Every year for Keith's birthday we try to do something nice, but every year it seems to turn to sh*t, like last year when we went out to eat like three times over his birthday weekend and everywhere we went to eat was lousy food. Or like the year he scheduled a colonoscopy during his birthday/vacation week, or the year he had two crowns done. I don't think he's had a good birthday in quite a few years. So, this year I found this card that I thought was incredibly appropriate, and we would go out to eat lunch, but only at a tried and true place, a restaurant of his choosing that we knew in advance would have decent food.

We were thinking of driving up to Tehachapi and going to the Apple Shed, but right as we were getting ready to go Joe and Elizabeth stopped by. They didn't have enough time to go an hour away to eat lunch with us, having an appointment to go to, so we went down the road to La Mina Cantina for a lunch that was good and everybody enjoyed and it was nice to have unexpected guests to join us.

Keith just happened to have the day off yesterday, having gotten in from the road late Sunday night and not being scheduled to go out again until late last night, so it all worked out pretty well. He decided he didn't really want to go back to work late last night so laid off for the first time ever so he could have today off, too.

We thought we'd go up to Tehachapi today and extend the festivities into another lunch out, but this morning Keith sees water dripping from under the car and it looks like the water pump is getting ready to go out. Which probably would have happened on the way to Tehachapi, knowing our luck with his birthday weeks in the past. He is taking the car to see if he can get it fixed right now, so it looks like no lunch in Tehachapi today, but at least we had a good day yesterday on his actual birthday.

Yes, if something can go wrong around the time of Keith's birthday it definitely will.

Birthday Weekend and Flies

Tomorrow is Keith's birthday so he is taking a long weekend, with today and Monday off. Unfortunately his birthday is in the summer and it's always HOT. It's going to be 103 tomorrow and 105 on Sunday so we are trying to think of something to do for the birthday boy that won't involve being outside too much. Except maybe in our backyard where it really has been pleasant with the sunshade and the patio misters going. I think we are going to go try and find his hammock today although we probably won't be able to find one that doesn't come with a stand. Because most people need the stand since they don't have trees strategically placed in their yards or a hand built patio complete with hooks for hammocks like we do.

Anyway, we'll think of something to do. They are having a chili cookoff and car show up in Tehachapi tomorrow (whoo hoo) which would be something to do, but even though Tehachapi is up in the mountains it still gets hot, and they are having a gun and knife show at the fairgrounds (bigger whoo hoo) which costs 9.00 to get in BUT IT COVERS BOTH DAYS! Neither of us are much interested in guns and knives though so maybe we will save that 9.00 each and not go to the gun and knife show. I don't know if I could stand that much excitement, really.

And now about the flies. The fly traps that we hung up work really really well for catching flies and fill up very very fast with dead flies, but after we took them down to throw away because they were full and totally disgusting not to mention extremely stinky, the hoards of flies disappeared. We have figured out that the fly traps were actually drawing more flies than if we didn't have them. Like millions more.

Since we took them down and didn't immediately put fresh ones up (laziness wins here) we have only seen a few flies here and there and were even able to eat dinner outside without waving a fly swatter around the entire time.

Lesson learned, fly traps attract flies all right.

Birthdays and Stuff

Today is Keith's 53rd birthday. He's not real happy about it. He hasn't been real happy lately even if getting another year older isn't depressing enough. He really hates his job and the whole having to go back to it thing and the getting told every. single. day. that he's not working fast enough or hard enough and it's getting hot outside and it's kind of hard to work faster and harder when it is 99 degrees and you are working in the hot sun all. day. long.

But, we are going to go out for a birthday dinner tonight. We got a coupon in the mail for Black Angus for their two-fer dinner deal where you get an appetizer, dinner, and a dessert to share for 40 bucks. If I can convince him not to buy any $5.00 cocktails, it should come out to about $60 after adding on iced teas and a tip.

He was also kind of depressed at having to work today, he decided a few years back to always take his birthday off, but...since he just went back to work it's kind of hard to ask for your birthday off. And then also not have any vacation days saved up yet so you don't get paid for it.

At least he is not going in for a colonoscopy on his birthday like he did a few years ago. He had taken the birthday week off so he could get the colonoscopy out of the way and use a vacation day for it so he'd get paid, and then still enjoy his birthday post colonoscopy, but they rescheduled it for some reason so he spent his birthday with a camera shoved up his butt. Fun.

I got this dress over at Kohl's to wear for the memorial service next month and then after wearing the dress realized that it really does look like a nightgown and I don't think I want to wear a nightgown to a memorial service, so... what to wear?

The dress is fine for wearing around the house, though, so not a total loss. It's just a summer t-shirt fabric dress and is fairly comfortable even if it looks like a nightgown.

I think I'm just going to get some pants that don't look too terribly casual and some sort of top that doesn't look too terribly casual, but something that I will actually wear again. I don't know what kind of dress code this church has, but if they roll their eyes because I'm not dressed up enough, OH WELL. I don't think Keith's mom will care too much what people are wearing, just that they showed up.