Somewhere along the line a switch flipped and I suddenly became really excited about gardening. I think it was last weekend while I was pulling weeds. It was perfect weed pulling weather, cool out and the ground was still a little moist after a light rain. It was soft and surrendered the weeds without much of a fight at all. All the while, thoughts were stirring and I kept thinking of all the things I wanted to do. All the things I could do!
I want to be surrounded by vibrant, lively colors and I'm going to start with the picnic table (Behr Cherry Red) and then the raised beds (Glidden Pure Periwinkle), and then the (non-existent) potato towers (Behr Crisp Green). I can hardly stop looking at the color swatches. I know, I know! If I don't stop soon, all I will be able to see is red, green and periwinkle; my eyes will be in permanent kaleidoscope mode.
It has to be done though. Two weeks ago, I fell through the table top of the picnic table while dancing a jig and talking to the neighbor over the fence. It was Mother Nature's version of The Gong Show. Suddenly I had no support and shouted out, "I've gotta go, I'm falling through the taaaaaabbbble!!!!"
That was a bad day for MIchael, it was yet another thing that reminded him that we are living on a shoestring. The day before, our lawn mower died and we had the stray bullet go through the laundry room. Did I tell you about that? No? It's because I was giving it time to digest - the bullet thing, not the lawn mower. The bullet coming through the roof and ceiling and hitting the dryer which Michael had been standing at only moments before - that is what I was trying to work out in my head before I wrote about it.
Two weeks later I find that I still haven't much to say about it. It was random but unsettling all the same. Yes, he could have been hit but he wasn't. Yes, I think about it everytime I do the laundry now and yes I'd like to move but we won't anytime soon. We repaired the metal roof where the bullet came through but we haven't repaired the drywall in the ceiling above the dryer so we have a constant reminder. I thought, given time, I'd get over the shock and have some kind of profound awakening – an epiphany. That's not going to happen. I know what I have always known and what you surely already know as well: Life is short and uncertain. Tell those you care about that you love them. Surround yourself with joy as much as possible. Do what you love. Plant something. Change something. Flip your perception like it's a burger on a grill - look at the other side of things. Try harder. Breathe deep. You have a value unknown to yourself and at one time or another, someone has been so touched by you that they could hardly put it into words.
Holy shit! that's insane! I wonder who in your neighborhood went and shot a gun in the air... I'm glad you guys are okay.
Posted by: Katina | Feb 08, 2012 at 10:28 PM
It's whacked, isn't it?! It sort of flipped me out but I feel like I'm making a big deal about nothing if I talk about it. We called the police, mostly just in case we decided to make a claim for roof/ceiling repair with our insurance company. They came out, lingered for a bit, took pictures, took the bullet, made a report. We're all ok and have decided that the laundry room is not the safest place in the house, statistically speaking.
Posted by: Roberta | Feb 08, 2012 at 10:35 PM
lovely ending...... and wtf bullet?
Posted by: michelle f | Feb 15, 2012 at 11:46 PM
WTF is right! I don't know what to make of it but I'm glad that it didn't cause any harm or do anymore damage. The neighborhood is such a mix, mostly good but some wicked shit goes down. I'm so glad to see that you visit and thank you for leaving a comment.
Posted by: Roberta | Feb 16, 2012 at 08:59 PM