Another stormy day. The backyard is becoming a marsh. There are mushrooms cropping up all over the lawn. We�re thinking of giving up on the grass in the back yard and starting a rice paddy, as the creek is encroaching. If this keeps up, either our property will be seriously reduced in size or we will eventually own the whole creek, as it is slipping its banks and running through my poor, battered hostas.

We spent the morning on our still fruitless search for the Holy Grail of tables. This project is starting to feel like a production of Waiting for Godot -- we�re caught in the process and don�t seem to be able to come to a conclusion. But today�s efforts were, at least, enjoyable as we ventured up towards the Wisconsin border to one of those little towns that would probably not even be on the map were it not for the antiques industry. There was, for the most part, a lot of overpriced junk, although we did find a chaise we liked, which we were NOT looking for and don�t think we have room for at the moment. Several of these places were like diving into my grandmother�s basement. Old beer cans and newspapers. A set of three stainless steel canisters reading �Coffee,� �Cookies,� and �Grease.� A copy of Jim Nabor�s Christmas Album (I really wanted to bring that one home, but my husband protested too vigorously). AJ was fascinated by the wide array of objects that were almost, but not quite, like things in our house: rotary telephones, old mixers, chairs with no seats. �What�s this, Mommy?� he asked, holding up an old 45 of Petula Clark�s �Downtown.� The kid has never seen a 45. Tragic.

We dined at a tavern along a small stream where the menu was typical but the execution was far better than expected. Then we headed to the local Dogs n� Suds for root beer floats, which put the biggest smile on AJ�s face, and mine too. Although AJ�s smiling face was substantially more covered in vanilla ice cream.

After putting a sleepy AJ to bed, I tackled some of the weeds in the back beds between storms. Gardening is just about the only occasion that I don�t object strenuously to being knee-deep in mud.

I hear AJ waking up � I have pictures, but I�ll have to post them later.

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