I visited with my Favorite Egg this weekend.  I admit, it's kind of extra sad to part because while we've seen each other the past several weekends in a row (which is not our norm) I know this frequency of visits is coming to an end and, even worse still, that the winter looms loudly on the horizon.

I slept rather poorly on Friday night, so I was out early last night, even after an early evening nap.  It will be good to be back in my own bed tonight.  The girls seem pretty tired too, maybe all of the barking dogs at the kennel?  I tried to get them to play with neighbor puppy this evening with little in the way of results.  I did get to chat with the neighbor, so we will be having a play date some evening to get them interacting where there isn't a fence between. Neighbor puppy is 10 months old, maybe my girls are just old at this point?

It is almost time for the second episode of "Fear the Walking Dead".  I guess I should get my shower and be ready for it.  I'm really hoping that the pace will pick up a little.  Even if it doesn't, I can't say there is a ton much else on TV worth watching.

Serafina came home on Wednesday night w/ a new tire and my wallet was instantly $200 lighter. Thank God I didn't have to replace all 4. I feel like I'm constantly looking for the "where" this happened and everything is suspect right now.

I booked a flight related to a cruise that will take me to visit my Sister's area, but that's so far off. When you can snag a round trip, direct flight for under $200 on an airline that gives you two free checked bags, you take it - no matter how far in advance it is. This of course has me thinking about vacations in general and wanting to find another to slate on the calendar, because heaven knows 2 isn't enough and it is a waste to not book one while onboard, so I need to be prepared for the next sailing. A beach would be really nice right about now, that's all I am saying.

It is another couple of days when it is really good to have a second vehicle. As I went to pull out Monday morning, Serafina dinged and the tire pressure light came on. I clicked over to find the right front tire was down to 22psi, so we headed to Iggle for some air and on to work. I was expecting it to be down again at the end of the day and it sure was, so we went straight to Carmen's (thank goodness they're open til 6pm most week nights, that's a game changer in my world - especially on weeks where I need to get in here early and work through lunch).

Turns out there is a bolt in there. *sigh* It is about an inch in from the edge of the tire, so there is no patching. *double sigh* Less than 2500 miles in on the car and tires and daaaahmn. Of course, she's AWD, so I was afraid they'd tell me I needed to replace all 4. Since I did have so few miles I did luck out there, but of course, to find the same exact tire means they had to order it, and we wait until Wednesday for it to come.

In the grand scheme of our world I know this is but a blip, so thanks world for allowing me to vent. At least a problem didn't manifest midway to the burgh or something. Now I'll sit wondering where on earth I picked that up... on the way back from Portage on Saturday? Is it the construction on 219 loosing debris down onto the road?

Saffy's hot spot looks much better and she's not constantly trying to lick at it - only when she bops it on something does she pay it any attention.  I think we'll be healed up in no time.  They spent a little time chilling in the sun outside this weekend (and tormenting OUR favorite egg who came to visit again).

We had a late bite at the Flood City cafe on Friday night and headed back downtown Saturday morning to try a cup of their coffee only to find they aren't open Saturdays until 4pm.  Instead we tried the coffee at the Press Bistro and sat in the park, something I cannot say I've ever done, despite how long I've lived in Jtown.  Next there was a pot luck get together for everyone that worked the Summerfest that I also twisted his arm into attending briefly.

We watched a couple of movies, had our traditional Sunday pancakes, and I made my way to church.  A pretty lame, but very pleasant weekend.  I wrapped it up, avoiding the departure sadness by joining the Law's to watch "Fear the Walking Dead".  It definitely had a much slower start than "The Walking Dead" did, but it's something to watch while we await the new season, right?

It was also a weekend of surprising messages from people from afar that made me feel really old.

My wee baby has a hot spot, her first one ever. She really was not pleased when I made her sit still so I could clean and tend to it. I don't have hot spot spray here anymore, so I ordered more, hopefully it will arrive quickly. Poor kid. They've been shedding so hard lately, I'm betting it's a patch that was a little too thick. I need to get brushing every day.

I had a massage last night. I knew I needed it, but not how much. I had a sore spot up at my right shoulder that I could not attribute to hitting off of something, but it sure felt bruised. It came on suddenly (before I was helping with moving things on Saturday). At first I thought my bra strap was twisted and pushing, I even made sure there wasn't something sticking out from the couch that I was leaning back on. Then the next day it just felt like I had bonked it. I felt the ache in my lower back too when he started to work on me.

The weekend was rather productive. Friday night after grabbing a bite my favorite Egg and I headed to his old place to ready a few things for moving. Saturday we were up early to meet some of his family to load up a truck and trailer. I can't even tell you how unhappy the girls were that I made them get up from their sunbathing and come back in the house so we could leave. There is probably still one more full load of things to be moved, but we did clear out a good bit. After the long haul to the new place we unloaded and headed back this direction.

Sunday was a good bit more slow paced. Good thing too as I was a bit achy, but not as bad as I would have expected, although I certainly didn't have to do much heavy lifting, for which I am grateful. After our standard pancakes we headed to an auction and surprisingly left empty handed. A few other brief stops and a little bit of time in front of the TV, and that was pretty much the end of the weekend.

I was in quite the sad mood all last week. I really needed that time together.

Today is Danika's 10th birthday! She has been with me for just over 8 years now, how time flies. We attempted to celebrate last night with a trip to Petco and the Meadows, but at both places we had some challenges thanks to people with little kids and no brains.

