It's Cottage Day. It's Hire an Assistant Day. It's the End of the Work Week Day. It's a Good Hair Day. It's Take a Long Lunch Day. It's Friday. Here's Five.

1. How are you planning to spend the summer?
Peacefully. I'll work a little, nap a little, garden a little.

2. What was your first summer job?
Smuggling cigarettes from the Akwesasne reservation into Cornwall Ontario.

3. If you could go anywhere this summer where would you go?
Nappa Valley.

4. What was your worst vacation ever?
With my then boyfriend, in Washington DC. The car's alternator died as we were driving into the city in afternoon rush hour. The car just "stopped", in the centre lane of a busy freeway. Two days and a new alternator later, we got horribly lost thanks to my unskilled map reading. A horrible fight ensued, and lasted for most of the day. Back at our hotel, I went for a swim while he, unbeknownst to me, left. Hours later the dink returned with an empty pizza box and many apologies. I never forgave him... mostly because he went out for food and didn't bring me anything.

5. What was your best vacation ever?
Lots of good ones. My honeymoon was so peaceful. My favourite part, or my favourite publishable part was cruising all the Christmas craft fairs in the country with my new hubby. We also had Bigkitty with us, and I have wonderful memories of the three of us hanging out together in front of the fire.

'Till Death Do Us Part
And speaking of Catholics....
A friend once said "any woman looking for a husband has obviously never had one". Maybe in this case, things would be different. A retired college administrator in Miami has become the Bride of Christ. I don't see much point in this; it makes certain things very difficult. For example, if He were to die, she couldn't collect any benefits because He'd rise from the dead. God knows, He's done it before. And what about the blue jobs - taking out the garbage, mowing the lawn, and carrying heavy groceries? However, any time she saw the "what would Jesus do?" bumper sticker, she could just ask Him, because she's His wife. And... He'd have to forgive her every single time she was naughty, or quarreled with Him... 'cuz that's His job. I think this would get old very quickly.

I already have a saint for a husband, and I wouldn't trade him for a dozen Jesuses, and not for a dozen cheeses either. He tolerates me far more than Christ would. The other day I bought a little cottagey sign for our front door that says "Go Away". I hung it up because it amused me. Mr. Crabby also found this amusing, but I'll bet Jesus wouldn't.