Wow.

A truck carrying some sort of explosive blew up in one of our canyons.

[link]

That's a two-lane road with that immense crater in it. Took out the rairoad tracks just to the southwest, too.

Yay patties!

That's part of the charm!

Oh, for sure. I love that neighborhood -- was just there last night. I can just imagine there being people who freak out on their way to seeing how it's perfectly fine.

Yay, Allyson! I am totally buying your book.

Please don't go to Cairo, shrift.

As it would eventually require me to teach children, I'm thinking Cairo is right out.

A truck carrying some sort of explosive blew up in one of our canyons.

Oopsie!

Oopsie is right, it's the only road through that section of the mountains.

Heck, I walk by a crackhead on my way to the grocery store--if my neighbor's awake and out on the sidewalk smoking at that hour, anyway.

Part of the neighborhood charm, right?

Edited to note that at least part of the reason I have so many posts is my lack of use of notepad when there is more than one thing I meant to copy.

Woot! I have been using a new mosquito-away lotion and pleased with its results, so I was curious to see if it would show up on Slate's review of the best Mosquito Repellants. #1 Baby!

*************

Off! Botanicals Lotion
Price: $6.59 at medichest.com
Category: chemical agent-meets-natural treatment
Active ingredient: p-menthane-3,8-diol and 7 percent DEET

The Off! Botanicals packaging touts its plant-derived formula extracted from eucalyptus leaves and twigs, but a closer look reveals that the product has a small percentage of DEET on its list of ingredients. Still, according to the EPA, Off! Botanicals isn't harmful to the environment and it can be applied judiciously without risk. Testers were thrilled to discover a mostly natural formula that could offer big-league protection: One application lasted upwards of two hours. The downside: While this lotion felt surprisingly light and nongreasy, its "garden scent" smelled like a cheap air freshener. Nevertheless, it did the trick, and we could rest easy in the great outdoors—no small feat in Memphis. The mosquitoes might hate it, but our test group gave Off! Botanicals a resounding "Amen."

Ease of use: 7
Practicality: 15
Effectiveness: 70
Natural ingredient bonus: 2.5
Total: 94.5

connie, maybe Jack Bauer is in town.

That's hardcore. And better never happen anywhere near me.

Part of the neighborhood charm, right?

Not when she keeps stealing stuff from the thrift store down the block, sells what she can, then dumps the rest in our garbage can. She could at least take the remnant back to the thrift store. And she needs to stop coming by our place to borrow the can opener or some toilet paper. There's a large grocery store one block away.

connie, maybe Jack Bauer is in town.

Yeah, the news report only says "some kind of explosive." No, really?