"...the way to have them live on is to never stop loving them."*

My Aunt K died last night. It was probably expected by some (she was in her mid-eighties and had not been especially well these past two years), but a demented cousin withheld critical info from the family, and it came as a shock to me. I will - I WANT - to write a post about my aunt, but not right now, as I am planning a trip home for the funeral. She was amazing and wonderful, and I loved her very much.

And in other, much less important news: my laptop bit it yesterday - apparently I did something to my security settings and it downloaded a virus (along with all sorts of other nasty, icky stuff), and then the Blue Screen of Death appeared. I can't open the OS, not even in Safe Mode. And my warranty is expired. (And of course - OF COURSE - there was a half-edited dissertation on there, not backed up because I wasn't finished with it yet. Sigh.)

So I will be out of commission, and contact, for a bit.

The silver lining in the laptop situation is that the demise of the laptop has forced me to do other things with my time (since the desktop is ALL. THE. WAY. UP. on the third floor.) So I have finished reading two books, and am almost done two more, and have started another. So I will have lots to tell you when I do return.

(I am waiting for the silver lining to appear around Aunt K's death. Perhaps it's that I will get my two littlest guys to Jersey to meet the rest of my ancient aunts and uncles.)

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My dear Aunt K
1920-something - September 12, 2008
(Her birthday is today, 9/13; as near as we can figure, she was 83 or 84.)

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*"The Crow"

"Tweedly dee..."*

I totally forgot my little brother's birthday. By DAYS. I am a rotten sister.

Two of my four little guys have fevers, and one of the other two has a weird rash, completely putting the kibosh on all those "Last week of summer" fun plans, or even just a jaunt to the duck pond or pool. This SUCKS. (Seriously, they all look awful and sick enough that I don't even want to drag them to the grocery store, but man, I need some limes. Mama needs her mojitos, yo.)

We had dinner guests Sunday evening. I threw together a meal - tomato tart, Italian bread, steamed yellow squash, a cold roast chicken, and a big dish of homemade aioli. There were no vampires getting near any of us that night. Well, except the boys who saw fit to drown their chicken in ketchup rather than garlic. What does ketchup keep away, werewolves?

I made a batch of lemon curd, folded in stiff whipped cream, and piled it into a butter-and-amaretti-cookie crust. That was dessert. YUM.

I have been conversing with the inimitable Joke regarding cocktail shakers, and have adopted the procurement of a Boston shaker as my thrift shop goal of the moment. (In the meantime, I am mixing my Bacardi cocktails using a Sam Adams pint glass and a giant plastic McDonald's cup - I ooze class, I know.) Lately I have been thrifting lotsa books, some neat old linens (and a set of superhero sheets), baking ramekins, a pair of pretty pewter lamps, and some terrific skirts. I even discovered a new thrift shop on the other side of the river, while on the hunt for a breakfast place. I found the breakfast place, too, and had a delicious plate of eggs over easy, home fries, and toasted ciabatta. Plus lashings of hot, fresh coffee. Heaven.

I started the newest Maisie Dobbs while guzzling lovely coffee - it is just like all the other Maisie Dobbs books, that is, comforting and charmingly archaic and NICE.

I am also reading another Tess Monaghan mystery, The Sugar House. I whizzed through The Lace Reader; all you guys who like Amanda Eyre Ward and Joshilyn Jackson might enjoy this. I think The Gargoyle is going back until a later time, I just don't seem to have the brainpower for this right now. I really enjoyed Jincy Willett's The Writing Class; clever and funny. I have a few review copies of a few books floating around to tackle next, so keep your eye peeled for those reviews...

School starts Thursday; kindergarten the Thursday after. THANK GOD.

That's it, my 'nettie friends. Not a whole lotta shaking going on at all.

Oh, but I am busy being inspired by this post; I ran Sunday, did yoga this morning and weight training after, and have runs planned for the next two days. My goal is the Turkey Trot Thanksgiving Day. After that, who knows? I still have yet to complete that half-marathon...although I HAVE been playing lots of TETRIS Marathon on Facebook...

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*The Backyardigans, "Tale of the Mighty Knights"