Space Invaders

Guess who is in there?  Yep.  Mouse Number Seven.

SEVEN!

I'm too freaked out to open the drawer and look, but I KNOW because I can hear him in there, trying to escape from the trap.  Little scritch-scratchy sounds, slowly driving me insane, like in the Tell Tale Heart.

Kev isn't here.  He had to work the night shift last night to support the launch (finally!) of his project.  During dinner, we watched the rocket carrying the satellites head up to space to get them into orbit.  So cool.  I got a little teary-eyed during separation.  So, Step 1: Getting the things to space, seems to be a success.  Now, the hard part, getting them to do what they're supposed to do up there.  I have confidence.  But it's mind-boggling to me, all this space stuff.  Amazing.  

Here's what I want to know.  If all these scientists can get rockets and satellites and things to space, why can't they invent something REALLY useful, like personal forcefields?  Because that is what I need.      Then I could stop worrying about mice crawling on me or scurrying across my feet.  

We are still going through an almost daily Catch and Release ritual with these mice.  I have this mental image of  hundreds, maybe THOUSANDS, of mice, having a big mouse party under my house.  Soon, they are going to become organized and plan their take-over.  They will come streaming out of the oven drawer in a big mouse wave, with their little round ears and stringy tails.  It probably doesn't help that I'm reading a Stephen King novel, but I think I'm going a little crazy.  The mice are winning.

I'm not sure how much more of this I can take.  We are a "no-kill" kind of family, but these are desperate times.  One of these days, Kev is going to come home and find me huddled up in a corner (up on a chair, of course!), rocking back and forth, slowly humming some creepy children's song like Three Blind Mice over and over.

I'm only sort of kidding.

On a happier note, Daphne and I had a fun day yesterday.  Lunch, book store, Sweet Frog, playground.  I love the Polar Vortex.

OK.  Time to get going.  I hope Kev gets home soon to take our latest captive down to the creek before he gets so mad that he Incredible Hulks himself into my kitchen to take his revenge.  

Seriously.  Forcefields.  Come ON, Science!

What's Worse than Catching Mouse Number Four?

Wanna know?  OK.  Here's what's worse:

THINKING you caught mouse number four, only to discover that mouse number four just triggered the trap but wasn't ACTUALLY caught and is therefor still at large, waiting to scurry over my feet at any moment.

Things to be happy about:

1.  The knitting classes I taught last night were so much FUN, and my students left happy and confident.  Yay!

2.  Tomorrow will be way less hot than today.

3.  I screened a shirt today.  And Friday, I will teach kids to screen shirts.  My shirt is about knitting.

4.  Project Runway Season 13 starts tomorrow.

5.  Ice Cream.

6.  A whole weekend with NO PLANS.

7.  My Hall and Oates Pandora station, which is GREAT as long as you are standing by to "thumbs down" any Huey Lewis or Phil Collins nonsense.

I think I'll go listen to it now...

Resident Evil

Here is a picture of a nice bluebird.  The bluebird of happiness.  But today, I am NOT happy.  Do you want to know WHY I am not happy?  

I will tell you anyway.

Because the people next door got a stupid divorce and the lady moved out and she took the stupid cats and since we have been back from Cape Cod, we have caught THREE mice in the drawer below my oven and there is at least one more that we know of, and probably even more than that and I am FREAKING OUT.  

Ugh.  

Kev said I would feel better if I blogged about it, but he was wrong.  And that is saying something because he is only wrong 3% of the time.  According to him.  

I don't feel better at all.

I hate mice.  They are dirty and they carry diseases and they poop everywhere and if you aren't careful, they get in your food supply.  And you never know where they are lurking or if they are at any moment going to scurry by and run across your feet which are essentially bare because you are wearing your summertime flip-flop style slippers instead of the heavy duty winter ones that keep your feet warm and safe from being trod upon by wayward rodents.  

Here is the routine:  1.  A trap is set in the drawer below the oven.  2.  A mouse is caught in the trap.  3.  Kev (my hero!) takes the trap down the street to the bike trail and releases the mouse by the creek.  4.  I clean the hell out of the oven drawer.  5.  More poop is eventually discovered and we start all over again with step number one.

I can't go on like this much longer.  And to make matters worse, Kev has THREE work trips coming up and I will be left here to deal with the mice alone.  I can't be expected to do step 3 without a Haz-Mat suit.  Seriously.  And when I told Kev this, he just laughed at me because I am "like a cartoon."  Then he said maybe if I played my Hall and Oates Pandora station it might drive away the mice.  Salt in the wound.

So, that's why I am not happy.  I am so grossed out.  I know these things are to be expected when you live in a 106-year-old house, but this is a problem that needs to be solved because I can't live the rest of my life going through steps 1-5 over and over and over again, and worrying about mice scurrying over my feet.

At least there are no lions.  But all bets are off if something crawls across my feet.  Sigh.

Calm blue ocean, calm blue ocean, calm blue ocean...

UPDATE: DANGIT I just checked the trap and there is a mouse in it.  That's mouse number FOUR.  It will just have to stay in there and wait for Kev to get home.  

When will this nightmare end?  

