wherein I do not talk about this country's slide into chaos

This is what's left of my fig tree and I cracked the handle of my shovel digging it up. I would have had to severely cut it back anyway.

All four piles of dirt have been delivered plus an extra for the septic system and it's a good thing I dug up the fig tree when I did because they dumped the last load of dirt right on top of where it had been later that day.

And now I wait til they get around to spreading it out and making the pad. We got all the paperwork for the house which we are looking over before we make the purchase. Now really it's just about pulling up my big girl panties and writing the check. You may recall, we like to buy things outright, bite the bullet and get it over with, no interest, no payments dragging on forever, cheaper in the long run since the loan interest would undoubtably be more than the paltry bit of interest we're getting on it while it sits in the bank. You may also recall my aversion to spending money, especially large chunks of it at one time even when I want to buy whatever which I mentioned while the bathroom was being remodeled. It's not because we don't have the money, we do, or that it will hurt us financially, it won't, it's just that I'm a saver and I've had to be frugal my entire adult life as a working artist so I'll probably wait til the pad is ready.

And I need to find someone to trim the cedar tree by the gate. We need 15' clearance.

My grandgirl Jade sent me a set of colored pencils for my birthday, a different brand than the ones I have and I've been working on a new drawing (Linda Sue you might recognize it) and now it's done.

the drawing itself 2" x 6"

My last remaining gallery called Saturday to ask me if I would participate in their anniversary show with the work due in September and I told her I'd love to so now I have to get busy on some new models especially since it is oppressively hot and humid out there now, can only work outside for an hour or so in the mornings. And mosquitos. Did I mention the mosquitos? Horrid little beasts.

Rocky finally showed up last Saturday morning bearing gifts of tamales. Is this a peace offering I asked him. He laughed, told me what's been happening re his disappearance (helping his son who is the handy/maintenance man for some apartments get four apartments repaired after plumbing leaks by June 1^st). I'll be back Tuesday or Wednesday he tells me which means he might show up Thursday.

Spring is well gone now and with it the spring blooms but the summer flowers are coming on.

The magnolias, day lilies, nile lilies, and the pink crinum lilies that transition spring into summer,

the zinnias, the rangoon creeper, the plumerias coming on.

And my pink angel trumpet finally produced two blooms after all my threats and demands while every other pink angel trumpet in town had dozens of blooms. Sigh. Well, it's a start.

I really hadn't noticed until I put this post together but it's very pink out there.