crazy

Okay, so there are problems in this old house.

Serious problems.

 One little disruption in the paint was the only clue to the moisture destruction, and WHY?

I called a carpenter we know, someone we've known over twenty years and asked him to come by and LOOK AT THIS.

What is happening to our HOUSE?

Jay met with him, and according to the kids they shot the breeze, standing on the flat roof for at least an hour.

I'm good with that.

After that appointment, I checked in with Jay and asked, "What does he say about our house?"

Jay:  "He says you're crazy."

Hello?

Blink.

Blink.

I said, "That's an actual quote? He said this?"  (The carpenter is an extremely polite person.)

"Well, no."

Okay, so if your plaster all falls off your walls and so forth?

Just know.

It's because you're crazy.

The good news is there's nothing seriously wrong with the house. It looks a lot worse than it is.

Todd, the carpenter, had useful input about what we need to do.

So there we are.

Him and me.

 I love him.

Buddy, I love you.

And I know you worship me as a God.  But no, my mental powers of CRAZY-ness cannot cause the plaster to fall off our walls.

(I'm an old Robert Palmer fan, and here's where the line from Simply Irresistible kept running through my mind, "She's so fine, there's no telling where the money went." )

crazy since forever

And no, I didn't hatch a nefarious banana plot on your plumbing van.

I never would.

Whee.

love forever, Val

pictures from the weekend

 These little figurines were in a cabinet in the dining room that Dan and Alicia's little boy could not stop fiddling with.  Dan scolded him a couple times, but irresistible.   My mom said later that she put things on the low shelves that kids could handle without worry.

And this weird little scene in the window, not sure about these figurines or what any of this means.

 Paintings by my dad--beautiful colors, scenes, interpretation of the world around.

They're charming and fun.

Unless they're a little weird and a tad bit unsettling, which this one is not in the least:

 It was just pretty everywhere, in every direction down in the valley on this beautiful weekend.

 This tree is something to amuse children--old shoes are flung up into it, hanging by the laces and so forth.   b.g. wanted to throw his shoes right up there.  Dan said, no.  They'd have to find some old shoes they didn't need anymore, not his good ones, not the ones right off his own feet.

 I love this--"Welcome to the garden," on top of a big old electrical box that will shock the hell out of you if you trespass.

 The scene around 7 am:

 Cosmos!   Always a favorite.  In about 1985 I happened to buy a package of seeds, and was unprepared for the wild, frothy greenery or the delicate blossoms, and so delighted.

Onward.

love always, Val

wagon ride

love, Grandma