VILLAGE WALK

We've had company pretty much for the last month and it's been exciting. Now everyone has gone and it's quiet. Too quiet.

Last night, my guy and I looked at each other after supper. We've gotten used to having people around doing stuff. Like walking down to the Dairy Queen or riding bikes or driving over to the beach or...

Something!

We decided we couldn't stand it and walked down to the Village for an ice cream. My guy got vanilla, but I got praline. Then we sat down to watch the ocean and eat.

Our local policeman was there under a canopy holding court.

Lacey is a great guy. He hunts and fishes and loves sports and people. He also keeps everyone in line with good humor. He's perfect to be the Village cop. You can tell him by his brown uniform. Here, he's schmoozing with the tourists.

Then my guy got to talking to Lacey and the tourists while I stood patiently waiting. We barely got home before dark.

The house was still empty and quiet, though. Boo hoo.

COMPANY

If any of you have been wondering where I've been the last few weeks, I've been crazy!

Yep. We've had three different sets of company from the beginning of July. The last ones left this week and the house is so quiet, I can hear all its creaks and groans.

It may have been a little hectic at times, but it's always so nice to see people we love that it doesn't matter. And once they're gone, we really miss them.

Anyway, that's where I've been.

Some pix from our walks around the island with our visitors. Here are a couple of ducks who wandered away from their pond and out to the sidewalk:

And here is the new playground at Mallery Park just before it opened. They also cleaned up the older playground beside it and left it so kids can enjoy both. Our county does such good work on things like this!

OUT OF COMMISSION

We've had company this month and finding time to even power up the computer has been challenging. I think our busy season is over for a while though. And I find I miss it! No hurrying to go to the beach or the pool or the Village. No going out to eat. No biking around the neighborhood. No engrossing conversations.

Not that it isn't nice to have the house back to ourselves. The cats are of two minds: they've had people spoiling them, whipping out the brush at the first pitiful meow, petting them and calling them beautiful. On the other hand, they can roam through the house without being picked up and hugged, and they can take their naps in peace.

They can't decide whether to be happy company's gone or sad. So she wakes up and looks around expectantly to find her admiring audience.

And he peers around corners trying to see if he needs to make a grand entrance in case someone's waiting to fawn all over him.

Yep, I think we're all suffering from withdrawal!

DIET

Okay, company's gone, time to get back to normal.

While they were here, I put back on four of the hard-lost eight pounds I've struggled the past few months to get off. I blame the unwanted addition on the homemade brownies and zucchini bread they brought. But it would have been rude not to eat it after they went to so much trouble, right?

So my guy put on two and a half pounds the past week. (He's lost over ten pounds on MY diet.) Not to mope, but it does seem so unfair.

Now I'm back to starving again and eating things I don't like. And grumpy!

ABSENTMINDEDNESS

Okay, company's gone, condo's a lot quieter, cats are out of hiding, we're back to the normal routine.

The dermatologist gave my guy some medication to go on his head that I've been putting on for him. Tiny little bottle but lasted a month. Got to the end and set the empty bottle out to throw away.

My guy sees it. "Is this what you've been putting on me?"

"Yeah."

"This is eye drops."

"What!??"

Sure enough, it was. So I dug around, found the head medication and we're back to putting it on every day.

No wonder his rash didn't seem to be getting better.