That's the progress so far. This afternoon, I'm going to seal those upper edges and seams with mastic. Then I can do away with the turkey pot.

Finishing that open wall can be done standing sitting on the ground.

UPDATE: That part is done. Do I get an "honorary lizard" badge or something?

Gary Farber posts a link to an NYT criticism of the new animated film Ratatouille.

We saw a trailer for it last night, and Lyman wants to go see it. In a theater.

We haven't gone to a theater for a movie together yet in nearly 14 years.

I been in "the hole" today. But I don't think I'll finish today.

There's some trick I'll need to learn about slithering out of that slot when I cover up my crossbeam.

For height, I'm using a 12-inch diameter, 16-inch tall turkey pot. It's sturdy, and it fits.

Let me tell you, kids, it's hot.

The truck brought the materials for "the project" today.

I went by the city office and picked up a printout of our energy usage from January 2006 to date.

The reads come at midmonth. Last year's electric use was 1989 Kw hours for the period from 5/14-6/13. This year's is 1833. The windows were installed on the 30th of May, so we're only seeing half a month's worth of savings this cycle. The next read should be more revealing.

I heard this song on the radio in the car today.

Silly boy.

Charlie sings "We've got the bonk", instead.

Sing what you know, yes?

He's out of the cage and running for a few weeks now.

So Butch, the really nice air conditioner guy, came by today to look at the "project" while I was napping.

Lyman said that as Butch looked up the chute he could see the wheels turning. Backwards.

Lyman said, "We could do it ourselves."

Butch said, "I'll have the materials delivered for you tomorrow."

UPDATE: Surely they're all kidding.

So, Mr. Wade Byrd, the energy auditor, returned yesterday to see what we have done, and we haven't done enough.

His instructions weren't clear (he agrees) on sealing the return chase on our HVAC system.

That means taking this panel off.

Then one enters this space which is 18" x 34" x 8' raw.

He wants that lined with duct board and sealed with non-toxic duct mastic to force the system to use only properly cooled or heated return air to reduce the load on the system and protect the evaporator coils from filth. It will be a cool 12" x 24" (give or take an inch) sealed. Now these things are usually finished with sheetrock during construction.

Lyman can get in there, but I think he'd have a fit trying to do the work. I am going to go ahead and vacuum the thing with the shop vac, and decide if I can stand it. Whoever does it needs to be pretty darn slender. And I'd have to buy and learn to operate a nail gun.

And we just might hire someone else. Someone skinny and flexible. Gumby might be able.

UPDATE: No. No nail gun. 1.5 inch roofing nails and a hammer at broad intervals.

I've vacuumed the space out, made a call to Mr. Byrd for some direction, and set on doing this myself.

Now I need some materials -- 2 4x10 sheets of duct board, a gallon of mastic, and about a pound of roofing nails. And a small ladder that I can fit into the space.

Lyman cooked alligator scalloppine again last night, and yes it was good, again.

You might not remember, but I did write one time about being a "lacto-ovo" vegetarian for a couple of years when I was about 22. I gave it up because it was not healthy for me, as demonstrated by a stress fracture in my foot that refused to knit after four weeks in a cast.

Anyway, I do have the occasional qualm when I eat a piece of meat. I refuse to eat quail anymore. Lucy and Charlie would pluck to about the size of one.

However, I can't gather a lot of sympathy for this face.

I thought he would finally say.

Tonight Lyman said, "I think Giada de Laurentiis is an attractive woman."

I said, "What took you so long to say so? Is it because I get the house?"

Mathematicians and modellers in conflict at Climate Audit.

UPDATE: I hope you didn't imagine that I could understand all the math. But you don't have to be a scholar to read the tone of the debate.

I'll object to the notion that women are more prone to verbal or sonic pornography.

What about that back?

Why not encourage her to learn both?

One of my teachers at UT taught both. The two languages were so similar that she would sometimes stumble in our French class.

And boy, do I wish I had taken Spanish.

Tony Woodlief on Father's Day.

Here, again, is my father.

And a good one to you, fellas.

Oh, for crying out loud. Will you look at that?

We received a cool 0.05 inch of rain from that front. And yes, it was moving eastward.

My brother informs me that the doctors in Jackson have settled on histoplasmosis as their diagnosis.

