The Bitch is Back

A mature blue-tailed skink--not to be confused
with the more populous big haired skank.

I'm back to blogging now that the festivities of last weekend are over and I'm not chained to the kitchen. Overall the party last Saturday was a success...the food was good, people ate and drank and it was a good time. That all said--I don't think I'm ever going to attempt such an ambitious undertaking any time soon.

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Brian and I went to Pittsburgh on Monday and did some shopping and had dinner with friends. It was a nice little day trip and so much more comfortable weather-wise in Pittsburgh than here. Nothing really notable happened except an elderly woman stared at my fauxhawk when we walked into Boscov's. I'm not sure why...I saw much more objectionable hair during our visit.

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I am seriously sick of harvesting vegetables. So far this week it's been about 25 gallons of tomatoes and an unknown quantity of beans...I'm ready for this all to be over. I'm much more entertained and enthused by coaxing the plants into vigor and thrive than I am dealing with their product. It has made me think of my grandmother, though. She would load every available flat space in her house with produce and be the closest to proud I remember seeing her.

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I was shifting around empty planters and pots on the back porch last night and I spooked a blue-tailed skink from its hiding place. I was really surprised to see one that close to the house...I knew they were indigenous here but I'd never seen one before. It was a juvenile, about the length of a toothpick and very slender. Its tail is startlingly blue...much more intense than the photo allows.