woes is us; loveseat, AC, cardinals

Easter lilies are finally starting to open.

I can’t remember when we bought our little double recliner loveseat which is big enough for three people without being reclined, a decade, longer, 12 maybe 14 years. Minnie is 11 and it was new enough then that I kept a sheet over it because if we were on it, she was on it. I eventually gave in, got rid of the sheet and went on living. About a year ago I started muttering about renting a carpet and upholstery cleaner and giving it a once over. Last Sunday was the day. I rented the machine and gave the loveseat a thorough going over; seats, foot rests, arm rests, backs, sides, top and OMG, when I went to pour out the dirty water container it was nasty. N.A.S.T.Y. Almost black. I correct myself, black. Monday morning I could tell the seats at least needed another going over and yeah, waste water not quite as bad but still horrible. Could have used a third going over but it was time to return the machine. Maybe this fall I’ll do it again when It’s not so hot and humid because I was sweating profusely by the time I finished Sunday. We have yet to turn on the AC because it’s still only April! even though it was 82 in the house yesterday and this morning when we got up. It's supposed to cool down some and maybe rain this weekend.

Speaking of AC, the AC in the car is still not fixed. It started losing coolant late last summer. Car mechanic grandson recharged it with dye, several seals were leaking, replaced those, recharged and damn if it didn’t all leak out again. Determined the condenser was leaking. By then it was fall going into winter and I told him no rush since we didn’t need it. Come spring into summer he has replaced the condenser. Coolant lasted about a week. WTH. So this weekend he looked at it again. Did you know cars, our car at least, has a filter for recirculating air? I didn’t. He opened the glove box and pulled it out. It was probably about 8” x 8” and in the big middle was a rat’s nest, all shredded stuff and acorn shells. I didn’t have my phone/device on me so no picture. It was pretty horrible. How did a rat get in there in the first place. Mikey surmises an acorn shell got sucked into the interior part of the air conditioner and either plugged it up preventing air flow (because there was no sign of leaking under the hood) or rubbing up against the thin metal causing a tear. He vacuumed out all the stuff, recharged the refrigerant so we’re good for about a week until it all leaks out again. Now he has to remove the dash to be able to get to what he needs to get to to fix it but the boy is busy. He went out on his own about a year ago and has plenty of paying work. Meanwhile, Marc is looking at new cars. I’m really not interested in buying a new car at this point in my life even though our Toyota Corolla is almost 12 years old. This is the first repair (not counting batteries and tires) in all that time.

The cardinals are not having an easy time of it this year. Ms Cardinal that spent three days building tight and cozy nest in the tree outside my window had only just started sitting on eggs the last two days. Woke up Tuesday morning to find two egg shells, broken and hollowed out, clinging to the side of the nest. 

I suspect a possum. How did it know there was a nest with eggs. I don’t blame the possum. It’s just doing what it must to survive.

The garden club plant sale is this coming Saturday. I’ll be taking the many pots (16) of rooted cuttings, volunteers, and divided plants over to a member’s house later today. I’ll be glad to have them out of my care.

A few miscellaneous pictures from the yard….german verbena, mushroom, tree gardenia, leopard frog.

Tomorrow is my birthday, my 76th revolution around the sun! 

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At The Bottom Of The Garden by Camilla Bruce - another book I got halfway through and couldn’t decide if I want to invest the time to finish it. I did ultimately. I don’t know if this is supposed to be a young adult novel, doesn’t say anywhere on the cover, not categorized as one by the library but the writing style struck me as such and two of the three main characters are young girls, Violet 10 and her sister Lily 14. Violet and Lily are recently orphaned, their parents dying on K2, likely as a result of their estranged aunt Clara, half sister of their father, tampering with some of their gear out of jealousy. Clara, a selfish woman filled with grievances, grudgingly takes custody of the girls in a bid to somehow get their inheritance when they come of age. violet and Lily start exhibiting special abilities after their parents death; Lily sees colors on people indicating their emotional state as well as when they are lying or telling the truth and Violet sees ghosts and there are three ghosts haunting Clara’s house. When Violet ‘unsticks’ them from the spots where they appear they start causing all sorts of havoc for Clara who, it turns out, murdered them. When Clara discovers Violet’s abilities she is hell bent on using them for her own personal gain and Lily is just as determined to prevent her. Finally the girls understand there is only one way to win their freedom from their Aunt Clara.

The Witch’s Orchard by Archer Sullivan - I already liked this book better than the three previous (see above) just after reading the first paragraph. Set in the mountains of Appalachia, Annie, herself raised in Appalachia, is a PI hired by Max to find his sister Molly who disappeared, was taken, ten years previous when she was four. Ten years ago in the tiny town of Quartz Creek three little girls, Jessica, Olivia, and Molly, were taken and replaced with apple head dolls and while the Olivia was returned the other two disappeared without a trace. Max, now 18, has saved every penny until he had enough to hire a PI and he chose Annie. Annie agreed to give him one week and she arrives and starts asking questions and stirring up old memories and secrets some people would rather keep buried. As she gets closer to the truth her own life becomes endangered. It’s a good story with some local folklore intertwined and I enjoyed. Really the first book that has fully engaged me in a while.