Peregrine chicks in Wisconsin, courtesy of Diane.

Tough crowd.

UPDATE: And another "NAME THAT JUVENILE PEREGRINE BAND" contest!

My local brother is in Jackson, MS, this week undergoing a second battery of tests, this time under the supervision of an infectious disease specialist.

He has been feeling poorly since March, when he suffered what he thought was a bout of flu. For nearly three months now, he's suffered from headaches and intermittent fevers, along with a debilitating lack of energy.

Doctors have been successful at ruling things out, but they can't get a grip on what ails him.

Michael is taking Lyman's parents to Baton Rouge tomorrow.

You might be amused by Lyman's list for Tony's Seafood:

2 rabbits
2 pounds of turtle
2 packs of boudin balls

We're stocked on shrimp and alligator.

UPDATE: Oops, include 2 pounds of alligator.

Scraping ivy off the house and weeding the front flowerbeds this morning, I couldn't get this song out of my head.

Nice couple, too.

We managed our improvements in the nick of time. Average high around here at this date is 88F. Yesterday, Lyman's weather station registered 97F, which is flirting with the high of 98F recorded in 1963.

We are a fairly lackadaisical bunch in these warm days, except for Kate.

I've ridden pillion on a motorcycle before, but nothing like that.

Looks like Mr. Gore has just about completed the conversions on his home in Nashville to make it more energy efficient.

And I say good for him. I've never thought him the hypocrite on the global warming issue that he might have appeared to be.

I'd still like for them to talk about the process somewhere -- their decision-making, the products they used, their negotiations with the zoning board. Did they have to overcome restrictions in a historical neighborhood?

Eyebrow threading?

Ladies, here is a video of "eyebrow threading," a technique long used in India and the Middle East for shaping eyebrows.

There are other videos, too, listed to the right of that site.

Would that ever take some practice. I think I'm going back to tweezers. Nancy waxed too much from the inner edges of mine last time.

Lyman fries the catfish around here. He does a good job -- nice and crispy on the outside and moist on the inside.

His mother doesn't like it that way.

Lyman's dad loves fried catfish more than any food around, so that's what Lyman cooked for his birthday dinner, along with some Alabama red potato fries. I assembled the coleslaw and took another stab at blackberry cobbler.

Lyman starts his mother's fish before anything else. After about 20 minutes yesterday, he asked her to test her pieces.

"No, it can cook a little longer."

"We can do that. We can let it burn slap-dab up if that's the way you want it."

I simply cain't put up with John Edwards no longer. The boy don't click fast.

A question was put to him that elicited something along the line of this response: "I don't know that I can define a rich man."

He did lose a child, and there's a good chance that he'll lose his wife to cancer. But the boy do have money. About $30 mil, I've read.

Of course, that doesn't come near Theresa Heinz's fortune. Maybe there are two Americas -- the rich and the filthy rich.

I watched the tail-end of the debate between the Democratic candidates for president on CNN.

I have a question. What are all you men doing in what appears to be white or pale blue eyeshadow?

Chris Dodd was one, and the commentator afterwards is sporting the same thing.

UPDATE: And Ms. Huffington is too old to be appearing showing cleavage.

M. has built the furniture for the guest room. I am finishing it with Minwax Tung Oil Finish which, according to research, proves to have no tung oil in it. It just looks like a tung oil finish, which is fine by me. Woodworkers call it a "wipe-on varnish." It's supposedly stronger than tung oil alone.

M. can do more detailed work than this, but I was aiming toward the 30's or 40's furniture that I remember from the room I rented in college.

I am developing an affection for the little table that is top-side down. Look at those two back legs. Their "feet" point in the same direction. On it's legs it looks like it might like to take a walk.

"Look at this, Janis. I made a mistake."

"Let's call it a conversation piece."

These pieces will live with two of these lamps, this hanging, this lamp (thanks again, Sarah), and this chest.

The side tables have one drawer apiece. Knobs or pulls?

Pop on over to Ann Althouse and watch the lovely video of women's faces in art.

When I was picking up seasoning for our last crawfish boil of the season this past weekend, I ran across a sazon by McCormick. So tonight I am cooking Francesca's bean recipe to have with ribs tomorrow.

Sounds good, eh?

