Miss Pink et al

Allissa a/k/a Miss Pink a/k/a Avid Collector of Acorns, together with sister Melly a/k/a Brave Cicada Hunter a/k/a Keeper of the Receptacle, did some important work on Labor Day.

Shortly after breakfast someone (I suspect it was Papaw) provided the girls with a Ziploc bag and suggested they begin herding up the acorns that have begun turning loose from the big frontyard Oak.

At times this involved parking your stuffed Koala and getting down and dirty.

Then there was the rigorous inspection process. Quality control, don'tcha know.

True to her confirmed status as a budding control freak and champion packrat, Melly was ultra-protective of the Ziploc bag, holding it open briefly for the introduction of new specimens before sliding the top shut again.

At some point Papaw made another helpful suggestion, to wit: You guys ought to put some cicadas in there with your acorns.

Oh gross.

Allissa wasn't keen on palming a dead cicada -- or even the empty rust-colored vacant shell of one that had relocated -- but Melly was more than down with it.

Several went into the bag. I did not take pictures of them because I don't want to have nightmares.

Later TG had another big idea: You guys want to go with Papaw to the garbage dump?

Oh yeah.

A final review of the curated acorns and cicada remains was conducted late in the afternoon as everyone prepared to leave for home.

Someone asked Allissa a question about the day's haul of nature samples.

Looking straight at her sister she demanded: "Did you get that 'cada?"

Melanie's answering smile gave the Mona Lisa a run for her lira in mystery and feminine allure.

I hope you too had an adventurous, delicious, crunchy, sweet, eventful, beautiful, natural, sharing, shining Labor Day.

I do wish my neck were longer

So last Friday, Audrey and I spent the day shopping. She still hasn't found her furniture.

But we're getting very close. I will keep you updated.

We were at World Market just having a ball touching everything and test-driving various chairs and in general whooping it up retail style.

Toward the end of our visit to WM we ended up over in the dishes where we commenced oohing and aahing over this item and that.

I love coffee mugs so I was checking those out when I just started cracking up because of these children's surprise mugs that came in zebra and giraffe.

Because I don't know if you realize this but when you look down in the bottom of the mug, there's a tiny ceramic zebra or giraffe gazing up at you.

Depending on which species of mug you happen to be drinking from.

(I don't know why they specify these to be entertainment for children because I get a big charge out of this type thing.)

Sort of reminds me of my new Krispy Kreme mug with the tiny donut in the bottom.

Except the donut has no face.

We laughed so hard at those mugs but the only one I bought was the one with a picture of Albert Einstein drinking a cup of coffee.

I got it as a just-because gift for Audrey, who says it's going to be her new coffee mug for her desk at work.

At any rate having made that selection we moved toward the cash registers.

We were nearly there when I sensed someone whooshing up behind me and before I knew it that someone spoke to me.

Turned out she was a World Market employee by the name of Becki, a most charming individual.

And not only because of what she said to me.

To wit: I just have to tell you, wearing that hat you look exactly like a Hallmark card. Just SO cute!!!

Now in all honesty I have been told before that I am cute (among other things and not all of them so complimentary), but this is the first time I've been compared to a Hallmark card.

I choose to assume she meant I came across as picturesque with an unmistakable aura of je ne sais quoi. If I'm wrong, don't correct me and meanwhile I'll thank you not to snicker.

Oh, I bet you want to know about my hat. It's one of my top three favorite lids: my HBY Miami Toyo braid with a five-inch brim and black chiffon scarf.

I bought it in an absolutely-could-not-resist moment that occurred two years ago at Mad Hatter on the riverfront in Savannah.

The reason I wore it on Friday was that it was going to be approximately ninety-nine million degrees outside and I didn't feel like having hair resting on my neck, plus which we were going swimming as soon as we got home.

So I mashed all my hair up under the hat and put on big sunglasses and did my best to work it, girl.

Even though I have always wished I had a longer, more graceful neck.

Apparently the overall effect was at least marginally interesting because not only was I favorably compared to a Hallmark greeting but I made a kind new friend in Becki, who asked for my business card and has promised to email me.

To wrap it all up, tonight on Pinterest I saw a picture of a baby giraffe so adorable I got all verklempt.

Hallmark should hope to have a card that cute.

So I wanted to show you a real ickle dickle 'raffey-roo.

Happy Sunday and Happy Labor Day!

I can just tea it now

So I'm puttering around the house awhile ago, doing laundry and making a stab at cleaning for the sake of my holiday weekend company, when Javier goes BERSERK.

See, Javier doesn't usually bark. The opposite.

I've told you before and I'll tell you again: he's a quiet Chihuahua. Snoozes 20 out of 24.

Docile for the most part; volatile only on occasion.

At any rate he's not a yapper so when his hackles reach for outer space and he clears the stairs from the TV room (where he lounges even though the TV is not on) in a single bound and traverses the kitchen floor like he knows how it feels to have wings on his heels, I gather somethin' major is UP, y'all.

So I follered while I hollered. JAVIER, shut UP already! There's NOTHING THERE! I insisted.

RawrRawrRawrrrrRawwwwwRAWR! He insisted right back.

I looked out by the pool. Nothing. Well, nothing except the pool and all the hot sun you could possibly want.

Oh, and an inflatable shark. He was out there but Javier's used to him.

It.

(Note to self: stop anthropomorphizing blow-up pool toys.)

My momentarily demented canine unit began scratching at the door that leads to the garage. He loves to go "out front" so I thought oh, okay, whatever, I'll open the garage door and let him see for himself that he's imagining things.

But as the door creaked up I could see moving tires and I Sherlocked that somebody was just driving away from in front of my house.

A FedEx home delivery van as it turned out. I didn't even know they had those.

So I walked through the garage and looked up onto the porch, which from where I was standing is at eye level.

Ah. By the door, two mysterious cardboard boxes, one atop the other.

I clapped my hands real hard like I do when Javier's in deep trouble (he'd moseyed down the driveway to check his messages and I always fear he'll end up in the street and ... well, you know. Splat.) and told him he'd better get his scrawny tail back inside or he was gonna be perdogga non grata around here at least until suppertime.

He matched his gait to a slow tick-tock to show me who's "boss" but eventually his hiney cleared the garage door sensor and I pushed the button to re-close it.

SO back through the house to the front door, thinking what in the sam hill has TG ordered now (secretly hoping the boxes were from Tiffany & Co.), because I personally was not expecting a shipment of anything.

And what do you know, it was our supply of the Limbaugh libation Two If By Tea that some time ago we'd decided to have on hand for our Labor Day festivities.

The menu for which will involve my lip-smacking homemade from-scratch pork barbecue and luscious fresh potato salad and wicked-licious deviled eggs and a huge bowl full of creamy scrumptious yo' mama banana pudding.

Just so you know.

(And no, I'm not The Pioneer Woman and HGTV is not trying to reach me and Reese Witherspoon has expressed no interest in playing me in the movie about my life, but I guarantee you Ree's menfolk wouldn't complain if their cowboy boots came to rest under my table.)

Looky there! I shamelessly digressed.

So we received our tea order. I haven't tasted it yet but if I do and it's not good I'll let El Rushbo (and you) know.

Oh and the tea ships for free inside the continental US. If you don't know what that means, ask Barack Obama. Maybe he'll be kind enough to go down the list of 57 states for you.

Now let's crank 'er up for Labor Day weekend, y'all! Phooey on labor unions but kudos to any citizen who gets up every morning and actually goes to work.

God Bless America! From tea to shining tea.