CA

Hello.  My name is Lita...and I'm a controlaholic.

Step one accomplished.  Eleven to go.

More Swimming

Yeah.  More pool pics.  But it IS summer.  What're ya gonna do?

I posted a couple of videos on FB, but they don't translate very well into the hardcopy publication, so we'll make do with some stills.

She's finally jumping off the diving board!  Yay!

Jacob's own personal pack horse.

Love it when Papa's here.

Every cloud has a silver lining.

But how many of you can say that about your furniture?

Yes, I have cats.

And, no, we haven't made the complete transition to "outdoor" cats.

So far, I haven't caught Stella in the act of scratching up the chairs.  She seems to really like the scratching post.  At least, she puts on a good show when I'm around.

But Sophie.

A few months ago, she seemed so innocent.

But she has turned into a very strange cat, indeed.

Whut?

Case in point....

And she thinks every piece of furniture is her domain.

Including the bottoms of the chairs.

I've been wanting new furniture.

But I'd really appreciate it if it were MY decision.  Not because the existing chairs are in shreds.

Bad kitty.

That's what I said.  Bad kitty.

Skimmer Basket Creatures

After extracting a box turtle from the skimmer basket this evening, I caught a glimpse of something furry.

This has not turned out well in the past.


But this time I rescued a wet, scared, tiny bunny...

And we all lived happily ever after.

Three guesses who was here yesterday.

Remind me not to waste my time cleaning those windows.

There's not much "down time" when the grandkids are here.  I think I had ice cream for lunch.

Jacob is right at home in the water.

And Lauren is right at home in the shallow end, with her trusty floaties.
 
But she's starting to think she just might be missing out on something.

Okay.  At least she's standing on the diving board.

And she's contemplating the jump.

 Lucky for her, there's a convenient ledge in the deep end that's perfect for beginners.

This is big, folks.  Really big.

She mentioned once that she wished Linda and Marcia were here.  If she only knew....  Marcia would have those floaties off in a flash and she'd be flying through the air before she could scream bloody murder.  That's how her brother learned, dadgum it.  Sink or swim, buddy.

A Word to All the Sun Goddesses Out There

Had my first (and hopefully last) basal cell carcinoma removed today.  Was I nervous?  Scared. To. Death.  But not about the knife.

I looked in the mirror last night and was horrified to see that I had a wee bit of a sunburn.  What!?!  My dermatologist is going to KILL me!  But in all fairness (no pun intended), when it's 97 degrees and there's a big honkin' pool in your back yard...IT'S HARD Y'ALL!!!!   Seriously.  I tan fairly easily.  Rarely burn. And with age maturity, I have been very diligent about applying plenty of sunscreen.  I really can't imagine how it happened.  My back ITCHED all day.  A constant reminder of my sin.

Anyway, I confessed to the nurse and prayed the doctor would take it easy on me.  If she noticed, she didn't mention it.  Maybe she didn't want to pour salt in the wound--so to speak.  When the doc stepped out, the nurse whispered, "I think you might get by with it."

When I got home this afternoon, I got a mirror out to get a closer look at the burn.  It's a stinkin' rash!  Heat rash?  Hives?  Allergic reaction?  Who would know?  Oh yeah.  Maybe a DERMATOLOGIST!  If only I hadn't been a wimp and just fessed up, maybe she could have looked at it and prescribed something for me.  Sheesh!  Live and learn.  Live. And. Learn.

First Swim

Well, technically, it's the third.  But my auto-focus got switched to manual on the first, so I only got blurred photos.  The second was only me.  So, no self-portraits.

Lauren and McKinney

 Taking a break.

 Shaun and Kauleen were babysitting an 18-month old.  Cause I guess 4 kids is just not enough.

 He will remain nameless.  I take no responsibility for this madness.

 Garrison loves jumping off the board.

 And Dad shows him the proper technique.

Show-off.

Oh yes, we also had Baylor's new puppy, who enjoyed meeting Gracie and Duchess, eating the kids' snacks and finally achieving her goal of jumping into the pool.

Mr. Nameless really, really wanted to jump off the diving board.  But was very vocal about NOT WANTING FLOATIES.  Which kept us all pretty busy.

Let the summer begin.

Vitamin D - I Highly Recommend It

I've been energy-challenged lately.  After a doctor's visit Monday, I started back on Vitamin D.  5000 units Monday.  5000 units Tuesday.  10,000 units Wednesday.  5000 units Thursday.  10,000 units Friday.  5000 units today.

This morning, by 10:00 I had:

1. Made blueberry/bran muffins from scratch.
2. Done my daily Bible study.
3. Emptied the pool skimmer.
4. Done one load of laundry.
5. Changed the sheets on my bed.
6. Made a cheesecake (from scratch) for a dinner tonight.
7. Cleaned the kitchen.
8. Brought the garbage cart back from the highway and taken out the trash.
9. Cleaned the kitty litter box.
10. Brought my checkbook up to date.
11. Started the dishwasher.
12. Cleaned my bathroom.
13. Sorted 3 days worth of mail.

Yes.  Vitamin D.  The wonder drug.