UPDATE: Let me try this recipe again at another time. Those sun-dried tomatoes were too old. Talk about a "whang."

Sorry, Francesca. I'll do better next time.

This spending to mitigate global warming seems to really work.

Here at 4:30 p.m. on the 30th day of May it's only 83F outside. The average for this date is 86F. See?

New Windows

Four gentlemen showed up at 10:15, installed nine windows (three of them double), and were cleaned up and packed to go at a quarter to three.

They were a courteous group, and more importantly, were courteous to each other.

UPDATE: Why no mintons? I was outvoted on dividers for the windows. Windows do work two ways, and the men in my family want to see out.

The installers are here.

Joe Miller has 28 years in the business. Good deal.

Well, let's hope today is the day. Or it might be tomorrow.

UPDATE: Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow creeps in this petty pace from day to day, to the last syllable of recorded time...

Memorial Day Parade

Julie Finley of The Natchez Democrat wrote a short history of the local Memorial Day parade here. The drummers practice in the neighborhood near us for a few weeks before the day. Since I have the camcorder, I thought I'd go see and share.

This tape shows where the parade emerges from the neighborhood, and a shot as the marchers start to cross the Mississippi bridge.



And despite my voice I wasn't drunk. I was distracted. I've never thought of filming a public event.

(3 minutes)

Time to Lighten Up

I like the look of this template, and can read it well enough, but what about you? I am worn out with boxes and hard colors.

Comment capability might or might not appear with this post.

UPDATE: Well, that's good. But I didn't save my other template and I have a lot of catching up to do.

We planted cucumber seeds this year, and the fruit is coming in.

We keep a container of them peeled and sliced in a solution of rice vinegar, a little water, and salt in the refrigerator at all times.

However, there is a nice, cool, easy soup that I found years ago in a New York Times large-print cookbook that might be good this week:

CUCUMBER AND YOGURT SOUP

1 med. cucumber
salt
2 c. plain yogurt
2 c. chilled chicken broth
2 tbsp. finely chopped walnuts
1-1/2 cloves garlic, finely minced
Black pepper
Chives to garnish

Dice cucumber fairly finely. Sprinkle with salt and let stand in refrigerator 20 minutes. Mix together yogurt, broth, walnuts and garlic. Rinse and drain cucumber. Add to liquid mixture. Black pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped chives. Makes about four servings.

The crew blew the insulation in this morning. Of course, now I'm reading that blown fiberglass loses R-Value when the temperature drops below 50F. Whatever.

All right, Possum, you did it.

I just got a call from the window installer. The lead guy who was coming this way got a call in Jonesville from school in Alexandria that his 10-year-old son was sick.

He turned around and is with the boy at the hospital now. Seems the boy was ill with a stomach virus, but felt well enough to go to school today. But he's dehydrated from the virus and is being attended. The man asked for a couple of days off.

So now we're looking at Tuesday morning. No skin off my nose, but Papa Possum, did you have to include the boy in your jinx?

UPDATE: Or did the father run across Eileen at the Stop and Shop and decide to shack up for the weekend?

Lucy has another egg today. She had one on Monday, too.

That's three this month.

I got LSU's interim mascot right here.

Ahem. It is 10:10. There are no workers here. We have received no calls. I'm getting a dial tone when I lift the telephone receiver.

I've taken down the pleated shades in the great room.

What's the deal?

UPDATE: Mr. Vater doesn't know where the crew is, either. When I called he said they should be here. He can't raise them on a cellphone.

I hope they haven't been in an accident.

Our energy auditor, Mr. Byrd, was appalled at the amount of air infiltration caused by the recessed lights in this house. All the reports remark that they are terrible energy wasters when the housings are in unconditioned spaces. They play hell with air quality, too, allowing dust and gases from the attic into the house. Lyman installed most before Halo (Home Depot, Lowe's) manufactured airtight housings.

That's one of the reasons why Mr. Byrd was pushing us toward foam. Well, foam is right out of the budget, and I've been worrying about what to do about the lights.

After some research, I've found that Halo makes retrofit kits to make housings airtight for six-inch housings. In combination with a gasket fitted under the ceiling trim, these lights can conform unto California's Title 24 Energy Efficiency Standards, which are strict.

That would only leave six four-inchers without protection.

