There are a lot of trees in our neighborhood. Our house backs up to a hillside nature area, a piece of semi-wilderness in the middle of suburbia. Two grand old trees in our yard are huge, ancient, and they're coming down. The pine shown above is 60-80 feet and probably 80 years old. Last week, its hugest limb cracked and started falling on the neighbor's house. So, today we are supporting full employment -- the yard is full of energetic tree guys and chain saws.
We think that it and the other tree were planted as part of a windbreak for a quarry that went out of business many decades ago. It's been a good tree, and we will miss it. (Yes, this is a tree eulogy.)
W/AW: My cat with digestive problems became very committed to getting on my desk to sit beside the computer. Arrived at the very elegant solution of putting a big insulated bag from TJ's right in his preferred spot. We have tres stylish decor here at the home office.
AW: Wednesday is my birthday, and my beloved refurbished this garden bench that we got in about 1985 -- crafted and stained new slats, refinished the heavy iron sides. Just what I wanted! (A "hint" was dropped.)
What's happening in your ecosystem?
31 comments:
AW: Company finally left on Saturday!
W: We spent Saturday and Sunday afternoon cleaning the house, washing sheets, etc, for dinner guests Sunday night. Who never showed up. If anyone wants leftover chicken fajitas or cheesecake pie, we'll send them right over.
AW: Leftover pie
no no no, esperanza. the dinner sounds good, but the floor is open for thoughts from ms. manners. again.
hope your hubby considers fajitas and pie "the good food." ;)
The fajitas are his favorite. He swears he'll eat the leftovers.
Condolences on your trees, and happy birthday!
Happy Wednesday birthday kathy a !!!
Sorry about the tree.
Esperanza - Yay! Company leaving is a good AW.
W: I am the very definition of Tired, cooked, stick a fork in me, I'm done, 'zosted. Wah. The week's schedule doesn't leave a lot of free time to use overtime, but I'm going to give it a good college try anyway.
AW: I have a job to tire me out.
W: music earworm of the day: You are My Sunshine. Meh. There are worse songs I suppose.....
W/AW/Guilty Vouyerism: Yes, I've been following the trial of the mom alleged to have killed her daughter.
I'm not sure what draws me to the case, but I find it fascinating. I also feel like I've slowed down to see the debris of a car wreck.
On the other hand, I love the legal lingo. Too many years of watching Law & Order I suppose.
My favourite is still the Fifth Amendment statement when it starts with "On advice of council..." People listen to their lawyers! How cool is that???
Anyway, the major whine is that a sweet girl is gone. That part makes me sad. How tragic.
On an Old Skool note: I was doing so well, and then on Sunday I bought bread for hubby (I don't eat it) that expires today. It "felt" like it was fresh, but I didn't bother with my reading glasses to look at the "actual" expiry date. ~sigh~
AW: the squirrels will enjoy it.
ack, sue! thanks for your earworm... hope you get a chance to rest up some this week.
i can assure you that people DO NOT always listen to their lawyers. but those fun discussions are confidential.
looks like the trees will be completely down in a few hours; it just started raining, but the hardy crew perseveres.
Happy Birthday Kathy a.!!!
:) Neighbor Lady
Yay for the tree crew! Heroes are hard to find these days.
AW: I am resting up this week. I should be at a meeting right now, but my regrets are attending in my place. Actually, it was sooooooo not necessary for me to be there, so here I am at home nursing my delusions re: North American justice instead. *grin*
Hooray for Sue and resting! And saying NO to stoopid meetings.
W: an understandable, yet bone-headed financial mistake at the esperanza household has resulted in large, unexpected interest payment. Responsible parties are cluesticking themselves abundantly.
Happy birthday Kathy A.!
Kudos to Sue for her ability to say NO when necessary.
Cluesticks to the no-show dinner guests. But, hooray for pie.
School ends/summer starts tomorrow. Wheee.
Happy Birthday Kathy!!!!
Yay for summer!!!!! Outside my office I can hear our garden crew working away. So my BIG AW is that it is warm enough to open my window. Another AW is that no one asks me to help with the gardening. (Once they discovered that I can't tell the difference between the weeds and the perennials, they stopped asking - go figure).
thanks for the birthday wishes! i don't pay a lot of attention to these milestones -- just another day -- but we'll have a nice dinner out. (i dropped that hint because my beloved is always worrying about what i want, and that was something i wanted.)
so, the tree guys are due back today, but evidently sometime later. whee! more chainsaws!!!
Forgot to buy the cerveza for our traditional last-day-of-school dinner: fajitas/quesadillas. Hubby's cell going straight to voicemail. Boo.
Boo, Days! Passing the virtual toast.
Well, the tree guys just got here. It is almost 4 p.m. I have a hot date tonight, so they'd better be quick.
Colossal anti-whine: We begin our big London/Paris trip in about 36 hours, and I am WAY too excited.
W: Too excited to sleep, that is.
A/W: I can fall asleep just about anywhere, including airports and on planes.
Said mad sleeping skillz will come in very handy because we hit Heathrow, drop our bags at the hotel, and head out for a (mostly) full day in London.
A/W: JF had an interview today, and while we won't know for about a week or so, the interviewer seemed very impressed and said he was their top candidate, and the company was at the end of the interview process.
Anyone who is willing to send up a prayer for him to get this job -- it would be most appreciated.
I feel guilty because several years ago, I made a pledge to myself that I would no longer pray FOR things, that I would simply pray to commune with God and use it at a meditative process for myself, but I've been praying a lot lately for a job for him. Hopefully, things will work out not only the way God intends but also in a way that doesn't leave us begging, borrowing, or stealing to eat.
