A funny hat, a roll of duct tape, and thou

Father's Day 2006



My mom and dad have declared war on the winter and gypsy moths. Their weapon of choice? Duct tape (of course) wrapped sticky side out around the trunks of all of the trees in their backyard. And, in fact, around the neighbor's trees. As I watched them wandering down the street and into the neighbor's yard, brandishing a roll of the tape of the gods, I had a little premonition of me, in 20 years, calling out to them: "Mom! Dad! Come back, now ... That's not your house!"

(Shhh, don't mention the fact that the caterpillars can just crawl underneath the tape, OK?)
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Honey, can you run down to the Wagon Shed?

We are COMPLETELY out of eggs and bunnies.
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Things that need to be abolished immediately

1. Cropped pants.
2. Television ads for local furniture stores.
3. Headlines Written in Title Case.

Or should it be Headlines Written In Title Case?
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Lots of lovely things to look at

My mom's site has been updated for the summer, with calendar information about upcoming shows in Gloucester and Lynn and some lovely new artwork. Pears and Blue Checked Cloth, left, is my new favorite. Please be patient while the photos load -- it's worth the wait!

Also, I've started a set of photos of Katie's wedding on Flickr. I took a lot of photos and I'm still working on editing them, but I'll be adding new ones as time permits, so keep checking back here (that's the Flickr set page).

And Katie's official wedding pictures are now online. You need a password to see them, though -- if you lost yours or didn't get one, email me or Katie.
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Reason #297 why I am a bad bridesmaid

I say "make a funny face!" and snap the picture ... even though I said I wouldn't.

And then post the result online.

OH, fine ... here are two nice ones. (Maybe I was not the worst bridemaid ever after all?) I'll try to post more soon.


(click to see them larger)
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The $309K fixer-upper

The upstairs unit, after months and months and months of fits and starts of activity, long stretches of inactivity, and general mayhem and madness, is officially on the real estate market.

And no, I'm not going to link to the online listing, you stalker.

The crazy upstairs neighbor has it listed for $309,000. This is for a three-bedroom (and it's only a three bedroom by a technicality--there's a closet in the tiny sunroom over the front porch) condominium in a below-average (bordering on sketchy) neighborhood. With a pile of rubble in the middle of the living room floor. And leaky pipes. And outdated wiring. And a yellow- and black-tiled kitchen that hasn't been updated in 50 years. And an asbestos-covered furnace. And a basement that floods any time it rains even one single inch. And, oh by the way, the very exciting prospect of entering into a legal contract with a drunken maniac.

Real estate bubble? What real estate bubble?

By the way, do you have time to read one more quick crazy upstairs neighbor story? Yes? OK, here's the thing. The crazy upstairs neighbor still has no electricity. She is using the common outlet in the basement and a long extension cord to do her so-called renovations. The crazy upstairs neighbor has a microwave oven propped up on a milk crate down in the cellar (naturally). So a craving for a microwave burrito hits and what does she do?

She.

Un.

Plugs.

The.

Sump.

Pump.

You know, the one in the basement that floods any time it rains even one single inch. And then she goes on her merry drunk way. And leaves the miscrowave plugged in and the sump pump unplugged.

Seriously, anyone in the market for a $309,000 fixer-upper?

Please?
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