If you have the same problem, be informed that the Halo retrofit trim kits are part of the SUPER TRIM catalog. It took me half a day to find out the name of the series. Kits for flat recessed lights run about $15 for white ones at Home Depot and Lowe's. I haven't found a price for eyeballs, but they are available.

Sure beats Lyman going into the attic and rewiring all of them. There are 16 of those up there.

The windows arrive today and installation starts Thursday.

I dread the coming disruption, and I hope these guys know what they're doing 'cause I sure don't.

The birds are gonna be beside themselves.

Oh, Charlie, the big tiger died.

Lucy laid an egg today.

$2000 for foam insulation? Not even. That's something in the range of $7500. An R38 layer of blown fiberglass is more in that range. So that's what we'll go with. The fellow who'll install that insulation will manufacture caps for the recessed lights, which should provide some sealing.

The duct guy has been here and will start work on Friday. New ducts are of better material and will carry this house many years forward.

Ducts, insulation and windows, in that order.

It's a fair dreadful time to do these things, because we'll have the air-conditioning down for days. But when the summer really heats up, we might see some savings.

So, Al, what's going on in Nashville? You get some new lightbulbs or something?

UPDATE: From what I understand, the house in Nashville is about 70 years old. It would be interesting and enlightening for the Gores to detail the steps they're taking to make the house more efficient.

When we replace said chairs, I want to bring those home, but this time we carried a club chair home (we might be the only family who takes old things from the beach property to the home property).

So I bought a couple of bottles of Tilex to give them a good cleaning. There is no place on the property there to get after something with a water hose, so I used pails of water to rinse the chairs down when I was done.

On one trip to the balcony I slipped in a spill of water and fell flat of my back and knocked my head against the tile floor. No breaks or splits, but I feel every one of my years and then some days later.

But the old chairs look pretty good.

This type of patio furniture is called "strap" furniture and I can find one vendor in this resort town that sells it for a cool $135 a chair. The design has changed a little since these were bought in 1984 or so, but they've held up well over time except for some peeling paint, and one broken strap from six chairs, and it was cut some way after the hurricane. Our boy Fitzroy painted them once in one of his stays here, but he and his wife Ann are now busy at their place in South Carolina.

Our guests love these chairs. They're both comfortable and sturdy. Do we replace these chairs? Internet cost runs about $65 a chair plus shipping and figuring out how to get them delivered. Or do we tap down to Wal-Mart and buy 6 poly chairs for the price of one.

UPDATE: There's a lot to be said about renting a condo here and then bitching about what's wrong. And I have been remiss. Rents here are up to about $245 a night in the summer, and I don't even have the interest to justify that.

And we need a new refrigerator. There's absolutely nothing wrong anywhere except for an internal band of rust at the bottom of the door that interferes with the gasket. That's another four hundred to replace the GE bought in 2001 or so before the hurricane.

We are at the coast.

We arrived to find one of the sofas thoroughly stove-up, so it's turned into a furniture-buying trip in addition to an owner's meeting tomorrow.

I am not in the least interested in going into the second-generation of renovations that development down here demands. Those include custom cabinetry in the kitchen and bath, granite countertops and assorted other high-dollar investments.

Janis, you're very quiet. Why so?

I'm always quiet while I'm thinking about spending money.

We have accepted a bid on replacing the windows, we're looking further at blowing foam insulation into the attic, and we need to do something about our ductwork. All of these things contribute to energy inefficiency in this house.

We are in process of becoming a HERO home. Supposedly, under this program we can get some cash back on our improvements.

We paid for a visit by Home Energy Rater Wade Byrd from Baton Rouge, who is a practical energy guy, who also thinks that Al and his like should practice what they preach.

One of the things that he told us, and that his equipment proved, is that the recessed lights that we installed are all direct conduits to the 140 degree heat and dust from the attic. He suggests blowing in non-rigid foam. He does not like dry celluose. Wet cellulose he'll go with. The foam will seal the lights, and bring us up to an R38 rating from the near worthless 2-1/2 inches or so which has packed down in the attic with less bulk. We haven't gotten an estimate yet from the local provider of that service, but there, we're looking at $2000 or so.

But, you know, if we do those improvements we'll spend about what we paid for the enormous Viking, which you'll pry from my cold dead hands, and that substandard Jenn-Air.

