I'd like some cheese with my whine.

So yesterday Big Daddy seemed to wake up in a pissy mood. I later found out it was just towards me and he spent the whole day not talking to me.

I asked his sister what exit the WalMart was at and she said about 40 miles west at Bridge Street. "Why?"

"Oh I just need to get a couple of things."

"Like what?"

"Ice, stuff for the road."

"Like what?"

"Ummm, just stuff."

What the hell? Who cares what I want. I just want to go to WalMart without the 3rd degree.

We've caused a new water shortage all on our own. The cistern is down to 750 gallons. We've used 1,250 gallons in 6 days. The cistern of 2,000 gallons should last them about a month. So no one showered yesterday. We all put on our swimsuits after lunch, piled into two cars, and headed 40 miles in to town to the community pool. I brought soap, shampoo, and a razor, figuring we could wash up after swimming.

We get there and it looks really nice, high drive board, spiral slide, blue water. But why are there no people at the pool? Its like 93 degrees, blistering by midwest standards. Low and behold, it doesn't open until this weekend. So I figure we are headed back to the house but no, they stop at WalMart. I have to put my foot down. I am NOT shopping at WalMart in my swimsuit! "Didn't you bring clothes to change into?" I did but the shorts will not fit over my swim skirt.

On the upside, we leave today.

I'll miss the birds. Five feet from where I have my morning coffee, I watch woodpeckers of various sizes and colors, walk vertically up trees. Blue Jays, Cardinals, Red-headed Nuthatches, Yellow Finches, Robins (I haven't seen a Red Breasted Robin in San Antonio in 15 yrs.) and various other birds of color eat from bird feeders.

Last night at 9:30 pm EST it was still light out. Not mid-day light but still light enough to see everything clearly. I watched lightening bugs put on a mini fireworks show. I woke up this morning at 6:30 am and the sun was fully up. Now that's a lot of day light hours.

I'll miss my little 7 yr. old niece, Jelly Bean. She is just too cute and living way out in the boondocks, has no playmates. She just loved having us here. I went to her room yesterday afternoon and played Barbies. Before long the 2 princesses joined us in the 3 foot pile of barbies and accessories. Jelly Bean was in heaven. She has promised to draw and send me pictures. In return, I promised to put them on my refrigerator and send her a picture of my fridge. I haven't seen Jelly Bean since she was an infant with with one side of her head being flat. Her head has rounded out nicely in the last 6 yrs. and she is beautiful. (I had my doubts 6 yrs. ago.)

Favorite thing she's said this week:

Her mother asked her if she'd brushed her hair and Jelly Bean just stood there looking at her. "Jelly Bean, I told you to go brush your hair and you went in the bathroom and just fooled around. Didn't you?"

Jelly Bean cocked her head to the side and said, "I don't understand what you mean?"

Well, we've been given the green light to wipe out the remaining 500 gallons of water by showering before we leave today at noon for little sister's house. Oh goody, now I get to hang with my 2 yr. old nephew, who has been described as spoiled, a pain, and loud. Next vacation just book me a room at a local mental health facility with good access to drugs.