Order pizza for dinner, Gud. Perfect for Saturday night!

Timelies all!

Gary took Mr. S to a classmate's birthday party, so I have a little quiet time. I don't remember the name of the place where the party is, but I do know that the activities include cookie decoration and eating cake. A bunch of sugared-up 4 year-olds...what could possibly go wrong? :)

My mom brought me a bunch of plants for the backyard and we spent 2 hours putting them in. So later this summer I'll have butterflies and maaaaaaaybe hummingbirds!

H has finished all the container planting for this year, except for two "clump" bamboos to anchor the corners of the lot. There are things he wants to plant in the curved bed under the small anonymous (we don't know what it is, but we like it) weeping tree, but then he'll be done for the year, except for "dragging hose" for the dry months. Which are usually mid-June to mid-September, but seem to have started already, with 83F yesterday and today, and no rain for three weeks, none in the forecast. I dread the fires this year.

Last Saturday we drove down to take pictures of my favorite mountain, Whitehorse Mountain, in Darrington. There are three routes from our house to Darrington: go to Concrete and turn right, go to Rockport and turn right, go to Marblemount and turn right. Concrete is faster, the Rockport route is pretty, but the Marblemount route is longer, more rural, and follows the river through miles of forest and the occasional farm.

We crested a hill and saw a dark shape on the left shoulder. Dog, we assumed, worrying at something on the shoulder. We slowed as we got closer and the shape started to cross in front of us, went back and then started to cross again as we got closer. Both of us: "That's not a dog. Thats A BEAR!" as he (or she) nimbly loped across the road and up the embankment and disappeared into the trees. Beautiful animal, black coat glossy in the sun, the light dusting the fur with cinnamon. Both of us were wide-eyed and grinning for a few miles, "BEAR!"

H looked back after we'd passed, and the bear scooted out of the trees and back across the road to the shoulder. I'm just glad there wasn't any other traffic on that road.

Oh, and the clouds cooperated and the mountain was gorgeous and we got some pretty shots.

I've never seen an actual wild bear.

(There was one at the house in the Catskills ONCE, but I was upstairs in the bathroom at the time. Sort of like Erin seeing DOLPHINS on the same beach that I spent countless hours sitting watching the sea as a child but not even one small dolphin during all that time. She walks on the beach and boom!Dolphins.)

Wow, Bev!

I've only seen bears from a pretty good distance which is probably for the best. That sounds like a cool encounter, though!

Nice, Jess!

{{Gud}}

I've done pretty much nothing today. About to start dance practice and have been reading Exhalations which I just want to crawl into and wrap around myself like a blanket of words

A bear!!!!! Very cool.

Bear! That sounds like a very nice outing, Bev.

Bears are so cool!

That sounds like a lovely sweet dream, Connie.

I got a referral from my doctor and Monday I'll be making an appointment with an ADHD specialist. I cannot focus for shit, my brain is scattered all over the place, and I don't think this is "normal".

Good luck, Zen. I think talking to a specialist will probably be helpful whatever y'all conclude.