Because I do think we should conserve energy. I think global warming is real, whatever its source, and a 30 percent savings is a reasonable goal in this old house.

Here are a few of my pet bees.

They took up with this soaker hose when it was first laid out, and there are scores of them.

Lyman wants to replace this hose with a Simple Soaker, and move the true simple soaker to the front, underneath a tree. The set-up will be entirely different and the bees will be deprived.

I'm not so sure that I can allow that.

I have deleted this post since the photograph has gone missing.

The actor Alec Baldwin threw a fit at his 11-year-old daughter.

I've been reading Dr. Helen on the topic, and one of her commenters gets to the point:

Anonymous said...
dittos to what tmink said.

I don't know about punishment, but the dude could sure use some anger management counselling or parenting classes or something. If he's this over the top about an eleven year old not answering her phone, he's going to stroke out when she's fifteen. (In my experience, most obnoxious age of them all.)

Lucy laid an egg last night, 4/20/07. It goes with the one she laid on 4/17/07.

Seems there is a problem with bees leaving their hives.

Could it be a water problem? I have a couple hundred bees living around one of the raised beds to suck on the soaker hose -- the one where I decided to plant flowers. My flowers aren't beyond seedlings.

Scientists are working on this problem, and Lyman reminds me that my experience is thin. He's right. So am I.

I saw these geraniums and the blue-purple petunias near one another at the nursery and couldn't resist. Do they remind you of Peter Max, too?

I called the lumber yard. We're looking at about $150 per 35" X 60" for Energy Star windows.

I like that set-up.

I took a king-sized comforter to the washateria up on the highway where they also have a car wash.

It's not the Bar of Soap, but it will do.

UPDATE: I positively hate laundromats. But it's worth my time to save $10 to $15 on cleaning a comforter and getting it really clean. The last time I sent it to a cleaners, the cost was $20 and I wasn't satisfied.

This laundry had the normal allotment of little wild Indians running around trying to crack their noggins on the vinyl-tiled concrete floor. So it was a relief to spend some time vacuuming the car and washing the top coat of grime off. It needs more work, but I have a start.

Michael has been using this car, taking it to Baton Rouge and New Orleans. I noticed yesterday that someone seems to have taken a crowbar to the post at the edge of the windshield. Did they plan to take the windshield? I can't imagine what else they'd want to steal from a ten-year-old Escort wagon. If it was something else, why not go through the side glass like the other vandals? And the car is seldom locked.

Damn, damn, damn, damn and more damns.

Charlie jumped to the floor after his bath and popped his keel again.

What can we do?

Oh, Lucy.

Why don't we put you under contract to an exclusive restaurant? Poached parrot eggs might bring someone a pretty penny.

I haven't taken her other egg away yet, and this morning she is sitting on two.

Tell you what, Tony, I'll eat my heart out for you.

Strawberries from Tickfaw, Louisiana.

My, my. He might clean up right nice. Except for the tattoo.

(Thank you, Obscure Store.)

Poor kitchen hand has been backed into a corner by Bridezilla.

I have nothing to offer.

(There's another egg from Lucy as I write at 9:20 p.m. Excuse me, dear...)

The gifting I have done for couples has been through showers given by outside parties. Because I have some connection to everyone who invites me to one of these things, I'll call a mother or someone else in the know to ask what the couple wants or needs. If one of those people were to tell me that the couple would like cash, I wouldn't be at all offended. I appreciate the flexibility of cash myself.

However, I've never heard of a bride asking for her own gifts, and I've never encountered a direct request for cash.

UPDATE: As brides and grooms become older and better established before they marry, we might need to find a way for them to make that request without embarrassing themselves. The last four gifts I've given have been gift certificates -- one to Lowe's, two to Amazon, and one to the shop of registry. A check would have been more convenient for me and more welcome to a couple who would, for instance, like to purchase things on E-Bay.

Kate, you married recently. What's your opinion?

Dr. James Joyner was married fairly recently. What does he think?

UPDATE: Dr. Joyner answers:

I don't think we said anything about gifts on the invitation itself, since those things tend to be formal. On our wedding blog and eVites, though, we put a note to the effect "we've got enough crap, don't buy us anything" but established a couple wedding registries at Macy's, Bed Bath and Beyond, and Home Depot.

