It's not getting what you want, it's wanting what you've got

Gotta keep remembering that as I look at the forecast for Jackson, WY next week. Yesterday, it didn't look so good for much of next week. Accu-weather looks a little brighter today. It IS next week, though, so I need to remember that things will probably be different. I'll just have to love the weather we get.

Starting to pack -- sizing up what I can take in the luggage I'm willing to lug. Looks like if I want to bring the tripod... and I think I do... I need to take the medium suitcase. We were hoping to get by with two smalls, but I think it'll be the small and the medium.

I'm planning on taking the video camera (thanks, Joe) mainly for Yellowstone. A picture of steam rising out of the ground ain't the same as video with sound.

Getting the deck squared away. Need to get the autowatering system up and running for the summer. I planted some veggies in the garden over the weekend. The watercress hydroponic pot is slow to start -- hope it takes off while we're gone.

I also figured out why the Big Green Egg wasn't working so well the last couple of times we used it. I had used those parafin/sawdust firestarters in it the last few times I lit it... well apparently a lot of that wax melted and clogged the bottom draft area with a crunchy mixture of charred wax and ash. Cleaned it out, and it's back to its old terrific self again.

Looks like the yahoos next door are moving out. I hope we get a more stable set of neighbors, but proably shouldn't hold my breath. Responsible adults would be nice. The management company running the place don't seem to care who they rent it out to. It's the only rental on the block. The rest of us owners are stable, working or retired adults. Got home yesterday and there was a blacksnake in their house. I went next door and helped capture it and released it in the woods behind our house. It was about 3 feet long. No idea how it got in, or more amazingly, managed to get up on their hockey table.

That house is a mess inside. There was a note on the door from the management company saying that they were going to show the house today. Bet they'll be pissed when they see the condition.

Had dinner with Sam and Patty & friends last night at Murry's -- Kristen graduated. She's turned in to a pretty young lady. Going to ... oh, some college in Atlanta for Grad School. Patty's looking great. She has a short hair cut that looks really good on her. You always see Patty and Kathy in dresses. They look so nice in them. John got his hair cut! Wow! He's probably 56 years old now. I guess fatherhood gets us all eventually ;-) Sam was quiet... we mostly listened to John. We should really get down to Arizona sometime and visit them.

Brian got a letter from one of his economics professors praising him and telling him what a joy it was students like him in her class. Wow. I never got anything like that. Impressive.

Gotta go!

Congratulations....

We're back from the graduation/mother's day/mother's birhtday weekend. Other than the purposes (celebration, seeing family, helping out around Mom's house -- all fine and good, but if you know what I'm talking about there's no need to explain, and if you don't no amount of explaining would be enough) -- so... other than that, it was a pretty uneventful trip ... oh, except for there's now something drastically wrong with the front end of Vicki's car. It got worse on the way home. Some vibration. Didn't affect the steering, but it was noisy and you could feel it in the car.

The litterbox got too full while we were gone and Bart took to the bottom of the stairs, so I had that to deal with -- bleah.

Brian's back with an old girlfriend, Carrie. She was graduating, too, although she has to take 3 more hours this summer. She spent a Christmas with us a few years ago. We liked her, too. She's had a bit of a rough go in life, but has stood up to it well. Heh... taking on Brian... and she actually knows what she's getting into. ;-) That says something. Brian says this is different. Hey, it's the first time he's ever gone "back" to someone. I suppose there's something to that.

Kevin apparently has a new girlfriend, too -- haven't met her. Adrianne. She's got like a year and a half left -- triple major in Photojournalism, History... and something else. He was over last night. Brian came back yesterday sometime and did some work for his dad. He came over about 2 hours after we got home, and Kev came to join him. Kev seemed pretty happy when Adrianne called. Twitterpated. Yup.

Well, the problem on Vicki's car is a wheel bearing. No surprise there. So that brings the grand total over about the past 6 weeks on the car to $800. Oh well. Cheaper than a new car.

10 days to Jackson, WY. I've been pouring through my books I got. Even got a topo map of Yellowstone in Fort Wayne. Now if I just had a Teton one... Got some socks for hiking. Last major hiking trip I took (Chicago Creek valley with Vicki) I got some sore spots on my feet. These are thick, breathe, and are moisture-wicking. Right then.

Well, I'm off.

*poof*