I tried anyway.

The moon on the lake was magical. 

The frog serenade was comical.

They sang, "Ba-bee, ba-bee, ba-bee..."

It was an altogether successful mini-adventure.

I can't capture the moon.

Look quick. July is slipping away. Well, speeding away is more like it. I can not even account for where it has gone, nor where I have been. Most of the time I have been right here. And. I am still struggling through Les Miserables. Oi vey! It's a shunda. It is a painful read because it is so tedious. I don't know what medal I think I am going to win by reading it. But hey, it better be a pretty damn big one.

Sister from Virginia has come and gone, for the second time. It was most enjoyable to host her and my in-town sister for dinner on Wednesday night. Shortly before it was time to start preparing the meal we had a terrific storm blow through. The winds came from the east and I declared that trees would be blown down in it. Sure enough, 30 minutes later, sister-in-law texted that Mr. Macho's dad had a tree down in his yard. It is a big old pine that had actually been struck by lightening last year. It snapped about 20 feet up the tree.

Electricity went out. Then flickered. Then was back on in time to cook the supper. We dined on baked salmon, sauteed spinach, onions, and mushrooms, and quinoa. Our appetizers were fresh figs from sister's tree with blue cheese and prosciutto. Sister brought some yummy orange-fig dessert bars. It was a delightful repast.

Sister from Virginia departed Thursday morning and just now texted that she has made the 3/4 mark on her journey home. She will stay the night with cousins in North Carolina. She spent last night with an old classmate near Atlanta.

Which brings me to today, and the point...

With extreme sadness I report this to you. I can not capture the moon. Even though I want to.

On the way home from a most enjoyable dining trek with old friends last night, we espied the nearly full moon. I aimed my phone camera in her general direction, even snapped a shot or two. Then. I deleted them. I could read the road map on her surface, she was so vivid and clear. It simply would not translate to my camera phone.

This morning, while perusing the facebook, I saw several shots of the moon from last night. And. They were jolly good shots. And yet. It doesn't measure up to seeing it with your own two eyes. So here is my challenge to you: should you accept it - simply step outside tonight. And soak it up. With your eyes. With your skin. With all your might. It will be a full moon experience. A full-blue moon experience. It is your "once in a blue moon" opportunity! It promises to be spectacular. I might just take a blanket and lay out somewhere to catch some moon glow. Blue moon glow. Tonight. Be there. Or. Be square.

Namaste.

Good company.

The speeding bullet that was last week shot right past and left no wounded. What started out even paced kicked into high gear on Wednesday. My dear friend, *P*, is having the back trouble. My heart is heavy for her (see posts from last year!) She texted Wednesday afternoon, could I drive her to a doctor's appointment in Tuscaloosa? Of course, I replied, I was driving in that direction anyway to pick up T-Bone. No problem!

Thursday dawned. Lots of driving. It was a labor of love to get my friend to the doctor. Watching her move was painful, bringing to mind just how I had felt last year. She was greatly relieved to have good medical advice, and treatment, and hope of soon feeling better. We lunched with Daughter, picked up The Bone, and drove home. 

Tucker and I had a good walk around the neighborhood. We played the Flip the Flop game and Pass the Pig.

That evening we dined on hot dogs and watched a classic. "Earnest Goes to Jail!" Good times, man. 

***

Friday morning...another lap in the neighborhood. We set up and played Ladder Ball. We duked it out over a good game of Battleship! Tucker is a contender. And. He was a very good sport, which is more important than winning in my book. 

We tried a new recipe - Reese's peanut butter rice krispie treats. The recipe did not call for marshmallows. Thus, it was a near miss. The taste was delish. But. It didn't stick together. Whoever put this one out on the wide world of the internet needs a thrashing. What were they thinking, no marshmallow?! I should have known better. 

(I ended up incorporating it into the brownies I whipped up Saturday morning. Again, a near miss.)

After lunch we cleaned up and headed off to the movies..."Inside Out". I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. I think Tucker enjoyed it on a different level. And isn't that the fun of movies?! 

Friday night Tucker, again, was a good sport and ate my meat loaf without complaining. Oh, it was a good meatloaf. It's just not his favorite. So. He opted to eat it with lots of mustard between two pieces of bread. 

Friday night movie = "Rudy"!!!!! He loved it. I loved it. Mr. Macho even enjoyed it. All good. Who doesn't like "Rudy"? If you don't then leave this page right now. And don't come back. 

Saturday. 

Tucker helped his granddad wash the company truck. They stayed busy outside all morning. After lunch they cleaned up and headed to town. Oh yea, bumper car fun was had by those two. They both enjoyed themselves. I think Tucker even got to do some kind of laser maze. 

I spent the day preparing a meal and policing the house. Mr. Macho's Dad, sister, and our family friend, Kathryn joined us for supper. The meal wasn't the best I've ever cooked, but the visit was most pleasant. 

"Field of Dreams" was our movie choice for Saturday night. We got started late so had to delay watching the end until Sunday morning. Once again - it was a movie that Tucker and I loved. 

Tucker's family joined us for Sunday dinner, games, cool bath, and good visit. 

Then they were gone. With Tucker. And. The house got quiet. Again. 

Circle of life, and all. 

Tucker. One cool guy. A good house guest. Great movie partner. 

Love you, man. 

The relatives came.

Dear Sister,
Just so you know, my house is awful quiet without your breathing in it. You know what I mean. It was so great having you here. Even for the few days. You didn't eat up all my fruit! And. You didn't even need a haircut. But. Dishes got done so fast. Exercising with you made it fast. And fun. Driving to Tuscaloosa felt like 5 minutes. Your constant conversation sure was good company these last few days.
The house is empty. And too quiet.
Happy trails. Come back soon.
Love,
Nanny Bee

Photo op with St. Nick. Me, Daughter, Sister from Virginia.

Sister, Bear, me.

Sister, Daughter, me. 

Thursday night concert at the River Walk. Good times, man. 

***

"And when they were finally home in Virginia, they crawled into their silent, soft beds and dreamed about the next summer." 

-The Relatives Came

Cynthia Rylant

Memo to BP

Dear BP,
It isn't over just because you are forking out billions. We can't get in the water any more without worrying about getting strange infections and flesh eating diseases. We are still leery of eating the seafood out of our gulf water.
You can't just take this back or buy a clean conscience.
Just so you know, I salute you with my tallest finger.

One of my faves....