Between A Rock

Cecil Aguilar, Aguilar Stone Masonry, and his crew are here building a wall under the porch of the new studio. He lives just up the road and we've driven past his place, with it's beautiful stonework out front, for a couple years and each time talk about how we'd really like him to build something for us. He's here and the drystone work is so interesting it's actually kept me off the mower...some ;-).



I'm very excited about the studio, but not so much on the actual building process. To be honest, I'm so tired of trying to make the right decisions about questions throughout the day(s) that I doubt I'll ever build anything again. And while I can truly appreciate the usefulness of a nail gun, I am tired of the noise. The tap, tap, tap of the stone hammers though are a different story.





Outside



Inside





How the big stone is split - very interesting.



How the stones are placed - very cool.

The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

""I went to sleep with gum in my mouth and now there's gum in my hair and when I got out of bed this morning I tripped on the skateboard and by mistake I dropped my sweater in the sink while the water was running and I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day."

So begin the trials and tribulations of the irascible Alexander, who has been earning the sympathy of readers since 1972. People of all ages have terrible, horrible days, and Alexander offers us the cranky commiseration we crave as well as a reminder that things may not be all that bad. As Alexander's day progresses, he faces a barrage of bummers worthy of a country- western song: getting smushed in the middle seat of the car, a dessertless lunch sack, a cavity at the dentist's office, stripeless sneakers, witnessing kissing on television, and being forced to sleep in railroad-train pajamas. He resolves several times to move to Australia.

Judith Viorst flawlessly and humorously captures a child's testy temperament, rendering Alexander sympathetic rather than whiny. Our hero's gum-styled hair and peevish countenance are artfully depicted by Ray Cruz's illustrations. An ALA Notable Book, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day is a great antidote to bad days everywhere, sure to put a smile on even the crabbiest of faces. (Ages 5 to 9) --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. " ~~ Amazon.com


I could have re-written of one of my favorite books yesterday. Someday some of it might be looked back upon as funny, but it will be awhile. I did find this in my inbox from a friend last night though and it was a sweet reminder that "things may not be all that bad."

And I'm pretty sure it's way too hot in Australia for me.

Cat Dreams

My day has started crazy and I've been told that Monday sets the stage for the entire week. I'm doomed. I really, really want to be a cat.



The cats - and Comby especially - are fascinated by the construction project out back. He'll watch for hours, occasionally go up to help and as soon as the builders leave for the day, he is out there inspecting everything.



Here he and Eli are getting tired of waiting for everyone to clear out for the day. As an interesting aside, Eli and Comby are not friends. Or at least we have assumed they are not friends - and have the fights to prove it. Yet, here they sit.



And sleeping together now?!?



Seriously boys.

Could the new house have brought them together?

Sunday Stills - Tri Color

I must not be a very colorful person. More of a 'deep greens and blues' in a subtle sort of way...



Technically there is a red gate and a yellow wagon wheel in this picture, but you'll need to click to biggify to prove it.



An old gas pump down Ky Hwy 32. If I'd been able to catch this with the sun coming up, rather than setting behind it, the colors would have been more vibrant.



A beautiful porch just up the way. Not a ton of color, but I like what's there.



And a house I've never noticed before - with green eaves. If the sky had been blue...well, it still wouldn't have exactly met Ed's challenge.

For more colorful Sunday Stills...

There's Always Room In Your Heart

For one more.

We have a new lamb. She came from the same farm as Ewen McTeagle, but they are not related. Probably a good thing, as there can only be one Ewen McTeagle ;-). She's a tiny little Tunis/Dorset cross. Cute as a button. So cute in fact that their guard dog puppies picked her out as a chew toy and wouldn't leave her alone. It was just a matter of time...and her shepherds love their babies as much as I do and they didn't want anything any worse to happen to her.

I quarantine everything that comes on the farm, but I felt bad that she didn't have anyone for company, so I built her a double fenced pen out where she could at least see the boys and Ewenice.



"I sure wish I could go out there and play with them."



"Please?"



You can little one, in a few more days.

We are, as yet, not set on a name for her. I think it needs to follow the Keebler/Graham Cracker...theme. Nilla Wafer and Ginger Snap have been tossed around. Any other suggestions?

As an interesting (at least to me) aside, when I googled Keebler cookies, it came up as Keebler Sunshine Products. That made me smile...and a little sad.