I am back after a lovely vacation. We went to the beach for a week to celebrate Hubby's 40th birthday with his family and my parents. My parents were only able to stay a few days, but the rest of us were able to be there the whole week. The weather was great for the first week of October, though I hear it will be even better this week. Wish we could have stayed longer. The wind was a bit high the first few days, so a trip to an island had to be delayed until after my parents left; too bad. We visited a fort that we enjoy, the aquarium, and an island that has wild ponies and is uninhabited by humans. Of course there was just playing at the beach and later seeing sharks in the water we had swam in! Being with our family made it even better. Those cousins love to be with each other! I cleaned the whole house before we left so that I could return, unpack, and be ready to get back into the routine. When we got back, however, the house was full of fleas! So right away we had to bomb the house and leave. Then it was an evening of cleaning and washing and scrubbing the house and dog. We are still dealing with some fleas, but it is much better than it was. A dear, sweet friend told me last night that the eggs will hatch in 2 weeks and I will have to do it again. The dog is fast becoming a disagreeable trial in my life. She is now relegated to the sunroom and outdoors only. If she ends up at the neighbor's house then we will have to get rid of her. ---------- Speaking of great beach weather in October...When my parents got back to WV, my dad had to feed the cows hay, because it is so hot and dry there that the grass hasn't grown enough to feed them. My dad said he believes the environment is changing, because the last several years have been very different than when he was younger. Things better change fast around this world or we are all in trouble.