Gaaaahh! Run for the hills!

I love summer, but one thing that I really don't love about the season is the dang mosquitoes. With all the recent rain, it's like a rainforest around here, and the mosquitoes are absolutely swarming. Last night, we were watching a Star Trek episode, and I got two bites on my leg. Today, I walked out to get the mail, and got two bites on my neck. Argh! Now I'm all itchy.

We've had some pretty spectacular storms here lately. A really bad one skirted us to the north last night, but we had some amazing winds. I was standing at the sliding glass door watching (I know--stupid to stand at a window, but I love watching storms), and our big oak and maple trees were just bending and thrashing. How is it they keep from breaking? Wow, it was neat to watch. I'm grateful that we didn't lose any trees or large limbs, that's for sure. As I was watching, a male hummingbird flew up to the feeder right outside the window. He was having a hard time maintaining his altitude with all the wind, and suddenly, a big gust came up and swept him to the sky! I could see him up there, hovering, with leaves blowing around him, and then he swooped back down to the feeder. The wind was blowing him away from it, and he finally had enough and zipped up into a tree to weather the storm. I was fascinated!

I'm not sure why I love storms so much. I hate tornados, they scare me silly, but I love watching thunderstorms. I guess it's because I'm in awe of the forces that you see in a storm. The wind, the lightning, the heavy rain, the hail...I find it humbling. It makes me feel that no matter what is happening in our own little lives, there is something much bigger and more powerful out there. It puts things into perspective, and makes me realize that nature is to be respected.

Later

I caught a little of "Oprah" while I was doing other things, and it's about this guy who coordinates weddings and other events. We're talking about towering cakes that "echo the motif" of the wedding, 20 pounds of roses dropping from overhead when the couple says "I do," ceremonies on top of a mountain on the isle of Capri, and blad de blah blah blah. What happened to a wedding being a couple in love taking vows of commitment? It's not just an excuse for a party, it's a significant milestone in a couple's life. Seeing that kind of junk irritates me (Oh, please Beth, tell us how you really feel!), because it sends a message that a wedding is all about the decorations and the reception. How many people do you know who spend thousands of dollars on a wedding, instead of using that money for a hefty downpayment on a house? Maybe I'm just way too practical. My first wedding wasn't huge, and Ken and I's wedding was quite small. Mostly immediate family, held at Tippecanoe Place, which was originally the home of one of the Studebaker brothers (a very neat place, and lots of history there). There's nothing wrong with having a party, but Jeez, remember the reason for it.

Now the wedding planner guy just said that he "doesn't have a cluttered drawer" in his place. Well, that's just special. Must be nice to live in your perfect little world. I'll admit to being anal about a lot of things, but I'm not THAT bad. Who doesn't have a junk drawer?!