Happy Birthday, kathy! :) Hope your day rocks!
woot woot woot, KLee! have a great trip!!! bring back tales and photos! thoughts are with JF and fingers crossed.
KLee, have a wonderful time! And of course there will be prayers for the job for JF. Hooray for a good interview--that's got to be good for the confidence levels.
AW: I am scared to say it. Or type it, whatever. There have been no potty accidents of any sort for 11 days. After a YEAR, can we finally say that Sweet is potty-trained?
W: allergies. I took a zyrt*c this morning, with hubby's assurances that they didn't make him drowsy. Holy crap. I am useless, and the stoopid thing lasts for 24 hours. I think I'll just sneeze.
Bon voyage KLee! And prayers of course for JF.
esperanza - zyrt*c at night, clar*tin in the morning... not both on the same day. the c one will keep you awake, the z one will make you sleepy. Both effects seem to wear off with good timing if you take the med at the right time of day.
I am at the start of the second Bad Day (TM) in a row. What gives?? I think I am not cut out to have two children. I simply cannot manage two and have a job -- at least during summer.
But it wasn't the kids who set me off this morning. No, it was my cat, who has peed in my son's room for the first time. I swear to g-d, when he pees outside the box, I want to get rid of him. (And no, it's not a medical issue. He's just a fireplacing a$$ of a cat with territory issues and a preference for peeing on soft things, like blankets and stuffed animals and bags.)
I was *going* to go for a walk this morning after I dropped the kids off at summer camp and day care and before work, but nooooooooo. I get to throw out toys and spend the rest of my day convinced that *I* smell like cat pee because the odor has married itself to my nasal passages. FML.
Oh amy, sorry about the Bad Days (TM). We had a cat who peed and pooked outside the box, but not out of preference. He just wasn't very smart, or very healthy. Even knowing that made it very hard to live with every day. So, I get it. When cat issues are piled on top of children issues, I can't even imagine.
Your Bad Days (TM) deserve an award. At the very least. And perhaps a margarita.
W: Bad Night (TM). Slept for about an hour feeling mmmmm..........ok. Woke up half hour later with icepik feeling in right temple and an overwhelming feeling that barking would be a good idea.
Now, you need to understand, I hate, hate, hate the barking. And yet, I felt so awful and was in so much pain, Teh Bark actually seemed like the best thing that could happen at the time. It did not (in case you were wondering)
Thank you Gra*ol times two. This morning I can't eat, my head feels mildly better, and hubby and I have carefully reviewed EVERYTHING I ate or drank yesterday.
So far nothing but "safe" food. So, WFT????
Soon I'll be that sweet lady that brings her own oatmeal and fruit to the church dinners.
Dear Universe: head pain sucketh largely.
oh, amy. the juggling of kids, especially in summer, is a classic. condolances on the cat issue.
we had a nice pizza dinner last night. now, i don't worry much about getting older; i don't feel old. but maybe i look more ancient, meaning invisible, to waiters. we sat there with the take-away box for 20 minutes, waiting for the check, while the very next table got lots of attention. finally, we have mastered the secret of invisibility! heh. (yes, i embarassed my beloved a little by standing up and waving, since more subtle signals were not working.)
keep whining! awards later.
((( sue ))) oh, no. hoping you feel better. seems to me you are already monitoring food pretty diligently. xoxo
(((Sue)))
((Amy))
Have a terrific trip, KLee!
AW: I just had a terrific interview with a former employer.
Just returned from a hospital visit with a friend who has AML. Puts last night's misery of tummy and brainz into perspective.....
yay, liz!
oh, sue. xoxo
Amy, your whine is a public service announcement. Hubby and Baboos have been pestering me for a dog (Mr. E)/doggie (Sweet)/DOH (Mini) for several weeks. I am maintaining that I cannot clean up after another mammal. You are strengthening my resolve. Thank you. Though sorry for the Bad Days (tm).
Sue, sorry once again about the headache. Anything that makes you prefer Teh Bark is not good.
Well, this isn't going to help anyone choose a new pet. Except, I'd like to stress the love and devotion part of the deal, which is enormous, longlasting, a gift beyond normal inconveniences.
We still have not made the final decision about the well-loved pet who has pretty much lost fecal control, but I'm almost there. Everyone else has made clear they think it is my decision -- they do not want to kill the beloved pet, and neither do they want the constant poop duty -- but they also agree he is suffering, and with the decision of no extraordinary measures that will freak him out. They want to be informed in advance of the end. Things have been worse again, he's lethargic, and he uses his rare moments to project love all over the place.
I guess that's consensus. I hate being the grownup.
(((((A. Nonnie Moose)))))
Been there. It's so very awful.
(A. Nonnie Moose) Hugs to you and your sweet pet.
KLee - Hope the trip is fantastic and thinking positive thoughts on the job front for JF!
Sorry to hear about the Bad Days and the Bad Nights.
Yay Liz!
I did finally hear back on the last round of testing, which showed neither drastic improvement nor drastic deterioration, so the chemo break continues and the hubster and I are taking off for a few days and leaving his parents at the mercy of our children.
And a happiest Canada Day to those celebrating!
Thanks, pixies. The ranting helped me blow off some steam. As it turned out, I missed my walk, but I discovered in the clean up process that the peed-on blanket (beloved to no one) absorbed all the pee, so the toys beneath (beloved to someone in this house, I'm sure) and the carpet were unharmed. Huzzah! That was a relief.
Now if I could just get the kids to organize their tantrum days so that they aren't back to back and occurring in embarrassing places, everything would be a-okay...
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