Gorgeous day -- perfect for yard work. I raked the garden, spread the manure, put up the fence poles. Just as I was about to plant the seeds, it occurred to me that rain is predicted starting tonight and for several days, with temperatures in the 60s. I don't want to seeds to rot, so I decided to wait on planting until next week, when hopefully it will be warmer and it won't be so rainy. The only seeds I planted were zinnias, near the sidewalk. I also put the extra time to good use and weed whacked. It is overcast now, and I think our beautiful weather is over. I hope to get to the nursery this weekend, since I need deer netting (more to protect against rabbits) and window box plants.

I managed to plant the container plants on Tuesday -- tomatoes, basil and other spices, and lettuce, despite what was the hottest May day in memory! It was brutal. I could work for no more than 90 minutes before I had to come inside and take a break, so the task took longer than anticipated. If I had known that yesterday would be so much less humid, I may have waited. I did the hanging baskets last week, so today's job is the bean and cucumber garden, which involves rototilling. I love my rototiller! I am going to give zucchini a try again. I have never had much success with it in Castleton, but what the heck. May need to weed whack (again!), or maybe that is tomorrow's task.

Later: prepared the garden all the way through rototilling, but did not plant. So that's on my agenda for tomorrow. (Also weed whacking.)

The Samsonville weekend was long and productive! Bob mowed, I planted zucchini and pole beans, we took the cover off the pool, went to the Memorial Day parade (the band was a little better than usual -- they played two songs), and did a lot of visiting. Ticks are no joke this year; I pulled one off of Sam on Friday (dog tick); Bob had one crawling on his wrist after mowing on Saturday, and I found one crawling around in my hair after we got back to Castleton. Both of the ticks on us were deer ticks. (And I took a shower and put my clothes in a plastic bag after removing the cover from the pool! I even sprayed myself with Off before that task, which is something I never do.) There were a few deer flies hoving around while we were working too. I should be more scared of those since that is how I got Lyme Disease! Maybe it is because ticks look like mini spiders?

Ah, that reminds me. While removing the cover from the pool, I encountered the biggest beetle I have ever seen. Seriously. It wasn't a June bug, either. Those are always big, but this made a June bug look like a Lady bug. Moments later, a huge spider appeared. Not only was it large, it was incredibly scary-looking. Hairy, fast, with an exotic pattern. Blended into the pool cover exactly. It wasn't a Black Widow or Brown Recluse (thank God). It looked like a Tarantula. Terrifying! I think Bob thought I was over reacting -- I was standing on the pool deck, removing leaves from the cover. There was no where to go to quickly get away from the thing -- couldn't jump into the pool and one of the stairs on the ladder is broken so you need to step carefully. He came up to see what the fuss was about, probably expecting to see a large wood spider or something. When he finally spotted it -- he freaked out too. This spider looked like it could take you down without breaking a sweat. I am not sure where it went once he got a look. It didn't stick around. Wasn't scared of me but figured he was a threat, I guess.

When we got back to Castleton, it had been so hot that my poor plants were so thirsty. Most looked dead. But I soaked them,and today they are fine. So -- planting day! The mosquitoes seem kind of tame by comparison to the jungle creatures in Samsonville.

Later: Google search indicates that it was probably a Wolf spider. A very large one! Biggest, hairiest and most colorful one I've ever seen.

No student questions about grades! That might be a first. I will post breakdowns in blackboard next week, but it's nice to not have to answer those emails. I am going out shortly to see whether gardening is possible. I tried yesterday but it was still too wet -- and so buggy. When the bugs are bad here, they are intolerable. I plan to weed whack regardless, unless it is so bad that I can't take it. The grass isn't that high yet but with a Samsonville weekend on the agenda, it will be up to my knees on Monday. The bugs have not been terrible this year, and I assumed it was the warm week in March followed by a cold snap -- repeated in April -- that zapped them. But maybe that was wishful thinking. We'll see..

Later: I was a mosquito banquet, but I managed to do poop patrol, weed whack, plant two hanging baskets, and water everything (they were surprisingly dry considering how much rain we have had this week). It was very humid and I have many welts. Not happy about that, nor about not getting to the tomatoes etc., but very pleased to have accomplished that much under the circumstances.

Almost forgot! The bunny managed to find the parsley, Italian parsley and cilantro and eat some if them, right out of the pots! I thought they'd be safe in the upper bed near the sidewalk for a few days during the rain, but I was wrong. I rescued them yesterday, and I don't think they will die, but it is a setback. May have to buy more. And no way can I plant them until I am ready to protect them. You'd think with a Beagle -- a rabbit hound! --a blue tick/border collie X, and a Maine Coon Cat lurking around they'd be safe for three days in (what I thought was) a/n inhospitable place, but the bunnies must be laughing at Rosie, Sam and TB/TC.

The registrar's link is down, which means that students won't get their grades until tomorrow. Since the weather is not nice enough for gardening (the original plan, sigh), this means I won't have to be interrupted by queries of "why did I get ...?"(pick one: A-, D or E; in my experience other students rarely ask that question) today, and can happily surf and catch up on various details. One important loose end related to my research that I'd planned to wait at least a day before addressing has taken first priority.

Bob had a big day yesterday, and since I finished the grades, we went out to celebrate. That rarely happens when the grading marathon is done, because invariably I am done but he has a big meeting to prepare for or is traveling or something so it has to keep. Same is often true of his "big days" (yesterday is not my story and so not shared here), the timing almost always means that I have something major due and we can't celebrate. So that the planets aligned yesterday and we were both free and champing at the bit is notable.

It being a Monday complicates things, naturally, but we have a favorite restaurant that opened about six weeks ago. (The link goes to the original Delmar location.) The decor is so "2012," there is parking (given the location that is not a given), the food is fabulous, the by-the-glass wine selection satisfying, the prices not bad, and the owner is both competent and extremely gracious. We have been to the Albany Shogun location numerous times since they opened, and last night did not disappoint. Can't wait to go back!

Our anniversary is Thursday. Bob has a two-day meeting in NYC (of course) so we've been pretty up in the air about when to celebrate. With this being Memorial Day weekend, we are headed to Samsonville and neither of us likes going out to a fancy dinner there. When we go out it is usually casual, and we more often prefer to stay at home. We don't go there to go out on the town, we go there to be in the woods. (That sentence is making me think of ticks, eek.)

Given last year's fiasco, 2009's nightmare (and how could I forget this?), he thought it over and decided to go to NYC on Wednesday, and telecommute on Thursday so we can go out on the actual date, and be closer to Castleton. The current plan is to go to Lee, MA to the Salmon Run Fish House. It isn't really a fancy place, but it is special.

I am done with Spring '12 grades! YAY.

I worked for several hours yesterday, and got myself to the point where I was comfortable with taking today off. We went to both parties last night, stayed longer than I'd planned at both, but is was reasonable. Today I did get to go to Becker's -- got not just seeds, but some of the plants too. So on Tuesday if the weather holds you know what I will be doing! Among the things I got: nine tomato plants -- that's many more than in recent years, as well as a flat of lettuce, which I rarely grow. (And with the bunnies we have in Castleton, it will be a challenge.) For Samsonville, I got three types of squash. A`new herb I am trying: curry.