Must be summertime

 Jeff and Ali bought me a hibiscus last year for my birthday and while I didn't believe my neighbor that the beauty would return after Indiana's beast of a winter, she did. It's kind of glorious, which seems a little braggy, but I have very little to do with it, so I'm just going to say it: it's beautiful and I love it.

A chipmunk also loves it and has a hole near it, which I've closed off with a stepping stone slab. I suspect there are other routes to whatever mansion the little rodent has created down there, but I don't want him damaging this plant's roots.

The Captain had suggested flooding the little guy's home, but unless it does harm to the plant, I'm going to just make it inconvenient for him. My sister, Donnna, once poured gasoline into some groundhog holes in her yard and torched the poor suckers, who had been pillaging Donna's vegetable garden. 

I didn't tell PETA, and I'm sure the statute of limitations has expired on her vengeful and anti-environmental act. Also, there was no evidence that the groundhogs were home when the flames erupted in more places than she'd planned. The sight of all those fireballs probably taught her a lesson about using less flammable pesticides.

She's moved since then and I think she's done no damage the flora and fauna of her more countryside home. The lesson here, I think, is for man or beast: Don't mess with Donna. 

Before the weekend even got a proper start, my friends Kate and Jen from Book Club, and my niece Becca, and I went to a Ronald McDonald House fundraiser at the Indianapolis Children's Museum. I hadn't been there since Ali was little, and I had to show off the fact that I was up close and personal with Scooby Doo and the Gang, to which she had been devoted for quite a long time. 

Becca and Jen had other faves. 

On Friday, I had a fabulous long  lunch with my friends Annmarie and Jeph at Union Jack Pub where we were so charmed with our waiter, John, that we went back for brunch on Sunday. 

Given that Jeph and Annmarie and I can sometimes get carried away, we're lucky that John showed up for work today when he knew we were coming back. We're even hoping to have a Bunco gathering there soon. Of course we'll work it around John's schedule. 

On Saturday, I went to see "Where the Crawdads Sing" with most of my Book Club. Here's a tip if you go to a place where you can have a meal and a drink while you watch: it's hard to eat salad in the dark: stick to popcorn.

We'd all read the book. That BC discussion is memorable for my still current disagreement with Niki about whether a certain thing that happened was the correct thing or not. The movie did nothing to settle our disagreement. But we're good enough friends that we can agree to disagree on our point. (About which she is wrong, btw...)

I passed up a chance for a fancy downtown dinner because Karin was eating way too late for my hanger management issues, but I had a lovely time by myself with a book I'd read before but liked just as much.  Plus, I still had my bed and all the pillows to myself.  It wasn't as great as I had planned, and I woke up repeatedly to the silence of no one snoring but me. So I slept way late and had to hurry to brunch where we were just as obnoxious as we'd been on Friday.

Jeff had left Friday to camp with his beer buddies in what was scorching heat. The 

trip included bourbon, beer and some Sugar Creek tubing where his day drinking caught up with him. 

He got home just in time to join us for brunch, but it was clear the trip had taken a bit more out of him than dozing on Sugar Creek could give back. I settled in to read the paper while the Red Sox got shelled by the Toronto Blue Jays. Not that my tired Captain could follow...

I didn't take the tubing photo, obvi, but seeing them made me giggle because they remind of those shots of toddlers who've had big days and pass out in the car seats going home.

It was a great weekend, and it reminded me that A. It's good to have friends: B. It's better to have friends who don't care if  you're sweaty because you walked in stupid heat or have to take a little siesta from time to time and C. It's essential to have friends you don't have to agree with on every damn thing.

Life is short. Snooze while you tube if you want to. But do it with friends who'll wake you up when it's time to get home.