Sunflower of Zenith

Well then . . . I suppose I have to return to blogging in some random fashion or other, or else forever hold my peace, which sometimes presents itself as an attractive option. But, given how long I'll be silent when I'm dead, I may as well chat away while I can. The Nipper texted tonight to say they're home, and I'm happy for them. They left here on Friday, after a most successful and lovely visit, and spent a couple of days with the Redhead's family in between. We had all kinds of fun, including a big 4th of July dinner that included Dr. Nurse and Mr. Dr. Nurse as well, with mini-fireworks in the driveway to follow. The annual Battle of the Chickens and Tanks was waged. This year there was a consensus of opinion that the tanks won. We also had a very successful Beach Day that started out with mist and fog over the lake. That was good for the Redhead, who can't cope with too much sun. It was pretty good for all of us, really, because our collective skin is about as pale as you can get. I put a lot of sunscreen on, and hardly got burned at all when the sun came out, but everyone else bore the pink stigmata of recreational radiation overdoses. There's a rack near the beach with lifejackets for kids to borrow, and Raptor put one on. He floated, paddled and splashed for HOURS and refused to come out even when his teeth were chattering. He outlasted the Nipper, who doesn't have much body fat and got cold, so faithful Grandmom stayed in with him for the duration. There are some advantages to being well-padded.

The first couple of days were unpleasantly hot (ha ha--not by California standards) and we mostly amused ourselves indoors, but after that it was perfect weather. It's been pleasant since then as well, but have I done all the yard work I planned on completing after the guests departed? Not a stitch, nope. Today I was going to go out and work . . . but took a nap instead. In my defense, I got pretty tired with all the cooking and whatnot, and I have to regain my strength to drive 7 hours or so and visit my brother in the UP in the near future.