Hey Chimp. Where You Been All My Life?

It was a Ms. Candie day today at the Moon Household and she came in bearing that precious Chimp. She saw my monkey lamp and immediately remembered this guy from another client's house and somehow, it has been gifted to me and I have to tell you that when I saw his eyes, I fell in love and asked him if he would like to live here and I believe he said he would. 

Of course I have to find something suitable to go into the basket on his head. I think that tomorrow I will put a shallow vase of zinnias in it and then eventually, perhaps a little fern in a pot or...something. And I am not even sure where he will live in this house but we'll figure it out. Perhaps he'll stay on the back porch with me. We shall see. 

I do not think I have mentioned the fact that Mr. Moon is about to go on a journey. He is leaving Friday, flying to Las Vegas where his sister's granddaughter is playing in a volleyball tournament.
Ah- that Moon gene comes through again! 
A few other cousins of Glen's and his sister's are going to be there too so it will be like a reunion week. I was sweetly invited but I graciously declined. 
I mean- uh, no thank-you.
Las Vegas in July? Or, to put it more succinctly- Las Vegas?
I have been to Las Vegas several times and I enjoyed it, honestly. But those days are far behind me. I was a pretty wild woman at one time in my life. I always like to point out that I have never danced on a table or a bar nor have I ever done heroin. But I have done a lot of other things. Things that are best left behind in the vast vault of memories. And honestly, I don't think I ever did anything very wild in Las Vegas. Anyone can do wild things there. You're supposed to. It's like the law or something. I seriously doubt that there will be much wildness going on with the Moon family when they visit, and I know that Las Vegas is sort of more of a just plain old tourist vacation location now (supposedly) but still, no thank-you.

I mean, I can barely make it through a Walmart and if I have any choice in the matter, I won't even do that. 

So I will be here in my nest surrounded by my own things, and happy to be. I will miss that man. My heart grows ever-more tender for him but I'll be fine and so will Maurice. We will have our own little support group. 

I picked beans this morning and surprisingly, they have decreased in bounty. A lot. It could be the heat. It could be the fact that I didn't pick for a week. I don't know. But despite all the bitching I've done about TOO MANY GREEN BEANS, I am a bit worried as I haven't made any dilly beans and you know I need to make at least a few pints of those. I will. I feel certain that they'll get a second wind. Or at least I hope so. 

Here's what the sky looked like when I was picking. 

There were two swallow-tail kites soaring overhead while I was out there. They are so beautiful with their distinctive tails and the way they can glide and ride an air current seemingly forever. 

I didn't get a picture but this is what they look like. 

They fly/float so high that they seem to disappear as you watch them ascend. I feel so grateful every year when "our" pair returns to grace our tiny piece of sky. 

Mr. Moon is not here this evening. Lily wanted to spend some time with her daddy without the kids so they're going to see a movie together. Again, I was invited but going out at night is just way too upsetting for my routine. 
I know. I'm getting sort of crazy. But Lily and her daddy don't get enough time together. So it works out fine. 

I wish I could prophesy that for our country. I was in Publix today and they have all the 4th of July stuff out. The hotdogs and beans and beer and cakes decorated with red, white, and blue. I heard one woman tell another, "Happy America's Birthday!" and I thought to myself, "Yeah. Celebrate it now because by next year, it may not be the America we know now."

Like the swallow-tail kite, I let these thoughts rise up until I cannot even see them anymore. The thing is, that doesn't mean they're not still here. They eventually descend and come right back to roost in my brain. 

We continue on.

Love...Ms. Moon