Can I Just Say...

Does my sweetie know me, or what?

Plus a matching card!

This post is a couple of months overdue ... so I'm craving another licorice fix.

Maybe he'll see this and take the hint?

:-)

Wastin' away again . . .

One morning, late last fall, the toilet in our little bathroom--the one just off of our bedroom--started gurgling.

It wasn't the first time I'd heard the toilet gurgle recently.

A few days before there had been a little ba-lurp. Nothing more. Nothing to worry about, right?

This particular morning, when the toilet started gurgling, it was still dark out. Half asleep after a late night plugging away on some writing assignment or another, I burrowed further under the covers and listened to Lee showering in the other bathroom and to the toilet ba-la-lurping nearby.

But then the ba-la-lurp became a gurgle and the gurgle sounded suspiciously like it was growing into a gu-g-gurgl-gurgle, expanding to fill the bowl and--

Suddenly awake, I threw off the blankets, dashed to the other bathroom, stuck my head in the door, and yelled into the steam, "The toilet in the other bathroom is overflowing!"

I grabbed some rags from the closet, dashed back to the little bathroom, and began to try to staunch the fountain bubbling forth from the blue porcelain bowl. Thankfully, we were able to contain the overflow to the bathroom itself with no other damage to carpet or walls.

We called out the honey truck and had them suck out the septic tank, thinking that after almost ten years with no problems it was about time for it to be cleaned out.

Yes, you read that right--septic tank.

Actually, tanks. As in two. One for the old house; one for the new house. It's complicated.

I know. Who in this day and age still has a septic tank? You'd be surprised. And, having written about waste treatment systems, I can tell you how septic systems can inhibit the economic growth of an area, how into the 1940s the government was encouraging people to  modernize and install septic systems (!),  and what concerns public officials the most about our out-of-sight, out-of-mind waste water systems, a vital part of our infrastructure.

In any case, Lee dug down to the top of the tank, removed the cap, and let the honey truck do its work.

End of story.

We thought.

In the meantime, he decided to try his hand at growing herbs and veggies, so he built several one-foot square garden boxes and planted basil, oregano, carrots, cabbages, and more. For Christmas, he put down a block pathway from one side of the house to the other.

Lovely.

Ba-lurp.

About a month ago, I heard the old familiar song playing in the potty. Just a note or two. But then I took some laundry to the garage and discovered the utility sink half full of shower water and a bit of overflow on the garage floor.

Turns out the drainfield was no longer draining and it would cost as much to run a new one as to tie into the city's sewer system -- the one that had been installed, oh maybe twenty years ago and was running right behind our house. The previous owner hadn't wanted to be beholden to the city -- he was / we were independent county folk -- and so hadn't taken advantage of being grandfathered into the system without having to annex in to the city...even though the city has collected sewer fees from this address for all these years.

We, however, had no choice.

So we filed the annexation paperwork, got an emergency permit to do the tie-in, and called out the plumber.

And Lee took a couple of vacation days to dig up part of the walkway and all of the patio he had just put down -- thankfully bypassing the gardens. He dug trenches from both sides of the house and out to the clean-out cap marked by the city crew.

The plumber, one we've worked with for years, was impressed with the quality of the trenches -- all he had to do was drop in the pipe -- and we saved a good chunk of change on the job.

But wait! That's not all folks!


The septic tanks then had to be broken so rainwater would drain through, the concrete lids had to be dropped into the tanks, and the tanks had to be filled-compacted-filled. The health department had to inspect them after breaking and dropping and before filling.

Out came the sledgehammer and the ram bar. 

The trenches had to be filled and compacted. The grandkids helped with that. The gizmo to the left is a power compacter that jiggled and shook the ground -- and our whole house -- to get everything settled.

I'm sure the neighbors were thrilled.

But it's done.

We're officially city folk.

We've officially entered the modern plumbing era.

What you can't see is the fingernail that turned black from all the digging and pounding.

Or the sunburn from neglecting to wear a hat one day because it was so cool.

I rather suspect he was enjoying the work. At the least, I know he is satisfied knowing it's done and done right.

I'm just grateful for a husband who digs digging.

All the World's a Stage

. . . and all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his lifetime plays many parts." Shakespeare, As You Like It, Act II Scene 7

La-a-dies and gentlemen! This Saturday, I direct your attention to Stage Right, aka R. E. Olds Park's Art-in-the-Park in Oldsmar, Fla., where, at 10 a.m. renowned Safety Harbor ceramic artist Lee Anderson presents Formed and Fired, a display of vessels from his prize-winning Pegasus and Therapeutic Pot Smoking series. Also appearing at Art-in-the-Park will be Safety Harbor writer Anne W. Anderson and her NLAPW cohorts displaying their artistic wares and reading selections from their published writings.

