home again, home again jiggity jig

And let me tell you, we're getting jiggity around here. What with the laundry catch up, the lice treatments, automobile issues & trying to prepare for the next round of travel, I just didn't know one person could have this much fun. Yes, indeedy, the good times are rollin' here!

So Thomas picked up a case of head lice somewhere in our travels. I saw 2 little critters when I combed his hair yesterday morning. Yes, right before we walked out the door to go to the airport. My sincere apologies to the folks at Southwest, but seriously, what was I supposed to do?? I made sure Thomas did not get a pillow or blanket and comforted myself with the thought that at least the seats were leather or vinyl and didn't really have anywhere for the parasites to hide. Oy. When we made it back into town, our first stop was the evil empire, er, Wal-Mart for lice shampoo, tea tree oil & a few groceries. Treated Thomas, checked Mike over & made him check me. I put some tea tree oil in the shampoo & conditioner as a preventative measure. I hope it works as well as internet lore says.

The a/c in my car is acting wonky. This is decidedly not good. When we left wal-mart yesterday afternoon, the temp was 106. But it's a dry heat. (Sorry guys, I think folks who live in the desert are contractually required to say that.) It runs sometimes and sometimes not within the same drive. Mike detailed all the reasons why it might do that, all of which went over my non-mechanically inclined head. All I know is that the dude has been threatened that he needs to get it repaired out before I get back in town from GA.

I think I've reached a new level of blog nerdiness - staging photos of food. I took my little white plate outside, perched them in some good light & shot away. Aren't they just perfect, though?? My first ripe yellow pear tomatoes of the season. I'm going to have them at lunch as my dessert. Dressed with a bit of basil from the garden, a touch of balsamic and olive oil. They promise to be two little bites of sheer perfection.

The garden has done well in my absence since I managed to get the irrigation timer & sprinkler heads figured out. The apricots are ripe. I have no idea what I will do with all these. Seriously, the picture is only one branch. There must be a few hundred of them. I'm thinking freezer jam and maybe about purchasing a dehydrator. I guess I know what I'll be doing tomorrow.

I'm sure you guys heard lots about the flooding in the midwest. My sister & her family live out in the boonies in some of the area that was hit pretty hard. Fortunately they weren't flooded, but 90% of the town where her postal address is was under water at one point. That meant lots of impassable roads her way and the wedding reception shin-dig had to be cancelled. A few of us were out there already before it got bad, so we barbecued & had a good time anyway. Here's what the kids got up to:

Good times, indeed.