I have three terrific neighbors who watch my cat when I travel. They're so terrific I'm going away on vacation with all of them in October.

Oops.

I'm weirdly up and at 'em early this morning, am planning on going to church at 11, but am considering going to get my nails done first. Of course I'm not 100% sure of the name of the place I go, so I can't figure out how to find their hours. I kind of think they do open at 9, though. Hmmm.

....yeah, not til 10 on Sundays. Ah well.

Well damn. That's no good.

I'm making my usual 4th of July cake. But this time with chocolate instead of white cake. Same icing though. Today will be well above 100 so I may as well bake before it gets unbearable.

Bartleby has only been in the care of 3 other people in his 9 years with me.

One guy spent the night here and I called pretty much every two hours. "We're drinking beers, sitting on the couch, eating pizza (a no no) and scratching ourselves. What do you think we're doing?" (1 night)

One woman loves him so much, she sends photos of him to her kids and then they send emails asking after him. They even have a photo of him on their mantle! (a total of 6 nights over 3 years)

And then there is J&M, who took him when I was sick. He loves them, and their Greyhound so much, I'm pretty certain he would gladly throw me over for them at the drop of a hat. (13 nights)

My neighbor, how constantly asked me to let in contractors, feed her neglected cats, and hang out waiting for deliveries because "Well, you are home aren't you?" couldn't fuss herself to walk one half of one block to let Bartleby out in the yard when I was trapped on a closed road. He had been alone for 17 hours, but 'it wasn't an emergency.'

Yeah. I don't trust anyone, except the ones above. If I'd had the experience with the teen sitter above, no lie, violence would have ensued.

Then again, I'm pretty neurotic.

Grand total of nights Bartleby and I have been apart, 20 out of 3469.

I'm skipping the 25th reunion of the Great Peace March in August because I can't take him. That, and the event seems to be fraught with discomforts I would not enjoy, but still. Wither I go, he goest.

I love that I think I'm up so early, still haven't really done anything, and Kat is baking, three hours ahead of me.

Wimbledon: I am so enjoying watching Djokovic break Nadal and break him again.

Is that wrong?

Seems right to me, sumi. I'm enjoying it, too! I had no idea that Djokovic was for real that good.

Jesse, you know I'm a pathological morning person, right? Like I'm starting week two of summer break and I still get up at 5:00? Usually to cook something? I'm the person who made apricot jam and canned it before I went to work two thursdays ago. There is something WRONG with me.

It's so stinking hot that if I want anything cooked I have to do it in the early AM before the heat starts. And we have curtained off the kitchen so as not to heat the rest of the house for the day.

I'm going to do my window screens next, but that can happen in the heat.

There is something WRONG with me.

Well, maybe....It's good, though! You're so freakig productive!