The sun is shining, the temps are up, the garden is growing, the chickens are happy and life is good… outside. Unfortunately I’m stuck inside at my deck wishing I was home and outside. Damn! Who came up the idea of work anyway?

Of course on wet and miserable days I don’t mind working inside, or on those hot and humid day. We have so few really exceptional days that I feel staying inside for them is just plain offensive. I’m in search of a car at this very moment so can do some site visits on some of my projects. I won’t even have to carry along my wet gear, just my sunglasses.

I’m in the market for a new warm weather drink. Yesterday I went to lunch with a coworker and she ordered an Arnold Palmer. I was a little taken aback thinking she was drinking during work hours, and she is so not the type to do that. Apparently an Arnold Palmer is half ice tea and half lemonade. Doesn’t that sound lovely? I’m going to mix up a batch this weekend with some good tea, and maybe even splash in a bit of something more potent. I’ll be on the patio if anyone wants to come try it out with me.

Just got back from vacation recently and I thought I should let you all know that my trips through the Kansas City Airport were a great improvement over my previous trip. I made it through without a single meltdown.

Time with the grandkids was awesome!! They’re brilliant, and amazing, and totally wonderful!! I wish I could have packed them all up and brought them home with me.

My daughter is so brave. I don’t think I could what she is doing. Starting college again, with two very small children while here husband is deployed and having no one close by that she knows well. She just makes me so proud! I wish she was closer, or that I could be there more often to help out.

I was driving down the road the other day when I saw one of those things that just make you scratch your head and say, what were they thinking? There is a road side business with a sign out front, and erected next to the business is a big billboard. Now these two signs were stacked on in front of the other, so the first is for the business and says, “XXX Adult Videos”, the billboard is for the Boys and Girls Club and giant letters is says, “Be passionate!” I nearly wreck the car for laughing.

"SALE" + arrow = successful garage sale

Friday I went with my sister garage saleing? Saling? We went to a bunch of garage sales!

We had good luck. I found a lot of winter clothes for the grandbaby in excellent shape, and found some other great items as well: A Fiesta Ware pitcher for $4, a box of comic books for $10, a garden pitch fork (or maybe I’ll use it as part of a Halloween costume) for $3, a wrought iron plant hanger for $3, and some artwork for what else, $3. It was a really good day for garage sales.

That is until you’re trying to track them down. What is wrong with people? There were a huge number of signs with miles of text and no arrow! All a good, no great, sign needs to say is say “SALE” and have an arrow pointing the way. A big, well defined arrow, not an anorexic little thing that you have to be standing over to make out. You need a nice beefy one with a fat pointy end. How hard is this?

Also, if you’re going to use big poster board, cut it into quarters, the big pieces are too big and the corners end up flopping over and covering your miles of text, and any arrow you might have on there. Neon colors are a good idea you can see them from a long way off. Use BLACK markers, because who can read yellow? The key to a successful garage sale is to know your customer. We’re older, blinders and we don’t have the same quick responses we had when we were younger. We like big, bold, simple, and well placed signs with ARROWS!!!!!!!!!! We’re too blind to read the address, and we’ve lost too many brain cells to remember it for more than a block anyway.