LIFE AROUND HERE

 Not much to report from here.

We're still looking to move next month to new digs.

As probably you all know, that's an agonizing ordeal. And it seems to get bigger as one gets older.

But if move we must, then move we shall.

Meantime SWMBO'S straggly Morning Glory plant finally popped a bloom today.

It's up at the top of the arbor but at last and at least she got one bloom out of the stubborn plant.

The Honeysuckle plants are putting out multiple blooms though.

We think they're enjoying the cooler weather and the monsoon moisture we've been getting nearly every day.

But the rains can bring some bad things too.

The other day I was sitting in the living room watching television and listening to the rumble of thunder outside when a tremendous CRACK of thunder accompanied simultaneously a brilliant white flash of light outside the front window.

I knew it had struck near us but it wasn't until a couple of days later when I discovered how near it was.

My across-the-street neighbor, where our visiting cat Matty lives, told me once he had planted a tree in his front yard and it had grown and grown and grown until it dwarfed his house.

The lightning bolt had struck that tree and split the top of it and thrown splintered branches everywhere.

I haven't spoken to him yet but I imagine that huge tree will have to be completely taken down.

I just know that's the closest I ever want to be to a lightning strike.

In brighter news, I went to the Taylor Family Bakery today and made a favorite of mine: Double Chocolate Banana Bread.

It's a recipe from Deb at the Smitten Kitchen.

I was experimenting a bit, baking it in our Toaster Oven instead of the big one.

I found it could have been baked a bit longer but the taste, as confirmed by SWMBO (who likes her chocolate!), was exquisite.