best thing I found on the internets today

"Chick Lit isn’t just shoes and weight loss any more than romance is about adverbs and rape." - SB Sarah, Smart Bitches Who Love Trashy Books.

Marry me, Sarah.

wicked pouty

This is how I feel.

Have I mentioned lately that I love my house? I love my house.

I love spook, and I love Lizbeth, and I love the Many And Irritating Cats of Disaster.

Also, dudes, I am so sick, and I should really be in bed, so I'm gonna go do that now.

p.s. for your amusement, a recipe for Schadenfreude Pie.

things that grow

I am sunburned and dirty, but perhaps ready to try posting a little more. No, I have not fallen down a hole; no, I have not been eaten by wolves; no, I have not been abducted by aliens--you all know I just disappear for weeks on end sometimes. This has been one of those times.

spook and I have been gardening, or pre-gardening, really--turning over the soil and sprouting seeds for things that have to germinate inside first before you put them in the unforgiving earth, and digging up a whole new bed along the other side of our backyard. For a yard with a pitiful, uneven scratch of grass in it, there sure are a lot of root systems. We will be growing tomatoes and zucchini, spinach, basil, thyme, rosemary, lavender, peas, sweetpeas, phlox, cherry tomatoes, strawberries, and raspberries, as well as taking a stab at corn because we thought it would be hilarious. Well. I should say we'll be attempting to grow these things. I am under no illusions that they will all grow, but I'm trying to remain optimistic.

I'm also having conversations with the kids next door as I diligently but inexpertly prune raspberry canes, weed, etc. We've talked about compost and when/why it's not stinky anymore and vitamins in the soil and how I'm not sure about all the things I'm doing but I'm reading books to learn about them. So far, so good.