I sure would have been disappointed if I’d placed all of my eggs in this Memorial Day Weekend basket like I used to (after five straight godawful months of no days off from work). Of course, I would have said, “Well, it could be worse.” That’s because even though it has been oppressively gray and dreary and chilly, at least it hasn’t rained. So there’s that. But it’s been several days in a row of this (including some rain last week) and I’m definitely ready to move on to sunnier and warmer weather. And that’s due to arrive in the next couple of days! Very much looking forward to it!
We spent several hours running all over Olympia on Friday, and it included a fun stop in Trader Joe’s. I love that store! The one in Burien (the only other one I’ve been to) is very very small, so this was a treat to scope out the aisles of larger digs. Loaded up on olive oil and and spices and Tea Tree Tingle Conditioner and pumpkin seeds and hazelnuts and wine (and a myriad of other items), then we headed to a WONDERFUL nursery that John had noticed on a previous foray into Olympia. OMG, they have everything under the sun! A beautiful labyrinth of flowers and foliage and I snapped some shots with my iPhone of potential landscaping plantings (for when that time comes, which probably won’t be until next spring). I knew we had another pot at home (a very pretty one that was being wasted by holding/concealing the hose) and I wanted to plant it up and put it to use! So, of course, we bought a bunch more pretty flowers to thrill, fill, and spill. Ain’t it purdy? (Click to embiggen) [Hey, Helen, I found some Bakopa! We got three different colors!] 
I do believe we have enough pots on the deck now. I would like one or two at the entryway and the Wiener Deck, but the hose bib isn’t connected yet at one of them and the other is full of boxes and stuff to haul down to The Box for storage, so I guess we’ll wait on that. For now, it’s enjoyable to peer out and see some color (even if it’s been too cold to actually GO OUT and enjoy the color).
I also picked up a new hummingbird feeder at that nursery and it has been BUSY!
It’s quite pretty, too!
(See what I mean about all the GRAY?)
Then yesterday, shortly after I’d potted the pot and put up the new hummingbird feeder, I witnessed Mojo catching a bird. Oh, I was sick. I bolted out the door with the spray water bottle and chased him down the end of the deck with it—until he turned around and I realized he no longer had the bird between his jaws. I saw it lying very still by the door—intact—but very still. I was so sad! And mad! I came inside to work up the courage to scoop it up and dispose of it, and when I went back out, the bird was gone. No sign of it anywhere. No feathers, no bird, no nothing. Possibly it wasn’t mortally injured and recovered from the trauma and flew away? I’m going to believe that.
So here’s my new hair cut. I guess I’ll never have those succulent corkscrew (Botticelli) ringlets, as my hair is more of a “Cherub” curl pattern (and soooo baby fine…) but I’m liking this length better.
It takes a lot of learning to deal with curly hair. It’s very different from straight hair, so you have to always be incredibly mindful of product ingredients (no sulfates or silicones, as they cause frizz and damage), and also the dew point (more so than humidity) because that dictates the TYPE of product to use across the seasons. Density, porosity, curl type, length, whether it’s protein-hungry or not, curl definition techniques…it exhausts the mind. I’m coming up on a full year of being “natural” and I’m still learning by trial and error. And just when I think I’ve found THE combination of products and techniques, everything changes! No two hair days are alike, let me tell you. Here is how long it had become (blech):
John’s man cave shop is really coming along! It was such a dim mess (hold-all during the interior house construction). Now there is bright lighting, and get a load of his cabinets! I love the blue metal pegboard!
It’s filling up with all of his tools and equipment from Des Moines:
He also needs to do some major wiring in there. He’s been very busy between his shop and the master bathroom tile (which is getting very close to being done!)
To relax in the evenings, we had become addicted to “The Voice” on TV, something that neither of us expected that we would ever enjoy, but we loved it! Such amazing talent, and the show was very well produced. We both called the winner, too. Here he is performing “Old Man” on Youtube (so great, and mind-blowing when you realize he’s only 16 years old). But, the show is over now and we were feeling lost. There is nothing worth watching (that we know of) on network television (aside from my BBC favorites, and their seasons are over, too). So we searched and decided on the Netflix original “Bloodline,” and we are now addicted to THAT! We’ve been watching two episodes each night (you can stream/binge the full season) and it’s good! Lots of secrets emerge each episode, and it took until the 3rd show to really get a good feel of the characters. It’s very well-acted, and you just never really know what in the hell is going to happen next. (Beautiful cinematography, too—it takes place in the Florida Keyes).
And now I need to get busy planning an open-house style 80th birthday party for my dad that will be held at my aunt and uncle’s house just down the road from Dad on Camano Is. the day before Father’s Day. Lots of appetizers. I have some ideas, but need to buckle down and make a plan, Stan.
