how we conquered august

So, don't think that just because I haven't been posting that nothing interesting has been going on around here. Plenty has been going on. And yet, amidst all the happenings, my interest in coming home from eight hours at the computer just to sit in front of another computer has pretty much vanished. And, oh, how the blog has suffered.

Let's begin. First, we had a wonderful second anniversary, complete with a fancy new business suit for Somebody and an iPod for me (somehow I got the much better end of that deal.) Somebody proceeded to wear that suit to a job interview and shortly after that he was offered a job! Hurray for wonderful anniversary gifts! While we were both thrilled with the new job, because it is in Topeka we soon realized that our carpooling days were over. Sad. And yet! That bit of news led us to this:

Hurrah! What? Oh, why yes! That IS my dream car parked in the driveway. They brought it all the way from Tennessee because that was the closest model that met my very detailed and specific wants. Shopping for this car was slightly frustrating, but not nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

Sample conversation:
Dealer: So, what are you looking for?
Me: RAV4. Limited. Pacific blue. 2007. Tan interior.
Dealer: Well, what can I do to get you to buy a car here today? Me: Have the one I want.
Dealer: Well, we can make some big compromises, but you have to make some small compromises. How about a silver 2008?
Me: Nope. I know what I want, and I don't have to make compromises because I know what I want is out there.
Dealer: You are going to have to make some compromises.
Me: No. I'm not.
Dealer: Look, what do I have to do to get you to buy a car here?
Me: Have the car I want. And you don't. I know what I want. I'm not going to compromise.

We ended up having to make a quick run for it when they had their backs turned. Good times. In the end, not one dealership in the Kansas City area had what we were looking for, so we turned to our trusty friend Internet and located my dream car in no time. Somebody did some swift negotiating and the next weekend the car came up from Tennessee. I am still in some rather frustrating exchanges trying to get the vehicle titled and licensed, but I'm optimistic that it will all work out.

I could not be more thrilled with the car. I could not be more thrilled about Somebody's job. I could not be more thrilled with August.

the best part of my commute these days

i puzzle myself

Last night Somebody commented that I haven't posted in a while. (He said this, or course, right as I was finally getting around to posting about all our vegetables. A story that should have been told a month ago.) Sometimes, though, I just don't have the time, energy, or interest to sit down and write stories, even when I have something that I want to say. It's during those times that I make lists of things that I will post about...later...when I get around to posting. I went to check this list so that I can start the updates and one of the first items was this:

Raccoon /chimney /prophet

Uh. Okay. Apparently I had a story about a raccoon, a chimney, and a prophet. I have NO idea what this could be referring to. If these were the notes in your "blog about this" book, what story would you be telling?

reaping what we sowed

This was the harvest* from our garden on August 16. (When did I put those pictures together and save them on Blogger all ready to post? August 16. Sorry about that.) Our gardens this year about been producing like crazy. I took pictures at the beginning of the summer and then again last month to show the difference, but, of course, have not posted those. Man, I'm lazy this month. Oh, and the pumpkin? Yeah. We have about 30 more where that came from. Sadly, it's just a little early for carving.

Most of the vegetables have kind of given all they had to give by now, but we are still going strong on tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, pumpkins, peppers, and peaches.

*pictured (roughly from top to bottom) are leeks, green beans, squashini**, pumpkin, corn, cucumbers, cantaloupe, zucchini, jalapenos, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, pimento, sweet peppers, and carrots. Not pictured, but also harvested that morning, we regular onions and green onion.

**We have several volunteer plants in the garden. This one, the squashini, seems to be a hybrid of yellow squash and zucchini. Tis yummy.