UPDATE: Kate's answer here.

Kate has pictures up from her trip to China. Here is one of the lazy Susan serving arrangement that she calls "the wheel of death."

A friend brought me a dishpan of daisy clumps. I dug out a suitable spot to plant them in. I like flowers with faces.

One day, my ambition will get the better part of me, and I'll create a mixed border all the way around this area. Summer will then come on, and I will die of West Nile, even though I avoided the heat by waking at dawn. Mosquitos never sleep anymore.

A few blossoms on these George Tabor azaleas took on a deeper hue. That's odd and very pretty.

Taking no risks this year, we planted $2 basil plants in a planter on the patio. One healthy $2 plant will yield about $300 worth of those tiny containers of fresh basil that you buy at the supermarket.

Before, I've also cut a bunch of basil, stuffed it into a pint Mason jar, and added a daisy or two for a perfectly presentable centerpiece for a casual dinner. The basil cuts rooted.

I've tried all week to take a decent picture of this arugula plant. It's a great looking old-fashioned kitchen garden plant that makes me want to plow up the rest of the back yard for garden.

Lyman has now cleared it from the bed, where he's going to plant a variety of peppers, squash, broccoli and Brussels sprouts.

Why couldn't he let it go to seed? Next time that goes into my bed.

I just finished watching The Great Global Warming Swindle here on my computer.

Ladies, do you find Professor Ian Clark of the University of Ottawa as attractive as I do? Dr. Reiter (sp?) was also wonderfully attractive in a different way.

Now I'm ready to watch An Inconvenient Truth just as soon as the distributors make it available for free on the Internet. If that has happened, please let me know the URL.

Now for something completely different.

This is Lucy doing one of her mating dances. They're not as lovely and complex as they were when she was two or three.

(Just short of a minute, the end of about 3 minutes of dancing.)

This Bacopa and Coreopsis together should make a cheerful planter.

I was a little worried that they wouldn't play well together, but further reading suggests that they'll do fine.

What did you do today, the first day of spring?

First, the big boys came to collect leaves.

I admired the tulips.

Then I cleaned the bird complex, which entailed some nifty limbo moves wiping down the interior of the lexan cage. But they're all ready for taping again.

I admired the tulips.

My back.

I admired the tulips.

Lucy laid an egg on the evening of March 19.

Here is a story on the new library from the Natchez Democrat.

Maia is sitting with her mother. God bless.

This year is the first time I've planted tulips. They cheer me no end.

UPDATE: I had forgotton that tulip stems follow the light. We had a partly cloudy day today, and they all leaned to the north. Cut ones do it, too. There is a biological term for that, which I once knew.

UPDATE: Photophilic? Ah, phototropism.

The new Concordia Parish Library opened its doors today!

Pictures here, here, here, and here.

I'd have taken more, but the camera battery was running down.

UPDATE: I'm having a few qualms about this design. I was dressed in a clean sweatshirt and jeans when I walked in, and thought about turning around to go home and dress better.

Yes, yes, I could dress better when I go out. But what happens when you can't?

Is this going to turn off the poor people in this area, black and white?

There's an open house on Saturday including Ms. Amanda Taylor, whom I've spoken about before, and the architect. I can always ask.

Personally, I think it's a great public space for the region. But for a lot of kids, this will be nicest building they've ever been in. That could be scary. Would've been for me.

Let me find that sentence. It's in this article.

Here it is:

Mr. Lacob, the Kleiner Partner, declined to specify how the company’s technology works, saying he did not want to tip off potential competitors.

Now that's in reference to a proprietary oil something or other in this case, but I suspect it will be repeated many times in other energy contexts in the next few years.

This household needs fewer cooks and more cleaners.

Today promises to be a good day for the birds. Lucy and Charlie both love crawfish, and Charlie adores corn on the cob, raw or cooked.

He talks about it:

"Charlie is a handsome boy. Charlie wants corns. Ok? Ok, sweeties."

All day long.

So white azaleas are in a pint Mason jar in the guest room. E., the young lady from Baton Rouge, is staying the weekend.

Tomorrow we have the season's first crawfish boil for our house. We've invited some lady friends (bless'em, they're widows now), and Michael, the cook, has invited a few friends.

