I understood the second home part, we had one when I was a kid, but it was that upward chain part that sounded like it might give second home a different context. Interesting term, upward chain - I was lucky to buy this house after it had been empty for almost 2 years. It wasn't deteriorated from that time standing empty, and fortunately not detected and "upgraded" by "investors" (small property developers who "flip" houses after the least amount of cosmetic work to make it look like it's in a lot better shape than it really is.)

I went to check on the dogs this morning, since they caught a rat last night. I wanted to be sure there weren't any more (they dragged it into the garage, but probably would have left it outside if it hadn't been so wet). The pit bull is limping, and she has done this before - the rat probably needed to be dug out of where ever it was. She has what amounts to a dog hang-nail, and it's tender and bleeding a little. The vet said last time I took her in for this that it would clear up. I poured a little peroxide over it.

Back in the house, I made foil packets for the barbecued ribs and froze them with some extra sauce. That's several meals ahead. I'm caught up on the laundry and I need to turn my attention again to my son's room, to pull together the items that need to go in the mail.

It's humid today. Not not enough to trigger the air conditioner to run, which would dry the air. Makes it difficult to feel like moving around much. I'm dying for that first day of fall that feels so clear and crisp and energizing. There's usually only one day quite like this down here every fall (it mimicks the late summer/fall feel of the Pacific Northwest) but I'll take what I can get.

SRS