Did I really need a planter that resembles a log?

Or rainbow hanging planters?

No.

I won’t list them all but looking back, I do have to question just what I was thinking when I ordered some of the items I have ordered over the last 4 months.

Not that there is anything wrong with the items themselves; they are just…

I don’t know …

useless.

I mean if someone were to go back and look at my order history 5 or 10 years from now, they would have to wonder what exactly was going on here.

There were also the pandemic related purchases like:

One box of rice because for a time there we couldn’t find rice in the grocery store. (Purchase limits)

One bucket of garlic powder because again, it could not be found in the grocery store and DC decided he could not live without it (See: Masks, Garlic and Jellybeans) (Purchase limits)

Not to mention the 3 orders of color remover so I could remove my color and dye my hair grey; and of course… the grey dye, when most people are trying to hide the grey. (See: Bald and Toothless).

My hair is finally grey and I have to say that I do like it, but who would have thought it would be harder and take more time to have grey hair than any other color. I probably could have just let it grow out in the time it took to do this.

Each time I ordered the color remover, the confirmation came with a note that said something like: Due to the ingredients, this order will take longer to ship (I wish I kept the original emails). So one of these days I will have to really check out the ingredients to see just what it is that will probably put me on the FBI’s Most Wanted List.

Then there are the things that I make up in my head and try to see if they actually exist in life, because I decided that I need one.

I want a garden sprinkler with it’s own water source.

I am tired or watering by filling up a watering can and going back and forth.

I want a rain bucket that collects water and attaches to a sprinkler that I can put in the garden. I don’t have access to an outdoor water source so I have nothing to attach a hose to. Does something like that exist? Would it need to be battery operated to pump the water through the sprinkler?

Moving on…

Lawn Mowing: When I moved here 20 years ago, my neighbor at the time’s only complaint was that the people in this neighborhood were “obsessive” about mowing their lawns. No one should have to mow a lawn as much as these people did.  She pointed to the house next door and said “This guy even has headlights on his mower so he can mow when it’s dark!”.

So lets take a bunch of people who were already over-the top mowers and put them in a pandemic with little else to do and see what we get.

Our lawn: My landlord (you have already read about him and his consideration – or lack there of for me, my son and the people who live around us in my “complaining” post – Bald and Toothless).

He got rid of the lawn service that would come once a week and mow the entire yard within a half hour (it is a BIG lawn).

He decided that his son would take care of the lawn.

His son shows up at all times of the day and evening, driving one of those trucks that can be heard 3 miles away. What is the purpose of that?

He parks said truck in the driveway and lets it run while he gets the “lawnmower” ready. Why? I don’t know.

He finally shuts it off when the “lawnmower” gets running. Getting the lawnmower running always seems to take quite a while and I don’t actually believe that this contraption began it’s life as a lawnmower. I think it was converted from something else because I have never heard anything so loud in my life.

Anyway… this lawnmower is not only loud, but it never fails to break down. When this happens, the kid sits there, with it running in front of my windows as he attempts to repair whatever is wrong. After this happens three or 4 times and I am sure that my windows will fall right off of the house – he leaves.

But… the lawn is not done, which brings him back a good 2 to 3 times (repeating the scenario above each time) to finish the lawn.

Then all of a sudden, it stopped. No lawn mowing at all, for I think close to a month. We had a lot of rain back then so the lawn was really looking awful and getting out of hand.

DC LOVES to mow the lawn at his day program. They use one of those old fashioned rotary mowers – no engine. So, I decided that maybe I could find a cheap manual mower for him to use on our front yard (just ours and just the front). He would probably enjoy being able to mow again.

I did.

It arrived that day after the kid came back and began mowing again.

Rats!

So there is sits; unopened in my living room.

Pampered Chef: 

Let’s all take a minute to laugh.

I don’t cook, really and I certainly don’t bake.  Fortunately due to the virus, that shipment is delayed so that box is not yet sitting in my living room, unopened, but I am sure it will take it’s place there shortly.

Sneeze Guard:

Back in May, DC’s dad told me that he was making the trip up here from Florida the week after the 4th of July. I explained that DC would not be getting into his car or going anywhere with him. He could bring him lunch or dinner and sit with him on the back porch.

He understood.

As it got closer and the numbers in Florida began to spike, I got a little bit more nervous about the whole thing. When it got to the point where the 4th had come and gone, I contacted his sister to find out if she knew if he was still coming and if so, when.

He was still coming.

I thought I had time so I bought a spit guard to put in between them on the table outside. I did not mention it because Amazon’s guaranteed delivery dates haven’t been that at all lately and I wasn’t sure when it would arrive.

As it turned out, the guard did not arrive until the day he was leaving and he opted to not bring dinner anyway.

He visited DC from the street while DC stood on the front porch.

Box is sitting unopened in the living room.

Goals:

I have always said that I would never become one of those “old” women sitting at home with their box of assorted greeting cards.

Guess what?

I’ll admit that this purchase was really more so I would not have to take DC out to the store to purchase the cards that I have had to send lately – but the damage is done.

I own 2 boxes of assorted greeting cards.

I have the grey hair.

All that is left is a bowl of hard candy – which can easily ordered…

and cats.

Do you think Amazon carries cats?

***

Edited before publishing to add: Doug took pity on me and put the lawn mower together. Maybe I can get DC out there to do the front yard before they show up again. At least I won’t have to hear them “fixing” their mower directly in front of our windows.

One box down.

A rain bucket with a hose is on it’s way. Not exactly the gadget I had envisioned (or made up in my head), but at least I will not have to run in and out for water –  except that we now can almost guarantee  that we will get no more rain – ever.

One box to be added.

Pampered Chef arrived.

Another box added

 

Quarantine Diaries – all