Bullet Point List

Things from 'round here.

• This week, Donald bought a "snake tamer", a small shotgun specially designed for snake-sized problems.  (Of course, it can cause some damage to non-snake-sized problems, too, so potential violent intruders beware.) 
• We did a little practice shooting the evening we got it.  It was my first time firing anything more powerful than an air rifle, and I have to admit, even that relatively small kick was enough to rattle me a little.  After one shot, I was done for the night.  I definitely need more practice, as I wasn't aiming correctly and ended up shooting holes in the leaves of one of our satsuma trees instead of "killing" the cardboard snake target.  Eek.  I feel jittery just remembering it.  (I will improve, though, intruders, so stay away.)
• What prompted us to finally go ahead and get a gun for snakes was that a couple weeks ago our neighbor down the easement came to show us a sizable rattlesnake he'd shot not far from our yard.  I think he had this same kind of "snake gun". . . and I believe it's similar to the one my parents have, too.

• The continuing oil leak in the Gulf is big news around here, as you might expect.  Some of those beaches you keep hearing about in the local news?  That's where my family used to go for Saturday afternoons of playing in the sand and searching for seashells.  I remember Friday nights parked in the car, eating pizza, listening to the radio, and watching the water, then taking a moonlit walk just out of reach of the waves.  I go through phases of anger, sadness, and disgust over it, even though at the moment it seems unlikely to affect us directly.  We don't live on the beach.  We rarely even go to the beach, these days. We don't earn a living from the Gulf or tourism, directly.  Still, I'm sure it will have a domino effect on the local economy, and some of our family may suffer financially, even if we don't. . . If nothing else, I care about the beaches that are woven through my memories of growing up in this place, and I want them to stay as much the same as possible, for future generations to enjoy.  I believe that the area will recover-- with any luck, sooner than many predict-- but I don't think it's possible for anyone to know all the damage that's being done.  I think it will be years before I'll feel that the beach and seafood is as safe (as far as toxins go) as it was before, no matter what the "experts" may say. 

•  My Project 365 is still creeping along at a snail's pace.  I will finish it, imperfect though it is, but I don't think I'll try to do it again-- not right away, at least.  I think I take and post photos less spontaneously than I did before I started.  Most of my photos these days tend to be halfhearted and fairly boring.  If I could ever just catch up to the current photo of the day, I think the project would be more interesting.  It's hard to feel excited about taking a photo that I "can't" even post until I work my way through two or three weeks of old photos.  I need to take an evening or weekend afternoon and just plow through the backlog of photos. 

• Did I mention that we've painted the kitchen?  I can't even remember. . . Well, we did.  We bought the paint back before we had visitors. . . which was. . . in March?  Anyway, it had been a while, and I guess I had kind of. . . forgotten what color paint we'd bought.  (I know.)  I had been remembering it as a slightly goldenish almondy color.  Not so!  It was much more golden and much less almond than I'd recalled.  Not almond at all, in fact.
• When we start painting, I like it well enough, though Im startled to find my memory has been so wrong.  Still, it looks rich and warm compared to the pale lemony yellow we originally painted the kitchen (soon after the house was built).  Pale lemony yellow can be nice, too-- but that tint had always tended to look a little more greenish than we'd expected, and it was so pale that there wasn't a pleasing contrast with the new, white beadboard wainscoting.  We wanted something to make the white "pop", and this new color certainly does that. . .
• By the time we've finished painting, I've begun to wonder what we were thinking when we chose this color and why isn't the paint almond like I'd remembered?!  In certain light, the paint feels greenish-mustardy-yuck (if such a color is even possible), and I begin to suspect that I hate it with a fierce and passionate loathing.  
• Donald suggests we should just paint it a different color altogether, if I am that unhappy with it, because paint is fairly cheap.
• I suggest that it would be ridiculous to do so until we've waited to see what it's really like, because ok, it looks better now, so maybe that was just some really bad lighting before. . . 
• But on the other hand, why is this not almond?  Why did we choose this color at the last minute?  After months of looking at aquas-- then weeks of looking at sand and almond colors-- why had we gone psycho at the last moment and chosen this goldy, macaroni and cheese color?  WHY? I HATE MACARONI AND CHEESE COLOR (like we have in the office... which I guess is ok for an office, but definitely NOT for our kitchen/breakfast room)!!  Macaroni and cheese color should die a slow, torturous death!!!
• Donald argues that we considered this color longer than I seem to remember us doing, then demonstrates that it's not the hated macaroni and cheese color, but says that if I really hate it that much, we should just repaint.  It won't take that long.  Look, the masking tape's even still up-- all the countertops are cleared.  Let's go get the paint chips out again and get an almond color--
• No, that would be a waste of time and money.  We have to at least give this color a try first.  Ok, see?  It looks better with this lighting. . . And once I put some things on the walls, it won't be so overwhelming. . . Maybe some aqua or blue touches will balance it out. . .
• (And so on and so forth.)  
• Well, we kept the paint, and it's grown on me.  Donald thinks maybe it looks different now than it did when we first painted, as though it's shifted a bit after drying more permanently or something.  I'm doubtful that it's changed.  I think we've just gotten used to it. . . and it was never really bad to begin with.  It was just such a shocking contrast from what I'd been picturing for months. I'm thoroughly ashamed of myself for making such a big deal over the color of paint, but oh well.  It seemed important at the time.  I'd promise never to overreact again, but I doubt I could keep my word.  
•  There will be before and after photos, once the "after" is done.  We still have crown molding to put up-- just a narrow bit to match what's on the kitchen cabinetry-- and wall art / hooks / etc. . . . and curtains. . . and oh yeah, I still need to paint the kitchen cabinets white.  Maybe I'll show "before and in-progress" photos.   If I wait until "after" photos are ready, there's no telling when you'll see them!

•  It's only the beginning of summer (despite the fact that Sweden will be celebrating "midsommar" next weekend), but I'm already tired of summertime heat and humidity.  There's really not much more to say about it than that.  It's hot.  It's sticky.  It's thundery almost every afternoon (seems like).  Grass and weeds grow so fast you can almost see them shooting up before your eyes, and this is the heyday of the snake and the insect.  In brief, it's just not my favorite time of year.  Let the countdown to October begin!