Things are good here.  Of course, it's been pretty hot and muggy all week, but all I have to do is check the weather channel forecast for where the evil stepmom who no longer wishes to hear from any of us ever again moved and I cheer right up.  115 degrees, 117 degrees...LOL!  It makes me feel blessed to have these mid-90 temps, seriously.  

So Stephen and Hannia have decided to buy their first house.  It makes sense now that he is committed to his PhD program and will be here for at least 4 years or so.  Plus it's a buyers market right now.  They narrowed it down to 3 and we went with them to see the houses yesterday.  They have a really nice real estate agent....I liked her a lot.  She was very good at listening to what the kids need and didn't drag them around to lots of places that were unsuitable.  Bruce and I were immediately drawn to 1 property that was on top of the list for Stephen and Hannia too.  It's a duplex in a nice neighborhood.  Its very close to Stephen's lab.  And it was immaculate inside and out.  It was built in '11 so the kitchen and bathrooms are up to date, and the space was laid out really well.  I think it's about 1,400 sq feet with 3 largish bedrooms.  It has a garage ( huge bonus), and a nice covered patio, and small backyard with a privacy fence.  It's move in ready and the homeowners association takes care of the front yards.  It's not like Stephen has much free time for maintenance and yard work. I think it suits them well.  And I think they will be making an offer really soon.  I hope they get it!

Erica has also secured a new place in the UK.  I haven't seen more than the realty pictures but it also has outdoor space and lots more storage.  She just decided that the roommate situation was not really for her, so she found a place that she really liked and signed the lease just yesterday.  She is happy about it and can't wait to move in and have her own space again.  Yay!  Everybody is doing well, and seems to be happy.

We don't have a lot going on other than work and trying to keep up with the grass that grows overnight with all the rain we have had.  We have reservations for the beach for a few days over the 4th though.  I am looking forward to getting away for a bit.  And I am excited about seeing the fireworks over the ocean in Atlantic Beach for the 4th.  Should be fun!

We had a shooting incident at our local Walmart today.  4 people and the gunman were shot, but the last I heard everybody survived.  I think a lot of thanks should go to our police department.  Apparently they were on the scene and had half the town locked down tight within a couple of minutes.  And according to the news, strategies for mass shooting incidents were already in place.  That is wonderful, although it makes me sad and frightened that its almost not a matter of "if", but "when".  You know?  I shop at that Walmart.  Not often because its dirty, never has enough cashiers and the employees generally have a bad attitude.  Our Target is cleaner, nicer, better stocked, better staffed and the people who work there are usually friendly.  Still, some things can only be had at Walmart so I am forced to go there.  

It's all so scary, feeling like you are never safe in public.  But you can't stop living your life either.  I have to go to work, the grocery store, the bank and dentist and vet.  What would life be all holed up in the house out of fear??  I know that something needs to be done.  Laws need to change.  But in the meantime what do we do?  I wish I had answers.  I guess we all just have to keep on living our lives and keep the faith that if its not our time to go, we will be safe.  If it IS our time, it probably won't matter if we are huddled at home in fear, or enjoying a meal at a favorite restaurant.  Even so....something needs to change!

Remember my old blog "The Fishbowl Chronicles"?  We still live like that...in a glass house, apparently.

I'm not complaining, there are some good things about being "watched" I guess.  We live in a rural area with no close neighbors.  But everybody out here knows everybody else.  Plus working with the postal service means you know everybody and are known by everybody in the zip code.  Most of them drive by our house several times a day to work, to school, to the grocery store, the bank, to wherever.  All roads lead past our house in this town it seems.

The truth is that we can't step out of our front door without somebody saying later, "I saw you and Bruce leaving the house/getting out of the car/unloading groceries/cutting grass....etc".  Who would have thought our lives were so interesting?  LOL.  If Bruce sneaks out to smoke a cigar (not something I condone, but what can I do?  He's grown...), somebody reports the incident to me later.  If we have company, I am asked who was visiting and did we have a good time?  If we have something new like furniture or appliances delivered the whole area knows and wants to ask what it was, where we bought it, how much we paid....and on and on it goes.  I can't walk out to the mailbox without a passing acquaintance honking as they drive by.

