Mad dogs and Englishmen

It’s 105 on the deck right now, but nicely in the shade. There is a small breeze blowing, augmented by the ceiling fan over my head.

Four pm and the smiley dog is fed. Tommy, aka Gyrth-boy(got to make his name special), is happy. He is always happy when he is fed on time. Okay, he is just happy being fed.


We got the heavy work done early, knowing that it would be hot today. Little stuff, done in the shade, was all we planned for the rest of day. Wonder Girl picked out a brick red paint for the front door. And while I was busy doing a little concrete patching, she was painting.

On hot days, we try to keep to the simple life. Unlike the folks across the street. They are busy putting up a picket fence on their corner lot. Has to picket, because the little twirps that go to school next door like to sit on the fence. Everyone has always had a simple fence there. Posts and 2x6’s. Great for the miscreants to sit on, and when they sit on it, it eventually breaks. They will be in for a rude awakening when school starts and the points dig into their little butts. I will laugh.

We have a hedge around our front lawn, not good to sit on, but great for the kids to stuff their trash into it. Nothing is perfect. Hedges have to be trimmed, pickets sharpened and painted. Always maintenance to be done.

Two years ago, older brother and his family were visiting. One morning, he looked out the front window and called us all over. “Look at the color they are painting the house across the street!”
And Wonder Girls said, “Oh, that’s only the primer.” As she stared in horror at the mustard-yellow paint being applied.

The next morning, we looked out and saw them painting the trim a yellow-brown. As WG came in, my brother said, “WG, I don’t think it’s the primer.” He laughed and WG winced. “It’s baby-shit-brown!” She declared. WG has a good eye for color.
So we have lived with the mustard house for two years and people we meet tease us about it. “How do you like living across the street from the yellow house?”
“The baby-shit-brown one?: WG asks.

So now they are doing the pickets. The new posts were white, for a day. And we held our breath. The next day the posts became BSB! And we knew all was lost!
Today they are working in the hot sun, screwing on the pickets…painted bright mustard yellow!
Mad dogs!


PS. It’s now dark, 10pm, and 85 degrees outside(and a damp 25% humidity) The house across the street doesn’t look so bad at night.