We'll Miss You Roscoe

Roscoe is about to embark on a great adventure.  Yesterday was his last day with us.  He's lived here almost all his life.  He's secure and loved.  We'll mourn his leaving and hope his new life will be every bit as happy as his life with us has been.  Bon Voyage, Roscoe.  And if you ever want to come back, just tell Ms M.  We'll always be here for you.

Thank You Ms M

Roscoe woke me up early this morning whimpering at the door. That's how it always was.  I let him in and we went back to sleep. Now we're up and I'm getting my first cup of coffee, then we'll all go outside for their morning comstitutional.  I'll feed them.  And our day will be off to a good start.  It's so nice to have handsome Roscoe around today.  I'll keep my camera close so I can document everything he does.

Stone Work

We had two whole days without rain.  The temperature was in the 70s.  I've been slightly depressed by the news.  Twitter always reports the big news stories a day or two before they hit the news programs so I knew the Aid Flotilla was coming and I knew Israel wasn't going to let it in.  I'm starting to get really hammered by the Gulf oil spill story.  I'm starting to get depressed for President Obama.  The Bush chickens are all now coming home to roost and it's a foul mess landing on Obama's shoulders.  I feel sorry for him, sorry for the people of the Gulf.  I'm horrified by the confrontation between aid workers and the Israeli soldiers.  So I took a couple of days off.  I didn't even check email.  No twitter, no blog, no news.

I started unearthing the stone work I did twenty years ago.  And I mean that literally.  For almost twenty years no one has been clearing leaves and other debris from the alley side of the little house. So all that debris has turned into soil that's been collecting on the old stone walkway.  I began a small archeological dig and took pictures as I worked.  I also began adding stones to the path to the main house, enlarging the area covered by brick.  I have no idea why doing stone work is so enjoyable for me.  When I began doing the this work back here twenty years ago I found it both satisfying and somewhat meditative.  It's hard work but I love the final result.  That's a good thing since I have a huge pile of bricks and all the work I did all those years ago has been shifted as tree roots have grown under the pavers, lifting them and making tripping hazards here and there.  Making my patio area larger and better is going to be my summer project.  Here are the photos of my efforts so far.

The New Kids

My new tenants arrive tomorrow.  Since the first of Feb is Monday, I'm letting the new kids move in early, so today Ms M and I cleaned the house she's lived in for the past five years.  It was the hardest physical work I've done in ages.  We moved furniture (the house is mostly furnished) cleaned almost all the blinds (that took a long time and is a tedious job).  We washed windows, cleaned floors, scrubbed the bathroom and all the hard stuff in the kitchen.  My hands are like sandpaper and my back aches but I'm glad the house is ready for the new kids.

The new kids are both writers.  She's getting her PhD in creative writing and is a poet.  He's a playwright and will get an MFA.  They met in Americorps.  How adorable is that?  They both have jobs in different parts of Social Services network.  They love our handsome President and don't give me a blank stare when I talk politics.  That's pretty damn adorable.  Can you tell?  I like the new kids.  They have two dogs, one small (pug mix) one medium (an Ossie mix) whose names are Olive and BeaBea.  Isn't that sweet?

So tomorrow at noon begins a new chapter in the life of this property; my big house gets a new family.  And Roscoe gets dropped off Sunday when his mama goes to work.  We're working out the details of an adoption to make both their lives easier.  Even that's adorable.