I’ve discovered the unimaginable! A dog more fun to tortureplay with than Blue. What qualifies a dog as fun to tortureplay with is how majestically he suffers. Do his eyes express true longing and disappointment? Can you see the hope get snuffed out like a candle and then reignite in the next moment?

Oscar rules at this.

Blue is more of an indifferent and long-suffering dog, putting up with all manner of indignities. But Oscar? That dog embodies the Charlie Brown spirit of truly believing that this time it will be different. This awakens the sadist in me.

This is what happens when you beg around me.

I could amuse myself for days with this dog. How many ways could I dash his hopes and dreams for my own amusement?

What’s that you say? I’m a really bad person?

Suck it.

Yah, I do this kind of shit to my friends, too. It’s a miracle I have any friends at all but it would explain where many of them have gone. It’s called having a sense of humor, people!

Guess what? There is a major storm and tornado advisory in the area. This is OK with me because I like exciting weather. Plus, it beats oppressive heat. I kind of dig shooting the gaps between squalls for a quick dip in the lake or a walk around the area. I couldn’t ask for better weather, no joke.

The last deluge that passed through almost took a gutter down so the guys waited until the lightning started to strike to clean them out. Brilliant.

The girls brought henna supplies as something to do with the boys. Not one of those ingrates was willing to have “Mom” tattooed on his arm. Tsk.

Larissa hennas me up. That’s a stiff drink in my hand. For the pain.

During a calm(er) patch in the weather we took the boat out for a drag around the lake. The kids love it. I like sending a teenager out to act as human seat-belt and lifeguard, it spares me the cervical spine pain. It’s what young people are for!

All these damn kids are hopelessly photogenic. Or maybe I’m biased and everyone thinks, “Jesus, what a bunch of ugly people!” You never know.

You all can write your own dang blogs if you want to post pictures of your ugly relatives.

I remember when Larissa and Alicia were my children’s ages. Now just look at them dogs! My feet are the petite little lotuses on the left!

I spend a good deal of time taking pictures and documenting this occasion. The kids have no idea how lucky they are to have this experience.

Out of the seventeen people at the house (17!) six of us are Asian. What are the chances? This has to be the densest Asian population in Newberry county.

Wow, I just realized that I failed to put my own kids in this picture. They are one-quarter Vietnamese, not that you could tell by looking at their ghostly pallor and blue/hazel eyes.

Wu and his wife visited me in the hospital after Scrotus was born. He proclaimed, “That’s one Caucasian kid you got there.” and I was like, “I know! But I’m 98% sure I’m the mother so go figure.”

Most of them time I forget they are ethnic at all so just mentally add them in. We’re 8 out of 17, almost a majority!

It never ceases to surprise me how well we all do in these close quarters. The more the merrier.