Sunny Saturday

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    Sunny Saturday

    I hope everyone is busy enjoying their Saturday. I'm meeting my friend and then heading to HartSong for their open house. Very much looking forward to seeing the horses, cows and other residents of the farm. I picked a box of grapefruit from our tree to take there. Didn't even know we had a grapefruit tree until this week :). We also have an orange, apple and pomegranate tree. Might be even more surprises down the road.

    Speaking of surprises. We got our 1st electric bill since moving here and I nearly fainted. $637!!! That's 3 times what we paid at the other house. We're hoping it was due to moving in when the temps were over 100 for about a week straight plus we had to run the pool equipment for about 20 hrs per day for 3 days after it was replastered. I guess we won't really know for sure until the next bill and I don't hold out hope that it'll be a super lot lower :(

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    cakana
    I nearly fainted. $637!!!

     Surprise I know people here that have similar or even higher summer bills, I am always stunned - I bet yours will be much lower next month, the pool and the moving process in extreme heat will definitely made a huge difference.

    That is one good aspect for us of this craptastic summer weather - it isn't too hot and the freaking sun never shines so the house has been cheaper to keep cool.

    Its another muggy, soggy, gray day with storms in the forecast. blah blah blah

    Took B to the lake - he is such a funny creature and I love the little things that he's learned or taught himself. His disappointment was palpable when there were no herons on the piers or cormorants on the No Wake Zone markers. He kept surveying though and was able to spot some swallows so at least he had some birds to swim after LOL

    Now I will spend my day working with powerpoint and studying.

    Have fun Cathy that sounds wonderful

    Jackie I hope you are enjoying the dog days 

    Tracy I loved hearing about the way Ruby greeted you, its a love thing!!

    OK work and lunch beckon

    enjoy

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    Wow, a quiet day here today.  I hope everyone is off doing something fun!

    Cathy, that's a high bill, but I'm sure it'll be lower next month.  Fingers crossed for you!!

    We went to the fundraising Fun Run/Walk for our local shelter this morning.  Last year I went with friends, but we decided to bring Ruby this year.  DH handled her, and she did fairly well.  She can't do the "standing around waiting" thing, so it was a bit frustrating for the 30 minutes before the walk started.  She did fine meeting lots of people, and mostly okay with dogs, but she started her whining/chortling thing a few times.  We walked with our friends who have a dog Ruby loves, but eventually DH had to run ahead of us because Ruby wanted to MOVE FAST.  Once she was tired out at the finish line, she was a lot better, but we didn't hang around for the contests and games.  We didn't want to push our luck!

    We saw Leslie (tashakota) and her DH and 2 dogs.  First time we saw them since Tasha's passing.  I know how hard it is to talk about things while grieving, so we chatted about lots of other light hearted topics, but we got choked up when we said our goodbyes.  On a happier note, it looked like a huge turnout for the event (only the second year it's been held), so that's cool.  It draws a lot of people who might not otherwise support the shelter because it's truly a family event, even if you don't come with a dog.  Lots of serious runners and people pushing baby carriages, etc.

    Off to do some laundry!

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    Holy smokes. I would puke if I ever got a bill that high! I am sure it will go down though.

    . I made it home from my marathon drive from the idog camping trip! We had fun and the weather was great. I have lots of great doggy photos and will post them shortly. It was fun to get the dogs together. Neiko though Candace dog Jedi was the sexiest thing on 4 legs. He was a bit of a jerk to Rupert though :( for the most part he ignored poor Ru but every now and then he would give a little growl to boss Rupert around. No dog fights though and they got lots of exercise and good treats. Each dog had their own set of cute ways to earn treats. It was too adorable.

    Now I need to hire someone to un pack my car
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    Jewlieee
    Holy smokes. I would puke if I ever got a bill that high!
    I almost did. Seriously, my heart raced and then I wanted to cry. I know people who have bills like that too but they're the type that keep their thermostat at 70 degrees 24/7. I feel like we're conserving already and then we get a bill like that :(

    Had a great time at the open house and a fair amount of people showed up. I left here to meet up with my friend and just got home. 8 hours on my feet in the heat has just about done me in. I'm glad I went though. My friend made or bought all the food and had flowers, tables, tablecloths, etc., so I didn't do anything but help set up. She's a rockstar when it comes to this stuff but I feel badly that she ends up doing so much on her own dime and time.

    Enjoying a nice glass of wine and changed into very comfy clothes...ahhhhh.

    Julie - good to see you back and so glad you had a good time. We missed you and I can't wait for the pictures. Glad the pupsters mostly got along well.

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    iluvjamison

    Summer Rain
    2 tender mint sprigs, plus 1 for garnish
1 ounce simple syrup
2 slices lime
1 1/2 ounce vodka
1/2 ounce pomegranate liqueur
Splash pomegranate juice
Splash club soda
    Muddle mint, simple syrup, and lime in the bottom of a mixing glass. Add everything but soda to the glass and shake with ice. Pour into a tall glass with ice and top with soda. Garnish with lime and mint sprig.
    Deb W.


    I have to say I am REALLY disappointed that none of you delivered us that drink while we were on our vacation. It sounds super yummy!

    Actually, we only had rain once, and it was overnight. We had a great time. Rupey and I are beat. My back is killing me. My lower back was a bit sore before we left, and the cart-pushing, hiking, and sleeping bag-sharing with Ruparoni made it 10x worse.

    I had never been on an extended hiking vacation before, and have never stayed at a hike-in cabin. I way overpacked and ended up having to cart in and out about 1,395 pounds of stuff. Candace brought a wheelbarrow thing that had wheels on the back, too. It was really helpful, but tough to push up and down the mucky hills and over roots and rocks. Next time I will pack MUCH less.

    Then on the very last day (this morning) as I was stretching before getting out of bed, something at the base of my neck slipped weird and now it has been really sore. I need a chiropractor so bad! I really hate that my insurance doesn't cover it anymore. Especially since I don't get paid vacations so I won't get my next paycheck for three weeks. Sad

    When I got home this morning (I only had a 2-hour drive, the others had 10-12 hour drives back home) I showered then DH & I took the kids to the county fair. They had a blast and behaved nicely! I had a healthy lunch of cheese curds and home made ice cream. So much for all the calories burned the last five days!!

    Anyway…
    Cathy, wowza on the utilities bill! You might have to start selling your fruit at a farmer's market for a little extra income.

    Julie, I can't wait to see the pictures! And if you ever lose any dog treats, you know who to call in to find them for you. Wink (Rupert practiced his levitation skills to try to get Julie's dog treats off her top bunk. He stared at them all week.)