Not that I am angry or anything...

I subscribe to several newspapers, for several (slightly) good reasons:

#1 - My love of the newspaper biz, which supplied me my first job.

#2 - Guilt laden purchases from sad eyed looking high school kids that haunt my neighborhood.

#3 - Fear based purchases from sad eyed looking high school kids that now know where I live and might come back with eggs if I refuse to purchase said newspapers.

I feel I am also doing my duty in keeping the newspaper business limping along for another year. I retain fond memories of my high school years spent working at the local paper...running copy (from a typewriter!), waxing layout pages, developing half tone negatives and running to the printers to pick up the stacks of ink dampened papers for delivery.

Which brings me to the point of my post tonight. Now I realize that delivery boys on bikes are a thing of the past. I accept that. I accept that newspaper deliveries are now made from fast moving vans early in the morning. What I cannot accept is the rampant abuse my poor front stoop flower planter has taken over the past year!

Evidence Photo number one:

Please note the huge section of the rim missing due to the random tossing of paper in the general direction of my house while the van speeds by under cover of darkness. This damage happened last summer. I merely turned the pot around and moved on, thinking it was a one time occurrence.

Several times since I've found the newspaper actually ON THE PLANT in the planter, damaging both the plants delicate leaves and my delicate (raging) nerves.

And then this occurred last week:

Evidence Photo #2

Now really! What has this plant and planter ever done to the newspaper delivery guy? He has got to be aiming for the poor thing at this point! This is getting personal now! Take a closer look:

Now, check THIS out:

Evidence Photo #3

Please not the VERY WIDE EXPANSE OF SPACE available for the newspaper delivery guy to aim for when speeding by in his van (under cover of darkness)!!

It's not that hard to aim AWAY FROM THE POOR PLANT! I must now go to the local Ace Hardware, choose another planter (one made from some kind of iron!) and re-plant my precious spoon petal daisies (bought with my $2.98 tax refund from 2 years ago - see blog archive for further info).

After airing this grievance publicly, I feel I can move on...maybe.

Small Fry Invasion

Over the course of the last two weekends, my normally quiet days off were enhanced by the presence of "small fry". Many small fry. Hell, it was an invasion! Five the first weekend, and five the second. Some were visiting, some were spending the night, and all were excited to see each other and spend time at Auntie's house.

Here's a glimpse of what fitting five kids into airbeds and sleeping bags look like:

I SO ADORE their "let's see who can stay up the longest!" contest. Really, I do. 12:30am, by the way.

Of course, the Lego's had to be invaded. Happy hours were spent crafting farms, skyscrapers, Mario Brothers game scenes, hospitals and the occasional jail.

of course they always look forward to cleaning up the legos:
Since the weather was finally nice and I was getting tired of the sounds of 5 voices reverberating off the walls of my house, I kicked them outside and took them to the local park:



and that is when the fun really started. I decided to corral their high energy into some high jumping photography:



Then the posing began...Mario Brothers power pose:
some kind of yoga type kickboxing pose:
Air Jordan pose:
and finally, the "enough with the camera" pose:
The boys returned to tire swinging:

while the girls began their modeling careers once again:

a little cousin love:

and here is the youngest of the bunch snapping a photo of me with the toy camera:

All in all, a fun time was had by all. The kids all enjoyed yummy diner Food, Pizza lunches, unlimited legos, sunshine in the park, paper airplanes in the backyard, ice cream and Charlie Chaplin movies, cinnamon rolls and Little Rascals and Looney Tunes to boot!

I think I heard my house actually heave a sigh of relief when the last of the bunch went home!