WNBP: Heat Beat...Almost Sweet!

I honestly meant to drop a blog line sooner and let everyone know that I survived the heatwave, but I was too busy trying to recover and time got away from me.  I'll have to catch you up in tonight's Wednesday Night Bullet Post!

*I do not have air conditioning.


*There are reasons for this so please...no suggesting that I go get an air conditioner.  


*I am fully aware of their existence and have never before wished so hard that I had one as I did last week.


*103 degrees.  94 in my living room.


*On Friday afternoon, it got even better.


* The power went out at the height of this nightmare for myself and 14,000 of my friends.


*Up to that point, I hated the people with air conditioning but then I felt sorry for them.


*I have strategies for dealing with the heat without frozen air.  I plan for it.


*The exact words out of my mouth when the fans fizzled were, "Oh my God.  This is when people actually start to die..."


*I was giddy to have plans Friday night.  I normally prefer to stay in, but there was air conditioning out there in the world and I wanted my share of it.


*Heat wave is over.


*I don't miss the heat wave...


*Raging insomnia has taken over my life.


*I've had some trouble sleeping for a while now, but it's really out of hand at the moment.


*Weird...Blogger seems to be having some trouble saving tonight.


*Let's hope I can publish this thing...


*Where was I?  Oh, yes.  The insomnia.


*I know what you're thinking.


*"But, Sheepie!  You don't work in the summer.  It is OK to be awake all night.  You can catch up later and not have to worry about poor performance in the workplace!"


*You are very correct.  Very.


*I am grateful that the worst of this is happening during summer vacation.


*But still incredibly irked that I can't do any of the things I want to do because I am so utterly exhausted.


*Can't sleep in.  Awake by 6:00 at the latest every morning.


*No matter what.


*Can't seem to nap during the day.  20-30 minutes tops.  If I'm lucky.


*I am, for all intents and purposes, non-functional these days.


*Summer is short.  I have a lot of stuff I want to do.


*Stuff I put off or promised myself I could do once school was over.


*Spinning, knitting socks, painting the living room...


*Makes me crazy that I can't focus enough to do any of it!!!


*I lie awake at night thinking about how crazy it makes me!!!!


*I toss and turn and grit my teeth over the matter!!!!!!!!!!


*You can see how the whole situation is fraught with irony and other thematic stuff I can't quite manage to describe with my limited brain functioning.


*I'd do all that stuff I wanna do at night while I'm awake anyway, but I never seem to think of that until I'm too loopy to actually pull it off.


*In spite of my fatigue I managed to find my way to the Farmer's Market today.


*String beans, basil and summer squash.


*None of which I've been able to do much with but it made it to the house so that's a win.


*Blogger is still not saving.  It seems to be panicking a bit over this fact.


*I'm not too concerned.


*I've copied.  I can paste later if need be.


*Apparently, there is a small part of my brain still functioning.


*Deadliest Catch is done for the season.


*Not quite as good as last year, but let's face it.


*That was a pretty powerful season and not something easily lived up to.


*Have had a few bumps in the Reading Road of late.


*There's a couple tomes not even worth mentioning.


*A few I should, though.


*Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.


*Not what I thought it was going to be and that threw me.


*But worth looking at if only for the fantastic period photography.


*And a better story than I'm giving it credit for.


*I read Graveminder.


*Melissa Marr also wrote the Wicked Lovely (Wicked Lovely (Quality)) series.


*This was really quite good and apparently her first adult novel.


*Now I'm reading The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart.


*Fair warning:  this book is not for the faint of heart nor for those who flinch at the rampant use of profanity.


*The brothers are not good guys.  Not at all.  They are very, very bad guys.


*But they have that Anti-hero-you-can't-help-but-love-'em sort of vibe going on, too.


*They are funny fellows if you can get past the flagrant killing, cultural ignorance and general lack of social responsibility.


*However, they are living in a rather rough period in history so I suppose it wasn't exactly easy to come by etiquette lessons.


*I'm on the fence with this one.  One minute I love it, the next I don't.


*Overall, worth the time.


*Poor Blogger.  It just keeps flashing error messages at me.  It seems almost embarrassed now.


*Maybe it's not sleeping either.  I'm beat.  I can understand how it feels.


I honestly don't have anything else at the moment.  Even if I did, I don't suppose Blogger is going to publish it right now so it's not really a crisis.  I have time to think of something else.  In the event that I don't, this will have to suffice.  Here's hoping that tonight's cool temperatures and brain-busting fatigue will conspire to put me out like a light.

