The word for today is Svervusz--pronounced servus. It means hello in Hungarian.

I got the first of the various phrase books I ordered a few days ago for use on my trip. I like to be able to say "thank you," "please," "hello," and "where's the bathroom?" in the language of whatever country I happen to be visiting. This is from a Lonely Planet publication. I also ordered a Berlitz for each country. They have sections where you can carry on a conversation by pointing at your question in English, which is right next to it in the non-English language. Replies can be done the same way in reverse. (The first year I visited Romania that was how I sent off my laundry.)

I also just got off the phone with the pet sitter. She may have her cat cottage functioning again (Katrina totalled it) by July. If not, then CC will stay home and I'll board up the hole in the porch screen the various critters have made. And the pet sitter will come here to tend her.

Yard work was on today's agenda again, and I got another barrel of yard trash collected and dumped on what will be the burn pile. If the weather stays non-rainy I should get more done tomorrow--maybe enough to burn. Little by little, although by the time I finish it's time to do it again.

I think I put out the cat kibble for the possums, but I know I didn't toss out the dog biscuits for the raccoons. My animal care friend says raccoons really love the dog biscuits. She didn't know, however, that a possum's rear paws have opposable thumbs.

Time to keep the creatures of the wild happy.