Oh Brother, Now What?

So John  has sold his gold 2005 Acura to his son-in-law for $12,000. Wow. They bought a new GMC big thing so they can carry lots of grandchildren and pull their boat. The dealer offered them $11,200 and a few days later upped it a thousand dollars, said his Acura wouldn't stay long on their lot; they could sell it in five minutes for $14,000.

But he sold it to his son-in-law.

I am stunned, not so much about the money, but because he said he was going to keep that car. Period. That Acura. 

It's like mine only gold. And so now I am a little confused, having made up my mind to keep my car and then hearing what he has done. No. I don't want a huge car like that. But I keep thinking of the RDX and Garret tells me I should get one. He and Marilyn love theirs. 

Oh man, this is perplexing to me. I mean, I do have a mind of my own. It's just that I always want a new car. Well, almost always. But I love my car. 

See? Perplexing. I need to stop thinking about it.

So. I'm talking about it.

But only briefly.

Nick and Carleton are here working on my yard--mowing, trimming, putting down a fungicide and a weed and feed. And so forth.

We shall see. The last guy, with 30 years experience and promises up the yin yang, cost me plenty and made nothing good happen. Only bad.

Yes, we shall see. The immediate difference is that I like these two guys. Yes, I'll have to pay. It's only money. Wait, didn't I say last week "It's only a lawn"?

My Lawn

You should see it. Well, no, you shouldn't.

I don't want to talk about it.

Hooray! It's Done

And the final check is in the mail.

Lots of dread, lots of figuring what I would, should, could say. Tell him about the repairs to the sprinklers, what that cost, mention I have not been happy about the riding mower. But I didn't say those things. Here's how it went. No big deal, you say. Easy for you to say, I say.

I called him.
Rudy: Hello.
Me: Rudy?
R: Yes.
Me: This is Carol Schiess.
R: Oh, hi.
Me: Rudy, I owe you $60 for August. I'm going to mail a check to you for that amount, and then I don't need you to come anymore.
R: (Silence. Like a stunned silence.)
Me: (Silence. Nothing more needed to be said. Not even tempted to explain.)
R: (Finally) Oh.

I said thank you and he said thank you and neither one of us meant it, I believe.


Todd did come last night. Fixed and replaced and took care of things. I told him how much it meant to me to have someone like him that I can count on and I can trust. And he just never charges me very much.

Now I have to get someone else to mow the lawn.

The Season of Fire

Our sky is the color of smoke. It's hard to see the nearby foothills and Table Rock, impossible to see the mountains behind them.

Fires raging just beyond those Boise Mountains--or probably in them, just beyond where I can see. We have them every summer, but this summer is worse because it is drier.

Yes, I'm a woman alone

I have to fire Rudy. I don't know how I'm going to do it yet, but I have to.

Todd is coming over Monday night to fix, I hope, the several sprinklers Rudy has run over and demolished with his riding mower which he insists on using here, even though my yard is not suited for it. I think he just gets on that thing and rides. Without looking.

The sprinklers need to work right. You know? Fixing/replacing them is not free. And then there are the deep gouges his big heavy tires leave in the ground, and they can't be fixed.

I'm also convinced--right or wrong--that he is largely responsible for my lawns looking so BAD.

I hate situations like this. I don't want to be rude to Rudy. (No pun intended.) But neither do I want to fuss and stew in my house and raise my blood pressure every week when he mows.

Of birds

Sparrows are quick. I mean it doesn't take them long to get a family going. I've got babies and busy sparrow parents up on my deck again in that little birdhouse Paul built. That's twice so far this summer.

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Two days in a row I've seen gold finches at the feeder in front of my living room windows. I am happy about it.

*     *     *

I was standing in the garage, about to get in my car yesterday, when a hummingbird flew in. Wow. He headed straight for the bright red plastic handle on the manual door release, thinking it a sweet treat. I suppose I was no more disappointed than he when he found out what it really was and turned right around and flew out.