new locks

so Milo has just learned to open our sliding door. the heavy, glass sliding door to our backporch. so for the record, the only door he hasnt figured out how to open is the front door, and thats only because its got a round knob. I have a feeling we've got a impending mutiny on our hands...

So I've spent some of this late afternoon going through piles and sort of doing an improptu spring cleaning. I do that you see, make piles here and there of "important things" or "things to look at later" which seem to grow throughout the week and then just get sorted into different piles. Im not that bad, i mean the house isnt covered in piles here and there to the ceiling, but it is nice to catch up and get it all sorted through. ive managed to finally figure out my 401k shenanigans thats been nibbling at me for a little while now, and i also sorted and paid a bill, got my brothers t-shirt ready to mail for his couples shower next weekend, and got some library books in a pile by the door so i remember to take them with me to return tomorrow when i head out to work. It feels good to tie up these loose ends.

in other news, someone is outside mowing their lawn right now - how is that possible!? arent they dying from the almost 100 degree heat? Even our cat Fargus, who's usually the posterchild for independant male animals everywhere, took a step outside and turned right around, loving the AC more than his freedom today. i think so far he's been inside for 6 hours today, even taking time to curl up with me and help me sleep away my headache. these 6 hours are about 6 more than we usually see him during the day.. he comes home around 10pm for some greenies that taste like "fresh from the sea tuna!" or liver, eats them and then heads out the door again. or he stalks us on our nighttime walks with milo. its so funny - we'll walk down our drive way and turn left or right and right away you can tell milo's agitated by something and sure enough, 10 seconds later you see fargus darting here and there between the trees - he does this the whole way around our very very big block - these days getting brazen enough to follow us in the street, close enough to drive milo insane but far enough back to have the excuse that he just happens to be out walking on the same street as us, but not necessarily WITH us. his antics make for pretty amusing night time strolls.

We dont have any big plans for the week ahead, sort of like i dont have any big plans for punctuation in this post i guess, but thats ok. events on deck though, are looking pretty exciting: on top of normal summertime fun like baseball games and eating outside, our favorite place to hear music is kickin into full gear in a couple of weeks. This weekend coming up - Bob DYLAN!! Actually, i dont know if that warranted 2 exclamation points - he never does any of his old stuff, which is really what i would love to hear. but bobby dylan here in indy - at our little river side mini-gorge. it will be divine. then bryans friend is headed here for a week of relaxation during the last week of july and we're all going to go see Incubus (a favorite of Bryan and his friends). Up next is 311 the following weekend, a band i recently started to like for their summertime sound and then a real treat - Live, counting crows, and collective soul - it will be like 9th grade all over again! Then, before we know it, home again, home again ... cant wait!

me in alaska

This is a test. I'm trying to follow the bloggie instructions and ... we'll see if it works

ok - hmm this didn't work. I am a computer wizard apparently.

In other news, i changed the template again since i cant make up my mind, but i really like this one, ive used it before, and this time i figured out that you can change colors! and fonts! and presto - i like it :) its so fresh and summery. . .though im unsure about the text color..

Lazy Sunday

ooo Sunday has been great. Its so hot here today, so we've been laying low - watched tennis this morning, and then bryan went to hunt and gather lunch/dinner while i tried and sleep off a headache. He successfully and sweetly mananged to kill two whole pizzas to fill up our bellies and Now, we're both just having a quiet afternoon - i'll go for a walk or run when it cools off a little bit, but for now we're holed up inside the house with all the curtains drawn, tv and radio off. I've just started rereading a great book - Million Dollar tattoo by Earl emerson, one my favorite Seattle authors. This sunday afternoon has been wonderful - and its not over yet!

i almost forgot - we started watching "Northern Exposure" on dvd - i may be going out on a limb here, but this might be a series to add to our home collection - its so funny, and great, and of course - reminds me of home! i'm hooked now, and can't wait to get the rest of season 1...

Friday Evening

Friday night at our house....

picture post

one of my favorite painters, Andrew Wyeth.

Week Gone By

Milo, swimming in the Potomac with a buddy. Aren't they cute?

The weekend is here again and i cant believe its been a week since my last post. if i remember correctly, i did get to check off the main things on my list: i experienced the iron and its friend the board, with expectations that were far too high. I had these visions of jesse transforming into mary poppins in one go around! ha - it wasnt to be, alas. but i suppose i did have much less wrinkly clothes than usual.

We also got poorer (bills!) and got richer (spent time relaxing with each other).

And... we welcomed a new "member" into our family - a ping pong table top that goes over the pool table in the bar/garage/game room. Oh my goodness - i dont think i can remember something that has ever been so much fun - ping pong tables are MADE for summertime when its too hot to do anything else! It relieves boredom, provides an outlet for the competitive spirit, and there's really no threat of getting injured (unless you hit the ball really hard and it pings off the dogs head accidently). Bryan and I have been playing practically nightly and he bet me that i wouldnt be able to get one win before he got to one hundred - ha again! he was wrong. I'm now the proud owner of 4 wins thank you very much! i think the score now is Jesse 4:Bryan 25. Milo tries to play with us too - he brings his "mailman" stufftie out to the garage and then insists on placing it on the pingpong table mid-rally to get attention. So far though, we've only had one dog interception of the ball, and only one off his noggin (his head is really hard so it didnt really hurt him) We actually haven't lost any balls to his crushing teeth either, though sometimes when the rallies go too long he gets a little over excited and pounces on the ball when it hits the floor.

This week has been a really long one for me, not sure why it didnt go faster. i guess the combination of fighting a cold, humidity, and a little bit of stir-craziness makes for a slow ticking clock. Bryan had the day off on Wednesday, so him and Milo and Fargus had one of their illustrius boy parties as bryan likes to call them. After i got home and broke up the ruckus, we cooked out and had the most enjoyable, quiet 4th of July between the two us. Sometimes i worry that im too much of a "homebody" - that i should be GOING OUT MORE, PARTYING LIKE WILD WOMAN (caps seemed to be neccessary there for effect) but there is something so peaceful and nice about having time at home with nothing on your plate. We grilled up some chicken on Bryans new BBQ, Gordan the Grill, then settled in to watch the fireworks. Here in INdy, people seem to get REALLY into the 4th in the local neighborhoods, much more so than ever in seattle, so we dont really have to go anywhere to see a show, its right off our back porch. so after dinner and small bowl of Neopolitan ice cream (i'm channeling my inner 5 year olds taste buds) we crawled into the hammock and ooohed and aahhed.

Today, I just got back from lunch. Bryan was going to meet me, but since its a bit of a drive, I went by myself, eating out on the porch of a little pizza place on a canal. wish id brought my camera, a pic of my lemonade would have been perfect for todays post. i could have sat at this table forever, its the perfect temp out in the shade, and i was people watching contentedly.

What are our plans for this weekend? oh, not too much. Minor league baseball game tomorrow and maybe haircuts all around? who knows.. have to use up our peppers that we pulled from the garden last night (*by we i mean Bryan pulled). Im looking for a dress to wear to the weddings this summer, something fresh, flattering and cheap?