annoyers and annoyees

Neighbors are either annoyers or annoyees. Most of my neighbors are quiet people like me and therefore end up being annoyees. Two houses down is a couple who have broken the unwritten rule of physical annoyance by putting up a high privacy fence, filling their yard with a pool and building a huge high deck surrounding it. That way, whenever anyone is out on the deck they can look down over the fence at the rest of us. They had maybe two annoying parties last year. It wasn't really awful. They quieted down by 10:30 p.m. On the other hand, they have only invited the extroverts across the street for one swim. I know they don't have to invite the neighbors over for a swim, it's just one of those annoying things.

Today I had my annual unfriendly exchange with the little man next door. As usual, it involved him sharing his limited vocabulary at the top of his voice about my dog and what I can do with it. I listened to him rant for a few minutes.

Then, during a break in his ranting, I replied, "Are you suggesting inappropriate congress with my dog?"

And he said, "Yes, I am!"

Which surprised me because I didn't think his vocabulary extended to two syllable words. Then I listened to a further demonstration of his limited vocabulary while waiting for him to wind down.

"That fuckin' dog is the only fuckin' boyfriend you'll ever get," he threw at me while the dog barked madly.

"He's a damn sight better than you!" I retorted loudly, which shut him up. Once again, Elaine wins!

We didn't have our little conversation last year because the previous year he played his trump card by complaining about my dog to the mayor through a friend of a friend. That trickled down to my local animal control agent who agreed with me that the little man has some serious problems. (And lucky me, I get to be his neighbor.)

Subsequent to his fruitless appeal to the mayor, I won the last little shouting match, too. He had, as usual, entertained me with his limited vocabulary for about 10 minutes. As he was winding down, he shouted, "What about my right of quiet enjoyment?" To which I replied, "What about mine?" which shut him up instantly.

Maybe he'll learn one day that no matter how much he doesn't like me and my dog he just can't win that cockeyed little game. One mustn't like one's neighbors but one must learn be unannoying.

Fabulous Virginia Fall

This time right now, including yesterday and the previous couple of days and probably tomorrow and the day after, is the time to be here in Richmond. It's warm enough to eat outside in the sun while enjoying a view of riotous fall color. And listening to kids screaming and birds and squirrels carrying the news. It's really not fair to be inside writing a novel however far behind I am (about 10,000 words).

My greenleaf maple has finally, after four years, decided to become as advertised – edged in red in the fall. I really like the way the inside of the plant stays green while the outer edges get red. It hasn't done this before. It used to just drop its leaves.

And here I am inside not writing a novel and I'm really far behind. I will not stay home on Thanksgiving and catch up by writing 6,000 words in one day. I'm glad I got through it last year but it nearly took all the fun out of writing. The plan this year is to catch up by writing a little extra every day. Especially since Mom is making dinner on Thanksgiving and she's a great cook.

Too bad her great cooking talent didn't rub off on me or creep in by osmosis. Although I have managed to concoct a nice breakfast fritatta that's done all in the pan with eggs, cream, goat cheese and fresh spinach. I have it nearly every day.

Well, I have come far enough from the intent of this post and spent a long enough time not writing my novel. I must get back to it. If only I could justify spending $50 to get a legal copy of Documents to Go so I could write outside. Damn. I might do it anyway. Although, wouldn't that just take more time?

Season of the Pumpkin

Pumpkins aren't just for Halloween although that's one of their more enjoyable uses. Well, pumpkin pies are tasty, too. One year I actually went to the trouble of saving the carved out pumpkin and making pies with it. Another year I tried to make my own roasted pumpkin seeds. It was an interesting experiment but I highly recommend you buy them instead. Another year I got the little pie pumpkins. It's all the same. Pumpkin is pumpkin and it's all good.

Recycling is important with left over pumpkins. Don't let them sit on your front porch collapsing into gooey masses and attracting flies. Colorado and Ireland are particularly interested in seeing you properly recycle them. Just be sure you remove the seeds before you throw them on the compost heap or you'll have a boat load of vines next summer. The vines are quite attractive, especially as they cover up the rotting compost. However, you'll find yourself opening a pumpkin stand if you're not careful!

Thanksgiving isn't Thanksgiving without a pumpkin pie. I love it. I could eat it all year round. On my journeys around the world I discovered that there's nothing as American as pumpkin pie, even though here in the US of A the saying is "apple pie." Apple pie is actually not an American preserve. It's a self deception we live with every day. In Lebanon they make some tasty pumpkin items (for St. Barbara's Day if I remember correctly) but only in American do we make the pies. Or maybe it should be "There's nothing as American as sweet potato pie." But that's another story.

It's Blog Action Day!

I and nearly 16 thousand others are blogging about the environment today. What can you do? Recycle, reuse or don't use. The weekly trash per person should amount to one small bag (as in carrier bag or those plastic grocery bags). The rest should be recycled some how. I'm not there yet but it is my goal.

As a Graphic Designer I'm especially sensitive to packaging. A lot of which, especially in the cosmetics industry, is waste. Electronics runs a close second.

Current Fads
Listening. Time Waits for Everyone, Viggo Mortensen; birds
Watching. Inspector Lynley Mysteries (2007?); Shakespeare Wallah (1965)
Activity. leading a retreat
Gadget. none
News Source. the news feeds in Safari
Reading. The Runes of the Earth - Stephen R. Donaldson; When Things Fall Apart - Pema Chodron; The Schwarzbein Principle II - Diana Schwarzbein; Popular Science; MacWorld; The Washington Post (Yes, I really am reading them all right now—I'm a reading addict. What can I say?)