Two Times Lucky

Last Sunday we made a quick dash to Biloxi so we could get away one last time before Squeaky's attendants, Karen & Phil, take off for Michigan, not to return again until October. Good news on a number of fronts this trip: 1) Squeaky did NOT hiss at Karen! 2) we stayed at the IP (Charlie & Susan's fave) for the first time and liked it a lot and will not EVER return to the Beau Rivage. 3) E had excellent luck, first winning a drawing (with a mere 4 tickets in a drum that held thousands) and then parlaying the free play winnings into $1500.00, hitting $1000 on the dollar Wheel of Fortune machine. 4) S had good enough luck to come home only $200 in the red, so that over all, we made a tidy profit.

It didn't take us more than a couple of days, however, to dispose of the cash. In honor of our impending guests and continuing S's work at reclaiming the front of the house, we hired Ronald and his helpers Debi & Brent to rip up the floorboards and risers of the porch and replace them with Trex. Now no one will ever have to paint that sorry mess again! And Barefoot Lawncare came by to plant jasmine near just about every fencepost and picket so that by the time those suckers need painting again they'll be draped in evergreenery.

On the way home from MS, we stopped at a nursery outside of Pensacola and found some more tomato plants (and some eggplants too). And a trip to a local nursery netted us some pretty posies for the pots in the back yard. Amazingly, the nasty yellow-leaf-curl-virus tomato plants we've had a while are still setting fruit. Supposedly they will continue to do so if we can overlook their vile rotten aspects and let them live . . .

Otherwise, we're just hanging out and trying to empty the fridge and freezer in anticipation of the upcoming visit from Dee, Scott, Harold, Petra, Wendy & Joel--soon!