On Center Stage at 1:45 p.m., we present Christian and his Red Sox teammates battling the White Sox at the North Brandon Little League Field. Little brother Jackson leads the cheering from the sidelines, while parents Brian and Kristina keep things moving backstage . . . a stage within a stage, as it were.

At 3:30 p.m. on Stage Right, it's Tyler, Caleb, Raelin, and Devon with their Dancemoves friends tapping, jiving, and hip-hopping, by invitation, at the Festival of States' FamilyFest in St. Petersburg's North Straub Park, all under the watchful eyes of parents Jeremy and Jessica.

But wait! There's more!

On stage at Ruth Eckerd Hall this Sunday at 3 p.m. the 100-voice Clearwater Chorus, including alto Anne Anderson, presents Carmen to Candide: A Treasury of Musical Favorites from Opera to Broadway Musicals. It's gonna be GREAT!

Whatever stage you find yourself on this weekend, may your performance be heartfelt and full of joy.

Lovin'

He loves me . . .











I love him (yes that's a broccoli bouquet) . . .






But God loves each of us bestest of all . . .

Prize-Winning Pottery

Lee won second place in the student division of the Students - Members - Faculty Show at the Dunedin Fine Arts Center! Cash prize ... and people showed up at his raku workshop the next day.



The trio was titled Pegasus Triad -- not sure if the judges got it, so I thought I'd see how many of my faithful readers get it. Quiz/Poll is on the right side. I'll post the correct answer in a week or so.

While I Was Away . . .

Here's what Lee's been doing for the past year. And while I've been away for the last almost six months, he's really gone to pot!

No place like home... and Happy Birthday, Tyler!

A real break! No projects due ... nothing we have to read ... or write ... or research ... or think about. So what did I do with my first couple of days home?

Slept (we got in at about 2 a.m. Saturday) ... sang the Christmas program with the choir ... slept ... had dinner with Mom & Judy and Dave & Nancy & Lee ... fell asleep over dinner so slept some more ... took a friend to lunch for her birthday ... celebrated Tyler's 11th birthday! ... slept some more ... went to the dentist for a crown and a filling (3 hours of restful repose reclining with my head lower than my feet) ... took Tyler to his dance lesson ... and slept some more!

Today I finally am feeling awake and alert. Making Christmas bread this afternoon and going to watch Lee do raku tonight. The photo is from Lee's first showing last spring at the Dunedin Fine Arts Center. Lee used every technique learned to make the rooster--parts of it are thrown, parts are rolled, and parts are handformed. He started doing this last fall -- barely a year ago -- and he'll be helping with three workshops this Winter/Spring at the DFAC.

Now it begins...

September 5, 2007

We knew it was coming.

We were warned by faculty and by last year's fellows. But warnings never quite prepare you for reality.

So I played. And I paid.

"Come out over Labor Day weekend," I told Lee. "I'll work ahead and we'll have time together."

He did. Found reasonably priced (under $200 round trip) tickets from Tampa to Birmingham. Flew out Friday afternoon and I picked him up at the Birmingham International Airport--to which there are no signs on the freeway or on surface streets. Navigating the parking garage was another adventure.

We had fun...played tourist and went to the International Motorsports Hall of Fame and Talladega SuperSpeedway. Took the van tour, drove through the tunnel and onto the infield, stood in the winners' area and up in the stands, saw how incredibly steep the turn banks are -- imagine four cars side by side roaring around the inside of a bowl -- and heard the sound of one car running laps then tried to multiply that by 40 or so.

Drove into the town of Talladega and hung around waiting for the stock car races that evening at the Talladega Short Track ... only to discover when we got there that the races had been postponed due to weather. A line of unhappy racers at the barred gate didn't get the message ahead of time either.

That was Saturday.

Sonday morning we tromped around the woods up near The Star, which is also near two museums and a community center. There's a mountain bike trail near the community center and we followed part of that, then did part of the nature trails near the museum. Nice being outdoors ... I feel a bit cooped sometimes. I think I'll be comfortable on those trails by myself. Or I would be except that twice now I've seen groups of loose dogs. Not a good sign.

Later we went to St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, a historic building in town -- incredible architecture and pipe organ.

Wandered around, ate, shopped--even did a Home Depot date!--cooked, Lee fixed stuff in my apartment (shh...don't tell the landlord) and made kumquat pies & calamondin jam, I did some school work. Had my fellow fellows over for dessert Monday night, back to class on Tuesday, then drove Lee back to the airport Tuesday late afternoon.

That was hard.

Then I had to pull my head back together and get two assignments in some kind of shape to turn in on Thursday. Which meant I worked straight through until midnight on Wednesday, got up early and worked another hour before classes on Thursday.

I paid.

But you can bet I'd do it again.