THERE'S A RAT ON EVERY CORNER......

I was at my home away from home last week, Houston.  I really do like it there, I think I could get used to the Texas city life, and I think my car would look FAB with horns on the front.

It was just an average week in Houston, hot, with some rain (which for some reason only happens when I am there). I did notice that the homeless were on vacation,  I don't recall being accosted once.  That may be a first.

But as is always the deal with Houston, Friday rolled around and back to Chicago we came. Where it was HOTTER and rain is STILL only a fond memory.  We decided we'd go to the boat on Sunday, so Saturday Mark did one of his favorite things......

Worked on this old house.....

I was excited by this ... see, on my kitchen porch, there are two staircases, one heading to the east, and one to the west.  The western side goes directly to the yard, and that is where the doglets go out.  Well, ever since we've lived here, I've been nervous about these stairs in the winter.  For some reason they get really icy.... now, I'm getting up there in years (that really kills me to say) so I'm even MORE paranoid that in the winter, I'll fall... and not having one of those cool necklaces, not be able to get up.

Seriously, it has always worried me, especially in the wee hours, since no one is around much, that I could fall, and lay there, slowly freezing to death.  So I've been wanting a railing, really kind of harping on it.  And now, I have one!! Only took 20 years...but I've got it now!  (love you Mark, wink wink)

Got to say, it is wonderful, now i just need to paint it... whose idea was it to use all these colors????

We grand dog sat on Saturday night, after being visited by Dan and Scarlett, on their way to a bachelor/bachelorette party with a prom theme... recognize this ugly era?  I'm humming 'Night Fever'...how about you?

Got to say, I love the way they party!  What fun.

ANYWAY, on Sunday there was no boating... poor railing building Mark's back was killing him so we hit the pool and hung out there.  It was medicinal.  He was cured, and Monday we headed in.

It was a beautiful day.  We spent the afternoon, on the boat, watching Chicago's Scuba Team rescuing a manikin.  Unnerving at first, but, after we realized they were training, kind of interesting.  As we left, walking back into to our parking garage, something caught my eye.  Something that was following us through the tunnel, obviously.  Something I've never seen before 'in the wild'.  Something I thought was a squirrel at first.

But it wasn't.

It was a big, huge actually, RAT.  One of Chicago's finest... brazenly following me into the parking garage, stopping to glance at me, and I'm pretty sure I heard it say....'what are you lookin' at'....

Wow... I do know how to live.