We have spent most of today outside and that is pretty special considering how Richmond summers don’t really have many nice days. This summer has been the exception. Today we smoked a butt. It has been ages since we smoked anything.
Here are some photos from the unofficial end of summer:
Neat lights:
Lewis Ginter the other night:
I forget what this is called but it is the coolest plant we have in our pots:
We are in Duck for a short visit. The weather is great and the water is cold (71 degrees).
After a long morning walk, we drank some delicious coffee on our balcony.
After breakfast, we spent several hours on the beach. It isn’t full of people so that’s nice.
Beach
The lure of a drink called us over the dunes and now we’ll hang out until dinner. Not a bad day.
Last night we had a terrific burst of thunderstorms. At one point, it seemed like the hail and wind wouldn’t stop. We briefly lost power but then it came back on. Most of the neighborhood was dark. There’s something to be said for being in the section of the neighborhood that has underground power. While it was a pain during the install, it was nights like the last that made us feel lucky.
Around noon today we went outside to clear the debris (had hair cuts this morning so couldn’t start until noon-ish). I found a large nest that fell out of some tree and could see one dead bird. There was something chirping nearby so I delicately flipped the nest over. Lucky the robin survived a very scary night and morning. Both of its siblings did not. As soon as Lucky was exposed, the mama bird began feeding it.
The better-half did a check on the intertubes and we found a solution. We sacrificed one of our plastic storage containers and drilled it into the tree out front. We put the nest in the container and then the better-half lifted Lucky into the nest. The adult robins were NOT happy. But, Lucky is being fed and cared for by the mama bird. Lucky only needs a few more weeks of nesting and then can join its cousins in pooping over everything in the backyard.
Update: We know Lucky survived the night, but we are pretty sure it hasn’t survived the week. Lucky wouldn’t stay in the nest and for a helpless bird that’s not a good thing.
I took the day off and trimmed bushes, cut the grass in the front yard and washed my car for the first time in more than six months. It was still vaguely white, but not really. The better-half and I went out for lunch (SUSHI!!!) and when we came home there was a massive track of splashy bird shit all along the passenger side window and door. It had been less than 2 hours.
We went to see my sister and her husband last weekend for a long weekend. I think our weekend was dominated by good food and good company.
They humored us by taking us to the beach so we could put our feet in some sand and surf.
On Sunday we took a walk at Savannas Park and sweated our butts off. It was Florida hot, y’all. We saw these fierce creatures at a wetlands overlook:
Our house is 87 years old. The front sidewalk looks that old, but we have no idea if it is original. From the city sidewalk, you take some steps and then walk up to our house.
Since we’ve lived here the landing of those steps has been a mess. The concrete was damaged long ago and weeds grow very well in the cracks.
The other weekend the better-half broke up the remaining chunks and we discovered the concrete was very thin. No wonder it failed.
Thirty bucks later we have a new landing.
Before with the concrete removed:
After:
Problem solved.
During the week, I get up between 5:15 and 5:30 every morning. Lucy joins me in the bathroom as I shower and then we go downstairs to start the routine of changing out the water in her bowl and making sure she can’t see the bottom of her food bowl. A sighting of the bottom of the bowl is a sign of the apocalypse.
So on weekends the schedule gets a bit weird. Saturday mornings she gets the remainder of the moist cat food from the Friday Afternoon of Fancy! We all hail the weekend-she with moist food and the humans with drinks. Sunday brings no joy, but that doesn’t mean she’s not full on business of waking me up. This morning it was around 6 which is late as far as she is concerned, but early from my perspective.
Since we are in a weather pattern of bleakness coupled with inches of rain, this morning would have been great for more time in bed. Instead, she and I are downstairs staring at the rain and each other.
It’s a good thing she’s so cute:
Win the Grammy’s that is…
The Joke
Hold Out Your Hand
The Mother
By the way, I don’t know what the ads will be for you. If they are for Camtasia, that’s a good recommendation.
I really like this song. Just putting that fact out there.
Don’t get me started on Brandi Carlile . We saw her perform last May and I’m slowly becoming obsessed. I told the better-half that I’m about to buy her back catalog. We already have two of her albums so what’s another 5?
We’re expecting snow and freezing rain in central VA this weekend. It hasn’t started yet, but it is a cold and gray mid-winter’s morning. We had about a foot here in mid-December. Climate change is still up for debate?
The cheeto in chief needs to give up on the wall and get folks back to work. We are 21 days into the federal shutdown. I’m getting paid on Tuesday and I got paid on December 31st. My mortgage is paid. I can’t imagine the stress on the folks who work for the government. He is incapable of empathy and I can only hope people will remember the emperor has no clothes in 2020.
I’m waiting for a library ebook to pop up for me so I pulled out The Great Gatsby to read. It’s been a very long time since I read this and I’m enjoying it. Last night, I woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep so I read a chapter. Gatsby told Nick that San Francisco is the Middle West. Say what? Was that an actual thing back in the 20s to call San Francisco that? Because the last time I was there, it was squarely on the west coast and not in the middle of the country.
We didn’t make resolutions this year, but I am trying to be nicer at work. The struggle is real. And, I’m committed to taking more time off this year. Last year was bleak. We’re trying to balance the need to travel and spending money on some house improvements.
