Random Notes: Puttering About

Friday morning began with a breakfast date with two former colleagues who became close friends.  It was great to get out and about and even better to see some dear friends and catch up on their lives.  We lingered nearly two hours over tea and coffee, eggs and toast.

I came home to putter with the blog and then spent some time reading a chapter or two of the new Nora Roberts book, The Obsession.  It's the sort of book commonly called a good beach read.  Since the weather is finally warming up, I guess that's appropriate.  Still puttering, though now in the kitchen, I made some pasta prima vera for lunch.  

Later, I set the Roku box on the classic radio station and settled in my stitching chair for a few hours bliss.  All the more blissful because my husband had finally finished watching his new box set of all 10 seasons of JAG.  Not a terrible show but, really, damn near two full weeks of morning to night marathon viewing.  Where ever I went in the house, the theme music followed.  I expect I'll be hearing it for days rumbling round in my head.  

The neighbor's pit bull is doing his usual "I don't care if my master's property ends at this fence, MY territory extends three row houses in either direction!"    He barks if I dare to open my back door for fresh air.  He goes into an absolute frenzy if I actually enter my own backyard.  He even barks if I sneeze indoors.  Since this is allergy season and since my sneezes tend to be loud and dramatic, this is rather embarrassing.   There must be a way to train the poor dog to recognize the boundaries but first I'll have to find a way to train the neighbor, a 20-something young man, to see that there is a problem and that his neighbors should be able to enjoy their gardens [or sneeze in their own living rooms]  with a modicum of peace and quiet.  The animal is simply acting on his instincts.   It's the owner who leaves the dog out doors for hours at a time who is the real problem.

I may have mentioned that the neighbors who had Karoke parties into the wee small hours and a son who would get up at  6:00 am to shoot baskets moved ... the neighbors three doors on either side of them happily waved good bye.  But alas, the new resident has a basketball player - ka thimp, ka thump at all hours..