When the student is ready, the (sewing) teacher might appear.

While L and I had our usual after-church coffee I ranted about the shopping frustration and said I really wanted to learn to sew this summer. She pointed out that her friend L2, who I know casually from Wednesday girls' night, is a sewing goddess who sews semi-professionally, in addition to being a single mother and a college student with a full-time job who gets no child support from the father worthless sperm donor of her little girl. And, get this, we live five minutes apart, I could walk to her house. Her semester ends this week and next time we get together, possibly this Wednesday, I will ask her if she'd be interested in giving sewing lessons - I'll gladly pay her what I would pay for lessons at The Sewing Studio and buy all the materials, but we could work the lessons in whenever we had time and I won't have to slog across town. It sounds like a plan if she has time and energy to take it on. I know while she's juggling college and working it's out of the question and wouldn't dream of asking, but if she has time during the summer and is willing I'd be delighted to pay her rather than pay strangers for group instruction. She needs the money and I need the instruction, and we're practically neighbors. So how cool is that?

Meanwhile, the pond's plumbing is in crisis mode and I need to spend some bucks on reworking it. For the first time in its existence, it smells bad. It needs a new filtration system. I tinkered with it this afternoon and got it running in a sad, drooly way, but the water is disgusting. Lowe's and Petsmart didn't have a suitable filter, so it looks like time for internet shopping. Yesterday I ran around like a mad thing from 10-4 and then did some yard work. Today the day started at 8:30 when I picked L up for Mass and ended at 4. It's like a work day but I sweat more. My weekends are just so restful, I love it.

It's 4:30 and when the temps drop a bit outside I will put down the 4 bags of mulch (about 1/4 of what I need) I bought at Lowe's, and drag out a mountain of trash and finish about four loads of laundry and vacuum up the dirt tracked in from the yard. Then I will sit down and work on critter blankets. Does anyone wonder why I don't stress my brain with anything more challenging? The heat and humidity have arrived and a few hours of yard work leaves me too mentally wiped to do anything but mindless repetition.

The dryer is buzzing, the dog is squeaking for a walk, and I still need to water the sod. And tomorrow is Monday!