How is that guest room coming, Janis? Well, it's stalled. The woodworker we've asked to build the furniture is having terrible trouble with his artificial knees, and spends a lot of time in pain. Guests have a bed, though, and a lamp, and a chair. The lamp stands on the flipped seat of the vanity bench that was part of Girl's bedroom suit bought when she was 11.

M. the woodworker has begun work on the headboard, but is going no faster than he can manage without harm.

As for the quilt. Ah, well, the ten-year-old quilt top might be 11 or 12 before it's done.

I can say, though, that the laminate floor is a pleasure to take care of. A flick with a dust mop, maybe a swish of a damp cloth, and it's good as new. I can barely wait to do our bedroom.

If I had any sense at all, the whole house would be done in industrial linoleum.

The blossoms on these azaleas are as big as the palm of my hand. They cut well for display in a vase.

These predate my arrival at the Gore house.

This is a particularly pretty tulip. I wish I knew which one it is. Maybe a Rembrandt? Or is it a Juice n' Honey? The Antoinette?

Spring.

That was a lovely wedding.

Music was a flute and a harp. And one vocalist who went on too long. Just a note kids, being on stage is being on stage. Don't fidget.

The big girls were all beautiful. The bride's dress was a crushed silk, with a simple floor-length lace edged veil. That girl has a flawless complexion. I asked her mama if she was trying to outshine the bride. Girl did them both in with a bronze two-piece floor-length that was vintage Hollywood. Just the thing for dinner and dancing at the supper club. She was 87 on the 5th of this month.

The pastor cited Corinthians on love. The pair took communion to "Let us Break Bread Together."

And yes, I cried. Nearly blubbered. And I don't even have to pay for it.

Okay, Kim.

Today is the wedding day. It's beautiful outside, 80 degrees.

Lyman's niece has waited and worked a long time before marrying this boy. Seven years. She'll graduate from law school in May.

I'm having terrific fun watching this flamenco video that I found at Sarah's site.

Watching the videos that come up on the sidebar is fun, too. You know, I might like being a woman.

On the evening of March 6, Lucy laid an egg. I took it away from her yesterday.

I let her sit one for the 28-day term in January into February. Her laying behavior was so weird through November, December and January, I thought it might get her back on schedule.

We'll see.

Kate's business has taken her to China. She's having a little culture shock.

UPDATE: Her latest post reminded me of the excellent way the Chinese serve large groups. The tables are round, with a large lazy Susan in the middle where all the dishes are placed. Settings are at the perimeter of the base table. Guests can serve themselves from whatever dish is in front of them, then spin the Susan along to select another dish. Those tables seat 8 or 10.

Friends of ours had a similar 6-seat table built for their home. It was charming. I love a round table, but we don't have the space for one.

When I was in China with a tour group, the dishes weren't, all in all, quite so ... colloquial (help me here with a better and more appropriate word), perhaps? But I can go the rest of my life without tasting another sea cucumber.

And she missed a digit in her pop. figure for ChongQing -- 31 million and change.

Ok, dear readers. (I'm so nice when I want something.)

We have access to high-quality tuna steaks via a local restaurant. We want to sear thick tuna steaks, and serve them with a sauce or not. We don't like sweet food.

We're not finding anything chasing down our resources.

Do you have something good?

Ahem.

Radley Balko posted a piece on the Waffle House code that's a good companion to this from way back.

Ah. Pumps.

So, I have to track back and correct misinformation.

While we live nestled in an arc of a hydroelectric facility and nuclear reactors, we actually belong to the Louisiana Energy and Power Authority. Most of the facilities in this organization are gas-fired power plants. I don't know yet if they buy from other sources.

(Always do the research, Janis.)

So time to push along the window replacement project.

How the past sneaks up on you.

This morning, during my last dream, I was doing some work with a bizarre little shop. Someone else and I had altered a sign for a product, then presented it for approval.

The sign was not approved because the product name was not in the same font as the product price. The font used for the price was named "Desert Rag."

Lucy laid an egg on the evening of 3/2/07.

I don't know.

Stuffed shells? Spinach salad? Cream of spinach soup? Sarson Ka Saag? (However, I don't think they carry channa dal flour at Piggly Wiggly.) Indian Spicy Fried Spinach?

I love spinach. I even liked the stuff out of the can.

This page needs a little color.