I started to write this on Wednesday but it was OBE and I just haven't gotten back to it.  Let's catch up using the tried and true bullet point method.

- Our vacation was terrific, if a bit chilly and rainy.  We pursued our individual hobbies and watched Kingdom Hospital and ate tons of popcorn (we experimented with carmel corn with real carmels melted onto it.  Oh My Goodness.  It was delicious)

- The vacation started off with a trip to the dentist.  She gave me 4 shots of novocaine to drill and refill two very old fillings which had worn out in spots.  She also told me nothing much shows up on an xray of the tooth I had 2 root canals on except a small crack on the tooth that is left.  That may have some inflamation so she gave me an antibiotic and said it will have to come out if the pain continues.  A week later it seems to be better (thankfully- I didn't want to lose the tooth).  By the time she got done working on my mouth, the area around the chair looked like the set of a horror movie.  I had an area of gum that wouldn't stop bleeding and I'll just leave it to your imagination.  There was also the effect of the 4 shots of anesthetic which made the right side of my mouth un-useable.  I kept lisping as I tried to talk.  Rinsing and spitting were an adventure.  I was a mess.  It was soup for dinner for me!

- Peter Kevin was not so lucky and has an appt for a root canal on Monday afternoon.

- I found a home for this rocking chair.  A coworker owns it (family heirloom) and has no room for it.  She asked me (I wonder why?) if I wanted it.  After a resounding NO from Pk, I asked Kate and Emily if either one of them were interested.  Kate is so she'll make arrangements to pick it up.  Pk wanted to cannibalize it for parts.

- We put in a small garden this year.  So far, we have peas and tomatoes and a pepper plant.  We have some herbs, mint which you can't kill and will come back and take over the world if left unchecked, some sage and some thyme.  Those pea vines are up and over the top of their trellis and have blossoms.  We have discovered some plants bitten down to nubs and suspect the resident rabbits. 

-I have been washing and carding the bags of alpaca that I bought 3 years ago.  At the time, I had no idea of the amount of work involved.  This stuff is filthy.  I put handfulls into a lingerie bag and dip it in and out of warm, soapy water.  I use Woolite because I refuse to pay the exhorbitant prices for other specialty washes.  I grew up with Woolite and it has always worked for me.  I wash all of our socks in it and it's good.  Then the hair (it's not really wool) has to be laid out to dry and then hand carded to remove as much of the grass and seeds and other detritus as I can.  There is still a lot left and I try to get the rest as I spin it.  I have a pile of little cream colored clouds waiting to be spun.  And then another whole bag of carmel colored alpaca waiting for me to start on it.





-Kate and Patrick are on their way to Jamaica as I type this.  Kate found them a good deal for a week on the island.  She had a lot of trouble getting a passport in time and talk about last minute.  It finally came yesterday afternoon.  She was in such a state of panic.  This is her first airplane ride and their first real trip together.  As long as Patrick stays out of the sun, they should be fine (he's a redhead with skin like milk)

- There's a hole in the wall of our garage.  It's been there since we moved in.  Actually, it's not a garage because a garage houses cars.  It's really a woodshop since it houses woodworking tools and Pk's stash of wood.

If you look at the bottom left hand corner of the hole in the wall, you'll see a nest.  Pk found it last Wednesday. There has been a very determined wren flying around in the shop hiding in the woodpile.  Pk has been just as determinedly shooing her out.  Well, she was the winner and built this nest in a day.  What you can't see is that there are 4 eggs inside.

Pk had a dilemma.  He planned to work in the shop during our vacation but he knew his closeness would scare away the mother.  He saw her come back just once and then she didn't return again.  We had some very cold nights for May and since Mom didn't come back, we figured she abandonned the nest.  This made us feel bad but we tried to shoo her away so many times and she chose to use the shop anyway.  Pk waited a few days and then pulled the nest out.  She chose the least convenient spot since right next to that hole is the door leading into the house which is a squeaky door. 

-We planned a few low key activities for our vacation but since we really hadn't had any time off since Christmas, we ended up doing as little as we could get away with.  We cooked our meals and I did laundry but that was it.  Oh, we did see Star Trek.  It was terrific. 

- We worked this time off around Memorial Day so we had a three day week last week and a three day week this week.  It's Friday already!  I have a paperwork day and then it'll be off to the grocery store and a weekend. 

-The gel manicure?  It lasts about a week but I learned that it may not chip (although I have a chip right now and this is only 5 days old) but it will peel off if you use your nails to pry the screen saving material on the front of your iphone.  I still think it lasts longer than a regular manicure but not as long as I was led to believe.  I love my french manicure.  It's my real nails and they look nice.  It has to be soaked off in acetone polish remover but then scrapes off fairly easily with no damage to the nail.  It's about 10 dollars more and probably worth it if you use your hands a lot and if it's important that they look done.

It's Friday and I have work to do so I'll say have a good weekend!  It's predicted to be 95 degrees again today (35 C).  Thank god for a/c!!