You're Doing It Wrong

Last week when I was working in the front yard, a kid came down the street playing the ukelele and singing. It was really sweet. I wanted to ask him to hang out and serenade me but I thought it would seem too creepy.

I feel bad about how hostile my feelings are about this poor plant.

I call it Sideshow Bob which looking at that search results is only partially accurate.

Actually that search result is hilarious. Please click.

I thought I needed something moderately pretty that would take up some space in that spot. But it’s not really that pretty and its only claim to fame it that it’s bushy. It only blooms for about 3 minutes. It’s not like I want to put something else there so I’m not going to whack it down. But I don’t love it.

Today we received a handwritten and heartfelt letter from a real estate agent lamenting the housing shortage in our area and very excitedly inviting us to contact her so she can sell our house. It’s not even like: if you’re considering moving. It’s like: call me, so I can see the inside and finalize my pricing.

Great. But where are we supposed to live?

At the beginning of the week when I got home there was a basketball hoop — not in our front yard but as close to our front yard as you could get without being in our front yard.

I admit, my first instinct was to be alarmed. But I’m glad we live on a street where the kids play outside and it couldn’t possibly be that big of a problem so I forgot about it.

Later Bob came home and said: Honey, there’s a basketball hoop in our yard.

It’s not in our yard and it will be fine, I told him.

As I have mentioned before, I get up at 5:30 on weekdays so I go to bed at 9:30. I barely had my head on the pillow and it started: thump! thump! thump!

And really what I was thinking is: Oh no. Am I going to have to be the wicked neighbor?

This is really the *only* time I would complain about hearing a basketball thumping in the front yard. It wasn’t that bad and only lasted about 5 minutes so everything may still be fine.

This is the second year in a row that the minute these bloomed we had a couple of hot days that dried them to nothing.

First tomato sproutlet

When I dug my potatoes last year I had a bunch of tiny little nibblets — smaller than a marble. I threw them all in a basket and left them in the shop all winter.

A few weeks ago I planted them and I have potatoes sprouting everywhere. At least I think they’re potatoes.

Well, I ran out of time and now I need to run out the door.

Long story short: still having ant problems. My half-assed solution was not enough. Plus they are in two locations and it’s not obvious where they are coming from. The ones on this side of the house look like they were beaten up and shoved out of a moving car two at a time.

The ones in the kitchen look like a small group of wanderers who lost their way.

I expanded the area of my detailed cleaning and implemented a variety of natural and badass remedies in numerous locations. Let’s hope this is enough.

Meanwhile, I found a strange puddle in the shop and there is no obvious source. A new problem area to keep an eye on.

I’m getting ready to roll out of town for a long weekend and right now I am waiting for everything to charge. When did charging things become a part time job?

This is our neighbor’s tree. Isn’t it gorgeous?