PICTURESQUE?

Enviable vegetable garden.

I want to sleep. I went to bed and read for quite awhile before I turned out the lights. But no deal. I'm not particularly upset or depressed or anything. I have a slight slight headache, and I can doze, baby, I can doze. But I cannot sleep.

I might as well give writing a shot. The crickets are loud. It is a little nippy sitting by the open window and I am just a bit shivery (not timbers though) in my nightgown with Iris' orange shawl (pashmani ... is that what that they call them? No ... pashmina ...).  And perhaps a sippy nip from the dwindling bottle of Chartreuse, the remaining soldier from the Lagasse-Johnson haul in late June.

She doesn't look too uncomfortable.

So You can see by the photograph there that Ms. Emmylou is in da house. She looks more tail than kitty, but she's normal in person. Well, kinda. The ride up here was pretty harrowing. Ms. Em does not like restraint in any form, so being in the carrier freaked her out royally. After a time, it just seemed easier to let her roam a bit on the passenger side of the car. She was panting and meowing wildly. I nearly turned around to take her back to John and Melinda. After an hour or less, though, she quieted down enough to sit on the seat and let me stroke her head and we made it the rest of the way. Good thing Louise wasn't in the car as she is a stickler for both hands on the wheel.

(Evidently, Cooder can't sleep either as she is downstairs with me now, whipping her tail about and marking her face on things. Or standing on the keyboard and generally in front of the screen. This desk is not big enough for cats. jkkkkkkkkkkkkkiu)

She wasn't even too afraid of Albert, which I took as a good sign for day two, although this evening he did a mild chase that she wasn't too fond of. Albert is getting fond of me, too, and will bring his toy, Chicky, and prance around for me when I come in.

The weather has cooled slightly to make moving around pleasant. Other signs of oncoming autumn include the kids going to school. Young R celebrated his 19th birthday today by getting dropped off at college. Quite an achievement for someone who was not expected to graduate from high school. Kudos to M and particularly J who shephered him along. Not an easy task. Tomorrow E goes back to Stonybrook which leaves me, M, J, Cooder, Emmy, and Albert.

As the rest of the family was off dropping off R, I took Albert on his afternoon walk. He is a stubborn kinda fella and never wants to turn back home. I snapped some photos to show you all a bit more of the 'hood.

View of the house that was the scene of last week's barbecue.

Their fence. Imagine it is old.

Flowers.

View.