Well, we did our good deed for the day and gave our trusty old weight bench to someone who will hopefully use it more than we did.

We got some nice feedback from the new owners over on the Freecycle site:

"Thanks soooo much to the couple that gave us the weight bench. It is wonderful and in GREAT condition. We want to express our deepest appreciation. God Bless!"
-Laura and John

Freecycle is the site we used to find a new owner for our weight bench.

This is too funny...

One of the (few) drawbacks to living in our subdivision is the disregard that many of our neighbors have for the Home Owners Association rule which states: "You are not permitted to park on the street."

My reply: "Yeah, that's why you paid for a TWO-car garage and an extra long (very expensive aggregate) driveway which can comfortably fit FOUR cars... You've got options, please use 'em!"

The reality: The "powers that be" at the Home Owners Association state that while it's clearly a rule which all home owners must heed, they cannot enforce it, because these roads are city roads, and can only be patrolled and enforced by the local police.

(...such is why the following picture is so funny!)

When it comes to laundry, there are a few "unknowns" in my world, like...

...how to keep whites white

...how to rid men's softball pants of reddish-brown dirt

...and the right way to use Bleach (it's safe with SOME colors? what about whites that have colored collars & trim? then again, sometimes it turns whites grey, right?)

Bleach and laundry issues continue to confuse me.

Well, this weekend, I finally found one great resource for Bleach:

Use it to remove the caked on mildew and grime that is growing on the back of a vinyl shower curtain liner!

You've probably seen them hanging out in people's yards.

I never understood the whole Bag-a-Bug concept... that is, until WE needed to use them!

Listen to Bud Light's Real Men of Genius "Mr. Backyard Bug Zapper Inventor":

Japanese Beetles In Tennessee

...even though we've lived in this same house for over 3 years.

We don't have a pool, but we DID!
Er, well we actually rented a house in Pensacola, Florida for a year that did.

It was a full-size in-the-ground swimming pool -- with a diving board, a deep end, and everything! We were so thrilled.

That is, until the liner along the inside of the pool started sagging, and the cleaners and filters quit working altogether.

The result: A limy green moss-filled swimming pool.
...This stuff practically grew overNIGHT!

Following is something that came my way via a many-times-forwarded e-mail. Unfortunately, I don't know who the original poster was, so I cannot give due credit. But I believe the message is such that this person would welcome the massive exposure...

UPDATE: At the very bottom of this article, you'll find photos of a brown recluse bite that were submitted by a reader of this site.

The e-mail about a brown recluse spider bite in its entirety:

Take a look at the email below and the attached pictures of a guy who was bitten by a Brown Recluse spider. Some of the pictures towards the end are pretty nasty, but take a look at the last one -- it is a picture of the spider itself. Now we all should know what to look out for.

This would be wise thing to send around to people as it is almost summertime and people are going to be digging around doing yard work, and spring cleaning.

The following pictures illustrate the progression of a brown recluse spider bite. Just as a warning, day 3-6 photos are not too graphic. However, days 9 and 10 are very graphic. Your discretion is advised if you choose to view.

The final picture is the most important as it contains a picture of the actual spider. Please be careful, spider bites are dangerous and can have permanent and highly negative consequences.

FYI - They like the darkness and tend to live in storage sheds or attics or other areas that might not be frequented by people or light. If you have a need to be in your attic, go up there and turn on a light and leave it on for about 30 minutes before you go in to do your work.

A few weeks ago, we went camping with our friends, Mark and Erin, plus their little one (named Sophie) and their OTHER little-one-on-the-way (named... whatever Sophie decides to call him THIS week).

This was Sophie's first camping trip. And for a 4-year-old, this was a big deal! (Aside from being "broken up with" by her boyfriend at school last week, that is.)

In fact, we were worried we might not find a campsite that was available close to home... At which point, we were informed that our camping expedition would, in fact, still take place -- it would just be moved to Sophie's backyard instead!

This camping trip was happening, rain or shine... campsite or no campsite.