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Before the monsoons set in this week, that is.....

Look at him, jumping over that BIG wave. Tee hee. Watching children play in the surf is one of my favorite summertime things to do. I guess Jimmy and I turned into "locals" in this past year since neither of us has had a hankering yet to get on the beach that is only 5 miles away. We are the 7th most visited beach in this country with over 7 million guests per year. Considering that it's only a 13 mile long stretch of beach, it's a tad bit crowded over there. lol

As you know Wanda, Jimmy and I stared a hole in our walls for 6 months after Linz died so lately time has been spent trying to catch up getting some neglected chores done. "Plumber with the leaky faucet", has some truth to it as it has taken us a year to finish painting the exterior. We rarely do exteriors anymore but I swear, no matter how few per year, only if it's just one, we always end up doing this during the hottest week that year. We've applied the split shift rule. 7am to noon, then 5pm til 9pm. Still, we have to chase the shade, wear sweatbands, keep a wet face cloth on the back of our necks, hydrate and still have to be vilagent"listening" to our bodies. Heat exhaustion is something we don't play with.
I'm a fan of the new OFF powdery spray but go through about 3 cans a week as you can only guess how badly our mosquito infestation is in a marsh.
Last night, I looked like I got collagen in one side of my lips as one of those buggers found a spot without bug repellent. My lip was so huge, I came close to cutting it on a can of soda,lol. I didn't dare look in the mirror.

We'll finish up the painting today and try to get the new gutters and downspouts installed. All the screens have been washed and the windows, inside and out. Jimmy's obsession with the Mustang overhaul has come in handy because he turned me onto an excellent fabric paint for car upholstery. I loved my two canvas lounge chairs on my front deck but couldn't stand the color, so last night I changed all that with my fogged up safety goggles from the heat and humidity still in the air at 8pm. Went from light blue to flat black and I'm currently looking for a sun stencil to do with yellow. Last year, Linz kept on insisting that the blue clashed with our yellow house. She was right.

Through trial and error, I've discovered that I need to water my plants daily, even if it rains. My canopy is too dense and my soil too sandy to allow my many shade gardens to get a decent gulp of water when it rains. I've been keeping the voles at bay only to discover Mr. Mole's extensive tunneling the other day. Plants are being unearthed and garden statues toppled over. You should of seem me in the wee morning hour stabbing a pitch fork into the tunnels in hopes of wiping him out. I must look like a crazy women to motorists on their way to work and the joggers passing by. Me with my brightly colored shorts and white headband piercing the ground with my pitch fork trying my best to commit varmint homicide. I'm seconds from jumping off the organic wagon and buying poison.

Our well deserved laziness and fun start this weekend when my sisters Gail and Kate come in for a week. (You would remember from the funeral that Gail is the tall thin one and Kate the quiet, shy one. My brother Jack and his wife are coming in too. We'll do a lot of 'beachin'during the day then and munching delicious junk food on the boardwalk one night while watching my nieces and nephew squeal with glee on the rides. We'll also look like the amateurs we are when we go fishing. Gail's determined to get her feet wet, pun intended, and clam in Assawoman Bay. I think she's more interested in a dare from her co-workers in Ohio than really wanting clams. They want proof that there really is a bay named, "Assawoman". The bushel of live crabs have already been orderd and the steamer and spices purchased. We'll all pig out one night with steamed crabs, corn and sweet maters.
From my long windedness on this thread(sorry) I'm sure you can tell Jimmy and I are so looking forward to their visit.

I do have one question for you. I must say, I sooo want to get this one right. I'm guessing your shoes are either BOTH flipflops or just the brown flipflops adorned with the flower. However tempting to pick that you would have more than one pair of shoes with you at any given time, I have to settle on that latter with my final guess. Do tell.
~di

Wanda,thanks for posting these two charming pictures. I have always thought that any kid or animal to wind up in your home had to be among the luckiest on earth,and I still think that.If I were wounded,physically or mentally and found me way to your doorstep,I have no question that you would bring me inside,and nurture me back to health. This has been one of those lazy dazy summers so far,my favorite kind. We've gone to a couple of concerts,one under the stars,cook outs with different groups of friends,actually reading in the hammock,and even spent more time in the garden than in past summers it seems. We'll kick into higher gear in a few weeks when we make our annual trip to the Outer Banks with the entire family. One summer ritual is grandkid and us going to see the new Harry Potter film. Looks like it might happen next week.

