Necessary Annoyances

 

The old pipes in our neighborhood are in the process of being replaced so we won't be poisoned by lead in our drinking water, like the unfortunate citizens of Flint, Michigan. Additionally, the system that removes storm water is being upgraded to avoid local flooding and polluting the Great Lakes. I have no issues with fixing these problems, no matter how loud and inconvenient it gets, but it's hard to believe that Dump has not found out about this and canceled it so we all get sick and die.

It all began one day in early August, when a Tardis showed up under our magnolia tree. Shortly after that the street was dug up and turned into a gravel pit. The Doctor was nowhere in sight.

A week after that, they started digging in the other direction, toward the houses and inevitably got to us. In other areas of town, where excavations have been going on, evidence of prehistoric habitation and human remains have been uncovered. Whole projects were shut down while the archeologists were called in. Maybe that's why there's so many guys watching that hole being dug?

At one point someone in the crew must have realized they were digging in the wrong place because they moved over a few feet, ripped out the cement between the sidewalk and our front porch, and made the trench extra wide. Then we started to panic, but only a little. Having an ancient burial ground in the front yard wouldn't be that bad, but it looks like all they found was donuts.

What they did find was our super-duper, high-speed internet cable.

By the end of the day, the old water pipes were out, the new ones in and we were on the phone pleading with TDS to restore our internet. At least the Tardis ended up on the other side of the street.

A guy came and fixed the internet by attaching the wire to a little grey box that could only be located next to where the excavator was loading gravel into a dump truck. He said to call when they run over it again and they'll just keep replacing it until the street work is done. So far so good, but then it's not like anyone is walking their dog or even driving down our street if they don't have to.

Finally, we were issued this weird water pitcher with an extremely expensive filter that takes up a third of the space and told to use it for six months after they finish replacing all the pipes. Apparently this is way more serious than we thought.  

 

The Crew is being very patient. This will be going on for months, probably through next spring. Until then, we are in for a lot of time spent wearing noise canceling headphones, reading books, dusting and refilling that damn pitcher.

Thanks for stopping by, see you soon! 

Have a safe Labor Day weekend if you're celebrating.

If summer is here, can Halloween be far behind?

 

Isn't summer great? It's hot, it's humid, flowers are blooming and gardens are thriving, meanwhile all the air conditioners in the neighborhood are clattering loud enough to drown out the crows. What's not to love? Apart from the barking dogs, road construction, mosquitoes and fruit flies. Okay, it's not all bad, but why does someone always have to be mowing their lawn? 

The good news is that we are definitely seeing more bees and butterflies on our backyard than the past two summers. Not sure if it's from conservation programs, No Mow May initiatives or just dumb luck but something has changed for the better and isn't that a surprising thing to hear these days!

Unfortunately, butterflies do come at a cost but they're worth a few blooms.

Out in the Land of Urban Sprawl, the Halloween decor is also showing up.

Ghosts are very popular again this year.

Some even come in colors I actually like!

There were some surprise items I'd never expected to see.

As well as plenty of entertainment in the aisles.

Obviously, the big jack-'o-lantern had to come home with us.

The wreath/hat stayed at the store with the pink stuff.

Kibitz doesn't think that one bulb is going to be enough to light it up.

Well, he might be right but we've got a few months to work on it. 

Have a great weekend everyone and thanks for stopping by!

Peonies and Protest

 

So how is everyone's summer going so far? The weather here has been mostly cold and rainy interrupted occasionally by temperatures the mid nineties and a knock-your-socks-off, gale force wind. Extremely unusual and not very convenient for outdoor activities. I took this photo through our screen door of a poor, soggy bunny waiting out the rain. Doesn't he look like he belongs in a seventeenth century Dutch painting? Too bad the tulips weren't blooming.

The peonies however, were. They took forever to open but it was worth it.

They seemed to really thrive in our odd weather.

Another photo through the screens because it just doesn't stop raining! I've been admiring a yellow peony in my neighbors front yard, maybe a couple of them would brighten up this sea of ferns?

For our town's No Kings Day Demonstration the weather was sunny and 73°F. Perfect. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend but His Madness did a great job of documenting the event so I could share it.

Lots of creativity on display, nice to see some Halloween costumes again.

It was pretty chill, according to HM. Lots of happy people exercising their First Amendment Rights.

Back at home, The Crew decided to take advantage of the nice weather to spiff up the patio. Burt, who was in charge of sweeping down the cobwebs, met a new friend.

Ivy was more welcoming.

It may take awhile for the Burt and Kibitz to come around but they are trying.

