Yesterday I mowed – and Summer helped; yesterday I decided the front yard was just too dry and the grass was thin. And so I moved the sprinkler, with which I had been giving some transplanted flowers a boost toward survival, over to the the front of the house. I moved it for a little while. Then I forgot it, although I had cautioned myself not to. I remembered it that evening and sent out a vocal memo that the sprinkler needed to be turned off; everyone claims they didn’t get the memo. (Hmmmm)

This morning the sprinkler was turned off . . . and I guess maybe I will take advantage of the Big Wet and sprinkle grass seed. I don’t know how effective it will be, but you never really know. That’s what I say when I’ve goofed something up and am trying to rationalize something positive out of it. Sort of like: Er, we were thinking of taking that fence down anyway and now there will be more access to the breeze. I’ve been meaning to get some rags so I can polish silver and this blouse with the new stain will do nicely. Oh, I’ll just sit and relax while I cut open this vacuum bag and look for (fill in the blank).

I think one of my most difficult situations to come to terms with was when I had moved to the edge of the prairie (Iowa State University-Married Housing on the fringe of the campus.) We were the first residents in the expanded section; it was brand-new two-story with sliding glass doors downstairs and modern crank-out windows upstairs – a small slice of a brick townhouse building for $88 a month. Der Bingle was getting his master’s and working as a teacher’s assistant with a salary. Clean, new beginning . . . but I left the windows open on a windy day during plowing season in Iowa. All that rich, black topsoil over everything. It was a NEW place and didn’t need a deep cleaning . . . and then it did. Don’t think dust; think dirt. Maybe I should have planted corn.

Well, as promised, I present Lilio Esther:

Lilio & afghan

Lilio & homestead

Lilio Esther and farm friend.

Lilio has been seeing Amish folks and buggies and, then, when she was half dozing, she watched a special on Rumsprnga, the period during which Amish adolescents are encouraged to explore the world outside their religious upbringing. She got a little confused. She thought she was supposed to acquaint herself with the Amish lifestyle. We do not know if she is going to go “Full Amish” or not. If she does, I will probably have to replace the flowers in her hair with a bonnet.

I believe tomorrow I will post a picture of her as she tries out her new look.

I probably forgot to mention that Cameron, Summer and I accidentally put the cat’s flea medicine on Shane, the dog. Of course, we all panicked and called the vet . . . but it is okay and we can go ahead and put Shane’s medicine on him. But the cat can’t get the dog’s medicine; that would be bad. I guess I’m going to have to apologize when I go to the cemetery with the Memorial Day flowers. (Ack! Imagine my having to bury Tiffy’s ashes on Mother’s grave by the light of the moon.)

Today I went to Fort Wayne and wore a linen skirt with leather shoes that are not sandals, but do suggest sandals – in that they have a couple of holes in them (by design) and scalloped edges. I didn’t have any footies to wear inside my shoes and I just didn’t want to put my bare feet in them.

But I did have nylon anklets, and so I put them on, put the shoes on and then cut the excess away. Hey, it made sense to me and it worked.

This morning LZP sent me a link to Awkward Family Photos – THIS LINK. I think the quartet of friends right below this post would fit in nicely. Click on the link with caution – I haven’t seen my picture or family yet, but I am able to identify with so many of them.

Say, maybe I should get a group shot of all of us here at the Peanut Butter Cafe & Rose . . .

Lilio gave me permission to snap a photo of her with her team of orientation counselors. I can’t say that I noticed it at the time, but seeing it now, I am wondering about the counselors themselves. Do they look a bit far out happy to you? Does Lilio seem to be considering making a break for it?

Do you think Lilio wanted a picture for the side of a milk carton?

Well, I’m certain everything will turn out fine for Lilio once Rose, Emily and Sophie figure out just who is supposed to be taking the “medicine.”

Today was Indiana’s primary election day and I hurried and voted at around five since the polls were going to close at six; I could have gone earlier, but elected to shower since I didn’t want to be one of The Great Unwashed. I thought the little group of poll workers was a tad passively off-putting. Not that they were nasty, more as if the Ice Cream truck had been circling the building but never stopped for orders.

I wonder if a much higher percentage of one party’s registered voters turned up to vote than the other. Hmmmm, maybe I’ll check the totals per precinct tomorrow and figure it out. And perhaps since I was there at day’s end, there had been “snarky words” already exchanged.

Anyway, I voted and got my “I voted today” sticker and went on to the grocery where I hit the meat counter just at Manager’s Special time. Another person – a man – had blocked off access with his cart, but I thought, “Not today, bozo,” and made him share. Maybe voting is empowering in more ways than one.

Where have I been? I know I’ve had my fingers on this little keyboard a lot, but I haven’t come here. I don’t know why. I think I am having a “lull” because I don’t fit into the categories of totally bummed, catatonic or literally handi-capped with casts on my fingers.

Or maybe the reflective and imaginative part of my brain has been poisoned by a dandelion supplement. Hey, you know what . . . I may be coming to the other side of the lull.

Oh, let’s make certain you can see the headline:
Crews with saws to carve up frozen cows in Colorado
And the explanation under the picture:

Three rangers and three ranchers are on their way up a mountain near Aspen to carve up cattle found frozen in a cabin before the carcasses thaw.

Bill Kight of the U.S. Forest Service says the group started out early Thursday with plans to cut up the remains and scatter them.

Air Force Academy cadets snowshoeing in late March found the dead cattle in and around the cabin near the Conundrum Hot Springs. Rangers believe the cows wandered into the structure during a snowstorm but couldn’t get out.

Forest Service officials were trying to figure how to get rid of the dead animals before they defrost and decompose. They explored burning or blowing up the cabin with explosives but decided to cut up the carcasses instead.

You can look HERE to read the original.

Uh, some of here are so upset we are going to get tipsy.