one paw. She can disconnect the iPad charger with the flick of her tail. If she had a cape, she could fly.

Teeth

Jolie got her braces off...what a smile. Ellie's been braces free for awhile and Jack will be next, they're looking good already. Caramel apples, licorice, popcorn balls and dumdums look out here they come. Never mind, they wouldn't consume such things...

Party in "New Durban"

It's been awhile since I posted on this blog. Too much water flowing over the bridge...

We had a great time at the Van der Crimp residence. The Cheap Beer Tasting is just about underway. There was a hotdog bar with some exquisitely hot sauce among the condiments. It should have had a label "DO NOT SPILL ON HANDS OR CLOTHING". Laura and Garett's parties are the best. We saw Garett's jacket with the logo of his new band "Prism Tats".

Birdwatching

I sat on the deck and saw a lazuli bunting and a cedar waxwing for the first time.

lazuli bunting
cedar waxwing

New app—Halftone

Elsa told me about this fun camera app...it's like a comic strip. It puts a date, caption and sentence on your photos. Jack is a good subject.

Ancient lunch box, ancient lunch...

Kids, these days, don't know what it feels like to drop your lunch box, then take out your thermos bottle, shake it, and hear the sound of milk and broken glass. Shannon once brought a snake home in her lunch box.

Cool...

I worked in the barn today and realized that Ryan's collection of old fans is HUGE. From small ones to large, taking up space on several shelves...and I think they all work. We won't need air conditioning this summer.

A bad day...really bad...

I found out today that I have been harboring a bad temper. It's taken 70 years and a lot "stuffing it", so to speak. Usually the "slow burn" type, today I've been frothing and gnashing and spreading fire and brimstone on all in my path. I'll chalk it up to a bad cold and terminal fatigue, but—on the other hand, maybe it's the bad temper that's causing the bad cold and terminal fatigue. If you see me, throw a bucket of water on me.

Adding Rudy...

Carol & Debbie rescue another Springer. A pup this time, with a natural tail. They'll have their laps full...er...hands full. Rudy will have a wonderful home and Belle will have a new partner.

A new leaf...

I'm turning one over by passing the chocolate egg aisle and not circling back. It's getting easier. Now peanut butter cookies, that's another story.

Bookish basset...

We met him in the coffee bar at Village Books in Fairhaven. He looked a little dyspeptic, as if he'd just eaten a book.

Hoarder...

We're only turning our office into a guest room, not moving Hannibal across the Alps, but our whole condo looks like this. Boxes and bags line the halls and every wall. The place would be condemned if the authorities saw it. I can't believe how easy it was to make the mess and how hard it is to clean it up.

Emmett can kiss...

Leslie graciously accepts yummy, wet, smoochy kisses.

Not a good paper camera shot, but Emmett is irresistibly  photogenic.

Three mile Thursdays...

Walking and talking is easier than walking and thinking. I'm trying for more distance and speed each time. Merrilee is a great coach!

My favorite tool...

I just built an Ikea day bed...the most complex project I've tried. It seemed to go smoothly (if slowly) and I finally got it finished. But I have a collection of screws and small plastic parts left over. Now what?

Mystery photo...

I have no idea what this is...
My cell phone usually entertains itself by dialing someone unbeknownst to me, this time it took a surreptitious photo. I'm not going to encourage it.

Ellie's Formal Dance...

I can't believe this is Ellie, the one who stomped in every puddle and once participated in a mud fight that covered all the kids from stem to stern. It makes me happy and sad to see her so grown up.

Velcro?

It seems like every creosoted piling near Seattle is outfitted with a cormorant or seagull. I wonder if they're trained by the tourist bureau, their little feet velcroed down for the day.