277 - Bud!

I ordered four tires off eBay. They are takeoffs with 90% of the tread remaining, with a lower speed rating than my current set... but since I don't go 130 mph they will be fine. I went to Walmart to have my wheels balanced but they said my left front tire didn't have enough tread and they couldn't. Mini told me I would probably have to replace two of my tires by summer, so I didn't realize it was that bad... So anyway, one of the guys suggested that the annoying jittery feeling I was experiencing as I drove was probably due to the fact that the new tire had a thicker tread than the older, worn tire and they were spinning at two different rates of speed so the car was having to compensate.

So my plan is to go to Walmart and have them replace all four tires with the ones I just got, dispose of the two bad tires, and I will take the two that are still in good shape (one brand new and the other about a year old) so I will have spares.

My makeshift pantry. I was tired of nonsensical clutter everywhere so I decided to make sense of it. It's primitive but I like it, just two benches stacked on top of each other.

My "office." The desk Mike sanded down and we stained. Looks pretty good. I got a second monitor so I can see two documents at once, and I have an office phone. I have to find an internet provider because VOIP won't work with my mobile hotspot, but that can wait a bit. But once I have that, I already have a Tennessee phone number.

I also rearranged the bedroom, putting the bed against another wall. It makes more sense to me and the room feels bigger.

Mike even has a side table now. And he's closer to the a/c vent so it should help keep him cooler since he tends to get hot more easily than I do. Especially in the head. :)

 I call this evolution of a snack.

 

And this is playtime. Mike calls it the bitey-bite game. He looks all viscious and snarly, but he doesn't really bite, more like a nibble.

 

And then his lip gets stuck on his teeth and he looks funny.

I also put a curtain on the kitchen window that faces the street. It's sheer, as you can see, but it feels a little more private. And it helps make the heat of the sun bearable.

My sycamore has recovered from the last freeze and is budding out again.

The Japanese Maple is small, but gorgeous and healthy.

I have a rose bud.

And a hydrangea blossom.

And the fig tree, formerly a lifeless looking stick, is growing nicely.

'mater.

I think these are dewberry flowers. Sort of like a blackberry but smaller and juicier.

And I'm pretty sure there are a mass of blackberry canes down the road. There aren't a lot of flowers on them yet, but the leaves and thorns look right. We'll see.