Better a spider...

I should know by now that signing up for free things is almost always never a good idea, because too much temptation inevitably follows.  That free Penn Station East Coast Sub was followed up with regular emails with all sorts of tastiness front and center.  The tastiness for May??  Grilled Artichoke and Provolone sub, with oregano and other tastiness included.  SIGH.  Yes, I bought one today after fetching my prescriptions since the sub chain is directly behind Target.  And, yes, I added bacon and chicken to the sub.  It was simply sublime.

Of course, with Myrtle Math, I shouldn't feel any guilt at all because I saved $3.95 with the Walmart app and $8.96 with the Target app.  Plus, my $45 prescription (90 days) was somehow just $22.  So, really, that sub was still technically free, right?

I have completed two more entries on my literacy blog project, one on the Transactional Theory of Literature (a remix of something I wrote for this blog) and one on the Writing Process.  I want to do an overview of Listening and then Speaking, rounding out all four literacy acts, before writing up some of the tip information I have, such as multiple ways to report on a book ... book reports are so last century!  Then I hope to just go through old notes and such and capture what I still know about literacy.

I have also finished my not-quite-exhaustive tasting of ales, six flavors and three brands.  The winner, for me, is Woodchuck Raspberry Ale.  Now, after my entire adult life, I have a wine that I like (Barefoot Moscato) and an ale.  I am not sure ferreting out those things was important, but I've always felt left out when folk go on and on about having a beer and now I could BYOB the ale and feel like I fit in ... you know ... if I were not actually a hermit.  Perhaps all this was moot.  But I did fancy trying some of the ales and now I have my answer.

Good thing I have a neighbor who likes to come over for a drink to finish off all the brands/flavors I did not quite care for.  To her, I'm being generous in the invitation to have an ale. To me, I am being expedient about polishing off the lesser tasty ales.

I have been having rash ideas about getting out the sewing machine and trying to make a slip case for the small pillow I use on the steamer lounger.  Right now, it is practically lost in a regular pillow case.  I should (I think) have a spare piece of fabric that I have had since college (why I never downsized it I don't know).  If I can find it, the floral fabric, just how hard could it be to make a rectangular slip case?  If I cannot find it, could I not simply use an old t-shirt to accomplish the same ... a cover for the pillow?  My worries on the matter center wholly on whether or not I could remember how to thread the sewing machine, since it took eons for me to figure it out.

The warmer weather has put the pressure on me to start painting the railing on the back porch, but I have resisted the paint guilt thus far.  I am still weary, after all.  My plan is to FORCE myself to only paint one section a day, putting the brush and roller in the refrigerator each day instead of doing the whole kit and caboodle and clean-up all at once.  Having determined that I shall not be on any ladders, I am fairly sure my visual rest can be achieved if I get the railing done and then just wait on Firewood Man for the posts, ceiling, and upper outside trim.  Thankfully, we are about to have a spate of multiple days of rain, so no painting will be possible.

My mother is heavily campaigning for me to take the opportunity to shape the canopy of the crabapple tree.  She suggests that I climb a ladder to lop off those five stray limbs up on top and trim back the two extra long ones on the left side.  Doing so now would result in a nicely shaped tree as it grows.  However, should I really be standing on a ladder trimming the top of a tree?

If you squint hard, you can see the two hyacinths beneath the tree.  They are both smushed, compliments of Amos.  He ATE the blossoms of the other two on the left side of the base of the tree. I just don't know what came over him.

You don't have to squint to see the last of my tulips blooming.  The PINK portion of the bulb bed has arrived!

My baby robins are really growing up!  They are now half-way through their nesting period and will be self sufficient in just 7 more days!

My neighbor is much more skilled at taking baby robin photos.  Of course, her nest is in a lower, lighter location.  Do you think our Mrs. Robins are related?

I am a bit worried about my Mrs. Robin.  She's lost lots of weight and is constantly flying back and forth to feed the greedy little guts in her nest.  Perhaps she will plump back up once her babies have taken flight?

I did not have to vacuum this morning, because the person coming for the computer lesson got a better offer and canceled on my time slot late last night.  I do wish, for once, someone would say, "Thank you for inviting me, but I already have plans with Myrtle.  Perhaps another day."  SIGH.

I do need to vacuum tomorrow, though, because the non-profit agency is coming to fetch all those books on Friday.  And office supplies.

My final "news" is that I have a spider bit on my wrist.  At least, according the photos I Googled, it looks that what's those two little bloody marks that appeared on my wrist are.  At first, it was fine.  Then, it started itching something fierce last night.  So, I slapped on some cortisone cream and took a Benadryl, which made getting up to go fetch prescriptions very difficult.  Now, it is just slightly swollen and red.  Do yourself a favor.  Don't Google spider bites.  It is a very distressing thing.

I have horrible reactions to mosquito bites, often large welts that last for weeks.  The ant bites from last year were also met with poor bodily reactions.  So, I am thinking that my "fang" marks are not from something poisonous, since I am not deathly ill, and will just be like other insect bites, progressing from red and swollen to a lingering, unattractive welt.

The thing is ... I noticed it in the wee hours of the morning yesterday.  So, is there a spider in my bed???????  Better a spider, though, than a snake, right?  Or a vampire?????????