My Neighborhood

Hello,

I headed off early to the garden, but not as early as I would have preferred because I hung out two loads of clothes. As I approached a small park I saw two people in the park with a number of dogs or maybe one was a cat. The woman was yelling at a dog that was running free while the man had hold of two more. That loose dog ran across the street, stopped at a hedge to check out the aromas before it headed a little farther on. I wondered if I should help, but then the two people moved back to a house with a beautiful wrought iron fence around it, deposited all the dogs, the man grabbed the gate and swung it shut. The woman grabbed a small white dog that I thought might be a cat and proceeded after the dog across the street which was being pursued by a man who had been driving by. I felt a little guilty as I realized I should have gotten on the move right away and followed that dog. As I came up to the guy at the gate he explained that he had come to service something at the house and accidently let the dogs out. I looked up them to see the woman holding the small white dog and crouched over holding the collar of the dog that was larger, but still quite short. I then went over and asked if I could help. She gave me the small dog and gathered up the other that surely weighted 40 or more pounds.

From a guided historical walk in the neighborhood I learned that this house was the start of the idea of a funeral home, although it is a private home now.

At the garden more excitement was in store as I spotted the squash bugs had returned to feed and breed. I went back in the afternoon armed with soapy water in a spray bottle. Between tearing off eggs, spraying small ones, and squashing adults, I figure I did a little damage to the population. The problem is I should go back tomorrow, but I have to work and do not know if I can manage that task as it took me almost an hour as well as lots of courage to grab those first adults and kill them. In the meantime I found three zucchini that I had missed on the morning hunt. Luckily there were people out and I gave away all of them. Again I found someone who did not know what to do with a zucchini. I think I am educating the neighborhood. Now if I could just find someone who would like to learn to weed, life would be easier.

Paula