What's Up Wednesday

Once again, I am linking up with Sheaffer, Mel, and Shay!

What I'm Eating

It's the time of year when local produce is going bonkers, including the vegetables in my own garden, so, we've been making good use of it all. The other night, I made garlic zoodles with the yellow zucchini from my garden and it was quite tasty. We've also been grilling a lot, with surf 'n' turf on the menu often enough to please Hugh and the kids. Of course, my love affair with cherries continues, although, local pickings are getting slim.

What I'm Reminiscing About

It's Stampede time in Mayberry and I am reminiscing about all the years that my Dad was on the Stampede committee. My sisters and I were treated to all the perks that went along with his membership and we took full advantage of them all. Three days of parades, three nights of dances, a concert, two rodeos, a carnival, and tons of time spent with friends and relatives. I miss my Dad and I miss the way Stampede used to be, but, alas, all good things must come to an end, and, while Stampede has changed, it's still an enjoyable way to spend one of the last dwindling weekends of summer.

What I'm Loving

The hummingbirds are back at my feeders, and, they put on quite an enjoyable show; I like to grab a glass of wine and watch from the porch.

What I've Been Up To

Gardening. Did I mention I have a garden? Yeah, that, exercise, work, and general housekeeping are about the extent of what I have been up to. It's all fun and excitement over here, folks.

What I'm Dreading

The Man-Cub goes back to school in less than a month. Enough said.

What I'm Working On

I'm still preparing for the Rodeo Princess's bridal shower. I searched far and wide for old crates that I could use on the refreshment table and came up empty, so, I purchased some inexpensive crates at the Hellmouth and aged and distressed them, myself. They turned out great and it was a cheap way to get what I was after. I also went ahead and used the leftover stain to age several old wine crates that Hugh had left over from when we used to put together gift baskets for our contractors. They also turned out great.

What I'm Excited About

Fall is right around the corner! I know, I know, don't rush the seasons; I say that to people all the time. But, come on! Fall, people!

What I'm Watching/Reading

This should be more what I'm NOT watching. I tried, people, I really tried, but, Big Brother just could not hold my attention this season and I tapped out quite early. Maybe next year. I also tried to get on the Game of Thrones boat, following prodding from friends and co-workers, and, honestly, I just could not get into it, so, count me among the few who could not give the slightest rip if Jon Snow lives or dies (he dies, right? I think I heard that somewhere). Anyway, the time I haven't spent watching TV, I have been reading, and, so far, this book is holding my attention just fine, thank you.

What I'm Listening To

Lately, about the only thing I've been listening to are conference calls, which, is no way to spend a beautiful summer day. Bleh.

What I'm Wearing

One of my co-workers and I recently decided to challenge our co-workers to wear dresses for the majority of what's left of the summer. We have a pretty casual dress code at Day Job, but, we thought it might be fun to shake it up a bit, and, I've certainly enjoyed pulling dresses out of my closet that I haven't worn in quite a while (in years, in some cases). It's also been fun to see our effort grow among the office staff.

What I'm Doing This Weekend

Road trip with Queen B! We are heading to Mayberry to spend some time with Mom and to enjoy the Stampede doings. I can hardly wait; I don't get to spend nearly as much time with Queen B as I would like.

What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month

This is going to sound strange but, I'm really looking forward to the monsoon rains that August typically brings to our area. Our state has been hard hit with fires this summer and it would really be nice to see some relief. Fingers crossed. I'm also looking forward to it cooling down just enough for me to get back to walks in the local park; treadmills and air conditioning are great and all, but, nothing beats a walk in nature.