Neighbors

I enjoyed some company nearby today, as Ken and James were working on 604 Carlton (you can see them off to the left). They were tearing down some of the rotted lumber off the back of the house...

...and starting to put up new siding. At one point I was thinking that I should convince my parents or a rich friend to buy this house, in the hopes of flipping it with natural materials. Eventually I decided that it would be too daunting of a project. The photo below describes to me why I made the right decision - it looks more like a 5-year-old's collage than a house. I wouldn't know where to begin. I'm excited to see it when it's finished and back on the market!

Looming over my tiny foundation pad is Mrs. Leathers' blue abode. Mrs. Leathers has been in this same house for 60 years, and raised 12 children in it. She's a very sweet, wise Southern lady. She was proud to announce that she just turned 84.

Here's the crew, from left to right: mason's hoe, trenching shovel (stuck upright in the grass - a real beauty! all-steel body and a lot of character in its dents and dings), square shovel, spade shovel, and an axe-mattock. My wheelbarrow should be in the photo to truly complete the family.

There have been several big purchases I've made in my life that have seemed unjustified upon reflection. These were all during high school or college. Oddly, they all seem to be about $200. An MP3 player that I used maybe 10 times. An all-in-one machine that failed to work properly. And a kick-scooter for adults ("the Porsche of kick-scooters," claims the website). The electronics purchases will forever mar my fiscal soul, but I'm glad to announce that my scooter is finally justifying its existence in my world. I commute back and forth frequently from my sister's house, which has a bathroom and kitchen. It's about 3 blocks. Too close to drive. Not a bad walk, but it gets boring seeing the same 3 blocks multiple times every day. Perfect for the Xootr! I find that I do sometimes get stared at like I'm driving a Porsche, especially when I crouch down like a child.

I hit a big pocket/layer of very white clay today. You can see here the contrast with the red and yellow clays that I've been mostly seeing. If I had known I'd find so many different colors, I would have done a better job of keeping them separate.