Why did the turkey cross the road?

Hubs and I have new neighbors.

A flock of wild turkey have moved into the neighborhood.  The first time I saw them, there were seven and they were crossing the busy intersection near my house (in suburbia mind you).  The best part was—they were using the crosswalk!  I am serious about this. They were all lined up in a row, waddling across the road in the cross-walk.  They were headed out of a nicer residential area and were making their way to Walgreens.  I suspect they needed to pick up a Redbox movie and some diet root beer (I know that’s why I go to Walgreens).  That was on a Sunday morning back in January.

Since then, I’ve seen the turkeys a bunch of times.  Most often, I see them on my way to work.  What I love is that the wild turkeys have become a connection point in the community.  When I go into the store, I ask the cashier if she’s seen the turkeys lately.  Around the extended-family dinner table, we talk about who has had the most recent turkey sighting.  Those darn birds are famous. 

Here’s the sad part though, their numbers have been dwindling.  Back when I first spotted the turkeys crossing the road, there were seven.  My father-in-law claims he saw eleven in December.   And then there is the bagger at Jewel who claimed to have seen twenty-five, but I don’t trust him because he also bags my hamburger buns with my canned goods.   

Anyway, in February Hubs noticed that the count was down to six.  Then one day one of the birds appeared with a gimpy leg and then all of a sudden, there were only five.  About a month ago, the turkeys were down to three… and then just as suddenly, there were only two.  When Hubs was driving me to work last week, we saw only one.  Just one lonely turkey standing in an empty lot. 

Do you know how sad it is to see a lonely bird standing in a lonely, empty lot?

It’s downright depressing... and evidently the turkey thinks so too because he tried to commit bird suicide on Tuesday evening.  

My mother-in-law was driving home from work on Tuesday evening in her silver Toyota Echo.  She was headed up the road past the aforementioned, empty lot.  When she reached a red light, she pulled to a stop to wait for the green.  While waiting, she noticed the lone bird walk off the curb and walk in front of her car.  The only thing is, she never saw it come out the other side.  By the time the traffic light turned green, she still hadn’t seen the bird pass her car.  Not knowing what else to do, she turned on her hazards, got out of her car (with a line of other cars waiting behind her) and walked to the front of her vehicle.  Can you believe it—the turkey was SITTING right in front of her car!  She had to vigorously run at the bird, waving her arms in the air like a crazy person to get it to move.  

And there’s even more-- In the time that it took my mother-in-law to climb back into her car and pull away, the bird had walked around to the back of her vehicle and sat down in front of the SUV next in line.  Turkey and mashed potatoes anyone? 

Beautiful Weather

The weather has been unbelievable. I am talking 70 degree weather in March-- This may be commonplace down south, but I don't live in the South.  I live in the normally icy Midwest. I didn't even have to wear a coat today. Tomorrow, I'm planning on running laps out on the track during my lunch break (yes, I'm that girl now).

There's no doubt, this beautiful weather has me spending a lot more time outside. On Sunday, Hubs and I spent hours working in the backyard. The poor thing was in pitiful shape (the yard, not Hubs). For starters, there were little doggy "gifts" all over the lawn.  And where there was no dukey, there were sticks and leaves.

First line of defense--Hubs took up the rake and gave the whole yard a once over. I followed along behind him with my purple lawn gloves on.  I believe we filled five yard bags.

Once the grass was raked and cleared, Hubs spread grass seed and I uncovered my tulips and roses (already budding).  I also checked on the two lilac bushes we planted last fall; I was worried they weren't going to make it. I was excited to see that they are beginning to bud as well.  Hopefully, we will have fragrant lilacs greeting guests as they approach our home this summer.

Spring is in the air and it doesn't even officially start until next week.

Here's a perfect example of how bad the grass is in the back, but not for long (we hope).

