Our Water Lilies group ate at Western Sizzlin' on Weds and enjoyed lively conversation on a number of topics including how to get irresponsible parents, especially those on public assistance, to take responsibility for their children and their reproductive systems. Should parenting classes be required? Sex education? Drug tests? Some sort of licensing to qualify for public funding? Our big round table was much more conducive to conversation than the long rectangular ones we usually have, and we were in a restaurant where we didn't have to scream to be heard. We all agreed that we should patronize places like that more often.

One of our group members did not show up who the night before had told me and a couple of other people she would definitely be there. The mystery of the missing Emily was solved after several hours of detective work by two of the group's members. This lady had actually spent the morning in the ER, so there was legitimate cause for concern. It's nice to know someone would come looking for me if I said I would be there and didn't show up. I like these people more every week that I meet with them.

Today I've been at Madison cleaning house and yard. I haven't done that much yard work in ages. It was cathartic to sweat like I did. My back aches and I have blisters on my hands, but that's okay. The woman who was helping me said she recognized the signs of a drug house. Their power had been turned off and they were using candles, so there was candle wax everywhere. The garbage disposal was full of it (and cigarette butts), so was the bathtub drain; it was on kitchen countertops, window sills, no telling how long they had had no power. Tomorrow I have to get plumbing done.

And would you believe my renter had been approved by the state to keep children? I'm turning her in first thing in the morning. Don't they do drug tests on these people? Maybe I should require a drug test of the next renter.