So today this guy stops by and talks to Bruce.  He has a nursery business in nearby Grifton, he deals in trees and shrubbery and stuff.  Bruce is planning to contact him later to see about maybe buying some magnolia trees for the yard.  I LOVE magnolia.  It's so specifically southern.  But anyway, this man asked permission to cut some of the flowering greenery out of the bushes that line our driveway.  Bruce hates those bushes.  He has tried to kill those bushes in every way imaginable.  They are hard to cut around when mowing the lawn, and they harbor bees when blooming.  The man did floral arrangements and wanted to use these branches for some sort of wedding arrangements...?  I don't know, I didn't talk to him, but Bruce gave him permission to help himself to all the branches that he wanted.

True to form, in under 10 minutes my phone was ringing.  It was Doil who has worked with me for years and years.  Our joke is that he has been with me longer than any of his wives (which would be 3.  2 exs and the current Mrs. Doil). He said he was just driving by my house (of course) and spotted a man lurking out there in our bushes and Doil didn't like it.  LOL!  He said the bush lurker gave him bad vibes.  So I guess that's the upside of being under such scrutiny.  People see everything that is going on.  I assured him that we knew the guy was out there and it was ok, but then....I just had to have a good laugh.  You know what?  If I got creative, I bet I could have a whole lot of fun with this fishbowl situation.....if they are going to watch, maybe we should put on an entertaining show.  Ha!

Stephen asked me to list my top 5 fictional evil villains of all time.  The ones that scared me or impressed me with the intensity of their evil.  I say fictional, because actual villains would be an entirely different sort of list.  One that might include Bush/Cheney, and Hitler.  But that one is for another day.

Here it goes:

1.  Michael Myers from "Halloween".  I mean seriously, the original film was scary as hell.  The myriad sequels went downhill.  But the first one was about pure faceless bloodthirsty evil.  

2.  Hannibal Lector from "Silence of the Lambs" and "Red Dragon".  He was diabolical with a cultured twist of impeccable manners.  Unless he decided to make you into a tasty meal with Chianti and fava beans.  

3.  Pennywise, the clown from Stephen King's "It".  Pennywise was scary enough not to have to do all that much.  Standing around looking scary was plenty enough to give children AND adults nightmares.

4.  Norman Bates from "Psycho".  Not only is the shower scene from the original version frightening enough to make anybody hesitate to take a shower in a strange place, but dressing up like your dead mother is one step beyond creepy.

5.  Mountain man and Toothless guy from "Deliverance".  Oh my Lord, just hearing banjo music makes my nerves jangle.  

Honorable mentions include Annie Wilkes from "Misery" (hobbling anyone?), Heath Ledger's Joker from "Batman", and "The Terminator" because an unstoppable robot programmed to kill is pretty darn scary.

Yikes!

I hope everybody is having a nice Father's Day weekend!  Bruce said that all he wanted was to go shooting, so he and Stephen are spending the afternoon at the gun range.  I am cooking a full roast beef dinner with all the trimmings.  It's what Bruce asked for.  He was very specific about not wanting to go battle the restaurant crowds today.  He deserves a day to do whatever he wants.  Between dealing with Dad's house in Danville, the endless yard work, and car repairs, he hasn't had time to do anything remotely fun.  We generally don't do gifts for Mother's/Father's Day.  I know lots of people do, and that's fine.  We just prefer, in light of already having too much stuff, to gift a day of leisure and a nice meal. 

So, Jeanne and Calvin are in England with Erica this weekend.  Calvin called earlier today to taunt Bruce a little bit.  He wanted to let us know he was sitting in our favorite pub " York Tap", and was close enough to touch Erica...LOL!  I am seriously, insanely jealous.  Not of their vacation...with all the grief Jeanne has dealt with over the estate, and Delaney's illness, and everything else that goes along with family life with teens in the house....they deserve this trip.  But I AM jealous when it comes to my kids.  I can't help it.  But I hope they are having a blast and will thoroughly enjoy the rest of their UK tour.  

