Saturday stuff

 Our little blog community was shaken to the core last night as the news spread that Anne Marie in Philly had passed away unexpectedly. I admired her brash, salty, take-no-shit attitude and her willingness to be a loud and proud voice for the Black, LGBTQ, and other minority groups. Beneath that tough exterior she had a warm and loving heart and she had a talent for friendship. She will be sadly missed.

This reminded me of Anne Marie today. Rest in peace, Warrior Queen!

Another Saturday has rolled around, this time as part of the three day Memorial Day weekend. After I go back to work on Tuesday there will be less than two more weeks of school and I'm out for the summer. It's a bit shorter than usual, due to starting late this year and our new modified district calendar, but I still have 6 weeks off. I never dreamed of so much time off when I worked in retail. Plus, I get paid! Granted, my salary is lower than it's been in years but I sure am happier these days. That being said, I've begun looking at the job openings within the district in hopes of finding something that pays a little more. Eventually I'll probably go to another school or even the district office if it means a better position and more money. I'm not in a huge hurry, though.

My garden has blown up! All of a sudden the tomato plants are more than waist high, the peppers are covered with little bitty baby peps, and there are flowers all over my cucumber and cantaloupe vines. The bees have finally taken notice and I see several of them buzzing around every day. For a while I didn't see any and I was starting to get concerned, but I think they must have been taking advantage of a neighbor's half acre of dandelions which finally got mowed. This morning I saw three different butterflies hovering around my marigolds, which have also started blooming like mad. This includes the French marigolds I started from seed. It's all so pretty! As soon as I hoe the weeds that have sprung up (probably tomorrow) I'll post some pictures.

As to the new neighbors, it appears to be a young couple who have had lots of company the last few days, probably helping them move in. It's been very quiet over there, but last night was caught a glimpse of lights behind the house, probably from the tall deck out there, and the low murmur of voices and laughter. Today a middle aged man and woman seem to be hanging around, helping them put together white adirondack chairs for the front porch and carry in boxes.  They've also hung up baskets of hanging plants on the front porch--a nice touch. I'm crossing my fingers still, but it appears that they must be decent. 

Enjoy the holiday weekend, friends.