"When I went to school I was so smart my teacher was in my class for five years." - Gracie Allen

My great accomplishment for the day: figuring out that I need 156 12"x12" vinyl self-stick tiles to do the lower level floor in Fred. Given that I'm going to use the cheapest tiles Lowe's or Home Depot sells (I haven't decided which one I like most) I'll get the floor done for under $140. The room is small enough that by the time I put in a desk, bookshelves, a couple of pieces of furniture and the area rug that was in our AZ living room it doesn't make sense to do anything fancy.

I climbed up in the loft this morning and saw no evidence that the carpenter ants had been near the traps I made. But when I pulled out the insulation behind which they were swarming yesterday I saw nothing. So I'm cautiously optimistic that the boric acid I got down inside the wall did the trick. I'll keep checking over the next few days and report back.
I'm also going to put some mouse poison inside the walls before I put the drywall up. I have no idea how they're getting in, but the little demons are obviously chewing up the insulation for nesting material. Yeah, I'll have dead mice inside the wall, but I think that's better than having them scurrying around the loft, especially if guests will be sleeping up there.

I did some reading this morning about the possibilities for a conservative running as an option to Donald Trump and now realize how unlikely it is. Some states, like Texas, make it almost impossible to get another name on the November ballot at this point. Raising the massive amounts of money would be very difficult. And then there's the problem of getting that person to run. Some of the most promising names, including Condoleezza Rice, have already reportedly declined the suggestion. Others, like Mitt Romney, are viewed as unlikely to generate the necessary buzz. Still more have thoughts about entering the fray in 2020 or 2024 and don't want to use up their 15 minutes when there's very limited chances for success.
I understand. But I still hope someone with the necessary qualifications will step up.
Please??

Did you see the NBC story on American Pharoah (sic), the horse that won the Triple Crown last year? He now lives a life of leisure, at least if you count hooking up with a mare three times a day leisure.
That's a mating for which each mare's owners pay $200,000!
To make sure everything goes well there are six people in attendance at each breeding.
Where's Jay Leno when we need him?

Adele's "Someone Like You" was her first big hit. You've heard it hundreds of times in all kinds of settings. So fill in the missing word:
Sometimes it _____ in love, and sometimes it hurts instead.
If you know the word and tell me you could tell from listening to the song...I don't believe you.

Masterpiece Mystery (PBS Sunday nights) is, as we suspected after last week's episode, done for the season. Tonight they return to the Wallander series. It's much darker in every way - the main character, the crimes, the cinematography - but still beats any of the other options. So we record it, 'cause I'm in bed by that point.