If not, let's hope there's something good on TV...

SA

WNBP: A Brief Respite

I am currently enjoying what looks to be the last of the cooler temperatures for a while.  Today was moderately warm with bearable humidity, but the next few days are not going to be so kind.  We are talking high 90s and air so thick you can drink it with a straw.

Not my most favoritest thing...

Since I plan to be lolling in front of the fan for the foreseeable future and probably insensible with the heat stroke, why don't I get the Wednesday Night Bullet Post up for all to enjoy?  I'm guessing anything I post after this will involve a great deal of whining and complaints about my hair melting.  No one is going to benefit from that, really.

*After weeks of being decidedly unimpressed with the Farmer's Market fare, I was finally rewarded for my patience.


*I have actually not been patient.  Not at all.


*My weekly Visit With The Vegetables has been fraught with tension and very bad words directed at the local produce.


*I had a good feeling today, though.  


*Even stopped for extra cash before heading over.


*The string beans were there!


*And the wax beans!


*And carrots!


*And more basil to replace that which I already ate or froze!


*Why, I was so pleased with the bounty I made a point of visiting every single vendor.


*Except the Overly Happy Jewelry Ladies.  I like jewelry.  


*Just can't eat it.


*Heck, I even went to visit with Crazy Organic Guy and bought some itty-bitty garlic just because I was feeling good about locally grown produce in general.


*I have nothing against Organic People.  I like organic stuff as much as the next gal.


*Crazy Organic Guy is a little over-the-top when it comes to his new career path, though.  


*He's happier than the jewelry ladies and I simply cannot bear that level of job satisfaction.


*At least the Garter Stitch Scarf People weren't there today.


*I happen to love a good garter stitch scarf and have no issues whatsoever with the sale of garter stitch scarves to the public.  Not everyone knows how to knit and they should have the same rights to garter stitch scarves as those of us who comfortably wield the sticks.


*But it is wicked hot in July and I hate having to squint through the haze of the scorching parking lot to see woolly scarves.


*Giddy about the beans.  I didn't think I liked canned beans.


*I do like canned beans.  At least the ones I can myself.  


*So tender...so flavorful...so delightful to eat on a cold winter's day when summer and inappropriately placed wool scarves are just a memory.


*Let us not discuss how early I am going to have to get up to can beans if I'm gonna beat the heat over the next few days.


*I read some stuff.  


*I finished Rosemary and Rue (October Daye, Book 1).


*Then I read A Local Habitation (October Daye, Book 2).


*And, of course, An Artificial Night (October Daye, Book 3).


*I'm almost through Late Eclipses (October Daye, Book 4).  Should have it wrapped up tonight.


*These are what I like to call Fun Books.  Fun to read...Fun, fun, fun!!


*I am only reading them because I read Feed (Newsflesh, Book 1).


*Same author, different name...very different book.


*It is not a Fun Book.  


*It starts off as an I-Don't-See-Why-Everyone-Says-This-Is-So-Great-Book.


*And fools you into thinking you know exactly what is happening.  


*Until the unthinkable happens...


*And you're left sitting all teary-eyed in a tub filled with water long-since cooled.


*Had to read Deadline (Newsflesh, Book 2).


*Not nearly as powerful, but heartbreaking in its own way.  And moves the story in a direction that maybe takes away a little of the first novel's impact.


*But I'm OK with that.


*It's a trilogy so I'll be looking for the next one.


*While I continue looking for zombies because, in this universe, EVERYONE is the potential zombie.


*Yup.  Everyone is infected.  Not a spoiler warning.  It's pretty up front.


*A few people commented on my having to get my car inspected.


*It's a state requirement.  Your car has to meet certain standards in order to be considered worthy of a sticker.


*No sticker=ticket.


* I was a month overdue and there is no way on God's green earth my car should have passed.


*Or maybe it was fine and I have no idea what "passing" entails.  I don't care.  I drove around proudly today with my shiny new sticker.


*For what its worth, Maine does not require emissions testing.  We thought about it and almost did it.


*Then we said something like, "Clean air is for wimps!!" and dropped the whole idea.


*We like working blinkers and brake lights.  We are, apparently, not so concerned with what is being spewed from our tailpipes...


*Probably contributing to global warming.


*Which might explain why I'm bracing myself for the next few days and the searing heat...