Now that the yard is cleared, Hubs and I have big plans for the back. We want to keep babying the grass because there are currently several bald spots-- From the dogs, the removed greenhouse/sidewalk, and just the general lack of care the yard obviously went through before we arrived on the scene. We also want to tear out our wood deck and retaining wall. We want to replace the wood with flagstone, which should make the backyard look more clean and bright. We also want to move the fence next to the driveway, so that it is aligned with the house and not jutting out into the driveway like it is now.  Lastly (and this really isn't in the back, but more to the side of the house), we want to resurface our driveway; it's pretty shabby.

No matter how gross the grass is--Judson is always happy to be outside.

And Grace just wants to run. She's our sporty girl.

There is definitely a lot of work to be done, but we are determined to tackle as much as we can.  It will be a busy spring and summer.  Also, I have Hubs word that we will finish our master bedroom by May (and his fingers weren't crossed behind his back- I checked).

A Picture Paints a Thousand Words

Note: the master bedroom is still not painted.

Nope, still not painted.

Hung Out to Dry

You should see our house right this very minute. The radiator in the front entry is draped with three pairs of socks and some unmentionables (perhaps I should have stashed those on the radiator in the bathroom upstairs… hmmm), the radiator in the dining room is sporting two towels, and the radiator in my bedroom is currently dressed in one of my favorite work outfits. 

Why the sudden craziness?  Our dryer bit the dust, that’s why.

A couple of months ago our washer broke down and we were forced to do laundry at our relative’s homes and just once, at the laundromat (I don’t like laundromats: the crying children, the overwhelming smell of bleach and laundry detergent, the humid, moist air…cringe). We tried to fix the machine ourselves, but we had only paid fifty bucks for it a year ago and it was pretty old at that point.  We knew it wouldn’t be worth the parts or effort to revive it.  When that happened, Hubs and I talked about purchasing a new set (both a washer and dryer), but we changed our minds because the dryer seemed to be holding its own.  After a couple weeks of searching we found a “new” washer on Craigslist.  We were back in business. 

Up until last night that is.  Ever since I finished my degree, I’ve been devoting Saturday mornings to laundry and intense cleaning.  By yesterday evening though, I already had a full basket and thought I’d get a jump on things.  I carried the basket down into the dungeon  basement and started my first load in the washer.  At the same time I checked the dryer and was surprised to find a still damp duvet cover I had forgotten about on Saturday.  Two things: 

1.       Why on earth was it still wet?  I know I had turned the dryer on and had it running for at least an hour.

2.       The darn thing smelled awful, having been in the dryer for three days still wet.

I puzzled for a few moments and then flipped the dryer on, nothing happened.  Puzzle.  I tried switching it off and then back on again, but nothing happened.  Puzzle, panic.  I tried changing some settings, but still nothing.  Frustration, puzzle, KICK- KICK- KICK.  Needless to say, the kicking didn’t help the machine run.  I yelled for Hubs, but he couldn’t figure out a fix either.  Double darn.

There I was with a dripping wet, king size duvet cover and a washing machine full of clothes already on the soak cycle… AGHHHHH!!!  Loading those wet items into a basket and hauling them over to the dreaded laundromat was not an option, I refused.  And it was really too late to be hanging stuff outside-- We have one of those retractable laundry lines and to try to set it up in the dark would be asking for trouble in our winter-doggy-poopy-booby-trapped backyard (we do a massive poop pick up in the spring, which hasn’t happened yet).  What to do?  What to do?

Long story short sorta short, I dressed up the radiators.  Praise God for those radiators.  They are so wonderful for warming clothes in the morning, drying mittens and hats after a snowball fight, and for planning a work day ensemble (who knew).  Not everything made it to the radiators, the bigger pieces of laundry are waiting to be hung out this morning, when the sun can shine a light on where it’s safe to step in the yard.  Thankfully, God has blessed us with a warm, windy day perfect for line drying. 

Now we just need to figure out what to do with our old dryer.  I am guessing it will be put out on the corner for the scrap metal guys who drive around with these unsafe-looking retrofitted scrap trucks.  And we will be scouting Craigslist looking for a replacement dryer… 

Will the laundry drama never end?