It's good to have all sorts of friends.

Speaking of friends and family, Happy Pride Month everyone!

There's nothing like a dozen eggs from the Farmers Market to remind us to celebrate individuality.

Thanks for stopping by, hope everyone had a great weekend.

See you soon!

A Ghost and Petunias

A couple weeks ago His Madness and I picked up some flowers for our window boxes, so naturally it's been pouring down ever since. I'm just happy it's not snowing. In spite of the neglect and probably thanks to all the rain, they still seem to be thriving.

Somehow, during all this inclement weather, The Crew noticed the spooky community was buzzing about some early releases of Halloween decor. So, when a certain item they missed out on last year suddenly reappeared online, they ordered it right away.  

It's taken awhile to be delivered and when it finally arrived  Burt got so excited his right arm fell off. Fortunately, Ivy was able to step in and take over, as usual.

Kibitz wants everyone to know that reattaching skeletal arms is a snap. All it takes is a rubber band, a crochet hook and some patience.

After Burt was reconnected to his arm, he added the batteries to light up the ghost's orb. It shuffles through a prism of pastel colors, which kind of distracts from its overall eerie appearance, but we can live with that.

It took awhile to find a place to try it out but it really did bring this dark corner to life. It's kind of giving off creepy church vibes but we're going to ignore that, too. In any case, it won't be staying there much longer. We're going to be having a parade of plumbers and electricians coming through our house all summer long and I won't be in any mood to explain why there's a ghost in the living room (or two skeleton's in the coat closet).   

Okay, it's finally stopped raining, let's plant these petunias.

Hope you are having a great weekend!

Thanks for stopping by, see you soon.

A Little Halfway to Halloween Decorating

Tulips and daffodils are wonderful but for some people, the best part about spring is being one season closer to fall! 

Don't get me wrong, I love spring, but sadly I'm allergic to all the best parts and end up feeling like these hyacinths look. At least flowers are something that can be appreciated from afar. It definitely wasn't the best idea to have them blooming inside the house but it's been so cold here they probably wouldn't have bloomed outside, let alone survived.

Since we are officially Halfway to Halloween, the Crew has decided to give the mantle a spooky make-over. Frankly, it's been looking pretty dull since the Christmas decorations came down and anything will be an improvement.

A couple of weeks ago His Madness and I stopped by Michaels to check out their Gothic Bordeaux Collection. It was interesting and there are a lot of unusual pieces but nothing unique enough to add to our already overflowing decor hoard, especially since it wasn't on sale! I'm afraid the "madness' plaque, although totally on point, would've simply been an observation of the obvious.

 

After deciding to stick with the green and purple color scheme we've used many times before, Burt found a few newer things to add to it. Unfortunately, most of it was a pass.

 

There has to be some sort of lighted garland, whether the purples match or not.

After nearly two of hours of revisions, the mantle was finally finished.

Then Kibitz spied an intruder. What! More plastic creatures!

Ivy and the Toad Witch eventually convinced Kibitz that the plastic salamander should stay. Especially since they thought the whole thing could use a little more green.

Happy Halfway to Halloween and Happy Birthday Laura!

(sorry for being late) 

 Thanks for stopping by, see you soon.

Making It Through March

 

The Crew had big plans for this month but as usual, many things got in the way.  Still, they had a great time celebrating all the birthdays and holidays, not to mention the first day of spring.

There were lots of Girl Scout Cookies.

Aways popular with everyone. 

There was also Pi.

Followed closely by St. Patrick's Day - when the city started cutting down all the trees lining our street! We knew there was going to be some major work done on the storm sewer system but had no idea all the trees would have to be cut down. Miraculously, our magnolia was spared, along with our next door neighbor's tiny crabapple and one mature tree on the corner. ALL of the big trees growing between the sidewalk and the street are gone, luckily there are still a few around in peoples front yards, so it doesn't have that totally bare, subdivision look. Talk about arboricide! As heartbreaking as this is, it's actually supposed to help the environment and keep the storm water runoff from polluting nearby lakes and rivers. I hope those fish are happy.  

Burt really knows how to cope with an existential crisis. He sees no point in waiting for a holiday to start drinking. 

On the silly side of plant life, Ivy's Christmas Amaryllis is finally starting to bloom. Maybe she should try passing it off as a red Easter Lily?

As if daily life hasn't become hard enough in the current dystopia, the weather was predicted to end with a smorgasbord of precipitation. What, no tornados?

And, they were right. Maybe it will warm up in April. Glad to see there's still some trees around.

Happy Spring and thanks for stopping by!