Another week and it's August again...where does the time go? Soon the kids will be heading back to school (I can hear the sighs of relief from a multitude of parents...like a great wind blowing across the world!), the leaves will start their annual march of change, and it will begin to cool off - and not a moment too soon. We just need to grit our teeth and endure August. What we need is another cold front coming down from Canada!

The rain - altho nice and cooling - led to much humidity and mold and rot so my garden didn't prosper this year as it did last. The only tomatoes to escape the mold were the cherry tomatoes and the Romas...I have yet to harvest a ripe tomato from any of the other plants. The mold attacked the cukes and has all but killed them off. I still got 5 cukes from them so that's not too bad. Not great, but liveable. I lost a green pepper to rot but still have 2 left ripening. The carrots have grown very slowly. And the scallions, usually so hardy, have barely yielded 4 or 5. But as every gardener knows....there's always next year!

Our friend George finally got hired! He's got a job with a company he once worked for, down in Houston. They have friends there, so the move won't be too hard. Marj wishes it paid well enough for her to flee their son's home and get her own apartment but it is not to be. She has to stay in AZ to nurse their fledgling company along but will go visit George for a week a month. It's good that things are moving for them at long last.

Wayne has accepted Took completely. It helps that Took always rolls over on his back to have his tummy rubbed when Wayne is there. And that he miaows and purrs for him. And looks up when Wayne says his name, and comes to him. He is slightly less enthused with me but I imagine that's because Blizz and Hai Qui don't give him much room. Will be getting him castrated this month - no intact males in the house! But to give him credit, he shows no inclination to spray when he comes in to eat and then sniffs around. The meds that the vet gave Page seems to have eliminated her need to chew on her feet and scratch herself. Hallelujah! If the blood tests are a go the vet is going to give her an anti-fungal and see if that helps. I hope it does. Even if I have to give it to her the rest of her life. One of the meds she's on is prednisone - same thing my doc gave me for inflammation. Pilling her twice a day is no joy - she's not an easy piller like Hai Qui - but that's Wayne's job. I just have to remind him. Funny how they'll block things out like that.

Well, if everything is good, Shanna and family are on the road to Alaska. Sigh. Ought to be a great trip. I can see that when we visit hours will be spent on viewing photos taken along the Alcan.

Wayne went out early today and got the oil changed. Tomorrow, since I have to take the car so I can go to phys therapy anyway, I'll go down and have the brakes checked. Hope that won't be too expensive...we don't have a lot of money in the bank and what we have in savings has to stay there for travel to the next job. If he doesn't get an extension. And things are really really slow out there for travelers so I hope like hell he does get extended! Memphis in the winter isn't bad.

No dreams to report. Nothing new happening. I overdid things on Wednesday and paid for it on Thurs and Fri. Scant sympathy from Wayne! One of those 'told you so' times. I just want to get up and DO things. Accomplish things. But both knees rebelled and so I'm taking it easy even if it frustrates me. Tricare took my money for Prime and then told me that I can't use it until Sept because I failed to sign one paper and if it isn't in by the 20th then the coverage won't start til the next month. Curse them and their pettyfogging rules! If they take my money they should provide the service! So tomorrow I'm calling back and asking when I can expect the refund for the month they aren't giving me. Nothing bothers them more than having to give money back so maybe they'll relent and 'give' me the Prime coverage this month. Then I'll call up and schedule my other surgery!

The ac is making a funny rumbling noise since Wayne went up and cleaned off the coils and tightened some screws. I wish I could get up there and see what's going on myself - Wayne is no mech - but of course that's out of the question. It only does it when the ac is set on fan, so we're avoiding that. I'd like to get a mech out to check on it...only guy I can find is pretty booked up tho. Be a week atleast. I'll wait til we return from the wedding and keep fingers crossed it doesn't blow up or die before then.

Xavier's birthday is this Friday! And Aliyah's is Sunday. Wish I could see the Darth Vader pinata. That has got to be a hoot.