CP's nap times are shifting around a bit and we're trying to keep up. It's a bit strange, but we're fighting our way through it, quite literally at times. I'm beginning to think that having a 28-day alarm on my pda is not such a good idea. On the good side, at least I know what I'm in for, but the bad side is that it doesn't make the LW's short fuse, screaming, tears, and anger any easier to accept...or avoid. After a week or so, it passes, and then seems like a small price to pay in order to live with such a wonderful woman.

This week we're off for the cool temperatures and chilly breezes of Dallas Texas. Yup, we've had enough of the low-humidity and lack of haze, this week we'll pack it all up to go see Gramma! CP's going to have a good time getting to hang out with all of the family and the LW will get to see a familiar face other than mine.

It's been right near the record marks here, and in most of the world, all week on the weather scene. Records from the late 1800s that is. It's a good thing there's no climate change going on though. A rethuglican congressman from Oklahoma of all things has the whole thing figured out. He says that it's all a ploy similar to what happened in Germany after WWI. Somebody elected this guy? Of course when the oil and gas industry gives your campaign over $300,000, you'd better pay the piper sooner or later.

It's a crazy world that little CP will inherit, but at least she'll have a chance to go to camp.

Just catchin' a breather here after the 5:30 wakeup. The LW made coffee this morning for the first time in what seems like eons and we're both wide awake and happy. The swamp cooler started working this morning again. Well, it's been running for about 10 days straight, but the humidity was beyond the threshold of its effective operating parameters.

Uppp... things were going good until a few minutes ago. The LW's brother is selling his house in Kansas and the LW thinks that I should tell people back there that it's for sale...oh, but she doesn't know how much and is completely bent because I had the nerve to ask. Yeah, I can see that that scenario will work out.

Potential conversation:

"Hey, my BIL is selling his house outside Kansas City"
"Really? How much?"
"Oh, I don't know, do you really need to know that for buying a house?"

The LW thinks that it's absolutely absurd that I would need to know the price range before I tell someone about a potential house for sale and that's all it takes these days to send us into our morning tailspin.

CP's in the swing gnawing on her fingers. That's her trick for the day. Earlier she had the blanket in one hand and didn't want to let go in order to put her fist in her mouth. It was pretty funny.

CP's been holding her head up more and more recently. She's able to keep it steady even when she's bouncing or being rocked. It's pretty funny sometimes and I figure that she'll bobble and bust my nose with that huge head of hers some time soon. The LW transplanted some agave plants out front the other day. They had been growing on one side of the yard in a temporary space and needed a new home. Checked the water meter today since the person checking our water use says that last month we used 6732 gallons last month, up from around 3500 gallons last month. The meter was supposed to have been read yesterday, but wasn't touched and looked as though it hadn't been for quite some time.

The crackheads that filed charges against our neighbor dropped them. They must be afraid of drug dogs in the courthouse. The charges are dropped, but our neighbor incurred legal fees and now has not got a job. We'll probably lose them as neighbors because of this.

It seems as though things are heating up in Mississippi (where I grew up) recently too. Their one abortion clinic is under seige by some misguided members of the skydaddy fairy tale club. I can understand restricted federal funding, that's fine for now, but these folks need to get a grip. I don't see them out protesting fertility clinics. All of those embryos are going to be DISCARDED, but could be used in stem cell research. What part of thrown away don't these sheep understand? What a joke. As if the local weather wasn't blowing enough hot air around down there, vice-president Falwell will be bringing some of the locals his official take on morality.

In the same day, the reverend bush vetoed a bill that might someday save people's lives with stem cell research. Someday one of his daughters may need a new liver or treatment for liver disease and he may have to send her to Korea or some other country that has completely beaten us in the stem cell research field by not being hung up on some twisted pandering to the religious right.

It's just baking now, but it actually rained here the other day. As you can see our swales kept the water in the yard, but it may have been a bit too much for the mesquite tree. The dirt around the trunk was really soft and the wind whipped it pretty well. We'll see. They are a tough tree and it'll probably do just fine. Our little palo brea over in the right side of the picture was sheltered from the wind by the fence. CP didn't seem to mind the rain and couldn't figure out what all of the excitement was about. We took her to the garden meeting on Saturday and she did well. It seems that excursions of two hours or less are fine. After that, it's rollin' the dice. She'll go tonight to the cycling club meeting and get to see some new people, but right now she's sleeping now and it's quiet.

The "new" video camera is finally here and works really well. I ordered a firewire PCI card from newegg.com that allows me to write the video to the hard drive where the Ulead Video Studio software makes it into a movie automatically. I can still alter it if needed though. I've had fun with the night shot function on the camera. Everything comes out green, but being able to see in the dark is pretty wild. The next DVD for the grand and great-grandparents will be a bit different from the grainy previous offerings.

CP finally has a mattress for the crib that Grandma Sch brought for her. I found a set with a bumper, sheet, mattress, and blanket at a local Twice as Nice shop and it's been good. She'll just nap there though until the LW's SIDS paranoia is reduced to levels not requiring medication.

The LW and I watched a PBS show about Vancouver by Rudy Maxa the other night and it was nice for her to see what I saw when I went there. Wanderlust set in immediately and we'll probably vacation there with CP if we ever have a spare cent to our name again.....ever. Kids there can learn several languages in grade school as compared to here where the offerings are spanglish, street slang 101, thugwannabe 45, and english for the (child who is) left behind.

There is hope yet, in this strange place and some are standing up and waving the BS flag. Lt. Cmdr Swift deserves a promotion.


"The people can always be brought to the bidding of leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country."

- - - - Reich Marshall Hermann Goering

This morning, CP has declared her independence from peace and quiet. Nothing seems to keep her from screaming at the top of her lungs just when we think she's finally drifted off into a nap. The LW was up most of the night and I didn't sleep well either. Supposed to make cookies and go visit Oma Darlene today, but we'll see whether or not that pans out. I just dropped a dish in the sink while washing it and the wife came into the kitchen with that, "drop another one and you're dead meat" look.

We made sweet pickles the other day. Not the boil and seal kind, but the kind that just get boiled and put into the refridgerator. I guess we have to wait two weeks for some reason before we can use them. I think that I'm going to sneak some of them though.... The first watermelon of the season came out of the garden on Saturday. It wasn't quite ripe, but it was still really great. The birds haven't taken over everything.....yet.

Found out about this garbage yesterday. It just figures that it's from Faux News. An "office of censorship"? You've got to be kidding me. Everyone knew that the gubment was watching wire transfers. They've crowed repeatedly about freezing assets for years. This isn't a revelation, but it is an easy opportunity to go after the NYT.