Tomato, croquet, blood, and a pedicure

Here are a few pictures that nicely sum up the week.

The garden is doing OK considering how much it has been neglected. There are a couple of pumpkins and a whole bunch of green tomatoes, but what caught Darci's eye was the one red tomato she found. Within seconds she had eaten it.

The garden has very little variety this year: tomatoes, pumpkins, and some lemon cucumbers. No zucchini or green beans - we just never got around to putting them in.

I didn't understand why, but the grandkids begged to be put in these wire cages. Darci then started a complicated story involving a princess trapped in a castle and an evil king (or pirate - she wasn't very clear on this point).

She eventually lost track of the story herself and decided to play croquet "the right way." "The right way" involved placing your ball directly in front of a hoop, then taking as many swings as needed to get it through the hoop. It was even permissible to move the hoop if needed.

Next weekend Rehtaeh and Nevar (not their real names) are flying in from Ohio to visit. A highlight will be the Brazen Bad Bass race at Lake Chabot. Mrs Notthat, Rehtaeh, and Irbua are all going to do the 5K event, and Nevar signed up for the half marathon (as did I). The Boy, not to be outdone, has also signed up for the half marathon.

So he went out and bought a pair of proper running shoes. This place takes a video of you running on a treadmill and a digital impression of the bottom of your foot to work out what sort of shoe you need ("expensive" was the answer). As a complete surprise, he needed exactly what I needed, but half a size smaller.

The Boy and I then headed out to break them in by running some hills. Within minutes he had blood on them. I think he likes trail running.

Completely unrelated, The Boy and his shredded arm decided it was time trim his cat Bugsy/Skittles/Shadow's claws. Wisely, he got help in the form of a heavy towel and Irbua to get the job done. The cat was not amused.

This weekend will be another full one. Mrs Notthat is having a yard sale on Saturday while I go for a nice long walk. On Sunday, we both head down to Santa Cruz to participate in the Wharf to Wharf six mile race.

All of which will make Monday at work seem nice and relaxing.

That's it - move along...