Good morning and happy Saturday! This week’s update will be a little short, because we’ve had a distinct lack of excitement here at Camp WTF. After today, I’ll be on vacation for a week, so I’ve spent this week working, working, working to get stuff done. And that’s after spending all weekend cleaning, cleaning, cleaning, because my son has a houseguest this week. This adulthood thing is a thrill a minute, I tell ya. Before we get to all those thrills: This post is part of the Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie the Explorer; Cee’s Flower of the Day photo challenge, hosted by Cee’s Photo Challenges, and the What’s On Your Bookshelf Challenge, hosted by Deb, Sue, Donna, and Jo. Grab a treat, pull up a seat, and let’s get to it. Our one moment of genuine excitement happened on our evening walk around the neighborhood on Tuesday, when we encountered this critter: I’ve been to a bunch of national parks and wildlands, but the first time I see a bobcat outside of a zoo is in someone’s front yard in midtown Tucson. Go figure. Apologies for the poor picture quality, but all we had with us was my husband’s iPhone, and we weren’t going to get too close. Let’s talk about books, baby… I’ve complained in previous What’s On Your Bookshelf posts that I’m not reading as much this year as I usually do. I’ve been making more time to read in the last month, and it’s been wonderful. Less doomscrolling the news, less reading of angry rants on social media, more feeding my mind and soul. Yeah. Well, and a few long flights didn’t hurt either–lots of uninterrupted time to read at 37,000 feet. Books I finished in the last month Books I’m currently reading AKA BILFs. In the garden We’re heading into Giant Hair Dryer Season here in Satan’s Anus (when it’s hot and dry and windy, so every time you go outside, it feels like you’re being chased by a giant hair dryer). At least we’re back under 100F (barely). Most plants don’t much like Giant Hair Dryer Season. Our roses are slowing down (partly because Giant Hair Dryer Season has coincided with Aphid Invasion Season), the peas are dead, and several of my newly-transplanted petunias are now dearly-departed petunias. But we do have some good news: the peony poppies are finally blooming! I’m sharing this one as part of Cee’s Flower of the Day photo challenge. The calendulas are also putting on a show: And here’s a shot of most of the backyard. My neighbor’s white oleanders are lookin’ fine! Mid-may marks the beginning of Oh, Hell No season in the garden, as in: I should weed/deadhead/mulch, but it’s the approximate surface temperature of Venus outside, so oh, hell no. I’ll resume gardening when monsoon season starts, sometime between mid-June and early July (if we’re lucky). On that note, let’s get to the part everyone’s been waiting for… The memery This week’s crop of memes is a little smaller than usual, but there are a few gems in here. First, the old fart section: That’s me literally every single morning, especially during allergy season. Benadryl hangovers are awful. Fellow children of the 70s and 80s will relate to this one: True story: I once stepped into a pool of something like quicksand on my husband’s grandmother’s property outside of Camas, Washington. It was this weird, sandy mud. I sank down to about my waist and could. not. get. out. Long-Suffering Husband had to pull me out. A similar thing happened with snow on Mt. Hood a few years later–fell through about 5 feet of snow (crusty on top, soft underneath) and couldn’t get myself out without help from Long-Suffering Husband. So maybe all those 70s and 80s quicksand scenes were warnings I should have heeded. Or maybe the Pacific Northwest was trying to kill me. Speaking of the Pacific Northwest: At least we get to look at cool things in the sky down here in Satan’s Anus… right before we spontaneously combust from the heat. This kid’s mom was a freakin’ genius: Here’s some more quality reasoning: I’ve wanted a tank for years. It would have been so much fun in Southern California traffic. Or Portland traffic. Or Seattle traffic. And speaking of people wanting things they can’t have: And finally, if you’ve ever had cats, you’ll relate to this one: That’s it for me this week. How about y’all? What’s happening in your world?