It's still cool in the mornings, but the afternoons and evenings have been perfect summer weather. I worked most of the morning yesterday on the sonnet series. I guess it is not really a crown, per se, but a sonnet redouble, or "heroic crown." But they really aren't sonnets in any strict sense. In fact one of the poems is a prose poem, another is a list, another is a letter. But each of the 14 poems will have a line that repeats, and that is used to make the 15th. That's all I know for sure at this point. And even that may change. HAHAHAHA.

Still, it is fascinating to be working on a series of persona poems, and to see how the different characters speak to each other. Or how a bit of one person's story ends up as a sideline in another person' story. Sort of like Master's Spoon River Anthology (which Gary Lilly lectured on a few days ago at Centrum).

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K & B were in town last night, and called to invite us to go out to dinner. Instead, we had them over here to grill. Very spur of the moment, which I love. They are the kind of best friends we feel comfortable not having to plan and schedule with, but just going with the flow. We had grilled mussels as the appetizer, with Metaxa sidecars. And then some vegetable coos coos served with seafood kabobs made with prawns, scallops and ahi tuna, seasoned with chili spices and garlic and butter. The ahi came out a little overcooked for my taste, but all in all it was quite a nice combo.

After dinner we took a walk around the park across the street. Then came back and had wine and shortbread cookies and sat in lawn chairs on the deck talking as the sun was going down. Such a fine evening.

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Tonight Dean and I plan to grill some lamb chops (I know, it not very politically correct right now to eat lamb, and other red meats, but I love it). Then we will indulge in some inane pop culture and go see Mama Mia! I hear Meryl Streep is great in the lead role. I can hardly wait. My feet are dancing and tapping already.