Tree Photos

Here are four tree snapshots I took 10 days ago.  I was busy yesterday clearing leaves off the front yard, driveway, and patio; mulching the backyard leaves.  When I returned home after spending a couple of hours away from the house, I found the the property again covered with fallen leaves.

Miscellany

Stepford Fall colors brighten the day.

Fall again here at Stepford and I am catching up on work at the office, trying to get enough exercise not to get fat, experimenting with a new camera, and managed to paddle last weekend even though that involved playing hookie from worship service Sunday morning.  I shot some video with the new Pentax Optio W30 while driving earlier this week, and I’ll try to get that posted later this week, but I’ve got some deadline work I must complete by the weekend.  Moses Santiago suggested on a social networking site that I am in need of a lifeline. 

Leaf Blower Yardwork

 Leaves Again

It’s early Tuesday afternoon, the 12th day of October, 2010.  I have a headache and have had, except while sleeping, since yesterday evening.  I’ve spent four, four and a half hours, total, using my new Stihl BR 380 D leaf-blower to  clean up the thousands of leaves that’ve fallen in my yard over the past three weeks.  Yesterday, I failed to use hearing protection, but this morning I did not again make that mistake.  I wore ear protection that dulls the report of a garden variety assault-rifle, and found it sufficient to render bearable the Stihl’s loud engine.

I wish I had one hundred dollars for every leaf that falls in my yard every year.  Later on I may post a photo I snapped showing the leaves piled at the curb.  To look at the yard right now, however, you wouldn’t know I’d done a thing if it were not for the evidence of the leaves piled at the curb.

I should have bought the thing on wheels that looks like a large box-fan that is supposed to be useful in blowing large masses of leaves in one direction as it is moved by the operator back and forth across the lawn on its wheels. 

In spite of the headache and sense of failed effort vis-a-vis the leaves in my yard, I wrote this weblog entry.

Slightly Overcast

In the fall of the year clouds lying flat and high cast their nearly imperceptible shadows over the gently rolling hills of Loathsome Stepford.  Slightly overcast today my spirit not troubled but dull like awakening in borrowed quarters the morning after arriving by night, thus disoriented.

Paddling should have been my priority today.  I weighed-in at Weight Watchers, instead.  Seems I continue to lose weight even on maintenance points.  My current weight is less than it was when I was in my early thirties.  With some joy I received the advice to increase my points by one daily.

I drove out after to look at a street of houses where two are being sold by owner.  I stopped and wrote down the house and telephone numbers.  Stopped at my mom’s house and had a cup of coffee with her on the patio, phoned the numbers I’d written down.  No joy.  Nearby is another house built in about 1978 by an aged kinsman and another man (well-built with a livable floor plan) and sold to people who have now died.  A rental truck was in the driveway.  Feeling like a soulless cad I stopped, introduced myself, mentioned my people by name, and asked what the family intends doing with the property.  Gave the bereaved daughter my card.  There is a hell for people like me, and it is Stepford, but it is not forever.  In the neighborhood of the house upon which we made an offer, the association had apparently declared Yard Sale Day, so I stopped at a few, but nobody was selling anything I wanted, except four old, stout dining room chairs we don’t have room for.  I bought nothing, and returned home.

I ate a big lunch.

I’ve neglected the house too long, and must see to scraping, glazing, calking, priming, and painting the window trim around the sides and back.  But first I had to trim away some of the shrubs growing up around the window frames.  I trimmed other brush, too, because I was out in the yard working, anyway.  Foul white flies and other winged pests flew up around me as I worked.  I found a nest yellow-jackets in a hole by the apple tree, and killed them.

I took a shower, then took a nap.

Caution-Lady requires me every year to accompany her to a Western Day Shindig at Stepford Central Elementary School.  This year we took little 76.  With her class, CL tie-dyed T-shirts, and while she was making one for herself, she tie-dyed a “onesie”  (pronounced  wun-zee) for the bambino.  They dressed alike today.  Cute.  I wore the same thing I wear every day I’m not working – dark blue Dickies T-shirt, gigantic cargo shorts (if I could find some durable plus-fours reasonably priced, I’d probably wear them), and hiking boots.  The boy and I spent most of the hour or so walking about outside, looking at inflatable kids’ attractions, the pony ride, the small red Japanese manufactured tractor pulling a long, low flatbed trailer carrying hay bales and  children.  The little guy loved it.  Temperatures were in the upper 70s, and breezy.  No bugs to speak of.  He chattered, laughed, gazed rapt at other children and babies.

Afterward, we three went to a Mexican restaurant – the parental units overate while the infant unit drifted off to sleep in his Volkswagen-sized car seat.

Maybe I can paddle tomorrow afternoon.