I scream, you scream. . .

We all scream for ICE CREAM!

On Thursday, June 26th, from 6-9 pm, Ben & Jerry's in West Lake will donate 25% of its total salesto the Austin Valkyries Women's Rugby Club. That means you have the best excuse ever to come cool off and eat ice cream while helping an active group in our community!

Feel free to join some of your fellow "chunk-spelunkers" in taking on the Vermonster - a giant bucket of 20 scoops of ice cream with all the sundae toppings you can think of - brownies, cookies, bananas, chocolate fudge, whipped cream, etc. Join up with a friend and see if you can tame the beast in just 30 minutes - if you do, it's FREE and both eaters get a year's worth of Ben & Jerry's! If you lose, it costs $49.99 (25% of which will go to the rugby team) but you'll get the glory of at least having played. And having eaten a lot of sweets. I know some folks who are planning their flavors already...

Please tell all your friends, make it an ice cream happy hour after work, and come help the Valkyries raise some money!

Children of the Corn

Let's face it - kids are messy. So, when my nieces came to visit this past weekend, I wasn't really surprised when my house got turned upside down (including an entire family-sized bag of Cheetos on the living room floor!). The destruction of several small (insignificant) Christmas decorations they had found didn't faze me at all. I didn't even bat an eye when DZ and I discovered a blanket that had been peed on and stashed away (must have been from the excitement - they're both potty trained).

What did surprise me, however, was when we turned back the covers to go to bed that night, we discovered CORN in our sheets. Popcorn, kernels from corn on the cob, corn chips - basically every kind of corn we had consumed that weekend, along with a tiny ketchup stain (ironically, made from high fructose corn syrup - more corn!) in the corner. How did this happen!?!?!?!

Now, big messes and little children aside, I must say that we had a great weekend. DZ's family (everybody but his dad) came in for the weekend, and we laughed, played, splashed, ate, laughed some more and just had a grand ol' time. The little ones had never been swimming in a lake before, and they were amazed that we would actually allow them to swim in "fish water." I think everybody had a good time, and now that they know the way, maybe they'll come back and visit some time soon!

PS - DZ's mom finally knows we're married, by the way!

My Garden Kicks Ass

"Well, there's nothin' in the world that I like better than bacon and lettuce and homegrown tomatoes. . . " 

Guy Clark should stop on by next time he's in Spicewood for some of the finest homegrown tomatoes he can get his hands on! Check 'em out:

Looks so yummy, eh? Well, let me tell you. . . I am so full of tomatoes right now I can't see straight! And looking forward to more. Zeke has worked so hard to restore the squash, but that dang bug may have been the end of 'em. Not to worry, though. . . he re-planted about ten times more than the ginormous batch we had already planted, so we will be up to our buckets in squash by the end of summer!

The cucumbers are doing fine, with a few ready for picking. The corn is on the grow, and Boy-o loves to hide in it a la "Secondhand Lions." Poor little peas, barely hanging in there. The watermelon should be taking off even more in the weeks to come - and I can't wait! Oh, and I can't forget the peppers. . . 

Sitting here typing about my garden reminds me of my Papa James. We lived pretty far away from him as kids, so we weren't exactly "close" until I went to college and got an e-mail address at about the same time Papa did. He used to write me letters about his okra and his doctor visits - no kidding! I loved it. Always entertaining, to say the least, and great to be in touch with family.

Hog Hunting

Well, the Republic of Texas biker rally is in town this weekend, and that can only mean one thing. . . HOGS in the Hill Country! DZ and I are headed out this morning for a drive (in a four-door car, not a two-wheeled death machine - sorry SissieFace!) through the countryside and to make a few stops at such biker bars as Harry's on the Loop and Albert Texas. It's been my experience that where there's rattling pipes and leather outfits, there's also a ton of fun to be had and stories to be heard!

After that we'll go cleanse our souls with a dip in the Llano River. Castell is serving up BBQ and bloody mary's today. . . not a bad combo after a day of hog hunting!

On a side note, the garden still kicks ass and the squash are in full recovery. I'm glad we have all our tomatoes in bloom. . . I'd hate to risk Salmonella for a savory tomato, but those who know me know that I'd pretty much have to if I wasn't growing my own. The moral of the story? It's always safer to grow your own!

Paraskevidekatriaphobia

Lucky for me, you can't get it from kissing! Wanna know what it is? Look it up, dear!

OK, fine, I'll tell you. . . paraskevidekatriaphobia means "fear of Friday the 13th!" I found some interesting (and odd) facts about my lucky day on this blog. Since I'm too lazy (and tired) to do any fact checking, I'll just link to the blog and let you check for yourself if you'd like. I, however, choose to be a sucker and believe it all. . . this time!