We Like This One Best.......

"I brought you into this world, I can take you out.  Doesn't make any difference to me.  I can make another one that looks just like you."
      Bill Cosby - Himself

I'd like to say my mamma didn't raise no dummies but I've got three siblings.  At any given point in time at least one of them could be doing something so stupid it completely defies logic.  Still, my parents will claim to love us all equally.  They lie.  I have proof.  It's a picture.  I found this picture when I was about nine years old.  As noted above, I'm one of four kids.  There is my sister, First Born and First Daughter, then me, not only second born but second daughter.  Just a spare there.  Next is my brother.  As child #3 he normally wouldn't rank at all except he's the First Boy.  Then the fourth, a boy also.  Who like me should just be a spare but gets the title of The Baby. So there you have it, The First Born, The First Boy, The Baby and......me.  So there I am, looking through a bunch of family photos and I happen upon this one.  It's of the aforementioned older sister (First Born!!!) at six months of age.  Gotta admit, it's a cool picture and she is rather cute.  I can see why they kept her.  I might have too.  It is their first try at it and they had no idea that they could (and would in another two years) do better. 

Cute isn't she?  I would have kept her.  Maybe.....

And then I turn the picture over and read the back.  It says "We like this one best." WTF!!!!!  What do you mean you like this one best!?!  YOU ONLY HAVE ONE!!!! The next one isn't even due for another 2 years after this picture was taken. How can you like her BEST already!?! When did you decide this?  Did you even wait for the other three to come along FIRST!?! Or did you just decide to pick a favorite right off and save the trouble of doing it later? 

Your Honor, the prosecution would like to enter Exhibit A into evidence

So there you are.  I'm nine years old and I find out I can't even hope for the title of The Favorite Child.  Second born, second girl, just a spare, nothing special there.  Later my mom would come up with some lame ass excuse for the wording on that picture but it took her about 20 years to do it making it's validity rather suspect.  Don'cha think?

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood.....

In my little town, I grew up believing God keeps his eye on us all.  And he used to lean upon me as I pledged allegience to the wall.  Lord I recall my little town.
         --Paul Simon My Little Town

Thought I'd show you around my neighborhood as a way of introduction.  I left there when I was 18 but still consider it 'home'.

This is the house I grew up in.  Notice the landscaping in rocks. It wasn't like that when I lived there.  We had half an acre of grass that needed to be mowed and trimmed every week. A few years ago, my Dad did this to the front yard and took out about half of the backyard.  He will claim it's more economical.  Saves water.  It's actually a standard thing to do in Idaho.  Pull out the grass and put in rockscapes.  Because when it's 105 degrees outside in the summer all this rock........helps?  I did notice that my dad waited until all the kids were out of the house to do it. Save water my ass. It's because you've got no kids at home to MOW it!


The Neighbors are:

Home of my first boyfriend

Neighborhood Bully #1 lived here

   

Neighborhood Bully #2 lived here

Lucy's House

When Lucy lived in this house, it was surrounded by a gorgeous garden that she took care of by herself using no power tools.  She must have been in her 70's at the time I was growing up here.  She made the BEST popcorn that she handed out at Halloween.  Big scoop of it straight into your bag. Now Lucy is gone, kids can't have homemade treats at Halloween and her beautiful garden is no more.  We'll put Lucy on the list of people I admire. 

One of the things that was a bit unique to our neighborhood and not in most others was the alley that ran up the center of the block from Linden to Spruce street.  When I was there this last month, the summer flowers were in bloom and some of the best flowers were in the alley:

Sunflowers

Fenceline full of sunflowers.

Grapes on a fence

Garden full of tomatoes and zucchini

Everyone is required to have a garden in Idaho.  Every garden has to have tomatoes, zucchini and green bell peppers.  Even if you don't have a full size garden that takes up 90% of your back yard, you have to grow at least a couple of each plants somewhere on your property.  It isn't permissable to pick the zucchini until it achieves the size of a small sheep.  Also despite the prolific production capabilities of the average zucchini plant, one isn't enough.  More is better.  Besides, it makes a great hostess gift! 

More pretty flowers in the alley: