Old Friends

There are old friends that you see from time to time and although you may try to pick up where you once left off, what actually happens is an awkward and unpleasant thing: and then there are those old friends that you see from time to time and it is like no time has passed at all between you. Like nothing has changed and you are still both 10 or 16 or 20 or whatever and you just saw one another yesterday. It is the kind of friendship that is not often found for some, and for me this holds true. I have a history of many friends, none of which have yet to be the life long sort. From time to time I get invites to lunches or champagne brunches and I never go for the simple fact that these people create the kind of awkward/unpleasant events that I try to courteously avoid as if it were the plague. I find that I am more of a social chameleon who goes through phases quite quickly and then leaves them behind in the dust. It is not that I am an insincere person who lacks true character or identity, I am just one of those people who is incessantly attempting to move forward. To what? I do not know. Moral of the story: most people can't keep up with my nonsensical nonsense for very long.

Also, I like to sit in my own home and crochet and watch movies and read and wear overly large pants...things that are not very conducive to collecting new friends. Nobody sees another person in pants two sizes too big (some of which may have a hole or two in the behind area but are otherwise perfectly useful for sleeping and lounging in), who hasn't brushed their hair in at least 24 hours and says: "Yes! I want to be friends with that person!". Once I actually did leave my house in this very condition to pick up my paycheck on a Sunday evening, only I wasn't actually aware of what turned out to be several holes in the behindish area of my favorite pair of sweat pants...Lesson learned!

On another much more cheery and more in the direction I intended to go at first note, I have lots to share about what has been going on the last several months while I haven't been here.

This is what the folder on my memory card told me happened in May:

I had pretty fuschias that lasted only a short while before I figured out that me and fuschias don't get along. Plants are kind of like different dog breeds: some will work for your lifestyle and some simply don't. This plant is dead as well as it's white/pink cousin located in another hanging basket a few feet away and yes they are all dried up and dead and still hanging on my front porch. I know I should take them down but really I just keep forgetting.

Anyway, in May this also happened:

Before I filled my planter with beautiful flowers that managed to reach gargantuan sizes in a very short period and only six days before my sisters wedding, on May 15th, we had quite a freak hail storm. This is about as close to snow as we have seen in Oroville for some years and it was quite amazing.

All I can say is that I am glad that we don't get snow because really, the last thing I would ever want to do is have to shovel snow in the mornings before leaving for work. Yeah, no thanks. Instead, it all melted almost as fast as it had come and then I had my own personal river in front of my house.

That's right, I do know how to take horizontal pictures too, but the vertical ones just work so much better on my blog. See: another vertical!

Those people on my watering can don't seem to like the snow/hail either as looks as though they are running away from it. :) Come on, you know you were thinking the same thing. Or maybe this watering can is from Kansas and they were running from a tornado...those are WAY worse than even snow and daily shoveling.

That's all that happened in May. Lets see what is in my June folder...

We did a lot in June!

We built a fence in the front yard so I would yell at the neighborhood kids less:

I was so excited that I got my camera out of my car to take pictures and then left the door wide open. I was really excited. Especially since it was being done good, I mean with tape measures and leveling equipment...not just some janky fence. I love my fence. :)

Now at least I feel like I can plant in my own front yard without worrying about annoying kids/neighborhood dogs/disturbing plants already established by putting up a fence later. Now if only plants were free and I could just go dig them up and bring them home this whole landscaping thing would be a whole lot easier.

Also in June/the very first few days of July we removed our old roof and got a brand spanking new one. By we I mean David and his friends/family that were crazy enough to work on top of our roof in the 100 plus degree heat while I came home on my lunch breaks and offered them glasses of water and some encouragement.

Oh yeah, and new roofing also meant new awning off the back porch since it was completely rotted and leaked like a sieve when it rained. Now I could actually go sit outside in the freezing rain on my back porch and not get wet if I felt like it.

Look: No roof...

ROOF!!!

It's like magic isn't it. :)

Man, I need to seriously address my porch lighting, that is really terrible. Please don't look at my lights.

Also at the exact same time as my house was a complete disaster zone from roof remodeling my Lilies decided to bloom. This was my first attempt with bulbs and I had been long awaiting for them to show their beautiful little faces.

They were especially pretty in the early morning sunlight. This was the first one to open. All twenty something plants opened at least two flowers each with days of one another. It would have been easier to enjoy them without all the other ruckus going on around the house but I tried to nevertheless.

And then within another week or two I realized that me and Lily bulbs do not understand each other. They all turned yellow and proceeded to loose all their leaves shortly before shriveling and dyeing. That's right, they all died and I have no idea why. I tried to save them. I tried to water them more, then I tried to water them less then eventually I gave up and cut down the dry stocks they had left behind and I have since decided that I need something else to lead people to my front door. It just didn't work out and it makes me a little sad, especially now remembering how pretty they were and how long I had been waiting and anticipating their loveliness only to be sorely disappointed by their untimely demise.

As you can see, June was a very busy month. I am not sure I have the energy to go through another 4 months even though there will be much less to share because I did absolutely nothing compared to June. I must have used up all my ambition and energy in June, I'm still recovering in my very large pajama pants with no holes. :)

I remember now how this whole thing started. This blog is much like that friend with which time passes unnoticed. I feel at home here even though much time has passed since we last spoke. There is no awkwardness or unpleasant feelings. There is no disappointment or expectations, it's just like that old friend that we all need. A blog is like a special part of the author separate from their other self. A piece that we may forget from time to time but we will always go back to it and it will feel like going home again no matter how long it has been.