Meanderings

My Old Copper rhody (a late bloomer) is incredible and I admire its color against my house every time I arrive home. However, things are not necessarily that peachy in other aspects of my day to day existence.

People on Facebook really fawned over this rhododendron, but I don't particularly care for anything but ITS COLOR. I adore coral/orange multi-toned flowers. Rhodies are horribly messy, as you can already see and it's not even finished blooming yet. *sigh*

But it does look great against the gray-blue color of my house, doesn't it? (pay no attention to the droopy hanging basket-I've never dealt with one and it's constantly on the verge of death) So, in no particular order, here are the current dilemmas:

• The Pig-I've mentioned that I have a pig living next door, but I'm now realizing how destructive Nilly can be and WHY PIGS DON'T LIVE IN HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS. A few days ago I came home to find my beautiful plum Martha Washington geranium dug out and lying on my sidewalk. :( When I mow the lawn, there are many divots where she has rooted. I don't mind that, but she needs to leave my plants alone! Patt would be rolling his eyes right now; he didn't like pigs much.
• The Cat-When Alison got her she-devil Mari, I made it very clear to her that I did NOT want a cat. (as in, don't dump her off on me if you tire of her) However, when she texted me the other day that she's not sure that she can go to Sanbon, SKorea to teach because no one will take Mari, I thought long and hard about WWPD. (what would Patt do) And he would tell me that it shouldn't be any big deal to take the cat for a year, that I was making drama (which I'm good at!) and that I need to help our child to realize her dream. Not that I want her to live in Sanbon because I'm not that selfless...
• The Scam-An older woman contacted me at school today; she was fleeced out of $4000 when someone called to tell her that her grandson was in jail and that she needed to send this "lawyer" the money. When she tried to track down the number, the message was in French. However, it was really just the translation of the English version. Le numero que vous avez compose est non-disponible(French speakers, please excuse the lack of accents) means the number that you've dialed is not available. As the French would say, "Merde."
• The Call--Things have been up and down and all over the place in LA. As Ashley told me on the phone, she's grateful for the wonderful qualities that she's inherited from her parents. Perfectionism about work is not one of those;she got that from her dad, who cared little about the ideal in other aspects of his life(he was a slob!), but was a total perfectionist on the job. I am much more relaxed about my teaching; I want to do well and am always looking to improve, but I walk away from work feeling pretty good. Added to her dad's perfectionism was his competiveness--NOT a positive combination. I'm realizing (in an ah-hah moment) that Alison, my gymnast, is actually more like me here. Of course she wanted to show off her best routines at competitions, but once she finished the meet, she was happy to get whatever place she deserved and was always delighted when her friends performed well. As one of Ashley's friends told her, "A decent something is better than a perfect nothing." Words to live by, eh? Even for me, I think. :)

 

Comments

[kayak woman]

Hmmm, seems like that pig (!) should be fenced in!

[Ally Bean]

The rhododendron is the largest one I've ever seen. Around here ours grow about 2-3' high. After yours blooms maybe you can cut it back by a half so that it makes less of a mess, but just as much of a statement next year.

Pig? Aren't there restrictions about such things?

One year with a wild cat might EITHER turn you wilder OR it mellower. Will enjoy watching this drama from afar.

Adore Ashley's friend's words to live by. It's just the advice that I need to hear right now. Thanks.

[Adrasteia]

I need to apply Ashley's friend's words to my own life! I'm a terrible perfectionist. And by that I meant that being a perfectionist is terrible for me, not that I'm terrible AT it. ....that sentence just sort of wormholed in on itself. Never mind.

[Margaret]

Beautiful rhododendron !!! I've never seen one with those colors. WOW

[Tonya]

I agree with Kayak woman -- the pig is a novelty (and rather humorous, I'm sure), but destroying neighbors' yards is really not OK!

I dunno about that cat from hell! Maybe she'd mellow somewhat if she had a chance to get to know you? (However, what about your Alaska trip? I suppose you could board her for a few days). Wylie can be a cat from hell, too, but mostly her antics just crack us up. And she's ALSO very loving, so there's that.

[Zazzy]

Well, you said that you'd know when the time was right to get a cat... It's possible that Mari will warm up to you having you all to herself. Or you could get another cat to make her jealous. That worked with Zoe.

I would not be fond of the pig running wild in my yard. Can get you a recipe to cure your own bacon!

[Marie K]

That's what I like about rhodies...they keep blooming so there's color for quite awhile. Mine are mostly fuschia color. It's now deadheading time in the front yard for me. I think your neighbor may need a gently reminder to keep her pet in her yard since it's ruining your plants. I was wondering if you'd end up with the cat. Who knows, you might actually end up enjoying her!

[Michelle]

Ha, we would totally have a pig if Greg didn't feel the same way as Patt about them! They can certainly be very destructive, and in very short order.

Awful about the scam. :-( Will Allison be teaching English, then? Sounds like quite an adventure!