So that was today.  All in all, I was pretty pleased with the whole deal and the amount of beans currently in my home.  I have a goodly amount of canning ahead of me and will probably hate every single one of those beans while they are being processed, but it will be worth it in the long run.  And besides, the heat won't last forever.

Summer is kind of brief when you think about it...

SA

Even When I Brandish Bald Truths!!!

"Hello, is this Mrs. Sheep?"

I sighed.  Sometimes it's just not worth pointing out that I am not Mrs. Sheep.  Mommy Sheep is Mrs. Sheep.  My Sister-in-Law is Mrs. Sheep.  I am Ms. Sheep, but that was going to take more time than was really called for.  Besides, I knew who was on the other end of this phone conversation.  I'd dropped my car off for the first round of what promised to be a lengthy series of long-awaited repairs and this was obviously my homegirl from the service desk calling to tell me that they were ready for me to come pay them some money.  Might as well get on with it...

"Your car is ready, ma'am," she confirmed.  "And you'll be pleased to know that they were able to put the inspection sticker on it today."

"WHAT? It passed???  But I supposedly had a brake light out.  You aren't supposed to pass if all the lights don't work.  And what about the wipers?  Those were all tattered last time we looked.  Are you seriously telling me this car passed inspection?"

My homegirl paused, clearly flummoxed by someone who would be so blatantly honest about why her car shouldn't get its past due inspection sticker.  Most people would have just said a quick, "thank you kindly" and grabbed their keys before anyone noticed the error.

Not me.  I've learned a bit about karma over the past 12 months.  Just when I think things can't get worse, something else blows up.  I've killed a coffee maker.  I've blown up a television.  I've crashed two laptops.  Why just this past weekend, a random power surge took out half the outlets in my kitchen.  One of them happens to run my refrigerator.

I know from karma.  There is no avoiding it.  Trying to do things the easy way or pretend that everything is fine is not going to end well and I'll throw hard facts at people until they can prove to me beyond a shadow of a doubt that all is well.  I continued my campaign when I went to pick up my car and met with a new service representative.

Sheepish Annie:  OK.  So we are no longer freaking out about the excess play in the left front sway bar, right?  I don't exactly know what that is, but it sounds like something that might kill me later and I want to have some warning on that.

New Service Rep:  (flipping through paperwork) Err...I guess it's OK.  I mean, it wasn't enough to keep you from getting a sticker so you should be all right until your next service visit.  Wait...does this say you're here today because you ran over a trash bag?  Seriously?  You didn't really do all that damage by running over a trash bag.  It's just not possible!

SA:  That is history and a matter of record.  There is even a picture of the killer trash bag at the service desk if you care to ask.  I know because I've seen it.  We have bigger issues now.  How about that chip in the windshield?  That thing has grown into a crater over the last year and I'm betting someone noticed it.

NSR:  Well, yeah.  Frankly, none of us are really sure how you passed inspection.  It's all any of us have been talking about and the guy who did it won't look any of us in the eye right now. But you did pass and since it's 5:00 and the cleaning crew is coming in and there are still three people behind you...

Good enough.  I took my car and brought it home.  The left turn signal is still kind of wonky but that's OK.  And I supposed that "excess play" thing is something I should be looking into soon, not to mention the ribbon-like wiper blades.  But the biggest part of the work is done and my car is inspected so I'm not going to poke the bear any longer.  I'm going to sit here, knit my socks, and accept that the car people believe my vehicle is going to run for another few days.

But I kept a transcript of the conversations just in case karma needs proof of my honesty.

SA

WNBP: Cool As A Cucumber

The humidity broke last night.  I don't know exactly when since I somehow drifted off into something resembling sleep but it wasn't there when I woke up at 5:30 so I assumed breaking had occurred.  In spite of the mercury climbing into the high 80s, it was a much more bearable sort of day and one that makes for a much happier Sheepie.

Let us celebrate with the posting of bullet points as is our Wednesday night tradition!

*The weather people are suggesting that I put an extra blanket on the bed tonight.  


*They are concerned that I might catch a chill.


*That is nice of them, but I am rather looking forward to having a chill.


*At the moment, I am chillin' with a whole lotta rain.  It sort of snuck up on me while I wasn't paying attention and you won't believe the amount of water that came in.


*That is supposed to be "outside" water.  


*"Outside" water is different from "inside" water.


*"Inside" water is the stuff in the sinks and toilets and that is perfectly OK to have in your house.


