The other day, I reminded my husband that he said we could afford either a laptop computer or hearing aids (for me) at the end of the summer.  It being nearly the end of August, I thought it was time to speak up.  I seem to be coping okay with my hearing loss (I'm getting a lot better at lip reading as time goes on), so I opted for the laptop.  I'm really glad I did!  I am having a lot of fun with it.

So far, I haven't gone anywhere with my laptop, but I've been using it in the kitchen while multitasking.  I made a big batch of chutney the other day while playing Literati and Psychobabble, my two favorite Web games.  Having a computer in the kitchen definitely increases my willingness to spend time cooking and cleaning up the kitchen afterwards!

When Betsy goes back to school in a couple of weeks, it's gonna be great to have a computer I can take with me.  I need to drive her to school and pick her up most days, and sometimes I'll want to be out and about most of the day.  I'll be spending more time on campus in the fall, and there should be wireless connectivity all over the place there.  Also, I'm going to put my antique inventory on the computer.  And, of course, I can run my eBay auctions from coffee houses, if I wish.  Larry is also going to hardwire me some cable in the garage so I can stay online while working on my antiques down there.  (Our wireless network is kinda weak in the garage.) 

So life is good.  I am so connected now.

What I love about camping is getting into the woods...or whatever other sort of environment we choose...and being more aware of nature and less aware of my everyday little problems than I usually am.

What I found out about camping at the Yurt Village at Kayak Point is that this is nearly impossible to do when you're camping practically on top of each other.  Big families arrived on Friday night for loud reunions. 

I guess Kayak Point was a time and a place for us...and I need to think about alternatives for getting the feeling of being really away.

It had also been a year or more since Betsy and I had camped together, and she is less easily entertained than she used to be.  She got bored a lot.  Personally, I never get bored because I have an active inner life, plus I am easily entertained.  All I need is a book to read or a natural scene to gaze upon, and maybe a cup of coffee. 

Here's a picture I drew of Betsy, camping with her Gameboy and Cheetos.

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v143/busdriver /Betsydrawing.bmp" title="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v143/busdriver /Betsydrawing.bmp" target="_blank"http://img.photobucket.com/al...">

It's been such a busy summer that Betsy and I have not gone camping at all, which is highly unusual.  Most summers in the past we've gotten out a lot.  But then, most summers I haven't had two jobs to work and a new business. 

We are finally going to get up to our favorite campground, Kayak Point, later this week.  We're going to spend two nights in a rented yurt.  If you're not familiar with yurts, they are way cool!  They're round tents permanently in place over a hardwood floor.  The ones at our county campground and at various state parks in Washington and Oregon also have electricity and futon furniture.  So it's like a little rental cabin, but cheaper than most cabins, like $40 a night.  We will bring our sleeping bags, food, a cookstove, and some activities.  It's supposed to be possibly rainy while we're there, so we'll bring some books and games. 

I can hardly wait!  I so need a break!

There was an article in the Seattle Times a few weeks ago about how people are bartering or simply giving away things free through some Websites or newsgroups.  One is called craigslist and the other is freecycle.  I tried them out this week.  You have to be fast to email and say you'd like something, but I did manage to arrange to pick up a wingback chair today and possibly some lamps and pillows that may go with it.  I don't know if they'll be in any sort of condition to use or to resell, but I figured as a novice antique dealer, I would give this a try.  As my boss at the antique store says, "Free is my favorite price." 

Where I live in the Pacific Northwest, a lot of people consider blackberries to be a weed or a pest.  I don't like getting blackberry vines in my own yard, because they are nearly impossible to get rid of.  They are totally invasive.  Just cutting the vines back doesn't help.  You have to dig up the roots completely, which takes more muscle power than I have.

Oh, but the fruit of these awful vines!  It's so delicious and versatile.  So I am happy when I find blackberry vines on other people's property.  We have fewer vacant lots and large yards in our neighborhood each year.  Our local Norwegian-American contracting company keeps taking down small houses with big yards and putting up three or four houses where one used to sit.  The big new houses have postage stamp yards and NO blackberries.  But there are still just a few pockets of wildness in the neighborhood where we can pick blackberries. 

Right now it's the peak of the season, so Betsy and I got enough berries for both muffins and a small batch of jam from just one small patch tonight.  Over the next week or so, I will use spare moments to gather more berries and put up more jam.  When it's hot and I'm sweating over the stove, I wonder if it's worthwhile.  But in December, when I take out a fresh container of jam and get to taste summer, I know it was worth it.

