Please help me be grateful for the seasons and where did my parsley go?

Just like anyone in the south, Memphis is in the midst of the Dog Days of Summer. I am struggling to be grateful to live in a place with four defined seasons. Those who know me well know that I have a budget spreadsheet for ever element of our life. However, it is so hot, I no longer care how high our next electric bill is. I just want to be cold. From my first footstep onto Memphis soil, I have said this place is hotter than any place else due to the humidity. Just last week, I found someone who agreed. Our vet's office has a new vet that grew up in Mobile. Even he said Memphis was the hottest, most humid place he's been, and he grew up within a short drive to the beach where it is supposed to be hellish in the summer. The heat is making running a nightmare. Yes, I am getting up to run at 7:00 am, but the heat index is already close to 90. I've told a neighbor I'll run a 5 mile race in August that is dedicated to her boyfriend who recently passed away. I cannot back out, but am truly getting very worried about finishing in the heat. I've even talked other folks into running with me so I've got to show up AND run!

In other news on Cherrydale Rd., I typically have a large supply of parsley in my herb pot. However, over the past few days, I've noticed the number of leaves decreasing, and decreasing until today there were none. Could someone tell me what to do to keep the squirrels, chipmunks, or the unmentionable Memphis rodents out of plants I want to put in my mouth? I know parsley is just to add some color to a dish but I do have a recipe that really tastes better with fresh parsley and now I have none!

Finally, those (Gary) who are concerned about our consuming processed food and wasting aluminum through getting our dinner from Supper Supers (click here to see Super Suppers post) will be happy to know we've returned to fixing our own dinners. Super Suppers is great for Super busy families but I just don't think we qualify.

One more thing. In my next life, I am going to be the CEO of a high-end, customer-satisfying, mega-home improvement store. Going to the two big-box home improvement stores is pretty much a constant, particularly with our old house. These are two of my least favorite stores. Why? Because on top of facing the challenge of poor Memphis customer service, we have to battle the poor customer service that will come with the big-box store. Case in point: We ordered a small counter top for one of the bathrooms. It was only about 25 x 18 inches. Surely a small slab of rock can get delivered to the store in one piece. Nope. David went to pick it up and it was in THREE pieces. How can such a small piece of rock end up in so many pieces?

Stay cool!

What a great surprise . . .

Today squashed in between junk and bills was a copy of the July Gourmet magazine. How exciting! Why was this particularly exciting you ask? Because I haven't subscribed to it but love it. If there is a magazine fairy out there who has sent this to me, please do tell so I can properly thank you!

We've had a request for pictures of Tahoe . . .

Annual snow (March 2008)

Tahoe chilling on the couch this past winter. (Sorry Jeannie - that is an afghan Grandma Monk made and I promise Tahoe doesn't normally cover up w/ it!)

Tahoe actually adores Anna, who is hugging him, but he does look like his eyes might pop out at any moment! Anna's father and step-mom keep Tahoe when we travel and we are SO grateful to not have to board him much anymore. They have two children, three cats, and two golden retrievers. Needless to say, Tahoe is a bit bored with us when he comes home!

I want this . . . (M not D)

Who doesn't want plates with golden retrievers on them? Okay, maybe just a few to hang on the wall!

Pictures from St. Simons

M & D

The girls at the reception. We had a blast!

The guys w/ the groom.

Billy and David after the wedding.

The guys getting ready to golf before the wedding.

Maddy gets her first manicure.

Rough attempt at family photo.

David's smallest fish of the trip. (Look close - it is resting on the boat.)

Maddy and family playing in the sand. I hate sand and hope my kids hate it too!

Hum . . . When were the guys going to be back?

My father had planned a fishing trip for the guys w/ one of his buddies who lives in South Georgia while we were in St. Simons. The boys headed out about 6:30 am for a 3-4 hour in-shore trip. The girls headed off to the beach to enjoy the sand and then came back for pool time and lunch. As time crept by, no one heard from any of the fisherman. David always has his cell phone on him and always answers it, but each time I called we got no answer. A 6:30 am leave time should have meant we absolutely should have heard something by 11:30, but nothing. We had lunch, and decided it might be time to worry. At 2:30, still nothing. Mom decided to call the surrounding counties to see if my car had been reported in an accident. Nope, no accidents in the past few hours. Now we just had to worry about the massive body of water sitting right to the east of our house! A key point here is that we weren't real sure where they put the boat in the water, what the boat looked like, or exactly where they were going. The worry continued. At 3:15 I called a guide David and I went out with earlier in the week to see at what point we should call the Coast Guard. I mean, we didn't want to be ridiculous, worrying wives, but we were getting a bit concerned. He was a bit stunned that few details about the trip. More on that later. He told us to call the Coast Guard if we hadn't heard by 4:00 to allow time for a search team to go out before dark if needed. (Oh, my, this can't be happening!) We called the Coast Guard and the lady on the other end of the phone was quite polite and took all of our information. She did ask that we go up the road to where we think they left the car to see if it was there. Mom and I get changed for the ride. Just as we were about to head out the door, David called! It turns out as soon as he took his phone out of the storage compartment on the boat, the Coast Guard was calling to inform him that he'd been reported as missing. Nice! Upon returning back to the house, I asked David to let the guide who had advised us know that he was okay, and boy, did he get a talking to about boat safety! So for those who will be boating on vacation, remember these rules:

1. Let others know where you're putting the boat in the water.

2. Let others know where you anticipate going and / or how far you plan to be going out.

3. Let others know the make/model of the boat.

4. Remember - cell phones are great, but there still are places, particularly in the ocean, where you aren't going to get service!

Happy vacationing!

Happy Anniversary!

Yeah! We spent the morning of our anniversary FISHING! I enjoyed reading while watching the sun rise while David fished. It was a wonderful time!

One of Sanford Stadium's Quietest Days -

UGA is laid to rest.

(click above link to view ceremony)