Wanda, Those pictures sure look inviting! Here we've been told that we shouldn't be swimming in any of our lakes fro at least two weeks because of the run-off from the recent monsoonal rains. As it's now hot & humid, that is a bitter pill to swallow.

And Di, don't even tell me about mosquitoes. Ours are as big as SUV's and could probably carry one off. The only thing that seems to deter them is Deep Woods OFF & I'm using a lot of that.

I loved the sandals and sand picture. That says volumes. You have "happy kids". There are few things in life as important as "happy kids".

I guess this summer the veggie garden has taken what little free time I've had. It's one of those form follows function items and this is the first year in ages, I've had time to putter in it daily for neatness' sake.

The summer remains bizarre here. Blistering heat in the day/chilly nights/rain clouds who won't dump until they pass over us.

Oh c'mon, Di!

Wanda = brown flip flops
red trunks = red & blue flip flops
little girl = sandals
blue trunks = crocs
Mr. Man = tennies

(BTW Di, good to hear you sounding so good! Sorry the bugs find you so "magically delicious.")

Wanda, I love your pictures! They say volumes!

My summer has been crowded with people and places, and I'm doing my best to spend as much of it as I can doing absolutely nothing in my back yard. Veggies are coming along fine, and the Oriental lilies smell heavenly beyond measure. If I had my druthers, I'd never leave the house...

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Michelle,I doubt if Mr.Man was there but the brown flips
with the flowers are Wanda's for sure.
I'm loving all the pictures.

So far i've spent the summer planting flowers, watering
flowers, cutting grass, watering grass and spending more
time than I ever wanted to at the doctor's offices
and in the hospital having tests.

Di, I don't care how long your posts are I love reading
every word. I hope you and Jimmy have a really great summer
filled with love and laughter. Give your sisters a hug from
me and also Jack and his sweet wife.

Wanda, i loved the pictures. Is your sand really that white?

Andie, i hear you about the mosquitos. We've got them too with all the rains we've got. I saw a picture of the flooding on lake Tyler on MSNBC the other day. I don't remember it getting that high before. I remember how low it got a few times during drought.

mwoods, last year i spent a coupLe of weeks at Topsail beach in NC. I enjoyed the small town feel so very much and had a great time.

The poor people on Lake Tyler are learning about feast or famine when it comes to water. Last year they were mowing weeds growing under their boathouses because the lake was so low because of drought. This year they've got 2 - 3 feet of water in their boathouses because of all the rains. It looks like we may be drying out now & that's a good thing.

Michael,
What a beautiful picture.
Looks so calm and peaceful.

~di,
Sure hope your painting is finished by now.
Why in the world would you think I would have more than one pair of shoes with me at any given moment? LOL
Ooohhh, I wish I could be there for the crab bald.
If you need any extra little hammers, just let me know.

marda,
Such kind words.
You don't have to wait until you're wounded, you're welcome to come any time.
To quote Bob Barker, "Marda...come on down!"
I know you're looking forward to the Outer Banks.
It is such a beautiful place.

andie,
With the temp in the mid-90s, the water was very inviting, despite the two shark alerts and the lifeguards calling everyone out of the water.

suzy,
Hope your veggie garden does well despite the strange weather.
I love seeing the pics of your fresh and canned veggies.

jaz,
What a beautiful pic...your garden and your helper.
You got pretty close on the shoe ID.

jan,
You're right...Mr. Man wasn't there.
At work, as usual.
Sounds to me like you've been working too hard.
Did you forget 'the Queen wave' and designation of duties?

oakleif,
Yes, our sand is that white.
It has a very fine texture...about the size of a grain of salt.

Shoe ID:
Little sandals = GD
Tennis = my DD
Red and blue flip flops = red trunks
Crocs = blue trunks
And, yes, the brown flower flip flops are mine.

I enjoyed the picture "shoes in the sand" - it says it all!
My summer if "golden", at least that's what it is called, actually it means all the grassy vegetation has turned brown, the way it's supposed to. Lots of star thistle this year, most likely because of the dry winter.
Would like to be a little lazy, but the kittens keep me busy, Jasmyn had a bout of the runs, I was cooking chicken and rice and washing things a lot. but now she's getting well, so maybe I can sit on the deck and read instead of washing and spraying and cooking - all for one tiny creature.