A friend of Larry's and mine was having an estate sale this weekend.  He had a lot of furniture from his mother and aunt.  He invited us to come over early on Saturday morning, before the sale was officially started.  I suggested to Larry that he drive the truck.  He laughed, but it turned out to be a good idea.  We bought several pieces of furniture for me to resell at the antique store, and several for our own home! 

We got a beautiful Chinese black lacquer cabinet for our foyer, and a nice brass Chinese lamp to go on top of it.  What a difference that makes in the entry to our home!  Before when you came in, we had a hodgepodge of furniture, coats hanging up on hooks, dog leashes, etc.  Our entryway used to say, "Welcome to the chaos of our lives," but now it says, "Welcome to a beautiful and peaceful place."  That's gotta be good feng shui!  It sure makes me feel calmer. 

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v143/busdriver /Pears.jpg" title="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v143/busdriver /Pears.jpg" target="_blank"http://img.photobucket.com/al...">

Larry and I planted a pear tree about 10 years ago, and it gets more productive every year.  It's an unusual tree--five different kinds of pears are supposed to grow on it, because it was grafted, and this makes it a self-pollinating tree so we don't need to have several of them.  As far as I can tell, there are actually three kinds of pears that are producing...red bartletts, yellow bartletts, and bosc.  I like to cook some of the pears gently with some spices for a delicious dessert, and I also like to make a gingery chutney. 

I watched an interesting movie on Lifetime Television For Women last night, called "Miracle Run," about a single mom raising twin boys who have autism.  It was based on a true story, and it was very good.  The boys started out with no verbal skills, and both went on to passionately pursue their interests, one as a musician and the other as an athlete.  I would guess any parent would be happy to see their kids succeed like this--to find an interest that they really love and be able to participate successfully in it.  But this is a particularly moving story because these kids were not expected by the schools to ever be able to do normal activities. 

I think the key is to help your child pursue whatever it is that they're really interested in.  There are lots of so-called "normal" activities that I would like my daughter Betsy, who has Asperger Syndrome, to participate in.  For example, her dad and I would really like her to learn to ride her bicycle.  But it doesn't interest her.  She doesn't want to put time and effort into this pursuit.  She'd rather draw Manga pictures and interact with her Internet friends.  Once in a while, she's interested in getting out of the house to do something else...last night she and Larry went out for ice cream.  But mostly her interests center on art and computers, and she'd rather explore these things herself than participate in classes.  I keep hoping that if I encourage these things that she loves to do, she will find her niche.  She's only 12, so there is no big hurry. 

Larry got good news yesterday.  He had a little mole removed from his head last week, and he finally got the news that it's totally benign.  We are relieved.

One other tidbit, a funny one...yesterday I was showing Betsy something I'd purchased for resale at the antique store that was marked on the bottom, "Made in Occupied Japan."  Betsy said, "Japan is pretty crowded; is there any part that isn't occupied?"  I can't wait to share this with my antique dealer friends. 

Lately Larry and I have been too darned busy to get out and have much fun.  Fortunately, we are easily amused.  Today we laughed a lot over renaming our dogs.  We're thinking, "Tabouleh," "Falafel," and "Baba Ganoush." 

Since starting my second job a few months ago, I am spending less time at home, and our dogs are having more accidents.  Sometimes they even have accidents while we're home.  I guess once a dog gets the idea he can pee in the family room, it doesn't matter whether the people are home or not.  Anyway, we are having to crate up the dogs more now.  I am even going to crate them at night for a while.  They have gotten altogether too out of line lately.  We love them, but it's no fun for anyone to have to clean up messes that are avoidable if we keep them in their box occasionally. 

I wish I'd known about crate training when I had dogs in the past.  Dogs like dens, because it's part of their nature.  So there's nothing cruel about occasionally putting a dog in its kennel.  In fact, from stories I've heard, it can save their lives...dogs that are left to roam the house when nobody is home can get into some pretty bad trouble, such as eating something poisonous or chewing through an electrical cord and starting a fire. 

My husband's dog, Jack, has actually dug himself a den outside, under a big fern.  I imagine he stays nice and cool there on hot days, lying on the shady dirt.  Jack loves being outside in just about any weather.  He takes his job as perimeter guard very seriously.