My favorite week....changed

This is the week 

that my sweetie and I

celebrate our birthdays...

yes, 2 Leos in the same house...

stop snickering, 

I know you are....

yes, both of us fit in the same domicile.

yes, our egos get checked at the door,

yes, we each own one mirror....in the baths.

There are so many ways to tease Leos..

we are known for a healthy, if not inflated, ego

we are known for our pride of self

and yes, the two of us have been married before.....

several times...

What is different here is that we are all of that...

and understand the other person's needs pretty darn well...

Thus,

my 

sweetie

sent 

me;

THESE!

Isn't he a dear!?

of course, things happen....

and the person at the receiving end of the flower order

may not exactly understand what you are trying to 

say....

My son is a dear, too!

(human type)

my favorite magazine came too...

(pay no attention to the eyeglasses)

And, I managed to get my house in order

before out of town guests arrived...

and then,

it happened....

darkness...

quiet booming in my ears....

the click, click, click of the battery powered clock....

rain,

hail,

sideways rain,

more hail,

thunder.....

a flash...

BANG!

I jumped, caught my breath, and sighed....

we were powerless....

really powerless....

supreme quiet....

still the rain, hail, thunder.....

and a different sort of bang,

more of a thud...

loud and close by...

Well,

a neighbor had an oak come through their roof.

No mere twig, this....at least 4 feet in diameter at 

it's base....

The split level was now true to it's name....

right where the single story meets the 2 stories...

whoa!

I feel lucky.

Holiday observations...

Do things seem slightly strange around your house?

Sounds that creep in from outside....Getting to you?

Maybe there are strange smells emanating from your kitchen.....

or even your fireplace...

What's it all about Alfie?

It is the Holidays....

it started way back in the early fall....

no more waiting until after Thanksgiving to think about 

the HOLIDAYS!

And so it is...

hurried shopping-check

crowds-check

snarled traffic-check

crazed parents-check

excited squealing children-check

satisfied smiling grandparents-check

Here are some things I have noticed;

neighbors, who normally don't speak - talking and laughing

children, who would normally leave the table in a flash - doing the dishes

smiles from people who wear a frown 11 1/2  months of the year

strange sitings in the neighborhood...

One of those strange sightings was a 

partially "dressed" Christmas tree, lying on the curb,

Apparently thrown out in haste.

Now, that's odd....it appeared nearly a week ago....

it is a fresh green tree, with a string or two of

colored lights. 

And yet, there it is,

waiting for the dump truck.

Well, for a person with an enquiring mind....

this is food for fodder.....

what brought on this fit of 

Tree tossing?

Where is the culprit?

Why?

Was he/she mad at the difficulty with which lights are strung?

Was there a fight?

Someone wanted white lights, and the stringer wanted colored?

Who won?

What are they doing about Christmas now?

Why weren't we all informed, so that we didn't have to guess?

As you can see.... the person with the enquiring mind is in a dilemma

Well,

I was sitting with my sweetie at the coffee shop when a neighbor

stopped by for a chat.

Seems the person who owned the tree in question, had 

brought it home, set it up in a stand,watered it, let the limbs relax,

and then,

started to string the lights....when all of a sudden

they noticed 

SPIDERS!

everywhere....coming out of the tree!

apparently, some spider momma had laid her eggs

earlier in the year, and went off to die,

leaving her eggs to incubate for the winter,

hoping to hatch in the spring.

But NO@!

Mr. Tree Farmer came along in the fall and 

chopped that tree down,

wrapped it up,

and took it to town 

for sale.....

Ever hear of such a thing?

not me....smiles...

Applaud Mother Nature!

Doesn't she do a wonderful job?

This was the sky last evening....

I am amazed at how 

many colors she comes up with...

smiles

Brilliant.....

Fall colors...

Don't they simply blow your mind?

Maybe they are trying to keep us warm even as the weather

turns cool...

Maybe it's their last "hurah"...

Maybe it is the glow of trees' spirits...

Or

maybe it is just

 the way the light

reflects off the old

 worn out leaves....

I don't think so...

smiles...

Happy Friday!