Leo Horoscope for week of May 27, 2004:

The puzzle is not as difficult as you imagine. In fact, it has only seven pieces -- far fewer than you've assumed. Perhaps you got thrown off by its simplicity; it does have a superficial resemblance to a more complicated puzzle from your past. The ironic thing is that you'll never figure it out as long as you're so serious and stressed about it. To create the conditions that will lead to a solution, relax, have as much fun as possible, and assume that the puzzle will soon solve itself.

Okay... I am going to type this entry again, since the cord to the computer just got yanked, and I am, of course, typing this directly into Diaryland, instead of saving it to a file first.

What can I say, I live dangerously!

Actually, we are opting for the moment (my husband and I) to live a little more prudently. After first deciding to travel to Europe this summer, we have opted not to go. Even though the airfare would have been covered, it still would have cost a couple of thousand to travel and eat and pay for places to sleep. And much of that would have been put on my credit card.

As my husband is "between jobs" - the actual original reason for going (you know, seize the day and all of that), we have opted to work on our budget and eliminate some debt. Maybe even put aside money ahead of a trip planned for next summer. I have heard that people actually budget for such things, but have never seen it in real life! We will be trailblazers!

So now I will be gardening. I had originally planned not to plant, as we would be gone for 3 weeks, and it would be either pay someone to water or let everything die, but now that we are staying, I will plant. My father is visiting, and he is a tremendous help. I am in charge of choosing kitchen herbs and other plants for the pots and long planters on my deck, and he is helping me to choose plants for landscaping around the stairs and base of the deck.

The day before yesterday, we travelled East along I-20, going to Monroe, Madison, and Greensboro. We cruised the countryside in search of native Georgia plants to transplant in my back yard. We came up with some daylilies, irises, gladioli, a wild rose and some wisteria. We ate in Madison, where we received extremely slow service, and stopped by Holcomb's Barbecue in Greensboro for some of their great Brunswick Stew. We travelled back home via Watkinsville and Athens, before taking Hwy. 316 back to Duluth. It was a big circle!

Today, Dad and I went to the Georgia State Farmer's Market, Pike Nurseries, Hastings Farm and Garden Center, and Lowes in search of more plants and planting aids. I found great geraniums - starting with the classic bright red, and adding some gorgeous fuschia ones, and finally (the piece de resistance), an awesome deep red violet variety that I had never seen before.

I purchased some herbs, including a tasty "chocolate mint" and basil. I also was able to find my favorite Lantanas. Forget the new chic yellow, white, or lavendar varieties - give me the gorgeous hot pink, orange, and yellow clusters! Now that's a Lantana! We also paid a good price for two gardenia bushes, and a confederate jasmine climbing vine. The most expensive purchase (and well worth it!) was a new variety of Hydrangea that is supposed to bloom all summer and into the fall - until the first frost.

Tomorrow, we will dig holes and plant things. I will also plan out my container garden and the rest of my herb garden. Now that's fun!

I am also doing more crafts. I had my students make paper mache masks using gallon milk jugs as the forms - I will try and find the URL to the how-to. It went very well, and I managed to make three of them - I still have my blue devil and loteria mask to make. I have finished my yellow decoupage flower mask with silk flowers glued to the top.

I am currently "wild with glue gun" - braving sinister hot glue burns in my attempt to decorate things with Mardi Gras beads and silk flowers. I just got finished decorating five red silk boxes purchased at the Pier One salvage store - they look awesome. I have so much to do: create a website, sell my art, prepare for a garage sale next Saturday, paint and decorate more things to sell...

Today, just before we went home, my Dad and I stopped by "My Favorite Place" - a junk and antique store. He pointed out to me a bunch of fixtures that look like cathedral or hacienda doorways - I bought all 20 for $2.50 apiece (my dad talked them down from $3.50). I have already begun to make some shrines with unpainted frames with doors I found at the Hobby Lobby. Now I have more to make!