T Minus 30.5 and Counting...

**The mosquitoes are indeed out. They do still love to feast upon me. I do still have an overabundant reaction to their bites. Still, there are times when you just have to lay in the grass and stare up at the full moon.

**I had no idea that Jimmy Buffett had done a song for the 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High' soundtrack. Guess that puts me in the 'remedial parrothead' class.

**Got some elephant ear bulbs(?) from Menard's the other day. Gonna try those this year instead of the banana plants. The banana plants they had in stock were not the same type as I had planted last year, and the kind that I had planted were supposed to be the most cold hardy of the species. Then again, I could just be a crappy gardener.

**A week's vacation is looming around the corner for me. Oddly enough I don't seem to be terribly enthused by the prospect. I have no real 'fun' plans lined up, and a backlog of actual work that needs to be done. Summer is determined to never arrive in any recognizeable form. So, at this moment, I am not really thrilled.

**Creating a blue butterfly in a space 2"x2" is not the easiest thing to accomplish.

**The Freecycling event has come and gone without any donation from me. I'm kinda miffed by that. There is still a pile of stuff squatting right in the center of my garage floor. One of the main reasons for this would be Pinklady's preference to not have to go through the stuff that's out there. And, I am still reluctant to sift and sort my way through things that are strictly hers. So, there it all sits.

**I need to run up north and pick up those other two 4' logs before they start to rot on the ground.

**Hoping the rain doesn't keep us from getting out to Kane County this weekend. Plus, I'm hoping Scott brings those necklaces he was talking about.

Elvin and the Monkey Juice Container

**Well, it looks like I may have found a way to get rid of all the stuff piled in the garage after all. I had heard a year or so ago about an idea called 'freecycling', and when I opened up the Midweek today, what should I find but an article about an upcoming freecycling event right here in DeKalb ( http://www.midweeknews.com/articles/2009/06/03/68720418/index.xml). I really like this idea, so I think I'm going to take what I have over there and drop it off. The notion of trying to have a garage sale leaves a bad taste in my mouth, almost as much as merely throwing all this stuff away. I just figure that if someone somewhere can use it, why not let them have it? I'm thinking that the aquarium(s) may find a new home via this process. And I may end up being able to see the back of a closet or two again. Yay!

**The Miscanthus at the end of the driveway are already chest high. I can't freakin believe how fast they grow. Pinklady has already complained about the diameter of each, so I may be looking to divide each clump and replant them elsewhere in the yard. Not really sure where yet.

**My bumper is in, now I'm just waiting on the insurance company and the axle seal. Hopefully when it all comes together, I'll only be carless for a day.

**Howard and the White Boys are playing a free show in Sycamore next week! Who's goin with me?!

**Somehow, I have managed to jack up my left shoulder, so I spent the day before work doing things other than carving. At the moment, I can almost get my head to turn completely to the left now, which is a pretty good thing.

**I just realized that I have 2 copies of 'The Pillars of the Earth' at home. One is MIL's, and one belongs to the Amazon. Guess I should get one of them back to their rightful owner.

Revenge of the 80 Foot Cyborg Jellyfish

**It seems I have been quite busy. With what I'm not exactly sure. As such, I have delayed my much anticipated chess defeat at the hands of Mr. Koch by over a month. Apologies.

**Mmmmmmm.....hummus.

**It seems I have not been chatty enough. No big surprise, really. Still, for the annoyance I have caused Trekeve, apologies.

**It would appear to be a reasonable thought that getting a gun battle with a bankruptcy attorney and/or anyone associated with them would not be wise in even the remotest of circumstances.

**Pinklady has managed to get me partially interested in watching episodes of 'Bones' on DVD. Mostly I find a lot of good ideas for H'ween props. I want Boston Legal. Denny Crane!!

**Got some time off approaching rapidly. The mass evacuation of the basement is looming as a necessary possibility. Unless I run away.

**Got my car back, although the axle seal isn't fixed yet, and the new bumper hasn't been installed. As soon as all the parts arrive, I'll lose it for another day while all that gets taken care of. Plus I need new wiper blades. And the light that says my parking brake is on won't turn off. And there seems to be something weird going on with my intermittent wipers. Other than that, tip-top shape.

**Zella will be here next week, voluntarily or not. That lines me up for an extended stint of cat care at the folks. And may quite possibly end the Fourth of July photo shoot.

**Really need to get the hammock up pretty soon. Really need to get the morning glories planted soon. Really need to get the carpets cleaned soon. Have I mentioned the whole running away possibility?

**I indulged my sense of pointless consumerism and got myself a personalized license plate. Supposed to be here in a month or so. Ooooooo. I am sooooo trendy. Or not.

**The chips continue to fly as the clock counts down to the six-weeks-to-go mark in the Jo's Dragon project. The legs and feet are done except for final shaping. The wings also are mostly done except for some tuning around the joints and smoothing of the curves on the back. The head is still blocked, but the arms have been mass reduced and are about ready for final forming. The lower torso needs a tiny bit of refinement, and the upper is almost totally formed. Looking at two more weeks of forming (or less), then three weeks of finishing. Hopefully that will leave me with a week of fudge time.

**CK's in the moonlight, what a sight.

**I have decided to shift my usual up time to more closely coincide with daylight savings time. 8 AM is my target time for most days. Missing the sunlight that keeps me going more effectively doesn't seem to be a wise idea. When winter closes in and it's dark all the time anyway, I can flip back to staying up till all hours of the night. Hopefully this change will help push my artistic output in a more positive direction. Trips to my inspiration spot should be helpful as well.

**Have I mentioned how horrid the mosquitoes will be this year? And that it seems to be refusing to quit raining?

**Great to hear from Bluegirl again! Have fun on the beach! And don't forget my updates!

**To the best of my knowledge, my attendance will be neither requested nor required at any wedding ceremony or reception for the rest of this calendar year. So, the suit will be put back into storage, save for any funeral that should arise.

**Goat's milk brie. Not crazy about it. Not bad, but not crazy about it. Still like plain old regular goat's milk cheese better, though.

**Still fascinated by the concept of lemon flavored marshmallows.

**Have I mentioned how annoying the phrase 'have I mentioned...' is?