Shadow Play

There was a lot of work being done in our neighborhood today. A swarm of guys arrived at the house across the street shortly before eight am. Two monstrous dump trucks with high black plywood sides, an assortment of ladders and tarps and buckets, rakes and shovels and mallets and blowers. They were there to tear down the old roof, which had been leaking on and off all last season. Man those guys worked hard, hard and fast and fairly quiet and so well choreographed. I think I counted eight workers, so at home with being up there on the slanted roof that I fully expected them to break into song and begin to waltz with the brooms and rakes. At one point I noticed that one of the paneled trucks was serving as a screen where their shadows were projected by the morning sun. It was so entertaining to watch the shadow play, and when someone on their way to school would walk into the frame, or bike through, it lent another interesting dimension to the whole scene. I do wish I’d had a movie camera. As it was I took all my shots from inside my house, and they aren’t the fabulous images I’d envisioned, but I didnt think that crew would appreciate being photographed, and I was too chicken to ask. Plus I was in my pajamas. 

On the other side of our house we had some plumbers, working hard to unclog a couple of drains. Another efficient crew, but instead of being high on the rooftop they were down in the dark crawl space. 

At the property behind us someone was working with a weed whacker all day, and that makes a terrible grating sound. I’m not sure why it took them so long to clear that lot, but they definitely get Most Annoying.

And then there was me, on my hands and knees with a hand hoe, clearing our own weeds from the path by the compost bin. I am a silent and efficient crew of one, except for my back-up guy, Mr S, who appears every once in awhile to carry off the full weed bucket. This was all before lunch.

We joined forces again in the afternoon to plant out 8 tomato seedlings. Early Girl is the best variety for our area, and you have to buy them right when the 6-paks appear in the nursery or you’ll be fresh outta luck. It’s a little earlier than I’d choose to plant tomatoes, but I’m not in charge. I just hope we don’t have a cold snap or another run of storms. The plants, 6 Early Girls and 2 Sungold cherry tomatoes, with room for 2 more, look so healthy and happy in their forever home.