*"Outside" water has no business in my house.  Or on my rugs.  Or running down my walls.


*I am out of paper towels.


*Can someone remind me to put that on the shopping list for tomorrow?


*I went to the Farmer's Market this morning.


*The Weekly Visit With The Vegetables.


*Except I remain unimpressed with what I'm seeing thus far.


*I think it's because I got to thinking about string beans and now I don't want anything else.


*Peas are in.  No string beans.


*I bought some cucumbers because I hate to make the trip for nothing.


*Now I wish I'd picked up some new potatoes because I love new potatoes.


*They are better than old potatoes.


*All tiny and tender...dang!  Why didn't I get potatoes??????


*I'm planning on making some relish at some point in the near future.


*I like homemade relish.


*It was cool enough to knit today.  I managed a few sock rounds before I lost interest.


*Figure I'll have me a nice pair o' socks sometime around next summer...


*I finished Heartless (The Parasol Protectorate).


*Such fun! 


*In this installment, Alexia doesn't "walk" anywhere.


*She toddles, waddles and wobbles.


*It's fantastic!!!


*Then I read Sizzling Sixteen (Stephanie Plum Novels).


*I meant to read it a long time ago but it was kind of spendy when it first came out so I decided to wait.


*I didn't remember that until I said the same thing about Smokin' Seventeen: A Stephanie Plum Novel.


*Apparently I say this a lot.


*I am assuming that we will be having this same conversation when #18 hits the stands...


*Next up: A Discovery of Witches: A Novel.


*I love it when smart women write novels.  It challenges me.


*And Deborah Harkness is a very, very smart woman.


*An excellent book.  The "smart" is fairly leaking out all over the place.


*Sure...it's another vampire book and I keep saying I'm totally over those, but this is a "smart" vampire book!


*See?  See how that is different????


*It felt like it was running a bit long towards the end, but that is more on me as the reader than the author.


*Guess I've been indulging in more of the "quick fix" type books of late.  I've kind of forgotten how to stay true to a story.


*Totally worth the time, though.  I loved this book!


*Now I'm reading Feed (Newsflesh, Book 1).


*Because I have to.


*Post-apocalyptic zombie world.


*I don't like the looks of things, people.  Twenty years have passed since the rising of the dead and no one really seems to have learned much from this event.


*But bloggers rule the world and the tech has gotten pretty sharp so I guess it's not a total washout.


*I'm definitely going to read Deadline (Newsflesh, Book 2).


*Seems like the right thing to do and you never know what zombie fighting tips can be unearthed for future reference.


*I wonder if there are enough cucumbers for me to eat one now and still have some left for relish making later.


*Warming up to the cukes, I suppose.



I guess I should probably sign off now and see where we are with the "outside" water and whatnot.  I should probably also look into another blanket for the bed because I'd hate to wake up in the middle of the night freezing to death.  It is best to be prepared.

But I still maintain that being cool is every so much better!

SA

Hot Topics

It is currently four thousand degrees here in the manse.  I almost couldn't blog tonight because I got stuck in the kitchen when the vinyl flooring melted and I wasn't quite willing to give up my sandal to escape.  Then, just as I manage to extricate myself, the living room carpet spontaneously combusted, forcing me to battle the raging inferno before I could sit down at the computer.  Just when I thought I was comfortably settled in front of the fan and ready to share with the world my thoughts on the weather, the sun exploded and added another ten degrees to a situation already completely out of control IMHO.

OK.  So maybe I'm exaggerating just a little bit.  But I still maintain that it is very hot here and that I don't care for this.

Ever the optimist, though, I like to think that I learn stuff from my trials.  For example, I already knew that I was averse to knitting during this sort of weather, but now I am absolutely certain that the idea of working on a wool sock does not appeal to me at all once the mercury hits 90.  It's good to be sure of one's self.

I have also observed that the length of one's cats is directly related to the temperature.  A cat curled up in a ball indicates anything from a chill in the air to normal temps.  A cat stretched out in excess of three feet means you should are edging into a more tropical situation.

Early in the day.  Only around 88 degrees or so and the humidity was still bearable.  Not at full stretch yet.

Full on crazy heat.  Cat won't even fit in the shot.  His feet are out in the hallway.

Sleep is an interesting thing during a heat wave.  You stay up late, you get up early.  You do these things because that it when it is cool enough to think.  The rest of the time you lay around in a stupor, half conscious and wondering idly if it is possible to live inside the freezer or if all those stories you heard as a kid about there being a killer troll lurking in there are true.

