Out on a Limb

We had so many things we were supposed to do Saturday, but instead Rob spent most of the day playing around with power tools. He helped Cynthia and Ernie take down the limbs from their tree and had a great time hanging out on branches and using our neighbor, Greg's chainsaw. I stayed home and worked on some things at the house with Josie. I knew I had made the right decision when Rob came home and started rummaging through the basement muttering "Where is my climbing harness." and then finally, "This will work." as he grabbed some climbing rope and some gear. I really didn't need to watch my husband hanging high in a tree with something that could easily cut through an appendage. Cynthia took pictures which makes me even happier that I was not on the scene for most of the destruction. It was definitely a group effort working on the tree and makes me appreciate our neighborhood even more.

It really is a special place. Last week, Greg came over with some tools and said, "Give me your car keys." and he fixed our car headlight which has been a problem for months, but neither Rob nor I felt it was a high priority. The light would have given us grief for months to come if we didn't have Greg. Our neighbor, Margie still has the boys doing work for her and she pays them in Legos. Parker put together his new Lego Rescue Helicopter and Life Raft in two hours by himself the other night. Vicky took Dema in on Saturday and he played Legos at her house for hours while she made dresses for her daughter's wedding, Rob used their chainsaw, Parker played with the neighborhood gang, and I worked on things I had put off for way too long. Sure I miss the ocean and the mountains, but I can go on vacation...community is something you just can't buy and is all too hard to find these days.We had Sunday brunch/lunch at our friends Catharine and Ricky's. I meant to make a coffee cake, but was lazy and made some maple roasted nuts instead. Ricky made pancakes, hashbrowns, grits, and fresh fruit. We had a wonderful time chatting about soccer, politics, movies, etc. while the kids played and Josie tried to destroy their phone (with all the toys around she is attracted to the real phone). Sunday night's dinner needed to be quick since Rob had a soccer game and then I headed out for some much needed adult time with my friend, Christie. So I made udon noodles, steamed carrots and broccoli with Peanut Passion Sauce from Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan. This peanut sauce just makes me think of apples so we had some on the side, but it would also make a good dipping sauce. I am grateful to finally have a working dishwasher again! We've been without a diswasher for over half a year and finally Rob got around to fixing it this weekend...with a few screws left over so I'm a little cautious. Thanks Rob, I love you! I'm sure they usually throw in extra screws just in case.