Ten on Tuesday.

1. We're having an oppressively hot day. Like 95 with 90% humidity. Seriously.

2. Bet you didn't spend your morning chasing Dusty the Street Sweeper around the neighborhood on bikes. We did.

3. Alla set up a lollipop stand during our garage sale. I'm guessing she would have made more money had she not bought her friends' lemonade and cookies. 4. She was such a dilligent seller, though, and a HUGE helper in going through every closet and chest of drawers in the house to pile up stuff to sell.

5. After at least six weeks of not seeing our [second] Mama Robin return to her nest, we've assumed the worst and taken the nest down. I think it's just lovely, though I'm also trying to block out the memory of how those eggs smelled a few hours later when Alla had for some reason decided to stash them in the [hot] garage in a plastic bowl and they, of course, burst.

6. But let's get back to how lovely the actual nest is.

7. If you look closely, you can see one little strand of white curling ribbon she used to pretty up her home. Alla and I stashed those in the backyard a couple years ago to encourage nest building mamas to make their homes with us. 8. Today is our anniversary. Eight years!

9. We are actually going.out.to.dinner. Alone. To a grown-up restaurant where they serve things like swiss chard souffle and sturgeon and even duck and quail if you're so inclined, and they most definitely do not serve hamburgers. Or french fries.

10. Now I'm off to pretty myself up, as much as I can, since it is oppressively hot.