Sorry to see your water problems, rob. Before I got my sump pump put in, I would have to shop vac as much as 100 gallons of water whenever it rained this hard. So I feel your pain. We are currently between storms, so I am thankful for the sunshine today. This is a picture from a few years ago of Fred and Carmelita enjoying the sunlight coming in.

“Gladys” the Praying Mantis, assemblage art.

My exchange student and I redid the dining room chairs this weekend. I bought the material from somewhere, I think, Nicole had recommended. Thank you! The hardest part was taking out all the staples. There were so many and so many broke when pulling them up. The chairs are all done now, legs tightened. They just have to last a couple more years. I'm going to replace the dining set when I replace my kitchen. I liked the set when I bought them but now I really don't like the distressed look, they just look dirty all the time.

It was a phrase I first heard from a fellow I worked with from India...somehow I picked it up as it's a way of saying your otherwise occupied without having to get into the details as to what you're doing instead.