Here's a reconstruction of what disappeared into the ether when BLOGGER "ate" my previous post:

"Things" are back to relative normality.

Received two family e-mails... my Brother's backyard with sod down and waterfall and pond, et al, is lookin' good. My sister e-mailed me the study that's been going around about mispellings and the way they're understandable. Seems as long as you have the first and last letter correct in a word... then it doesn't matter what order the remaining letters are in, as long as they're correct. The brain evidently picks up only visual "clues" as to what a word is and interpolates. I had picked this up at the TechTv message Boards and was amused at some of the posters trying to emulate the style... only - not adhering to the first / last rule and creating gibberish instead.

"Hurricane" Chrissy arrived and left Friday morning. We had a small Birthday dinner on the deck Friday night for Chrissy ( 26 )... chinese take-out, presents and cake. Gail and I gave her a beautiful watch pendant with what appears to be a porcelain backing with a floral motif painted on it. It came from an estate sale and may be vintage. Richard and the kids presented her with a beautiful plant amidst decorative "stuff". She went out to get her license renewed with Gail and kids in tow on Saturday.

Going to be hot for a while... 90+ degrees Fahrenheit. I've been getting in as much time on the 'puter before it gets too hot inside.

I have taken to turning off the hot water heater to save ergs and money. Our last PG&E utility bill was $135 USD. With Chrissy and the family moving in I expect the electrical to soar... she's not comfortable unless it's 70+ degrees Fahrenheit inside. Gail and I only run the heater if it's less than 55 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter, and only as a backup to the wood stove... and then only until we leave.

Sunday found my father-in-law and a better feeling Richard ( on anti-biotics ) repairing a floor in a bedroom in my house. This is the room Chrissy and Richard and David and Ashley will be quartered in. Kids watching cartoons, what else ? I tried to stay out of everyone's way.

49'ers eventually lost another gimme NFL football game... Raiders play Monday night... hope they're not blacked out in our area !!!

Allergies raging... OTC Claritan generic medicine helping a little. CNN showed a list of the top 10 cities worst for Autumnal allergies... nearly all in the southern USA ( Texas and east ). * note to self: do not move to the southern USA.

I have been working on my new web site quite a bit... and no, it's not on the web yet. The artwork to accompany my poems has been going well... a mixture of original art, by moi, and rendering free-for-use artwork/photos from the web in Paint and IrfanView. The music to accent each page is another matter... too many variables to juggle for now... players, MIDI or .wav, copy protection concerns, editing...