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April 21, 2007
The Neighborhood Information Network will be buzzing tonight....
I'm turning over my flower bed today, the one I plan to put my bleeding hearts in, if they ever arrive, and I'm interrupted by my neighbor guy. Would I like him to mow my yard, it wouldn't cost a penny? Maybe the fairy tale writer missed it, but I know sometimes knights in shining armor arrive on riding lawnmowers. His wife arrived shortly after to keep me company as I worked at erradicating any sign of the ivy plants which covered the side of my house when I bought it last fall.
Hers is a welcome distraction, as well as an induction into the NIN (Neighborhood Information Network). She confirmed my suspicions that a previous renter had parked his semi-truck in my front yard, effectively killing my grass and creating ruts across my drive. And my suspicions that my happy little home had witnessed some violent fights. And my suspicions that a sweet little girl inhabited the room where I found tiny hair clips and evidence of pink paint on the wall. As I picked dried up roots and little glass gems from the dirt I silently hoped the little girls life is happier now, wherever she is.
Did I have anyone to mow my yard this summer? No, I was planning on doing my best. Her boys were just the right age to be wanting to earn money by mowing yards. Perfect! Not only did I get my flower bed AND yard done in one afternoon, I also negotiated a way out of mowing for the entire summer.
When the yard work was finished, and we were feeling sufficiently rested in the shade of my patio the two wandered off, string trimmer in hand. I raked, and piled trimmings with the sticks in the backyard, waiting to be burned. And turned over more dirt. And thought about what plant would be happiest there. And wondered if my bleeding hearts will ever arrive.
As the sun sinks lower I imagine the conversations being held over fences and through open car windows and while returning borrowed riding lawnmowers tonight turn to the strange reclusive neighbor lady. Who doesn't think she needs a man to take care of her. And loves a job where even her boss can't understand why she's still there. And works her garden in a white shirt. And hires neighbor boys to mow her yard, because they want to earn some money. And can't find her gardening gloves even though she JUST had them.
Posted by Anna at 7:41 PM | Comments (0)
April 19, 2007
Questions On The VT Massacre....
What a horrible senseless tragedy. My heart goes out to the families of the victims, and those recovering from injuries. As I read through the headlines I wonder what was so horribly broken in the shooter, could his outcome have been different? Finally stories of the victims and their photographs have made it to the front. I wonder if this act will spawn more violence, surely other young people are fantasizing over their own blaze of glory. What if media outlets ignored the shooter entirely, what if they only reported on the lives of the victims? What if they hadn't published his angry manifesto, if the venom inside him had died on that Virginia campus? We would have questions, of course, but what if this time the glory belonged only to those who truly deserve it?
Posted by Anna at 12:27 PM | Comments (2)
April 14, 2007
Rx for the Blues....
Here is an interesting article on the rise of depression beginning in the 1600's.
Posted by Anna at 9:55 PM | Comments (0)
April 13, 2007
Question of the Week
The best question I was asked this week:
Trainee: "So, do you, like, know a lot about this stuff?"
"No, it's my first week on the job, that's why I'm training you."
Posted by Anna at 4:50 PM | Comments (0)
April 1, 2007
Did I mention how much I LOVE my new lawnmower???
Score this far: Lawnmower 2, Anna 0
Apparently my new lawnmower thinks my yard is much smaller than it really is, because when I stopped for a break after mowing about a quarter of it and refueled, it now refuses to start. At ALL!!! And I haven't even gotten to the really tall grass yet.
Posted by Anna at 9:28 PM | Comments (2)
When it comes to chopped walnuts Cuisinart has NOTHING on Troy-Bilt!
You never realize just how much of your yard is bare dirt until you roll over it with a lawnmower.
Posted by Anna at 3:09 PM | Comments (0)