yard work

once again i am stuck deciding between a couple of topics. i will hit them both... the first very quickly.

the night that it was reported that osama had been killed i got really mad at america. the images of americans celebrating in the streets were disgusting. am i the only person who felt that those crowds were no better the crowds who rejoiced when the twin towers came crashing down? our american patriotism is out of hand in so many horrible ways. be glad for the world that the threat the posed is one step closer to being eliminated.... but for fucks sake, dont get drunk and chant USA USA USA in the streets. I could go on with that for a while, but I wont. I, for once, dont want to write an angry blog.

goosfraba.

so yeah. i moved. i have been in my apartment for about a month and i am starting to really feel good inside the walls of my new home. there are still things that i want to do and fix and try but for the most part i am very settled. then i walk outside. i live in the city. i dont have a big yard but i have a yard. i am now taking great steps forward in making sure that i am just as content looking out of my window as i am when thinking about whats inside of them.

last week my little sister came over. we pulled up all of the weeds in front of the building and planted some pretty things. then me and the room mate went to lowes and got mulch and more flowers and a little garden flag that says "whats the buzz". it was the silliest flag there. it was a total transformation. within an hour of finishing i had 3 neighbors tell me how nice it was to have someone around who cares. i was even informed that in the past they had called the landlord to complain about the appearance of the yard. its not the most fancy ever but it makes me happy and it seems to making the neighborhood happy.

sadly, there is no porch on the front. just the back. all of my sitting is done on our back porch looking at the back yard. taking the sadness further.... nothing but weeds and dirt. this spring in Richmond has been one of the best that i can remember. the weather has been beautiful. i am taking full advantage of that by spending so much time on my porch. we BBQ, i play my guitar or new ukulele. i installed speakers and we can just sit and listen to music and enjoy the city. the one thing i cant enjoy is the yard.

the first steps were taken recently and involved feeding the birds. at any given time there are about a dozen birds hanging out eating our seed. i love to watch them. i even got them a nice concrete bath (thanks dad) that they wash off in quite frequently. its really relaxing. there is a bummer. all of those seed shells were falling on my sidewalk. key word... were. i built a contraption from some PVC pipe, a funnel, and some fake ivy. the seeds fall in the funnel and drain down a pipe that runs along side the tree and then fall into a flower pot that covers the mess with fake ivy. problem solved.



i hope that tomorrow i can borrow a tiller from a friend and rip up the entire back yard and plant grass seed. then i can be proud to sit on the porch and watch my birds get fat.... and hope those pesky squirrels don't.