Maybe it's just me who heard that.  Either way, I've chosen to not live in my freezer.  That, I suppose, is really for the best.

I also learned that dumping two packets of hot chocolate mix and ten ice cubes in the blender will result in an interesting concoction.  First, you get this grainy stuff that you have to spoon out and you despair until you taste it.  Then you realize it is cold and chocolaty and you don't much care what it looks like.  After a while, it melts a little in the staggering heat and you have a really nice slushee.  Before too long, it melts down enough to drink with a straw.

I happen to like it in all its incarnations.  I accidentally put in in some of those dried out little marshmallows that come in the packet, but it all worked out OK.  I've been smashing up chocolate ice cubes on and off for most of the day.

I hear good things for tomorrow, however.  It seems as though tonight's weather is going to be just a bit more comfortable and then things are going to take a turn for the better.  A little rain should do the trick nicely.  I look forward to being able to breathe normally and not having to keep a fire extinguisher close to hand to deal with the stupid flaming carpet situations.

I'll miss all the fascinating insights, though...

SA

WNBP: Things Are Heating Up

So yeah...I'm still trying to adjust to the vacation schedule.  Just when I think I have handle on it, I wake up in a cold sweat thinking that I have to get ready for work AND OMIGOD AM I LATE???  It takes a few minutes to remember the actual state of affairs.  Of course, there are certainly worse problems a person could have than remembering they get to stay in bed, but it was a rough school year.  That minute of hypertension is enough to age me prematurely.

I guess that is why the weather has suddenly taken a turn for the scorching.  Mother Nature, dear lady that she is is wants to help me get back on track with the schedule.  While I appreciate the gesture, I'm not necessarily thrilled with the 93 degrees.

I think I shall plant myself more comfortably in front of the fan and do the Wednesday Night Bullet Post.  That'll take my mind off the heat, at least for a little while.

*I went to the Farmer's Market this morning.


*That is a very summery thing to do and really helped to solidify the season for me.


*There wasn't much to be had, though.


*Since vacation started so much later, I guess I got it in my head that the growing season was a little further along...


*It could also be that I didn't get there until 9:00 and all the early birds beat me to the veggies.


*Got my first new garlic of the summer, though.


*And basil.


*I dream about this stuff all winter...


*I didn't think the day was very hot right up until about 2:00.


*Then I suddenly realized that it was, indeed, very hot.


*Crazy hot.


*93 degrees with rising humidity.


*Bleh!!!


*I didn't can any potatoes like I'd planned because who can can potatoes in 92 degree heat???


*I put up some chicken yesterday and that is good enough for now.


*I got such a kick out of eating my way through the summer produce last winter that I am determined to do more of it this year.


*So far I've done very little.  I blame the Farmer's Market and how they only had beets.


*OK.  They had more than beets.  But not much...


*They are also open on Saturday. I should go on Saturday.  They always have more on Saturday.


*But half the thrill is going on Wednesday when I should be at school teaching America's Future.


*They have redone the road leading over to the Market.  And the pet store is under new ownership.  Big changes went on while I was toiling in the salt mines!


*I think that things should stay the same unless I have been notified.


*Preferably in writing, but an email or quick call would suffice.


*I get all distracted by the new look.  


*And spend $45.00 at the new pet store on stuff I totally don't need...


*Da Boyz love the new chicken treats.


*Have I mentioned my love of fresh basil and mild, new garlic?  


*Mmmmmm...


*Lots to report on the book front.


*Since the cats keep getting me up so danged early, I get a bit more Reading In Bed time.


*Torment ((Fallen)) came out not long ago.  There's a sequel I've been waiting for.


*I forgot I was waiting for it, but then I remembered.


*Actually, I saw it and said, "I remember that one!!"


*Either way, that is remembering.


*And now I know what's been going on in the world of fallen angels and the girls who love them.


*And the Nephilim.  Sometimes they don't get the face time they deserve...


*I was stumbling around the online bookshelves and happened to notice The Map of Time: A Novel.  I was intrigued.


*It wasn't quite what I thought it was going to be and, at first, I saw some problems.


*Most notably the author's tendency to write in a very old and happily abandoned style.


*That of Breaking The Fourth Wall.


*In vogue many moons ago, it went something like, "And now gentle reader, I must pause to share with you such facts as only I, your humble scribbler and modest omniscient being, can know."


