Monday, May 15, 2023

We are back in Massachusetts on the way from the airport to Cape Cod. We will see Justice in about 1 1/4 hours and DS when he gets home from work mid-afternoon.

One hour of sleep on the plane. I don't know how functional we will be today but we do have to drive an extra half hour mid-day to return the rental car. I think a nap may have to be fit in at some point.

Have a magnificent Monday!

Lost my post...argh.

Welcome home!

The house painters showed up bright and early at 6:30 and are loudly walking around on the roof. They asked if it was OK if they plastic over all of the windows and doors today. How claustrophobic! But I know it's part of the process. I ran into a neighbor I hadn't met before last night on a walk (the one nobody likes... He said "I'm sure you've heard bad things about us..." I lied and said no nothing bad! He then proceeded to gossip about everyone else. This neighborhood, aye yai yai). His house was built at the same time as mine (finished in 2018, mine 2019), same builder and architect. He said their stucco is super faded too and is using the same painter to redo his. Nothing wrong with the stucco, just a tough combo of dark color plus sun.

Food is still very on track. The scale moved up 0.2, but that's like a rounding error.

I have a flat roof and they aren't very thick. The pounding from the guys jumping over the parapet walls and moving around up there sounds like elephants and shakes the light fixtures. This kind of stuff sets off my anxiety like crazy. I am going to need to think of things to get out of the house.

The irrigation guys come back today too and the a/v guys tomorrow. At least things are getting done!

Take care everyone and may your roofs be free of hoofs!

Welcome home Liz, sure do hope you get a nap. Happy reunion with your boys, both the two legged and 4 legged!

CC, good job on keeping it positive with the neighborhood gossip. Our former neighbor was a nice man, unlike your guy, but he loved to gossip. Although he had a nice backyard deck, he spent hours sitting in a lawn chair on his driveway with his dog. I found out so many things chatting with him. Just had to be careful what I told him as it would surely be repeated.

I had a focus group meeting at our district office this morning, about our teacher evaluation system. There are certain state laws that must be followed, but how, procedures, are up to districts. Some interesting ideas emerged. Once I was selected for this, I decide, since I was missing the morning anyhow, to use some of my sick time for a doctor's appointment. Plot twist, there is no doctor's appointment. Not feeling guilty either. On my way to go pick up some bedding plants.

Diane S. Sweet peas are so lovely. Sometimes I have a few in the spring, along with pansies. They don't do well in the summer, because of the heat. Gotta love the extremes in this state.

Greetings all

Another sunny day. The coast guard was out yesterday flying helicopters in circles. I guess they have weekend training drills. good for them.

Lots of errands today. Stopped in the studio as the kiln opened.Picked up the payroll. Stopped at yet another hippie grocery and scored one of their great chicken pot pies. Cooking avoided. Also went to the bank.

CC how annoying to hear hooves on the roof! Like Santa Claus but it's not christmas. Years ago I had a roof replaced and the workers put their ghetto blaster on top of my chimney and this horrible music was blasting out the fireplace. I went to work. Anyway, I hope all the work gets done soon. Wise of you to befriend the neighborhood gossip. Of course he will talk about you but hopefully not negatively. Our main neighborhood monitor moved away some years ago. I do kind of miss knowing all. But I also had a somewhat creepy neighbor across the street who had her windows replaces so she could see out better. Always made me feel watched.

Yeah DD why some guys hang out in the driveway is beyond me. I think it's that they like to watch the neighbors. How dull are their lives?

Speaking of dull, not much going on here. Having cooked an actual dinner for two nights I will be pleased to eat the pot pie. DH takes the electric car in for some recall. It's all software updates I think.

Liz I wish we could all see your reunion with Justice. Should be fun. Enjoy being home. Your trip was the trip of a lifetime!

Diane S

Haha, our nosy neighbor removed all the shrubs and trees in his yard to allow for optimal neighborhood viewing! He said as much. Luckily he wasn't mean spirited, just running his one man neighborhood watch.

We have a running joke in our family about how many Michiganders with perfectly nice backyards spend all of their time in folding chairs in front of their open garage doors. And they have spare chairs for when people drop by. It's mostly the people who live on "busy" roads. (Given even our highways are one lane each way and we have 4 stoplights in the entire county, busy is a loose interpretation)

Do they have parties in their garage too? People do that all the time here. Sometimes I'm sitting on a folding chair in someone's garage thinking, why am I out here? I know you have a home and a deck, with furniture and everything!

Yes!!! My folks have even done it as a half joke, half necessity. They have a friend in a wheelchair who can't get into the house. It's raised for flooding. So if it's not warm enough for a nice garden party with him, they set dinner up in the barn/garage. It's heated at least. But very much a garage. Must be a midwestern thing!

Parties in the garage are a big thing in some Florida neighborhoods, especially when there are garage screens (I had the screens at my former place but they aren't allowed at Mike's). In my 20 year Central Massachusetts neighborhood we had driveway parties in the summer. Generally 2 neighbors would start talking in one of their driveways while drinking a beer in the late afternoon on a weekend and the other neighbors in our quad would join as they completed their efforts for the day.