R5 for March 15 – underwear, Starbucks, pets, ponds, garden shows

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Source: Amazon

Whirligig similar to mine but not quite the same. Source: Amazon

Just being neighborly – I was walking into a department store this week when I saw our neighbor. He came over to ask me to buy him a pack of underwear. Yes I was surprised. If you used a store credit card you saved $5 and he didn’t have a card. We made the purchase together. It’s not every day you can buy a strange man a pack of underwear! (Ok, he isn’t completely strange but he is quite a character!)

A do-over – I love Starbucks for their customer service. Last week I zipped through late afternoon. It was very busy. I got my coffee and left without tasting. Never do that because everyone makes mistakes. Turns out there wasn’t any mocha in my mocha latte. That makes it boring. It tastes like hot milk. Yuk! On my next morning run, I explained what happened and poof! I got a free one! It happens about once a year so I’m glad that’s over for 2015.

Poor doggy – Our neighbor had two dogs. They were great pals. The older one died last summer. The younger one whines a lot. Loudly. Pitiful mournful whines. Breaks my heart. I think she misses her buddy. Cats don’t seem to grieve as much. When I lost my old cat Lacey nine years ago, I swear Jake did the happy dance. (They never did like each other. Each had bite marks to prove it.) I swear I could hear him say, “Na na na na na, booyah!” Of course that was before Mollie and Hazel came to keep him company. I won’t mention what he said then. When Morgan came he peed “outside the box” for a while. (It gave new meaning to the business metaphor.) Now all is good but Jake says no more cats! And definitely NO DOGS!

Ahoy matey! – Since January my pond has been covered with ice and snow except for a very small hole. I hadn’t seen any life in there until this week. It’s still half covered but I can see orange blobs swimming around at the bottom. Warms my heart! Too much snow cover to see any bulbs forcing through. Maybe next week.

And this is why I buy sunflower seeds in bulk! Source: topsir.com

And this is why I buy sunflower seeds in bulk! Source: topsir.com

Speaking of ponds – Our local garden show is this weekend. I like to patronize local stuff. It gets smaller every year as the tradesmen cut back on the cost and time of the massive displays with full size trees, lawns and wonderful water features. It’s nice to see green vegetation with ponds and walking paths decorated with annuals inside an arena. This year I found a colorful whirligig (yes I know they are tacky but this one is cute) and I found a new place to buy sunflower seeds in bulk. It was well worth the money spent.

So how was your week?

 

41 thoughts on “R5 for March 15 – underwear, Starbucks, pets, ponds, garden shows”

  1. Pingback: Friday Five 032715 | Invisible Shadow

  2. How great that your fish have survived such a harsh winter! I find that remarkable, but I also cannot imagine my pond frozen over. 🙂 I’m still trying to decide if I’m going to restock. I haven’t since the heron and raccoon wiped out the other poor little guys sometime over the summer and early fall. And the cardinal just thrills me as well. Now I would like to see a picture of the whirligig. I love those “tacky” things, too!

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  3. Oh, pond view alert! Can’t wait. We have an old nursery here that specializes in regional plants and waterfall, fountains and ponds. Sometimes I go there just to listen…and they have whirligigs..artsy ones! Our tiny cardinal pair are busy around the bird feeder. Hope they nest nearby. Spring is coming – the duck flocks are barely touching down to rest before going on!

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  4. I hope you got a refund for the underpants Kate, you are too kind. My cats all hate each other and I can’t believe I said to my husband the next cat I get we should get two, so they grow up together and like each other……somebody shoot me now! I did say only when these cats are gone to cover myself.

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  8. Underwear? How odd, Kate. Does he live alone? Our Cardinals seem to eat anything. I have seed out for them, but right now they’re enjoying some bread crumbs I put out this morning. Looking forward to some pictures of your pond.

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    • No, he has a wife with a credit account but it’s in her name and they wouldn’t let him use it. I expect he was going home to “get her” when I happened along. My pond is sad looking these days. Still half covered with snow despite the big melt the past couple of days.

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  9. Underwear? What happened to can you get me a quart of milk on your way up the aisle. Does he wear briefs or boxers?

    I must say, being a Starbucksette myself, they are pretty good about making up for their mistakes, like the time I ordered a bagel and it wasn’t in the bag. I got two the next day, on za house.

    Cats are so independent while dogs appear to have more heart. Jake forgets how lucky he is to have such a nice home, so Jake, take this as constructive criticism…FUCK YOU AND YOUR LONG TERM MEMORY.

    Hope your thumbs a lot better.

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  10. The picture of the cardinal reminds me that we should be seeing “my” bright yellow oriole soon. Every spring he arrives and spends several months in our neighborhood before moving on. I hope our awful drought won’t change his pattern. It was 87 degrees here yesterday! Please send all the leftover snow you can.

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  11. Random underwear purchase = so stinking funny! Only you, Kate 🙂

    We have had a big melt-down this week, all of a sudden, everyone is out walking, dogs are barking and we can see and hear signs of life in the neighborhood – it’s all good.

    Happy Sunday! MJ

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    • Most places cheerfully replace anything they did in error. Chinese takeout is chancy. I have had the wrong order more than once. There was a woman I worked with who opens the bag and checks the order before she leaves the restaurant no matter how many people are behind her.

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  14. Poor doggie next door needs a buddy. Our Bossy Cat loves to play with dogs. When we lost her best canine bud to cancer, she tried to out eat the hole in her heart. Couldn’t do it. Not on diet food. She’s an amazing escape artist, and once I found her chasing terrified basset hounds down the street. “Look out for that cat,” the owner warned me, as he and the bassets trotted (they can’t run) by.

    In vain did I tell him she only wanted to play.

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    • My cat Lacy (which is the one that died in this story) was a cranky alpha cat. She weighed 12 pounds but would chase any dog that dared to come into her yard. One day I was talking with a neighbor when we saw her chasing a Great Dane down the middle of the street. The neighbor said, “Isn’t that your cat?” I wasn’t sure what to say. The Dane belonged two streets over and was a very neurotic but benign HUGE dog. He probably needed therapy after that. Bossy Cat sounds like a gem.

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  16. Men kill me…they just do. Hahahaha! That is just so funny!
    I LOVE the photo of your cardinal. Keep the seeds coming!
    You and my sister should seriously talk about your Starbucks excursions … seriously you two could probably write a book together about it! With a cup in hand of course.

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    • I know! If things were reversed I would not have asked him to buy my underwear. In fact, it would have been the scandal of the neighborhood! As for Starbucks, there are a million stories there. If you just go and listen to what’s going on with people, it’s really interesting.

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