Only a bit after 7 a.m. and I have already had my reading/kitty time. Was ready to get up when Steve's alarm went off about an hour ago. I was exhausted yesterday and ready went to bed early. My hip was really acting up. Saturday afternoon was spent weeding and helping Steve lay down a new layer of mulch in our front yard flower beds. Steve even bought a few new perennials to add color. Our front yard is a slope so the large flower bed is surrounded by a retaining wall and in climbing up and down while weeding and hauling off the empty mulch bags I aggravated my hip. But it was worth it - the brick red mulch looks wonderful and brings out the color of the pansies and other flowering bushes and plants. We bought a cool solar light butterfly that I hope looks the way I want it to at night. If it does we will buy some more and put them in the bushes in the front.

Steve was off golfing all day yesterday so I was doing laundry and basic stuff around the house until I made the mistake of pigging out on BBQ Baked Lays chips with lunch. Bad idea! Who would think there would be whey in them? I didn't even think to check the ingredient panel. I have been eating the regular BBQ Lays for years, but the baked ones are clearly a no-no. Whey is high in lactose so I got sicker than a dog and was laying on the bed with the chills and a very upset stomach, feeling sorry for myself when Steve got home. We were supposed to go check out Burke's furniture before we make up our mind on bedroom furniture. I think we have made a decision now that Steve cut out pieces of cardboard to lay on the bedroom floor to give me an idea how much room the pieces would take. I have no sense of size and the chifferobe seems massive in the store. Lots of drawers and shelves - which we really need. :-) Unless there is a set that "blows me away" in Burke's we have made a decision. Thank goodness - we have looked at more bedroom furniture styles than I thought possible.

On a trip to Lowe's to get more mulch I was listening to Elizabeth Peters' The Last Camel Died at Noon and realized part of the reason I love the Victorian era Amelia Peabody mysteries is because I have learned so much about the early archaeological endeavors in Egypt. And, a lot about Egyptology in general. In this particular title, early in the series, Amelia and Emerson, along with then 10-year-old Ramses are abducted and taken to a Shangri-La like community hidden in a desert oasis. The inhabitants live much as the ancient Egyptians did and the outsiders who happen to find their way into the community do not have the option to leave. Peters' research just into the clothing the early Egyptians wore is incredible. Descriptions are so rich I could see prim and proper Amelia's face as she saw the diaphanous clothing she was expected to wear. Only Amelia would wear her split skirt and shirtwaist underneath! :-) Historical mysteries are a genre that rarely raise an eyebrow and I do think teenagers would enjoy the series even though the characters are hardly young adults. Teens will delight in Ramses's antics as he grows up in the series, especially when he blends into the Egyptian communities with his array of disguises. Ramses is a "hottie"! :-)

I'm listening to The Today Show as I type this. Mike Lupica was on the show Friday morning and chatted with Matt Lauer about his sports novels, specifically Summer Ball, which came out this month and is the sequel to Travel Team - basketball books. Very relevant right now when teens are about to get out of school and those outdoor courts will be filled with guys and girls of all ages playing pick-up games. I need to find my copies of his books!

All for today - need to start working on the handout for the full day workshop on booktalking next month here in Lexington. Which means I have to start opening those boxes of books in my office.