*Very jarring during a good read and really only suited to stuff from the days when a lady knew what side to put a bustle on.


*However, this is truly an amazing piece of literature.  Seriously.


*Modeled on The Time Machine.  And H. G. Wells plays a starring role.


*I was fascinated by this novel.  It put into words some of the very deep and convoluted inner debates I've had with myself over the nature of time and my place in the continuum.


*Yeah.  Deep thoughts.  I haz them.


*By the end, I'd even forgiven the whole fourth wall business.  It served a purpose.  


*Highly recommend.  Highly.


*And then...it happened.  The thing I've been awaiting for months.  I didn't forget to remember this one.  I've been watching.


*Heartless (The Parasol Protectorate) is out!!!!!!!


*Kids, if you want a good old fashioned romp through Victorian England and the best treatment of werewolves and vampires EVER...this is the series for you.


*You'll want to corset up, grab your parasol and tilt your plumed hat to a jaunty angle.  


*I laugh out out at points.  I can't help it.  


*Series starts with Soulless (The Parasol Protectorate).  That one is great.


*And it only gets better from there.


*The Cheerful Teaching Assistant is now addicted to this saga!


*I'd even suggest it for people who don't necessarily like the horror or steampunk genres.


*Alexa's exploits went a long way towards taking my mind off the heat today, lemme tellya!



Well the good news is that it looks like the heat is about to break.  The bad news is that it is going to break courtesy of a massive thunderstorm.  The rumbles have already begun, hence I think it is time to wrap this up.  I trust that you all had a marvelous Wednesday and that your Thursday will be even better.  If you need me, I'll be over here in front of the fan and awaiting the cold breezes.

Still glad it's summer, though.

SA

We Grit Our Teeth And Celebrate

This is the latest I've ever started my summer break.  I remain eternally grateful that I chose a career which affords me summers off, but it's still kind of rough to have to wait on it.  I think I've finally found my groove, although I have to admit that there has been an ongoing snag.

I got to sleep until 7:00 yesterday.  That is something of a miracle considering the state of things around here.  While I have made a serious commitment to the whole "being on vacation" thing, the resident felines are still not completely on board.  They continue to wake me at what anyone would consider unreasonable hours.

Said "hours" have ranged from 4:00 to 5:00 in the omigod-are-you-kidding-me morning and the strategies are really quite inventive.  I have been pounced upon full force by the Very Complicated Kitty.  I have opened my eyes to find the same cat an inch and a half from my face just waiting for me to be ready to receive a rousing yowl.  He has raced in and out of the room and all about the manse until I get out of bed in what can only be described as self-defense.  Good thing, too.  At least once the knitting was discovered to be in dire peril.

And it's not just the VCK.  No, the Absurdly Gi-normous Kitty has done his share to keep me from getting the rest I need.  I started from a deep sleep the other morning to find him perched on the bookshelf next to the Betta bowl and looking at me as if to say, "Look what I found!  When did we get this?  I had no idea we were growing our own sushi!!!"  He has launched his gi-normous self up to the top of the dresser and begun hurling items down upon his brother's head.  This very morning, he chose to embody the concept of "path of destruction" and I now have to rehang a few pictures in the boudoir, not to mention find all the decorative pebbles he kicked out of the equally decorative bowl in the salon.  The manse is in a veritable shambles.

It has been a trial.  And no.  I am not exaggerating.  I would know if I was exaggerating and don't try to tell me that that lack of sleep might cause me to see things as being just a wee bit worse than they are.

Yet in spite of it all, I still raised a glass of Mountain Dew and dispensed lots of sloppy kisses on July 3rd to acknowledge the anniversary of the day we all managed to be in the same place.  It's been a year since Da Boyz become official brothers.  To my utter shock and delight, they bonded within minutes and were sharing window space like they'd always done so.  I took this picture not long after the VCK settled in:

July, 2010...the cuteness spans the many months and can still knock you right over with its mighty strength.

And they're still sharing window space, as happily as they did back then.  The magic hasn't worn off.

Sometimes it isn't easy and requires a certain amount of give and take, spacewise.

But they make it work...

Yes, I am getting up far earlier than anyone on vacation should ever have to but I guess it's a small price to pay for being in the presence of such brotherly love.  Who am I to question the fates?

I'll just consider the early awakenings as an opportunity to spend more time basking in their glow...

SA