Weekend Instagrammed

On Friday, we wrapped up another week at Swim Kids, and I got crafty with my glue gun and my Cape Cod rock collection.

Friday night, Daphne got to sleep in the attic teepee.  I wish I had a teepee.  I don't really fit in Daphne's very well.

On Saturday, Kev and Daphne went to the water park and I worked at the Finch.  It was busy and I forgot to bring any food.  But two nice customers from Maryland brought me a cup of Lightfoot crab bisque, so I got to eat after all!  Can you see that pile of fat quarters?  I cut fat quarters all day long.  I'm getting good at cutting fat quarters.

On Sunday, we went to brunch at Market Table Bistro and went to a family pottery class to make bowls.  I made a yarn bowl...see, it has a hole in it that your yarn goes through.  Plus, I put a bird on it.

Daphne and Kevin made bowls, too.  It was fun.  I would like to make bowls and other pottery things more often.  Daphne said she wants to be a potter.

I think Kev had a good time, too, although he got made fun of for being a perfectionist about his bowl, and the teacher asked if he is an engineer.  Which, of course, he is.  

We each made two bowls.  We get to keep one, and the other is donated to the Empty Bowls program, which is very cool.  

Which brings us to today, which is Monday.  I dropped Daphne and her friend Ruby at camp this morning and went immediately to Shoes to sit ALONE and drink coffee LEISURELY.  This is the first day I've had without a sidekick since school got out last month.  And I refuse to feel guilty for enjoying the heck out of it.  Believe me, Daphne needs a break from ME just as much as I need a break from being Mommy all day.  It will be good for both of us.  I am hoping that my battery will be recharged by the end of the week.  I also hope there will be some sewing.  Maybe tomorrow.

Kev is the one who REALLY needs a break, but he isn't going to get one for a while.  Stress is bad for people.  

Sigh.

Well, time to go do something productive.  Or maybe take a quick nap before camp pick-up...

Post Vacation Post

So, that about wraps up our Cape Cod vacation.  It was a good trip, bookended by visits with Kev's family.  Daphne got to have some quality cousin time and jump on the trampoline and swim at the lake...a nice little preview to our annual New York County Fair Lake Place Last Big Thing Before School Starts trip.  Can't wait.

Since we've been home, there has been a lot of cleaning and a little bit of crafting.

Daphne lost another tooth.

And climbed a tree.

We've been taking advantage of good things in our little town, like local restaurants and the farmer's market.

Last night, it was so nice out (thank you, Polar Vortex) that we went downtown and ate dinner on the La Lou "patio."  I had lobster ravioli topped with shrimp, crab meat, and vodka sauce.  Just like being on vacation.  On a Wednesday!

One morning, I was visited by an owl.

And one night, Kev beat me at cribbage, but only by 2 pegs.

We had friends over for tapas one evening, and Daphne has been swimming every day, and I've been working at the shop a little bit.  There have been various dentist and eye doctor appointments and house and car issues to deal with.  Summer is just as busy as the school year.  But most of it is fun.

This morning, I am enjoying my coffee and my delicious farmers market yogurt and blueberries and my big pile of fresh library books.  Daphne is in the other room watching Tree House Master.  It's nice to ease into the day.  We don't have to be anywhere until 10:40!

This weekend, I'm working on Saturday, and we're going to a family pottery class on Sunday.  Next week, Daphne will be in a day camp, and I will be teaching some classes at Finch, but I will also have a little time alone in the house for the first time in a LONG time.  I think I will use that time to do something with this:

Mustangs and arrows.  I think I'll make a giant bag of some sort.  Because I need more bags.

Halfway through summer.  Hard to believe.  More fun stuff to come...

But now, more coffee.

Vacation - A Few More Favorite Pictures

I love vacations.

Vacation - Good Eats

There is nothing better than vacation food.  We started at our favorite roadside BBQ shack near Gettysburg for pulled pork and milkshakes.

But the REAL fun started in New London, Connecticut.  Because it was LOBSTER ROLL time!  Thank you, Captain Scott's Lobster Dock.  The perfect food:

I only really cooked once at the beach house.  I made a big pot of corn and crab chowder, which was good for several meals.

Dinner time on our little porch.

But, back to the lobster.  There was post bike-ride Lobster Mac-n-Cheese at Seafood Sam's.

In Provincetown, there was AMAZING lobster bisque and lobster ravioli at the Lobster Pot.

There was a Lobster Newberg Benny at the 6A Cafe in Sandwich, which was great until I got a gritty bite.

And there was more bisque at Captain Kidd in Wood's Hole.

And, we couldn't pass up THIS opportunity.  It was, um, weird.

We had donuts from a shack in Dennis, MA.  

We had sandwiches in Sandwich at Cafe Chew (Sandwich's Sandwichery).

We were glad to know the Sandwich Police were nearby, in case of any pickle or mustard incidents.

There was ice cream with cousins at the Ice Cream Sandwich in Sandwich.

And finally, a Dark and Stormy on a dark and stormy day, while watching the sailboats and the World Cup and waiting for hurricane Arthur to arrive.

Oh my gosh I love fresh New England seafood.  It's right up there with food from New Orleans.  And a whole week with almost no cooking is OK with me.