Who Let the Skunks Out?

Well, it happened. I am infuriated about it. There is nothing I can do about it. Better luck next year, right?

What am I talking about? Let me back up a little bit. For a house warming gift, my friend & colleague Jodi gave us a patio tomato plant that had a big jump start on the growing season at her parents' nursery in Finlayson. To keep off the deer and rabbits, Jodi let me borrow something called Liquid Fence. This stuff really really really stinks...I can't even describe the smell due to FCC regulations (just kidding). So I applied the spray twice (as per the instructions) and strapped the tomato plant to the 10 ft. tall bird feeder. We have been eating nice, juicy tasting tomatoes, with about 30 green ones queued for ripening.

Yesterday, when I finished getting ready for the day, my dad (they had been visiting) told me he had something to tell me and that I should sit down for it. He said, "Some of your friends came last night and ate all your tomatoes." W-H-A-T!!??!! I was so upset. I tromped out there in my blue fuzzy slippers and checked it out for myself. Yup...Tomatoes gone....all of the them..Not even evidence of a late night feast.

So who are the suspected foodnappers? Tops on our list include skunk, deer, rabbit and bear in that order. The skunk just got onto the list because last night Bates flushed one out right by our back door (luckily he/we didn't get sprayed). After reading about skunks, I think we have our criminal. At least it's already dressed in prison garb.

Tomato-less,
Sunshine

'Four to Score' Up for Grabs

The first one to e-mail me will be mailed the paperback edition of Janet Evanovich's fourth Stephanie Plum novel, Four to Score.
Include your name, and address when you write.

Also...if you are going to Grand Canyon, or know someone who is, please tell them to be careful when they take pictures of the canyon, or relieve themselves on the canyons edge. It sound like an improbable way to go, but Over the Edge has many stories about canyoneers who lose their lives this way.

And for goodness sakes, leave your clothes on when you get lost!!!

Current Chapter: Flash Floods

A Rainbow of Reading

I have gotten myself into a bit of trouble. You know the kind…you start one book, put it down for a second and somehow start another, and another and another, and before you know it you have too many books by your nightstand and not enough room.

This has happened to me yet again, and I don’t know how I got myself into it…well yes I do. But I need to get myself out of this lovely mess. And abandoning the books is out of the question, so I need to devise a plan…similar to when you are trying to get out of credit card debt. I start paying off (reading) the credit cards (the books) with the highest interest rate (the most pages read…I guess). But there are other factors at play…when they are due at the library, how many times I have renewed them so far, etc. So here, I present, my strange and diverse collection of semi-read books:

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The Stories of Eva Luna by Isabel Allende: Given to me by Cris & Nick many years ago and on my nightstand ever since. % read: 30%. (Note: These short stories are the kind that makes you go Hmmmmmm after you read them).

Tenure and Promotion for Academic Librarians by Carol W. Cubberley: This is an interlibrary loan from the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, MN. It is considered one of the “must-reads” for academic librarians. % read: 0% (Note: Not sure if I can renew this one, but due 9/6).

Black Rose by Nora Roberts: This is the second in a paperback trilogy. % read: 2%

Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon by Michael P. Ghiglieri and Thomas M. Myers: This 400+ page book describes “gripping accounts of all known fatal mishaps in the most famous of the World’s Seven Natural Wonders”. According to Tony Hillerman (who can’t help but think of cataloging class when you see that name), “If you believe that everything interesting about the Grand Canyon has already been written, you’re dead wrong.” % read: 17% (Note: This is also checked out through interlibrary loan, due 8/25 and no renewal allowed. I may stop reading this book, as it gives me a slightly sick feeling as I am laying in bed reading about all the tragedies).

As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner: This was a spur of the moment Costco purchase while we were at Maui. It was in a box of three (Oprah’s box set, I believe) other Faulkner books which, luckily, I haven’t started. % read: 63% Another sad story about death. I only chose it because it was the shortest Faulkner book and my mom had snagged Black Rose to read before I could.

Postcards from the Edge by Carrie Fisher: An LA Times Book Festival purchase, signed by P. Leia herself. % read: 0%.

New York Dead by Stuart Woods: Another LA Times Book Festival purchase, signed by the author.

‘A’ is for Alibi by Sue Grafton: This is the third time I have tried to get into this series. % read: 42%

Forlorn River by Zane Grey: This first edition hardback book (1926) is written by one of the best known western authors. % read: 76%

Hard Eight and To The Nines by Janet Evanovich: Enough said. % read: 0%

Sea Glass by Anita Shreve: I loved The Pilot’s Wife. % read: 0%.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. R: I can’t wait to start this one. My friend Jennifer lent it to me and saved me about two months on the waiting list at DPL. Bless her!

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If you’ve read this far, you are a brave soul. This exercise in thought has made me realize 1) I need to get crackin’ and 2) Death in Grand Canyon will be the first book I attempt to finish. I'm off to throw around a softball with Clay.

By the way, what books are on your nightstand?

P.S. The picture was taken from our backyard. Many thanks to Clay’s telescope for providing the magnification.

Superior Swimmer

This past weekend I did something I never thought I would do. I ran into Lake Superior, thankful for the cool water. And I mean C - O - O - L.

My cousin Amy came to visit us for a week (with two of her youngest children), and on the weekend, her sister, April came for a visit as well. On Sunday it was warm enough to head down to Park Point, our local beach. Park Point is located at the end of Minnesota Point, a long finger of land that extends towards Wisconsin Point (a long finger of land coming from Wisconsin). There is a break in between the two, which is where some of the ships enter the port.

So we packed up some sodas, snacks, beach toys and headed down around 11AM. Although it's usually cooler by the lake in the summer time, a south wind made the beach quite warm. We were there only 5 minutes and I asked Clay, "Do you dare me to just run into the lake?" He said, "Sure." Later, he told me he didn't believe I would actually do it. But run I did. I was so hot, I just had to get cool.

My first reaction to running into Lake Superior...it's really really rocky along the shore. Most of the rocks are smoothish, but they still can cripple when you walk over them. The further you get out, the more sandy it is, until finally you only run into the occasional small rock. And I didn't quite swim in the lake...maybe just got into it up to my belly button. After 10 minutes, when my legs went numb, it was quite enjoyable. :)

Lake Superior can be a dangerous body of water though. The conditions always change, and waves create large holes. One minute you can be standing in waist deep water, the next in water over your head. I was a little freaked out about walking out so far from the shoreline, but I made it. On the way back in I ran into some strangely shaped metal object, which I quickly jumped away from. What was it?