Parenting fail #1: At Petco the little kid had a little dog who was barking at Dani and then skittering backwards. The little kid thought this was funny, so he kept getting closer so the dog would bark and scramble. In the mean time I am trying to hold our several purchases while grabbing in shorter on her leash and getting her to stand in front of me so the little dog didn't become a snack.

Parenting fail #2: At the Meadows the seats by the building were taken up. So I was going to head across the parking lot to the picnic tables. There are 4 of them and only one group was there (a mom, what I'd guess is the grandmother, and two little kids) at the left front table. I have two ice creams in my hand and a dog that is excited about this prospect and I'm half way across the parking lot headed straight for the right front table when the two little kids move over to the right of that table. I stopped dead in my tracks and the mom and grandmother do/say nothing. Great, thanks. So we stood in the parking lot by the car eating our ice cream. Seriously you need all 4 tables for the kids to play? You saw me, I know you did, did you not realized I stopped abruptly when your kids moved into my planned destination?

In both cases, no my dog isn't mean, but I also don't want to scare your kid. It would have been fine if my hands weren't full as I could have maintained 100% control of a shortened leash. I shouldn't have to be the jerk saying "excuse me" and requesting you tame your children. Be considerate.

One thing that bugs me a bit: If I am taking a few minutes to stop to talk to a coworker that I also consider to be a friend about something, and another coworker just walks up to the cube and invades, bringing the conversation to a halt. Call this my smoke break. If I go silent when you walk up, you can safely assume you weren't welcome into what I was discussing.

Yesterday this happened (again) interrupting a conversation I had no plans on sharing with the third party that interrupted, so I just got up and left. Then I stewed a little, because this person does this fairly often to me. I admit I'm not this person's biggest fan, so is that what peeved me about it? No, not entirely, I don't like it when others do it either if I am in the middle of something that I've lowered my voice to say (read: confidential) or something that I am having emotion over (read: private).

I had an epiphany later in the day. I think what really exacerbates the issue and peeves me so much is when I am already feeling lonely and then I get cut off from someone I was talking to. That conversation yesterday was the only one I had face to face with someone other than ordering food when I went out for lunch and when I talked to another coworker for 10 minutes about work stuff later in the day (and this was on the phone). The rest of my conversations yesterday were typed or with my dogs. The people who interrupt? You go home to your family and can chat chat chat. Please, cut me a break. I just wanted 5 minutes with another human being.

It's funny how a building full of people can feel so quiet and lonely some days.

Friday I came home from work and filled a garbage bag with weeds here at my place.  After dropping my sister back at the airport on Saturday morning I headed straight to my Favorite Egg's place in town and ended up with 4 more garbage bags, a dog food bag, and a bin full of yard waste gathered.  The hedges are trimmed and I got part way through edging and handling weeds that are growing up between the sidewalk, but the weed eater died, so I will need to take another pass some night this week to finish it up.  It looks so nice when things are freshly trimmed up.

Today I was up and to early church service so I could head to the Portage Summerfest.  I worked the information booth for a couple of hours and then was shifted to the ribbon fries.  Standing all day, I am once again whooped, but my muscles haven't totally gotten past the previous couple of days, so I don't know what I'll end up with tomorrow.  I've been sore enough that I'm uncomfortable laying in bed. I really need to get back to exercising.  The belly that is re-forming isn't a good thing either.

I'm whooped.  I was off from work today to join my sista at Mom's in a welcome to the real estate market cleaning spree.  My legs are aching from running stairs, my calves and lower back are burning (probably from bending over and moving about cleaning baseboards), and my eyes are burning.  I still have one more full work day this week, but at least it will be behind a desk!

It's been a couple of days since I checked in so I also want to note that I had a very very pleasant surprise at work on Wednesday.  I do believe love how everything seems to come together.  I'm being coy, but I cannot fully blurt stuff out here at all times.  Suffice it to say that God is faithful to his promises and I'm seeing them in action.

The tomato plants are producing like crazy, but I'm managing to keep up with the sweet 100's.  Mental note, buy more of this plant next year, they are simply delightful.  I made a batch of pasta sauce on Tuesday night (using both some fresh big girls that all ripened at the same time on one of my plants and some tomatoes I had previously frozen from purchased tomatoes).  I also kicked in some previously frozen peppers and it turned out quite yummy.

I headed West to see my Favorite Egg this weekend catching up with him at an auction.  We attended the neighborhood gathering next door on Saturday, taking some brownies and broccoli salad.  Basically the whole neighborhood is related, and his place use to be owned by "part of the family".  As I've said before, he is so blessed with good neighbors.  Everyone was so kind and welcoming, it was like meeting more family.

This morning I decided to head to church in his area.  I had been eyeballing a few churches by him, but their membership was so low I was terrified to walk through the door and look like the lone teenager wandering into Springwood (that's a Freddy Krueger reference ya'll).  Last weekend at my church they were going through the pastoral appointments and they mentioned a guy I remembered and enjoyed hearing speak was reappointed to the West Washington UMC!  Being that this is only a 15-20 minutes I felt like it was my answer.  Everyone there too was very kind and welcoming and it was a beautiful church.

The weather has been warm and dry, for which I am grateful, but I can't help but see the winter quickly approaching.  This, of course, I am dreading.  There are spiders everywhere already, I think they're getting ready for autumn.