Today was much better than yesterday. I woke near seven and within thirty minutes worked out on the elliptical for twenty minutes while watching Bourdain’s Jamaica episode. Whew, I needed that workout. Afterwards I shaved (getting too itchy) showered, and started cleaning the house. Post-rain the surfaces felt as if covered in slime. I recycled the newspapers, ate breakfast, and cleaned the kitchen. M left for her stint in the pirate fest information booth. I kicked the boys off of all electronics. God, they were whiny at first. T pouted, then S pouted, and N looked generally pissed off. After a while they calmed down. N and S played upstairs while T read on the couch. I burned CDs and answered messages. Later I let T watch some military channel special on WWI and finished with the CD packages. Four should go in the mail tomorrow, if you’re waiting.

The rain, by the way, poured all morning. By 11 the fire marshal cancelled the pirate parade. M called to say I didn’t need to worry about 12-2 information booth shift. Apparently the Red Cross guys were covering. After she arrived home, around noon, the rain tapered off and the fog settled into town. T and I drove to the fest and checked out the last of the vendors. Most were packing up. I picked up some stickers and postcards. Not much else caught my eyes. Some cool silver flasks were available but I couldn’t figure out a good purpose for one so I passed. T decided to save his money as well. We hit the coffee shop, passed through the park a final time, and drove home. When we arrived home I started cleaning in earnest. The front porch was a bitch, toys everywhere, but I conquered the space by about 3PM. M took the boys back to the fest and I decided to make cookies. Instead of the normal round cookies I decided to do the tollhouse pan thing. At first I thought the batter was too thin but the cookies turned out well. D and I talked on the phone, I checked the Brew game (they won, finally, on the road) and boiled eggs for a dinner salad. Now I’m ready to crash. Maybe I’ll take a bath after M returns from the supermarket. Time to breathe and get to sleep early.

Quick, though, a garden update…

VEGETABLES

The peppers, basil and tomatoes in pots have almost doubled in size. The garden vegetables (basil, peppers, peanuts, melon, tomatoes and kohlrabi aren’t faring as well. I don’t think the ground under the mulch and anti-weed crap is letting the warmth reach the ground. Soon, I hope. The melons and peanuts are cashed (something ate them) but everything else looks as if warm weather will make a difference. I haven’t sprayed the fertilizer yet because of the heavy rain. I’ll wait a bit.

THE REST OF THE BACK

About ten sunflowers are growing near the grass bushes. They’re about an inch or two high. Not bad. The Japanese grass bushes aren’t doing as well but, as the signs near the plants at the store says, they need warm weather before they take off. The pot petunias are fine although a few other flowers, esp, those in the box along the deck, look weak. The hostas and groundcover near the garage look good except for some hosta bug problems. The clematis is looking great, about four feet tall already. The sage near the garage is fine. Strawberries look good too, but they’re still an experiment.

Almost forgot…grass bushes near the fence, along with the aster, daisies, and, uh, big yellow flower plant (can’t remember its name) are great. They’re in their third year and seem well-established.

SIDE/FRONT

Everything looks great. The woodruff is taking off. I might have to transplant some to another location, maybe in the back corner or underneath the little tree near the parking space. I cut back the burning bush so the black-eyed susans would have more room. I’m thinking of adding a grass bush or two near the sedum close to the porch.

More later…have a good Sunday night.