Yesterday my second plant/perennial customer came over after work and together we dug up 6 flats worth of lily of the valley. I earned an easy $30 from getting rid of some plants that were growing in the wrong place and spreading into a path.

I haven't had a chance to post again on Craig's List with even more plants offered, but I plan to.

This morning was the long-awaited redemption of Citi Thank You points. I earned 27,105, so I spread the money around (very carefully) among gift cards for Home Depot, Lowes, Sears and WalMart. (I was momentarily tempted to get a Pottery Barn gift card, as I've always liked their stuff, but I figured I'd get a lot less bang for the buck becus of their higher prices, and so I passed.)

The Lowes and Home Depot cards ($50 each) could possibly be used for veggie plants, if I get them soon enough, or otherwise various and assorted needs for the house that arise from time to time.

The Walmart and Sears cards ($100 and $50, respectively, I would like to use a portion of for clothing; a lot of my clothing doesn't fit right, and I've been hanging on to some favorite t-shirts for years in the likely vain hope i will someday fit into them again. I seem to have only a few summer tops that look respectable on me and now that i am working outside the home for a portion of the week, i can't repeat the same outfits all the time.

The Wal-mart card can easily be used for other household needs like cat food or the occasional grocery item.

I only need another 400 points or so to earn another $25 gift card which I was thinking would be nice to use for a Bed Bath & Beyond trip.

I really didn't want all the cards to be used for frivolous things I don't really "need," but I figure a few well-chosen tops and the veggie plants and some needs for the house can be justified.

In addition to the $250 in Citi gift cards, I also have collected $40 in Amazon gift cards and I have a $25 Home Goods gift card, all earned from various online surveys/forums. I'm feeling dizzy with the possiblities. For someone who's self-enforced a strict no spending policy due to underemployment for the past 2.5 years, the gift cards are sort of like a Chinese buffet to someone stranded on a desert island. But I want to make sure that every dollar used is well considered and carefully made.

I am very annoyed to be coming down with some sort of cold, which is very unusual for me in May! I think I know when I got it, though. When I was working as a poll worker last Tuesday, a mother holding a kid and another at her side came up to the table. My head was down as i was looking up her name, but I heard the mother say, "Cover your mouth, honey," and I think the kid had sneezed, right at me.

The voter registrar already asked me if I could work the THIRD budget vote (yes, the last one failed by about 5oo votes) and I said yes, so June 5 will be another go-round. Hopefully, I should be all better by then.

Yesterday after work I finally finished mowing the lawn; it took me 3 days to mow all of it. I hope this isn't a sign that I'm even more out of shape, but just because the grass got a little higher than normal with all the rain we'd had, before I had a chance to cut it.

Sspring has indeed arrived here. I'm pretty sure the resident bluebirds have fledged their babies becus i haven't seen any activity around the box. I hope they all made it ok. I remember one year i found a dead baby bird inside the box when i cleaned it out. I think it was house wrens that used the box that year......just as i wrote that, i caught sight of a bird entering the box, and i coudln't make out what it was. It could have been the female bluebird, which is a more drab color than the male, or it could have been another bird ready to take up residence if the bluebirds were gone. Or, it could have been a wren or English sparrow, both aggressive birds. The sparrows have been known to puncture bluebird eggs with their beaks and even kill baby bluebirds in an attempt to take over the box.

I've never had a problem with English sparrows here but this spring have been unhappy to see a few at the feeder. I will not allow them to nest in either of my 2 nest boxes.

Ahh, the bluebirds are still in the box! Just saw the male fly in with food, except that he's no longer entering the box but perched on the outside and sticks his head in; that must mean the babies are getting big and the nest is getting too crowded. I think they are just days away from fledging.

Here is the pretty mother's day gift my sister gave my mother; i love the way she decorates her gifts...


Yes, they're real flowers.


This was my no-bake kiwi cheesecake, so yummy, and just 4 ingredients.


And my small tabletop bouquet, from the garden.