FRESH PRODUCE AND GIANT BABIES

I haven't been doing much walking or picture taking this month.  We've been having some work done on the house, and that's been taking up most of my spare time.  I have a lovely new bathroom floor (thanks to my friend Andy), and a new toilet (no thanks to the incompetent guys the plumber sent out).  The tub will be reglazed next week and a new shower door installed,  and it will be lovely!

Andy laid the tile on Monday but had to break apart the toilet to get it out because of the way it was installed, bolted and bonded to the floor in some weird way. There was no flange.  He knew we were planning on a new toilet, so that wasn't any big deal, except, we only have one bathroom.  I had misunderstood him about not being able to use the toilet - I thought just for the day while he was working on the floor, but I was wrong, and we spent the night in a motel.  I had told the plumber on Monday about the missing flange and he was to call Andy and see what was up with that, but he didn't call.  Talked to Andy Tuesday morning while he was grouting the floor, and still no word from plumber.  I called Plumber and he said he'd be out at 1:00 to see what was needed for the job (which he did)  and then would have the guys out between 3:00 and 4:00 to install.  Great, perfect!   "I need a new shut-off valve too".   "No problem".    I got home from work at 3:00.  Floor looked lovely.  4:00 came and went, no plumbers, and by 5:15  I called find out where the heck they were.  "They're not there yet?  We dropped off the toilet with them hours ago."  Um, NO!  I wouldn't be calling you if they were here!!!  When they finally showed up about 20 minutes later,  Bob noticed that the shut-off valve wasn't on the work order.  No problem, they would ran over to Home Depot to get one (less than a mile away).  An hour later they were back (must have stopped for supper) and installed the shut-off.  Then they started installing the new flange.   Broke their only drill bit.  It wasn't a masonry bit, just a plain old everyday bit that doesn't want to drill through a ceramic floor with a cement under layer.  "Why yes, we did tell your boss that the floor is ceramic".  Back to Home Depot for a drill bit.  By about 7:15 they had the base of the toilet installed.  Looking good, in the home stretch......... and then I heard some very loud swearing coming from the bathroom.   They broke the tank while trying to install it!  They'd have to come back in the morning, but, we could still use the toilet, we just needed to "flush" by using a bucket of water.   Better than another night in a motel.  After they left I noticed that when they replaced the shut-off valve, they left the old, rusty disk-thingy that snugs up to and covers the hole in the wall where the pipe comes out of.  They were only an hour late when they came back the next morning with the new tank.  They did replace the old, rusty disk-thingy with a new, shiny disk-thingy,  installed the tank with no further mishaps, and gave us a small discount.  It's done and it works, and I don't have to run over to my neighbor's bathroom anymore, at least not until Friday when the next guy comes to reglaze the tub and I can't use the bathroom for 6 hours or so. 

I've already posted this next picture on Facebook and Ravelery, but I just have to do it again.  GIANT CYCLOPS BABY.   It's on a garage a block from where I work, and we have absolutely no idea what it means.  There are giant molecules all over the sides of the garage as well.   People are strange.

It's pretty creepy.  The outside arms on both look fairly proportionate, but the inside arms are tiny, with tiny hands that look more like pincher's.  And then there's the bubbles.  I am so glad I don't have to look at this everyday from my yard!

I went to the Midtown Farmer's Market this morning.  Bought some lovely vegetables and other things........

                                                            

All the veggies look great, but I also bought a  loaf of homemade honey wheat bread, along with some

fresh butter, some homemade chokecherry jelly, and some Colby-jack cheese.

I couldn't resist and had to have a treat when I got home - it was worth every single calorie!

Carpe Diem

I'm still here!   I've been walking, and taking pictures, but I just haven't felt like writing.  It's the time of year.  Summer's almost over and soon it will be Fall.  And we all know what comes next!   I know I should just enjoy the present, but it's so hard for me.  I'm a warm weather, sunshine kind of girl.  I think it would be great to be a kid again.  We were able to just  live in the moment back then.  We were oblivious to time/day/date. One day ran into the next. Weekday, weekend, it was all the same.   I've noticed recently that the days are getting shorter.  I'm up early and out of the house before 6:00.  It's still dark now when I leave the house.  As a kid I probably didn't get up before 8:00, and I'm sure I wasn't even aware that this happened.   It was just another summer day that lasted forever.  We'd get up, have a quick breakfast and then head to the park, come home for lunch, back to the park, or maybe to the beach, home for supper, and out to play some more.  We didn't mind if the sun started setting a little sooner.  It was more fun to play ditch or other games with all the neighborhood kids if it was a little dark out.   We knew that school would be starting again at some point,  but I don't think it really sank in until State Fair Week.  Even then, it still seemed like we had plenty of time to just have fun.  Sure, we had gone shopping for a couple of new outfits, maybe a few notebooks and pencils, and yes we looked at the Wards/Sears/Penney's fall catalogs, but those clothes were for when it got cold!  It was still 80 or 90 degrees out.   Summer was going to last forever.


May

I'm noticing changes around the lake now too.  The spring ducklings are the same size as the momma ducks. Can't tell one from the other.   The water is green.  South High was having soccer practice on the ball fields today.  All the trees and plants are looking different.  They look tired.  That's how I always seem them.  Sure, the hot, dry summer hasn't helped, but no matter what the weather is like, come August they start their change.   The leaves are a much darker green now, not that lovely bright green from May.  It looks like it's hard for them to hold their limbs up. All the leaves have just gotten too heavy.   It's still very beautiful, just different.

August

I'm still digging all the boats out on the lake though. 

Friday afternoon I noticed this pretty yellow boat anchored just a few feet from the south shore, but I didn't seen anyone around.  Thought maybe they lived nearby and ran home for awhile, or, maybe they were spending some time below decks? 

I was surprised when it was still here on Saturday morning, when I went for an early walk with Jody.   We were almost back to our starting point when we noticed it was being towed back to the boat harbor.  

Now it was obvious that this was a run-away.  It really had grounded itself good, because it hadn't moved at all from Friday afternoon until Saturday morning. I don't think there was any damage because it was moored and afloat today.

 I saw these Double Crested Cormorants Friday afternoon.  I don't think I've ever noticed any around here before. 

We can see you!   I'm thinking this used to be the Partridge Family Bus. 

BUNNY! 

Cleocatra enjoying a morning "catnap" in a sunny window.  She always does that with her foot - hooks one toenail into the screen.

I'm going to try and enjoy the rest of our summer, and hopefully a very, very long fall, and not think about what comes after that!  I will seize the day.