We've been having lovely weather here, not the heat and humidity we are accustomed to in August and the skies have been stunning. Consequently, sitting around a computer just hasn't been inviting lately. But I admit I miss reading your posts which are always entertaining and informative. Oh, and of course there has been the Olympics. I don't watch them at all during the day but generally tune in at night. I have to say I don't enjoy watching the "paid" pros play, that is those who are in a pro league and are getting culled to form a team for the Olympics or have been playing together like our softball team, but pros is really what they are all now with sponsers and so on. Somehow the Olympic mystique with its hopeful expectation is drastically diminished.

Our kitchen is soon, sometime in the near future, uh, in the future going to get a face lift. That is if we can ever get beyond Home Depot continually fumbling the plans for the cabinets. The woman responsible for the computer design based on measurements taken by another staff person has repeatedly printed drawings for the cabinets full of errors. Yesterday my husband insisted he speak with the manager who set up an appointment with the man who measured our kitchen. The problem we are sure is not with him but the woman executing the drawings on the computer. Never assume these people know what they are doing. You must continually check their work because when you sign off on the plans you are agreeing not to hold them accountable for any mistakes they may have made. My husband and his son are installing them so we are saving some cash there.

My step-son does trim work and recently installed extensive kitchen cabinetry in a large home in Maryland last week. He is the one who shamed may husband into replacing our cabinets for which I was secretly cheering. So now we will have a new floor, counters, appliances, and cabinets. Paint and or wall paper will be decided when we have finished. I wanted a wood floor but it's going to be tile. Probably the best choice as the dogs would make maintaining wood a major chore.

Jonathon Edwards was running as a democratic candidate for president of the United States AND at the same time his wife was undergoing cancer treatment. Such a time as that Edwards selected to jump the fence and play slap, tickle, and poke with a novice filmmaker. Now HERE is a man Jesse Jackson can pursue with the clippers.*

Nikki Giovanni, poet, professor at Virginia Tech who made national headlines with her humanistic self-help mantra, "We are Virginia Tech" (which I abominated) following the shootings, spoke Sunday before a panel just prior to the unveiling of the Civil Rights Memorial on Capitol Square in downtown Richmond. She called one panelist a "pitiful little dumb bunny" and referred to Clarence Thomas, a member of the U.S. Supreme Court, as "a poster boy for lawn jockeys." She and Jesse are of the same ilk but she neither gave nor was asked to render an apology. I understand many, many people were appalled. Anywaze, this morning a letter to the editor appeared in response to the local paper's disgust with Giovanni's remarks. The person was calling for the defenestration of the woman from Tech and any other state supported position she may hold. And people wonder why the term "nigger" is still in circulation.

* Jackson recently said he'd like to cut Obama's balls off.

Parker having a Marilyn Monroe moment over the air vent in the floor.
















A moth wing pattern I'd like to see incorporated in to an oriental rug.
















This red-lipped Saint Tropez babe is is hot on the cat walk.

She's a coy one, peeking out.

She's a hot calypso mess soaking up the steamy heat...and no, she isn't photo shopped but the right real thing.

The first sunflower is out but I cannot take credit; it is the result of spillage from the bird feeder. I got mine planted rather late but should have some in a week or two. I believe my favorite sunflower is the teddy bear sunflower. Just a massive tuft of tiny petals without a center, it looks more like a huge, hmm, I don't know, marigold, dahlia, but that's not quite right. Anyway I plant them in clusters and enjoy their cheerful yellow and stuffed toy demeanor.

Each morning the humidity has been in the upper 90s yesterday I believe it was 98 in the a.m. Thankfully it comes down by afternoon but no matter the days are the wilting kind.

Someone hogtie Nancy Pelosi and toss her in the fenced back forty where she can't do more harm. Outrageous that she can single handily stop drilling when at least 73% of Americans want it to go. Perhaps if she were smite like King Nebuchadnezzar she'd come to her senses.

I start cello lessons this evening. I anxiously await being able to make it sing.

Chopin's fondness for the instrument led him to compose piano music that had the melody written in the bass clef making the piece sound very cello-like. Prelude Op. 28, No. 6 is one of my favorites.

Another hot sunset yesterday viewed from West Broad Street in Richmond.

Rabbit Portraits

There are a few rabbits which live in our neighbor's yard at the end of the drive. They are frequently in the field when driving in or out. Yesterday driving in I happened to have the camera handy. I stopped, rolled down the window. It sat quite still while I shot but soon enough got spooked and bolted.


To say I am intrigued with this season's Project Runway participants is an understatement. As Victoria Beckham would say, "You make me sma." Slasher man deserved the boot. Exhibiting no vision or execution he didn't even reach a banal ranking. As for diaper boy and bag lady I don't have any hopes for them lasting but they are certainly interesting characters. Scarlett brought nothing to the table as a judge. Go back to your heaping mounds of bridal froth and wallow.

Must sit through a two hour meeting mid-day for fall choir concert. I've never been in choir before for which I had less enthusiasm. If they were not hurting so badly for altos I would remove myself from the mix.

What a fireball of hot orange setting last night. No wonder men were compelled to go west.

A cool powder blue and black dragonfly on the lavender.


The moon last evening. Tough to show pictures these days, can seldom load them onto blogger.

Do you find yourself captive by forces beyond your control? Hope your super hero arrives in time.

A clue in a crossword puzzle today was for a Wally Cox series. I did a little research as I had no recall of this show. I found out more than I expected. He played the role of a mild mannered science teacher, Mr. Peepers in a TV show in the late 50s. Apparently he hated the role saying he was the very antithesis of the character. The article discussed his stint on Hollywood Squares, how his answers were never cued like everyone else, that he was an extremely close friend of Marlon Brando having his remains cremated and left to Brando, Brando locking them away for thirty years until his death when they were both scattered together...somewhere, dying of an heart attack at 48. What the article FAILED to note was that Cox was the voice for the cartoon hero Underdog. Unforgivable.









This morning a parade of six bucks all in the velvet walked across our field. 8 point, 8 point, 8 point, 6 point, 8 point, and the last, a late arrival, sporting only nubbins. Comparing racks I felt sad for the last deer noting his inferior crown and position but he was no doubt the youngest and will eventually have his day. The other racks were of good size. This time of year bucks roam in groups. I was too mesmerized to bother with the camera. As the last buck entered the field I let out Rebel and Parker. They ran the deer into the woods and separated the last from the first five sending him back the way he came. I felt kind of bad about that. I wonder if he will ever meet up with the others.