We've had a lovely respite since yesterday; we had a cold front go through on Wednesday night and have had the A/C off since Thursday morning. It won't last, but we'll enjoy it while it's here.

I had to go to the post awful to mail a small package to my cousin this morning. There were so many business customers mailing packages that the wait was like the lines before Christmas. Then I went up to the Barnes & Noble at Town Center, having not been in a couple of months and found a big surprise. I love looking at Susan Branch's handwritten, watercolor-decorated books, which are mostly recipes, but they are usually pretty expensive and I don't want recipes that bad. A couple of years ago she did an autumn book, which I drooled over, but it was $26.00.

Today I found it on remainder for $6.00. Yes! Along with the recipes there's a collection of wonderful autumn quotes, and of course her beautiful calligraphy and drawings in autumn watercolors.

Also stopped at JoAnn for a storage box and found a nice patriotic volume on sale for $5.00 (their Independence Day things are already 40 off), bought a liberty doll with a coupon at Hobby Lobby, and purchased Linda Ellerbee's Take Big Bites with my Border's coupon.

In between I stopped at both Petco and Petsmart because I was lonesome for budgie song. It's so awfully quiet at home. I want to wait a bit before getting another bird; besides, I need to wash and disinfect the cage just in case and am going to put in two more natural perches, which I bought today. There is a bird show coming up in Forest Park in June and another in Norcross in July (the same show we bought Pidgie from three years ago). I always worry about the birds in pet shops. I wish I could find a breeder in this area. James got Sylvester from a breeder in Warner Robins, but she isn't there any longer.

This afternoon I was peering out the living room window and saw the rabbit that James spotted a few nights ago nibbling on the clover in the next door neighbor's yard. It seemed to be driving a crow away from something on the ground nearby. I ran outside to shoo the crow away because I suspect it is a female rabbit and one of her babies had wandered away from its burrow. The crows will try to pick off young animals that size. Of course I frightened the rabbit, as well, but I hope I helped protect her child.

Another pleasant surprise tonight: we gave Vincent's another chance. I gave this place a scathing review about 18 months ago because the service sucked so badly that we walked out without eating. Tonight there was no wait for tables, but even if we did have to wait 15-20 minutes, it would have been worth it. Someone came to greet us immediately at the table and brought us drinks within five minutes—I remember how thirsty we were last time as we were ignored for over fifteen minutes—and I didn't hear other diners complaining how they had received their salad after their meal or didn't get their rolls or received the wrong order, nor did I see employees just standing around doing nothing while customers waited interminably for service. (The guy who was pretending to sweep was the limit.) Our waiter was Steve; he was prompt, attentive and friendly. We gave him a nice tip. Oh, and the food was good, too.

I have finally finished repairing the two badly-aged Wide Awake bound volumes that I bought that were falling apart. They are repaired with colored tape and don't look very good, but at least are now securely glued and the covers are intact. I am now painting the stand for my St. Joseph's altar. I didn't have the paint to do it this year. I've painted it with a very light coat of red so that the grain of the basswood will show through, to make it look rustic and a little aged. I have a round wooden plaque for the statue to be placed on that will go on top of the stand; this will be painted gold.

Labels: animals, birds, books, crafts, food, weather

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