Thursday - 2008-0724-2130 - Rain - Remember the Rain; Wednesday - Heat, no rain, front yard; Wednesday - Hobby Lobby; Wednesday - Hobby Lobby - Homo Moment; Wednesday - Lowe's - Sprinkler, pot, plant, chubby bunny; Wednesday - Media Stand; Wednesday - Sofa Table; Today - Lunch; Today - Sunbeam, Ichiban Grill; Today - Displaying Comic Books, More on Ichiban Grill; Grand Design

Rain - Remember the Rain Larger Image An image accompanying the poem "Remember the Rain" from the blog White Steps - A Site Illustrating My Poetry.

I've been muttering about the heat. Well, along with that has been an absence of rain, Hence, my front yard is dark green, light green, yellow-green, brownish-green, etc.

The yard is roughly 90 feet from the house to the street. About forty feet from the street is a row of four gigantic pines that demarcate the lawn. The portion nearer the street is in full sunlight until late in the afternoon. The part nearer the house is in full sunlight from about 9 until 5.

As much as I would like to water all of it, there is no way I can do that. Last summer, I used a soaker hose, a hose that lets water seep out to either side, and wound up electric bills between $150 - $200.

So I'm trying to concentrate on the section nearer the house. But I didn't have any kind of sprinkler.

After my customary lunch at Ichiban, I first stopped at Hobby Lobby to see if they had any sales. Indeed they did. 80% off all yard items. There was one row of shelves with the yard left-overs. And almost every item was cracked, broken or dented. The only item of interest was a tiny plastic bunny, but it was missing a paw.

The store was primarily given over to holiday ornaments. Of EVERY conceivable kind. There were, no exaggeration, thousands on thousands of ornaments, figurines, wreaths, garlands, candles, tinsel, angels, etc.

I did experience one brief homo moment while wandering around. I almost bumped into a clerk with blond curly hair and the most extraordinary eyes. It took me about 15 minutes to recognize the eyes as being similar to Matt Dallas of Kyle XY".

Lowe's had about twenty kinds of sprinkle. But in a moment of frugality, I chose the cheapest one, a plastic ring designed for dispersing water for small children to run through, at $3.04. The ability to pass up looking at pots and plants was beyond my ability. I bought a wee pot ($2.43) and a tiny accent plant ($2.48).

They too appear to be attempting to clear the aisles of yard decorations. What really caught my item was a plastic chubby bunny with the bosomy cheeks. Only three were left. But in a rare moment of virtue, I passed.

Several months ago, I bought a kit at Target for a media stand. I was very impressed with how sturdy and substantial it looks. Very dark stained particle board, sleek, unobtrusive, zen-like.

It had the best instructions I've ever seen. Instead of a package of loose screws and bolts, etc, there was a shrink-wrapped cardboard container with the appropriate items separated for each page of the manual. An almost fool-proof system.

To keep the felines from doing damage, I had to wrap it up with a large piece of tin-foil designed for protection while camping. Or at least that what it says on the package. But protection from what? Wolves? Wildfires? The mountain men of "Deliverance"?

I'd gotten a sofa table in the same style several weeks ago. But I'd not done anything with it.

In a burst of energy, I opted to attempt the assembly process. This item is more elaborate than the media stand, and the process more demanding. I had to do a lot of twisting and turning and after I got the main section finished, I quit. I felt like I'd pulled a back muscle.

This time, I used construction plastic sheeting to cover the table. I'm still not finished, but the remainder is only two drawers.

Around three this morning I woke up in pain with my back. I got up, went outside and walked up and down the drive five or six times which really seemed to help. I was up for about three hours.

From being up earlier in the morning, I didn't wake until 10:30. Since it's the end of the month, I decided to save a few dollars by visiting Golden Corral instead of Ichiban.

About a year ago, a lighting store, Sunbeam, opened up next to Golden Corral. It struck me that I'd never been in there. So I pulled in and wandered through the door. Huge wall sconces, huge chandeliers, everything oversized.

I heard some calling, and then realized they were calling me. Much to my surprise. It was the owner of Ichiban. He had mentioned to me several months ago about opening a Teppanyaki or Hibachi restaurant - these are the ones in which the food is prepared on a grill in front of you.

He was seated at the customer counter looking through catalogues for lights for the new restaurant. I had no idea that he had made a firm decision. And certainly no idea that he was as far along as he was. He had a fascinating notebook of 3-D renderings of the restaurant. They almost looked like photos.

The style is very industrial. I kept thinking of the works of Frank Gehry.

The restaurant will be roughly 5,000 square feet with a front court yard.

For some time, I've been thinking about displaying some of my comic books. So I stopped at Neblett's Frame Outlet which is in front of Lowe's and down from Ichiban.

There are three shopping centers in the area, and I think Neblett's and Ichiban are in the one called Lakeland Commons. There is a contiguous set of stores at the back with about seven or eight sets of stores near Lakeland Drive. I thought the Ichiban owner had said the new restaurant would be near Neblett's, but I noticed that all the space in that section was occupied. But when I looked out the window, I realized the restaurant would be in the next section which appears to have room for five or six businesses but is empty. In fact, I'd wondered why it was not occupied.

When I mentioned the new restaurant, the clerks were surprised, but then commented they had noticed some work being done in the next section. One of them mentioned that the corner business was intended to be a restaurant but the occupants pulled out. So that made sense as to why that location had been chosen as the Ichiban Grill.

This part of the conversation took place after I explained what I wanted to do with the comic books. I want metal frames whose colors would compliment the highlights of the comic covers. And archival glass/plastic to prevent fading from indirect sunlight. It can be done, but it is not inexpensive.

This is not the first time I've considered displaying the comics. Some of the books are in almost mint condition and have gorgeous covers. It would certainly be a unique display. Of course, I'll have to give this some more thought. And maybe test it on one or two subjects.

For years, I've mulled over having a place that emphasizes the unique items I own. But I've never had the time before now. However, I can tell immediately, I think, if something will work or not. (This excludes my fumbles with the color of the living room walls.)

So I have a grand design, but I also have exacting standards. Which translates to expense. And everything seems to take forever. Because I have to buy items according to the timing of the arrival of my income checks.

(In Thursday - 2008-0724-2130 / Out - 2008-0724-2350) This entry was written in multiple settings.

Pax! Erin go braugh! Je accuse...