Anyway, hopefully everybody will have a great week ahead.  Nothing much going on here other than work.  The calendar end of spring is this coming week, but honestly?  It was already over when the mercury reached 98 degrees this week past.  LOL!  Now, I am going into my hibernate as much as possible mode and dream of those lovely crisp cool days of fall!  

Everybody who knows me even the least little bit knows that I have an aversion to hot weather.  I despise it, loathe it even.  I don't think there is a word in the English language that fully encompasses my deep levels of hatred of it.  And yet....here it is.  Mid -90's today.  98 degrees tomorrow.  In the middle of June no less.  It makes me feel afraid of what is to come in July and August.  But let's not go there yet.  It is way too depressing to contemplate.  By Friday we will be back to more tolerable lower 80's so at least there's that.  We really need to retire to someplace less hot and humid, but there are so many stipulations to accommodate the both of us that it's not as easy as it sounds.  It can't be too hot, but Bruce also requires that it doesn't have brutal winters.  We both agree that it needs to be off the beaten path....crowded cities are a turn off.  I prefer a place to have distinct seasons...I need turning leaves in fall....??  And trees and grass, NO desolate desert landscapes.  It is a dilemma, for sure.  

Anyway, speaking of weather....the Overcashes are heading to LOL UK tomorrow.  I warned them that it will be chilly.  And it will rain.  But they get to see Erica and that makes me insanely jealous.  I want to see her so badly.  I hope everybody has an excellent time.  Erica has been contemplating which of the highlights of York to take them to.  I advised her of our favorites, so I hope that helps!  I want pics.  Lots and lots of pics!  A few with Erica in them, too.  LOL.  Good luck with that.

Other than the dastardly hot weather, we are all fine here.  Stephen and Hannia are doing well.  Busy, but happy.  They stopped by to say hello yesterday evening.  I LOVE having them in town again.  Stephen has instructed me to write a blog detailing my top 5 favorite evil villains of all time.....I have to think about that one for a while.  I am pretty sure Hannibal Lector will make the cut.  Michael Myers from "Halloween" most likely will too.  I was in high school when the original movie came out and I can honestly say that it scared the crap out of me.  Any suggestions here?  I have only thought of those 2 so far.  I need help!

I have been dreading Tropical storm Andrea for a couple of days now.  Delivering mail in inclement weather is...well...unpleasant and that is an understatement.  I envisioned torrential rain and howling wind ALL day long.  But it really wasn't like that.  I think we must have gotten the worst of the rain last night.  There were occasional brief squalls of rain, and there was wind.  But none of it was too awful.

The worst part was the humidity.  If you are familiar with hurricane weather, with air so thick you practically need to swim through it....that's what today was like.  Swampy.  But better than what I was dreading so it was ok.

Now it's Friday and it has been such a long week with all the moving that had to be done.  I'm ready for a break.  

We all came together and got Dad's entire house emptied and cleaned.  What a mess.  Seriously, something very wrong was going on in that house.  It was filthy, and trashed beyond anything we expected.  Of course, Step Mom had not allowed any of Dad's children to come into the house in a long time so we were really shocked by the condition of things.  We don't know if Step Mom has had an onset of dementia, a bout of alcoholism, or if she purposely created a mess of things out of spite.  

Honestly?  All 3 scenarios are equally plausible.  But it's done, it's over.  She is moving across country and the last thing she said to Bruce was that none of us were to contact her again.  I have a feeling that won't be much of an issue...LOL!  

Anyway, it was a long and tiring weekend, but it was cathartic...therapeutic.  I feel like we can all wake up from the nightmare now.  I hope the new family moving into the house has a lovely time there.  I feel like. along with the cleaning, we should have hired an exorcist.....but maybe those mean- spirited, bitter vibes are over and done with now.  One can hold out hope.

Beyond that, things are good here.  We are exhausted, but happy to have accomplished the goal of clearing the house in a single weekend!  We all deserve a fabulous vacation or something, don't you think???