It's 8:30 in the evening, and I have the WHOLE HOUSE to myself. The girls are in bed and Tracy is in Durham with 3 buddies preparing to leave for a weekend at Merle Fest (bluegrass festival in NC). They are going to have a great time and hopefully not get arrested. Merle Fest is held in a dry county, which the boys did not realize until well after purchasing tickets. This caused great consternation and a need for serious scheming about how to work around what is a major dilemma. Our friend Tom (also Tracy's doc...scary) suggested that he have his leg amputated, give himself a few weeks to recover and be fitted for a prosthesis, fill the artificial leg with alcohol, drill holes in the toes, and there you go. My father, who probably secretly wishes he were going, suggested catheters taped to their backs with the tubes running down their arms for an instant "tap" (if you are unfamiliar with catheters, think of using them opposite of their intended direction). Of course, the wives' ideas, which involved emptying out Sprite bottles or OJ cartons, were sneered at as too banal. You know, I have no idea what they decided to do. Can't wait to hear about it; glad I'm not going.

Tonight I went to my friend Meredith's for dinner. Her husband is not a Merle Fest attendee, but he builds docks and is often busy until sunset so we frequently take turns hosting dinners and letting our girls play. I've been calling this foursome the dress-up divas, and tonight was no exception. Notice Isabelle (curly brown hair) is actually wearing a real Christmas tree skirt!!! Clare, does this remind you of Bernice from "Designing Women"?