There and Back Again

Last Thursday I went to T's house. My, I forget what travelling by air is like. Thank goodness, or I wouldn't ever do it again. T picked me up at the Irving park El stop and we went on home where the girls, and the wonder dog, Stella, were waiting.T grilled wonderful chicken that night and we ate outside, which was great.In addition to the girls and I, Randy was there.As were Donna and Jerry. It was great to spend time with Donna, and Jerry was quite a hoot. He got so cracked up over a joke that I thought he might have a heart attack.And then......The very coolest thing is that we went to the Rascal Flats concert.Sam and Shelby were jammin' on. They loved it as much as T and I did.We also ran into Maya, Donna's daughter and her friend. It weas Maya's 18th birthday. Now how can that be?!?Justin Moore was one of the opening acts, and he was incredible. He was followed by Easton Corbin and then Sarah Evans. Quite a lead-in.Rascal Flats was great, and the staging was incredible.I really wanted to understand how the visuals were created, but I'm sure that I never could.I came home on Sunday evening. The visit was short, but just the right length to keep my travel/leave home anxieties at a minimum. Loved seeing the girls and T, and of course, Randy and Stella also.

Travelling and Travellers

It's been on the table for over 3 months, but I finally got the cat puzzle finished. It was probably the 2nd most difficult one that I've done. I swore I would finish before I went to Chicago, and it's just barely in time.I have the suitcase open and optimistically think that I can make do with one small bag. We'll see. I leave Thursday afternoon and will be back home Sunday night. Shhhhh, I haven't told the cats yet.I'm also getting ready for the Florida travellers arriving on July 7. D & D plumbing was here this afternoon.Jason, my favorite plumber, and the one who opened the drain on a particular Thanksgiving Day, replumbed the basement drain basin. We are all relatively certain that the toilet will not back up with frequent use.So.....y'all come right on up, O.K.?

Summertime!

I think I may be ready for summertime. On Saturday, I planted the last flower -- a transplant from Barbara's Topeka garden that went into Grandma's flowerbed. Then I came home and finally got around to washing down the back porch, furniture and cushions.And not a minute too soon since we're now into the upper 90's and predicted to stay here for a long time -- until October?!?I'm loving the progress in the garden. The daisies have passed their prime and need more dead-heading every day. But the lilies are now wonderful. These have been here for 6 years and probably need to be thinned out. But I don't seem to get around to it, and they still perform beautifully.This is only year 2 for these pink lillies. Aren't they lovely?Thye mailbox clematis has nearly been blown to Nebraska. Notice how it tilts to the right in the picture? That's the Nebraska direction. But nevertheless it has done quite nicely.Now it's hot, hot, hot, and I'm trying to remember what I do when I'm not outside. So far I don't seem to be movivated to quilt, so I'm mostly being lazy in the hot afternoons. Hmmm. I kind of like that.