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The Invasion ~

Category: Zuzu's Homefront Blog | Posted: Sat May 26, 2007 5:23 pm

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Well, it's Memorial Day weekend, the weather is fantastic
and the population of our area has exploded!!

I think that all of the local hotels are all at full capacity,
and most (if not all) of the expensive beach houses
are rented out for the week.
And those of us who live here have suddenly been remembered
by friends and family looking for a free place to stay at the shore.
Folks who probably haven't given us a second thought
since this time last year.

I don't mean to sound crass, but it's hard not to get an attitude
when we suddenly find that we are the favorite Aunt and Uncle of
frantic young families who can't even remember our mailing address
to send a Thank You card after Christmas.

Suddenly the two of us find ourselves outnumbered
in our own little house, inn keepers to families of 5 or 6
(depending on which group thinks to call first).
Trying to make everyone comfortable in a home
that is ideally suited for 2.

Constant shopping, cooking, cleaning,
and stunning amounts of laundry,
these are the realities of my life for the next week (at least).
If you don't see much of me for a while,
now you'll know why.

Oh well, it's time to count small blessings,
at least they left the dog at a kennel this year.
Oh, not because the dog was a major pain in "dear old Auntie's" butt
the last time they brought him, destroying the insides of both
exterior doors one evening when we all went out to dinner
(we had to leave him in the house alone
because we don't have a fenced yard).
Rolling in my garden beds,
treating the fish pond like it was his own personal spa,
and generally terrorizing our poor old sick pussy cat.
And barking, barking, barking!!
At every strange sound, all night long.
In short making an already stressful visit, MUCH worse.

But NO, that's not why we were spared this year.
They left the hell hound behind because the kids are bigger now
and they just didn't want to spend 6 cramped hours in the van with him.

Don't get me wrong, I really do love 'em, honest I DO!
It's just kinda hard to remember that sometimes
when they're actually here,
working my last nerve to a frazzle!

Little wonder this island gets soooo quiet at the end of summer,
those of us who live here, lock ourselves inside our homes
with the doors closed and the phones and lights turned off,
repeating the mantra
" Never again, never again, never . . ..

Okay, thanks for letting me get all of that off my chest,
now I'm going to glue the smile back on my face
before the crew gets back from the beach . . .
. . . maybe if I think about seeing the back end of that van . . .

I think I'll try to get a little bit of gardening done
while I have these few moments of "me" time.



Last edited: Sat May 26, 2007 5:35 pm

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The Decorated Garden ~

Category: Zuzu's Bloomin' Blog | Posted: Sat May 05, 2007 2:58 am

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Or perhaps I should say over decorated?

Browsing through some of the photos that I've taken over the last few days,
I noticed that almost everywhere I'd turned my lens
there was some sort of . . . . . . object, for lack of a better word.

This realization made me scan back through some older pictures,
and yep, there they were, in nearly every shot,
a whatsis here, a thing-a-me there,
. . . things . . . lots and lots of things.
Things standing amidst the flowers and along the pathways,
things in the pond and hanging from the branches of trees.

Some of these ornaments were designed for gardens,
I have concrete benches, tables, planters and pedestals,
birdbaths and creatures of all descriptions
tucked and nestled wherever you look.
Terracotta and glazed ceramic pots are another favorite.
Cobalt blue glaze is, apparently, an irresistible temptation to me.

Other items were never meant to be displayed this way,
many of them are, in fact, cast-offs . . . . .
other people's garbage, to be exact.
Rusted, broken, unloved and disused, found in fields and trash piles.
Nothing is too low or humble, old bits of farm machinery,
even empty glass bottles are prized ornaments.















Now, to be fair, this next one isn't in my garden,
but I grabbed a snap, because I thought it was so charming,
. . . so how long will it be before I find a cute yard sale chair
and go in search of a can of the "perfect" red paint?



And this is one that Mother Nature saw fit to throw in
I can't be held accountable.



There are dozens and dozens more,
perhaps hundreds, I've never counted.

Would anyone care to stop by and do an inventory for me?






Last edited: Sat May 05, 2007 3:03 am

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