Berea-Rose sits on a street that runs true east-west. Out the front window is north, out the back window, south. That means the front lawn and the back lawn get sun all day. Sun, as in, no shade. No shade, as in, no use sitting outside.

All that is different now: today I purchased from my local Wal-Mart a 10'x12' screen canopy -- cheap at $99. The parts barely fit together and the instructions were not really in English, but with the help of some of my own hardware (including a roll of duct tape) this thing is standing. I'm in it now!

We also started re-construction of the playhouse that we bought when we first got out here. We picked it up used from a family moving out of their place in Strongsville. Taking it apart was a bitch and a half -- re-assembling it promises to be worse (but we're already thinking about "simplifying" the design by jettisoning some of the features). It's on its side, in the grass, a few feet away from my little tent-condo.

Another first for today: roasted beets. Fresh beets (from Westside Market), washed up and covered with foild along with olive oil, sliced red onion, and some tarragon. Let them sit on the grill for a little over an hour. Beet that!