We got a couple of storms the other day and I think my squash responded by growing a foot in 2 days. The tomatoes keep coming. I've had a couple of cherry/grape sizers ripen already and there are 4 or 5 new plants growing outside the garden now. I've decided to leave them for the bunnies. Maybe that will stop them…

I agreed to accompany my parents to visit my sister in Texas in mid-August. When I agreed, everyone was in a rare moment of calm, but now that hotel rooms have been booked, they are back to their normal selves, and I am starting to have regrets. BUT - free vacation, and I get to see my sister for the first time since…

It's like they talk to one another. Also, the ones that say they work for 7 or 10 years? Work precisely that amount of time. And then they start shrieking at approximately 3 a.m., and you end up googling the brand and listening to noises to see if you have a real carbon monoxide leak or just an expired alarm. Surely…

You need to use the 20-20-20 rule and look at something 20 feet away for 20 second every 20 minutes. Sounds stupid, but alleviates headaches.

Ours automatically puts them in alphabetical order, so I don't even know how I'd do that. Jerks.

Would a shakshuka work if you don't serve it over couscous?

I was genuinely psyched about Sinister. All of the videos were freaky, to be honest. But the villain in the end was so not scary, he looked like a muppet that got abandoned on the cutting room floor. Was he in a tuxedo? When I remember him, he's in a tuxedo.

Insidious and Insidious 2 win the prize for movies that scared the crap out of me in the trailer, but made me laugh when I actually saw them. That red devil thing? Not scary. Tiny Tim? Not scary. Runner up is Sinister which scared me initially because I don't like the idea of someone lurking in my back yard, but when…

I was watching with my dog Wallace and he was about to go through the tv during that category.

I've watched from pretty close to the beginning, and what's kept me watching is the momentum of the show. I agree that the first season was slow, but their airing schedule is such that you're almost never more than a few weeks away from a new episode so you're caught in this whirlwind of show. I am not so much in it…

I thought the same thing — it's that rock! The rock, no, not the Blarney Stone, that other rock. What's that rock's name? That was pretty much my internal discussion. I certainly don't recall ever knowing it was the Stone of Scone. I like to think I would remember something delicious sounding like that.

That's why I didn't buy a house in the town where I work. $50,000+ in renos and I'll have to do it all above board? Pass.

Mine too — after the last hard rain the tomatoes were testing the strength of their cages. The volunteer pumpkin is going all over the place, but I'm a fairly lazy home gardener, so I'm letting it do what it will. The summer squash is looking excellent. I'm still a little bummed I didn't get a zucchini, as I think…

I'd like to move (maybe. I'm always kind of looking) but am currently living in fear of the selling process.

I absolutely agree. I don't think I engaged with my mortgage company on that though, it was my real estate agent. And he was already in the business of disappointing the shit out of me, so one more fee was no surprise. My biggest frustration (which I was told is standard, but still infuriating) was that I didn't get a…

Nice! I really need to use my space better/more. It's mostly a pathway to get the dog into and out of the yard. I do eat lunch out there in the spring and fall and change my shoes there like Mr. Rogers. I should spend part of my extended weekend doing some sprucing.

It's a pain, and the whole process is such a cluster, but this way if you want to build a fence, or shed or something like that (or if your neighbor builds something) you know where your property is for certain. It's not a total waste.

That sucks. I have painted large surfaces with inappropriately sized brushes before and it is no fun. What are you doing to your sun porch? I have a really nice enclosed back porch that is desperately in need of a strong cleaning. And a new screen door that the dog didn't bust up.

So looking forward to hammock time. We actually are slated to have good (not 100 degree!) weather, which is unheard of around here at this time of year. Our town has a carnival, parade, and fireworks tonight through Saturday. I'm slated to work at the bbq for a bit, and I'll probably venture to the parade with the…

I was being somewhat facetious, but in reality, I don't hear actual vocal fry as often as one would expect based on the number of articles I have read about it. And I try to avoid the Kardashians, patron saints of vocal fry.