I�m so glad that Luke�s calling in on Saturday so that we can go to the reunion. I�ve had a really lonely week and I just want to be near him all the time. I think the reason for this is that things have been going so well lately and the need to be alone really isn�t there. Hopefully, things will continue to go well and that today�s one-year anniversary of a major relationship upset won�t topple things. I don�t think it will, as it�s not reared its ugly head since that fateful day. I can�t really help but think that since things have been going so well, something is bound to tear it all down again. After all, things were going extremely well when this happened last year and I was so blissed out that I thought nothing could ruin it. I was wrong. I spent three days alternately screaming at him and crying alone in the bedroom. I didn�t eat, I barely slept, and he spent the time wracked with guilt, having dropped to the floor unable to breathe and about to vomit when I confronted him.

The rain I so desperately wanted never came last night and it�s still heavy. I had the a/c on for a bit before we went to sleep but decided that the outside temperature was bearable for sleeping. I found myself regretting that decision when I woke up all sweaty and gross a few times in the night. On one hand, I want to be cool and on the other, I don�t want to spend the money for running the stupid a/c unit. If only I could rig up our bedroom to act as a misting tent. Now that would make for some slippery sex.

Despite the inherent nastiness of sleeping and of sunburn up North this weekend, I�m actually looking forward to going. I have really missed Luke�s Great Grandma and spending time with her. When we were both unemployed, we could go up there whenever we wanted and see her, but Great Grandpa�s one year death anniversary is coming up on the 17th and I think she would really like to see us. When Great Grandpa died, she was in the hospital having knee replacement surgery and didn�t have the energy to visit with him like the rest of us did. I still don�t know that I belonged there, but the family seemed to accept my presence when sending off their patriarch and even allowed me to walk in as family during the funeral. Three of his casket flowers sit dried in our bedroom.

I don�t know what we�re going to do about cat feeding while we�re gone. I�m going to see if Andy would be willing to drop by twice a day to feed and water the little beast like he did last time we went away. I don�t know how many days we�ll be away, but more than likely we�ll be returning on Sunday so, conceivably, I could just leave Ghostcat three meals worth of food when we leave, but that would possibly mean that he�d eat it all the first day and be starving for the rest of the time. He does tend to be a bit of a swine.

I cannot wrap my head around that fact that tomorrow will be August. 17 days to my gram�s birthday and I�m still here. I�ll have to get her a card and give her a call for the big day. At least I can look at it as being one more month closer to being home. Of course, the stifling heat and humidity of August are bound to make me a miserable wench for most of the month, but I have Autumn to look forward to and the loveliness that wearing pants and long sleeved shirts brings.

I am so glad that I refuse to indulge in the midwestern pastime of lake swimming. All those weeds and stagnant water really creep me out, not to mention the unbelievably slimy silt bottoms they are prone to possessing. Apparently, one of the local lakes has major bacteria (we�re talking deadly; the stuff that killed all those people who ate at Jack in the Box several years ago) and they�ve had to close the beach down. I know that Luke says that most of the local lakes are fine, but I don�t trust them. They�re smelly, far worse smelling than the worst low tide and all the efforts needed to clean them up after years of farming pesticide run off seriously put me off.