Happy Sunday, Dear Readers!

I hope you’ve had a wonderful week.  Here on the farmstead it’s been HOT!  Scorchingly hot, and none here were happy about it.  The cottonwoods in the yard are dropping leaves like early fall.  I also feel a bit like Snow White with the amount of wildlife that has taken up residence in our yard because we’re watering the gardens and flowerbeds and have water out in a couple places for the chickens.  A steady source of food and water makes for long-term guests.  I”ll have to get a photos of the local wildlife in collusion with each other at the bird feeders.  I can’t blame them for wanting something to eat and drink and a cool, damp spot to lie in when it’s approaching 110 degrees F.

DH and I discovered that our weather station stops transmitting when the outdoor temperature, in the shade, reaches 108 degrees F, so we had to switch over to a less accurate analog thermometer.  Today and at least for the rest of the week the weather channels are all calling for temperatures in the mid-80’s; it’s a welcome reprieve as even our paddle cactuses from out west were starting to shrivel.  Hopefully we get some rain soon.

Most of southern Wisconsin has been under a burn ban for over a week and many communities have postponed or canceled their fireworks displays due to the danger of fire. There have been a couple grass fires in the area, though what sparked them I don’t know – probably someone tossing a cigarette out their car window – as they’ve been alongside roadways.

DH and I didn’t attend any fireworks on the 4th, but stayed home in the AC and read or watched movies.  I just watched Good Luck Chuck and The Lather Effect from my Netflix list… I couldn’t tell you how long ago they were put on the list as at one time it was over 300 discs long.  Both movies were “okay” with Chuck being “cute” and Lather falling into “interesting”.  Neither of which I’d watch again – then again, very FEW movies fall into that category.

I’ve been working on a project to scan all of the photographs from pre-digital photography age that we’ve got around the house.  Clarification – all photographs that are decent.  There is a lot of stuff that I’ve been looking at asking, “Why did I take this photo?”  Some have been pretty good technically-speaking, others jogged fond memories, and a lot made me laugh.  There were others that left me wondering, “Now what was that person’s name again?”  I’m torn between tossing the photos or popping them into storage… I’m still undecided.

In other news – the Happy Chickens have survived the heat wave though they’ve cut way back on the eggs we collect every day, but I can’t blame them much – it’s been damn hot.  My arugula is starting to bolt so I’ll have to pull that up soon; this week in food also found me purchasing half a lamb with some friends.  Tonight I’ll make “something with lamb”.  Probably an Indian dish…. I love Indian food.   Yesterday found DH and I going to the Bristol Renaissance Faire in Southeastern Wisconsin (WI/IL border).  We hadn’t been for a few years and I thought it would be fun to go again.  The people-watching is always entertaining, but as it always has been, the food was way overpriced as were the drinks, and I couldn’t bring myself to buy anything this time.  To be fair, I have been asking myself more questions about purchases lately.  Do I need it?  Will I use/wear it again?  Where will it “live” in the house?  That usually stops me from buying things.

NOW – to the Search Terms!

This weeks top search has been:  Wisconsin Drought 2012.  It’s a scorcher folks – have I mentioned that it’s hot?!  You know it’s dry when even CACTUS are starting to shrivel up.  I’ve got small trees that have died on the lot (in addition to a stand of oaks that have succumbed to Oak Wilt), the “lawn” is crispy and everything else is stressed out.  I hope everyone realizes that the price of food is going to go up this year!

This weeks Honorable Mention is:  toe nail fungus 60 grit sandpaper.  Firstly, Ouch!  Secondly, OUCH!  Whomever you are, go see your doctor; there are things that can be done for toenail fungus that don’t involved 60 grit sandpaper, everything from ointments to oral medications.  I hope you get successful treatment for your fungus.

And now… the facts!

Random Facts 184 – 190

Random Fact #184 – I floss my teeth nearly every day.

Here’s the thing… I have a “thing” about teeth.  There was a girl in grade school who had brownish teeth (later I came to learn that that was a flouride issue).  She and I would eat lunch together often and one day as we sat on the gym floor eating our bologna sandwiches, I asked her, “…why don’t you brush your teeth?  They’re always brown.”  I’m sure I gave her a complex, she defended that she did brush her teeth, and like so many conversations with kids, we moved on to the next topic.

From that moment on, I was always looking at peoples teeth.  Were they dirty?  Did they need to floss?  Were their teeth missing?  I’m better now about not screwing up my face in horror when I see “bad teeth”, reminding myself that not everyone could afford braces.  Heck, even I have started to look into braces as my teeth are starting to “crowd” as I get older.

What’s with the “nearly”?  Well, there have been times where I’ve been without floss.  Happens to the best of us.  You just have to brush well and carry on.

Random Fact #185 – I like my hot coffee straight up black.  No cream, no sugar.

I should correct this… sometimes I put cream in my hot coffee.  ICED coffee, however, is usually one of those high-calorie, sugared-up and creamed concoctions that just taste so damn good!

Random Fact #186 – I enjoy reading Forbes magazine.

Call me a nerd, but I find it very informative.  Yes, it’s a Right-leaning publication, but the information they give in their pages about various companies is invaluable to someone like myself who is a fledgling investor.

Random Fact #187 – I am a remorseful consumer.  I suffer “buyer’s guilt/remorse” for nearly all purchases.

Putting fuel in the car doesn’t have this guilt-affect but buying bread at the store does.  Why?  Because I know how to make bread.  Buying clothes often makes me feel guilty.  Why?  Because I know how to sew… I’m not great at it, as in I won’t be a costume designer anytime soon, but I’ve turned out some nice things.

I really want to replace some worn out beach towels, but I don’t like the thin ones that I see at the stores and I just keep thinking “these can hang out for another year…“

Random Fact #188 – I enjoy shopping at a thrift store a lot more than for “virgin” clothing (brand new off the rack).

I feel less guilt over second-hand store purchases… and finding things I like is a crap-shoot.  Sometimes I come out empty-handed, and other times I’ve come home with a dozen new pieces for under $50.

Random Fact #189 – I have considered applying to Mensa.

Considered… but then I thought they’d probably want me to hang out at meetings or some other such nonsense… and I’d either feel much smarter than people or completely inferior… neither of which sounded appealing.

Random Fact #190 – Once I know “the big picture”, I focus intensely on the details and can get lost in them.

This is a good and/or bad thing… Some people can’t articulate their “Big Picture”, so I get frustrated with them because they’re telling me all the little details and I don’t know where they are headed.  The details don’t do me any good if I don’t know where we’re headed.

Once I HAVE the “Big Picture” firmly in view however, I can doggedly pursue the details and I get a bit anal about them depending on the project.   Other projects that are bit less impactful though, I can just fly by the seat of my pants as long as I know what direction to fly in… it’s all good and we’ll get there when we get there.

Hope to see you next Sunday!