Fifth Ward Jam

Well, kids, I have a case of twitchy foot so I might as well do a late-night blog post. Last weekend, I checked out this cool bungalow that has been transformed by two local artists and named "Fifth Ward Jam." The fifth ward is a somewhat gritty neighborhood, but it just got a lot cooler with this addition.They have built in a little stage on the front for jam sessions, get it?
Side view:

Another side view. That door leads to the kitchen, which you can barely walk into.

Gotta give credit to the creators of this little marvel, here it is:

Houston followers: It's on Lyons street. You can find it.

Time for "window treatments"

Who thought of that term & doesn't it sound pretentious? Nevertheless, after one year in our new home, we're ready for window treatments. We are both accountants, what do we know about this stuff? Luckily, our fabulous designer, Diane, came up with some great choices. This is the fabric for the kitchen window, it will become a shade. Looks better than the fence, doesn't it?

Over by the breakfast table, there are 3 windows. They'll have this fabric and trim. It's going to be some sort of valance/shade that doesn't pull down - just for looks: The fabric on the left, below, will be drapes under our decorative half-circle window. This is all one big room, so everything has to play together nicely.
We were talking to Diane about waiting so long to get window treatments. Well, they're pricey! Some things just have to wait. We're mature enough to wait. What's the last thing you waited to get?

Garden critters

It's the 10th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks. I couldn't stand to watch all the TV coverage when it happened. I just tried to carry on as normally as I could. I have been catching up this weekend.
Meanwhile, critters in the yard don't care what day it is. Here's a lizard on the fence:

Bumblebee on the pentas:
That blur in the middle of this photo is a hummingbird, see it?
We're flying the flag this weekend - put yours out!

Compare & contrast

Remember when your English Literature teacher used to give that assignment? "Compare & contrast Crime & Punishment with The Scarlet Letter," something like that. I always hated that one. In Texas, we are having our 21st day of temps over 100, along with a record-setting drought. The weatherman said the other day that it's been over 200 days since we had an INCH of rain. ARRGGHH The whole state is toast! Just 3 years ago, we had Hurricane Ike. That storm went on, and on, all night. It knocked out our power for 16 days. And we woke up to this mess in the yard:

We had to deal with that broken tree limb ourselves - help was hard to find:
Now, we're staying inside, enjoying the air conditioning, and wishing/praying/hoping for rain. Here's a squirrel, cooling his jets in the cool dirt under our oak tree:
Several of our wood ferns look like goners, but they might bounce back:
Desperate times call for desperate measures, so I just got out the sidewalk chalk and wrote a plea on the driveway:
Don't worry, I remembered my manners:
If you can spare some in your area, please send us some rain!

Late bloomers

It's too hot to think here in Texas, but a few things are managing in the garden. Here's a nice sunflower we grew from seeds we bought in Fredericksburg back in May:

When I got home from Hong Kong in February, I eagerly planted tomatoes which did exactly nothing. Suddenly, however, the Stump of the World has taken off, grown and put on blooms. It is shown below, getting support from the viburnum next to it. If it ever produces a tomato, it will be the longest-awaited EVER - probably 6 months. Hope it tastes good.We've had a few showers recently, but we still need a lot of rain. Send us any extra you have!

Everyone would be in love with me!

Farrago blog post

Farrago is one of my favorite restaurants here, the word means hodgepodge and that's what we have on the blog today. First, here's a cool ride, we haven't shown one for a while. This was parked outside the diner in Michigan when we visited family recently:

Speaking of the trip to Michigan, your blogmistress finally got to ride the fabled Dingray bike that her brothers built in the 60s. It was lovingly restored by brother Bill, and it is FUN to ride. The hubs of the wheels are off-center, which makes the bike undulate up & down. The faster you ride, the more it bounces. It was a big hit with everyone. Now I want my OWN Dingray!
Here are the world-famous Daughters of the Potato Famine, my brothers, and our spouses. That's a happy bunch!
Last weekend, we drove to Albany, TX to see the Ft. Griffin Fandangle. It is a prairie theater, half the population of the little town is involved in it, and it's really a fun show. This little shaver must have pulled the short straw, he played the skunk:
We've all been to live plays, but have you been to one with Texas longhorn cattle in the cast? Well, this play has a whole mess of them:

Here's a shot toward the end of the show, the whole cast (minus longhorns) came out for a final song.

Enjoy the Independence Day holiday, everyone! Fly the flag, cook some bbq, and relax.