Day 89

Day 88

I used to have cute feet...believe it or not.  OUCH!  Three shots of cortisone make Ghost Girl a cranky writer.   Here's hoping it does the trick.  The next option is just not cool.  

Day 87

We're never at a loss for Bar-B-Que in Albany!

Day 86

On our nightly walk, Danté and I met the neighborhood squeak toys.  Oh so tempting...

Day 85

These little house finches continue to re-use two nests on our porch.  They were built at opposite ends in the little overhang of the pillars.  I'm never sure which nest the eggs are in until we hear the "cheep, cheep" of the newborns.  

Day 84

Day 83

Day 82

What can I say...Danté has claimed it as his own.

Day 81

Day 80

CAMPUS PATROL!  One of the many feral cats who guard the university against all manner of pests...gee, wish the they worked on t... a.............

Day 79

Day 78

Warning to the men:  Chick stuff here.

On this Father's Day, the boys went their way (to see The Green Lantern) and the girls did their own thing after a lovely family brunch.  With the men out of the house, Ghost Daughter and I had our own little spa day and the talk.  Who knows when puberty will strike the big blow, so I've prepared our girl for what is to come.  

We had tea and M&Ms while we talked about the changes her body is going through and looked through this fabulous little book, Just For Girls.  I had samples of the necessities so they would not be so scary and took her through the general routine.  Then we talked about skin care and painted fingernails and ran pink streaks through her hair just for fun.  (It washes out with the next shampoo).  

So while the men were out getting their macho fix, Ghost Daughter and I had some good old-fashioned girl talk.  HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

Day 77

My Oasis in the cultural wasteland that is Albany, GA.

Day 76

It's time to READ TO THE LIBRARY DOGS!  Our wonderful local library hosted the Paws Patrol this afternoon and of course Ghost Daughter couldn't wait to read to a pup.  She chose Wild About Books by Judy Sierra and her new friend Buddy seemed to be just thrilled with the selection.  The the rest of the Paws Patrol—Happy Jack, Dewar, and Buster—and their handlers shared a love of a good story as well as some furry companionship with a very enthusiastic group of young readers.  

Day 75

Whew!  Glad they gave me a heads up!  (my apologies for that one)

Day 74

Actually, it said 103º the first time I took the picture, but my little camera had a hard time so after I got home, parked the car for 20 minutes in the shade, and took a new picture, the temperature had dropped a degree.  It's barely halfway through June and we've had days of this heat...an no rain.  

Day 73

This extremely low-quality picture is here to explain Danté's completely spastic behavior.  He could hardly contain himself and absolutely had to go for a walk...the kind of whimpering, hanging on the leash sort of walk.  Then we saw it...the full (or nearly full) moon.  Aaahhhh...

Day 72

Another 103º day and no rain.  We're all parched down here.  I guess it's a good time to be a weed...

Day 71

It's been a movie kind of weekend.  Two huge thumbs up for SUPER 8!  Likewise for X-Men:  THE FIRST CLASS and THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT.  Now the Ghost Guys are looking for THE THING on DVD.  It's all about the narrative...

Day 70

Our very dear friend Marc is in China right now, and he sent me this fascinating shot from Beijing, so I have a guest photographer for today's entry.  What do you suppose this one means?  No burning cars allowed on the street?  No exploding cars allowed on the street? 

Day 69

Squeeeee!  A little ray of sunshine.  My dear friends Nicole and Laura met me for lunch at this wonderful little farmer's market in town.  I had no idea it was tucked away in its own quiet corner just a few minutes from the college.  Fresh produce and delicious smoothies and sandwiches.  Mmmm! I know where I'll be finding lunch and healthy snacks for a while....

Day 68

This is what the creative ghost children do when I'm at work.  Ghost Daughter is on a Pokémon kick, and she fashioned a little Pikatu mask for herself and one for her dog, S'more (inset).  She outfitted a couple more stuffed animals as well.  What a hoot!

Day 67

day 66

Yes, it was an interesting wind storm last night...

Day 65

It was 103º today.  Even the birds needed whatever break they could get.  I was driving up my street, almost home, when I saw this little woodpecker getting a drink from the sprinkler runoff that was drifting down the curb line.  As our drought continues, Mother Nature keeps taunting us with wisps of a thunderstorm that never really happens.  Tonight wild winds and cold down-drafts snapped a tree in half beside our house.  Fortunately it fell in the wooded lot and not on our car.  And still no rain.

Day 64

EEEEkkk!  Yes, that's Ghost Daughter holding a spider crab.  She shrieked when the docent mentioned the word "spider," but when she realized it was a crab and not an eight-legged creepy-crawly, she was all about holding that "sweet" little sea critter.  We ended our weekend with a personal party with some marine life and a little more time in the ocean.  So now our sun-burned selves are winding down and snuggling the ghost guys back at home.

Day 63

Day 62

As we got comfortable in our hotel suite in Savannah, I realized this is Ghost Daughter's very first stay in a hotel.  And of course, the first order of business was to make her fuzzy companions comfortable.  A whole new adventure!  (Now, I just hope there is room for me on that bed...)

Day 61

Ah...summer library time...!  Ghost Son chose a book about zombies and Ghost Daughter took 4 books from the Animal Ark Series.  Awesome!

Day 60

Good Dog, DAISY

Today we say goodbye to our sweet little rat terrier, Daisy.  She seemed to grow old all in a week.  We adopted her from the shelter when she was 6 months old, and 10 years later we have to let go.  She has been such a part of our family, the most loving and eager-to-please pup I've ever known.  We know that she had a rough start in life before we brought her home and hope that we gave her enough love to make up for it. Truman will be waiting for you on the other side, sweet girl.  We will miss you.