Hotter Things To Do On A Hotter Day

Go to Pike's Nursery at 11am and spend an hour in their greenhouse picking out plants. (And I thought that Braves game was hot...) Take 'em home and spend a few hours at mid-day planting them in the sun.

Hot Things To Do On A Steamy Day

1. At noon, put on long pants and tuck them into your socks. Put on a heavy, long-sleeved shirt over your T-shirt. Put on thick leather gloves. Then go out into your yard, wade into huge bushes and tackle a bunch of vines and briers, ripping them out by the roots. While you are in the thick of it, find and remove a bunch of dead tree branches that fell during the spring storms.

I don't think I have ever sweated so much. It was literally pouring off my face.

Go in. Take a nice, cool shower. Then...

2. Go to an afternoon baseball game during the hottest part of the day. Braves vs. Red Sox at Turner field. It was fun hanging out with the girls, but even in the shade it was hotter than hell. It was too hot to eat. My beer got warm in record time. And the game was, I hate to say, kind of dull. Not a lot going on, and the Braves lost 1-0. We seem to be in some kind of funk. Only one thing to do...

Go home. Take a nice, cool shower. No more adventures today.

The Road Less Traveled

Went on a road trip last weekend with Mom. We visited Warm Springs and Pine Mountain/Callaway Gardens. There wasn't a convenient interstate route from A to B, and that was just fine with us. Our country road trip was very pleasant. Hardly another vehicle on the road. Slowed down a few times going through a small town, and there were some traffic lights here and there, but all in all it was an enjoyable journey.

The interstate might have saved us twenty or thirty minutes, but the trip would have been far less memorable. I'd rather enjoy the journey.

Try it sometime. You might be surprised.

Two For One Friday Catblogging

Zima and Silvio prowl for chipmunks in my scraggly flower bed. There are lots of creatures hiding in that monkey grass.

The Meow Machine

Mother of God. Silvio WILL NOT SHUT UP his incessant meowing. It is making me CRAZY. He wants to go out, but it is pitch black and there is a fox out there. Not gonna happen. But how to tell him? He doesn't understand and he won't shut up! Is there such a thing as kitty prozac? Silvio needs some. Or maybe I do...

Thank You For Not Smoking!

One of our patients lit up in the bathroom at work. Probably only smoked a couple of minutes. Stunk up the entire hallway. That bathroom reeked for hours. It is amazing how strong that scent can be now that most places are free of it. It is hard to imagine working in a smoky environment, but my first jobs were like that. I guess it's all what you're used to.

I feel sorry for that patient who couldn't go without for even an hour or so. No such thing as sneaking a smoke anymore. It is obvious as hell, even if we hadn't seen the cloud of smoke appear when the door opened.

Relax, it's Friday.

Ding, dong, the drought is dead!

After three long, dry years Georgia's worst drought in more than a century is finally over. We've normal rainfall so far this year, which to us has felt like an extremely wet spring. Lake Lanier is now only about 4 feet low. The state has lifted the very severe restrictions that have been in place for so long, and reverted back to the permanent watering schedule (restricted, but far less than what we've all lived with for the past few years). When called on to conserve 10% last year, metro Atlanta exceeded expectations. Lets hope some of those good habits stick.

I'm looking forward to enjoying my gardening hobby again. I've definitely got my work cut out for me. Lots of my landscape plants are dead or are very scraggly and unhealthy. The lawn is a sea of violets, weeds, moss, and monkey grass. It is full of ant hills and grubs. Between being unable to water and having to study this spring and last summer, I completely let the yard go. It will take a lot of effort to get it back. But hey, it is work that love and I can help out some local gardening centers at the same time. Looking forward to the challenge!

And waterwise habits notwithstanding, I am also looking forward to finally washing my car that hasn't been cleaned in more than two years. Oh, don't fuss. I'm not gonna be doing it every week or anything. I'd just like to remove the dead bugs and bird poop from 2007, assuming they haven't yet chemically bonded with the finish.

Tri-state water wars? Still on. Some things never change.

Chillin'

It took a week, but I am feeling blissfully normal again. Physically, at least. Catching up on sleep did me a world of good.

Still trying to find life's equilibrium. All of those things I've neglected for weeks or months are calling to me. I may not answer all of them. It took a shock to the system to sort through my habits. I miss some more than others. It may be time for a few changes. Time will tell. No rush.

Board Certified

The letter arrived today. I passed the third and final test.

The three year journey is over. Now I can finally relax. Which means that Silvio, the feline alarm clock, will start making a racket very early tomorrow morning. Damn him.

Friday Cat Yodeling

I haven't received my letter from the board exam yet, and I am still recovering (I need a weekend of downtime in the worst way), but I couldn't disappoint any of you looking for the Friday catblogging.