Sunday Snippets 7/23/23
Look at all those sweet Black-Eyed Susan flowers! I love them. They look so perky and cute.
Who could be unhappy when they’re staring at these sweet flowers? I’m so glad now that I bought a mystery plant last year that turned out to be these flowers.
Lisa News:
Lisa got moved in. I think she got her last 2 boxes unpacked.
She comes inside my apartment and says that mine looks bigger. But I measured and it isn’t. And I have far more furniture.
I guess when you’re moving house, sometimes things just don’t seem to fit where they did at a previous apartment.
I told her she should look at vertical storage.
Ron’s Birthday:
Friday was Ron’s birthday. He is 89 years old. He and Pat had a gift certificate to go to a restaurant called Mahogany. I’ve never been there, but I hear it is expensive.
Friday morning I got up and quickly went to work making him a chocolate birthday cake.
Other neighbors got to celebrate his birthday via Ron’s cake.
Steve came over and got a slice. I took a slice to Peg. And Lisa got some too. Then yesterday morning I took the rest of the sheet cake over to Ron and Pat for them to enjoy.
Steve News:
It seems like Steve just got back from Yosemite. Wednesday he and his daughter and granddaughter are headed to Seattle to visit his son and grandchildren there.
Then in September he’s off to Scotland!
He likes to travel and see the world, so I’m happy for him that he’s able to do this.
Peg News:
Peg still is not moved into her apartment. She keeps moving stuff, but not her furniture.
Apparently her two story house is right next to a horrible man who has puppies in cages in his backyard. Of course they make a lot of noise.
And that’s not all. He also parks cars in his front yard and everyone in the neighborhood is too afraid of him to do anything.
The neighborhood association apparently turned him in to code enforcement with the city. But he’s not scared of them either. He’ll comply and then go right back to his ways.
But he thinks she turned him in to the ASPCA for his treatment of the puppies.
And sadly, the ASPCA said as long as the animals had shelter, food, and water, they couldn’t do anything.
I guess being housed under a tree counts as shelter. It is atrocious. What on earth is wrong with people?
A Terrifying Neighbor:
She knows he has it in for her. He lets her know in creepy ways.
The horrid man is now parking a big truck in front of her house, and she has trouble pulling out of her driveway from her garage.
What can you do about a meanie like that? I mean really?
I asked Kendra, as she flips houses and is a realtor.
Peg’s house needs a lot of work since her husband died over 20 years ago. Hard to afford on a teacher’s salary things like new carpet and air conditioning upstairs, etc. Plumbing going bad.
Kendra said that the man with the puppies next door might keep her from being able to sell the house. Even low ball sell it to a flipper as an “as is” property.
Because no matter how much money a house flipper puts into the house to make it sellable, there is nothing to be done about the crazy man’s antics next door.
What a situation to be in. So she’s paying rent here and utilities at two homes. I don’t know how she will get out of this mess.
Oklahoma Teams Up With Autism Awareness:
Yesterday most of the Walmart’s in Oklahoma began showing awareness of people with autism and sensory problems.
According to Walmart, most stores in Oklahoma will begin dimming lights, turning off radios and static images on televisions to aid sensory-sensitive shoppers.
Beginning Saturday, July 22 (yesterday), 134 retail locations across the state have sensory-friendly hours from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. through August. So July 22 till the end of the month.
Too bad sensory-friendly shopping isn’t a permanent feature for their stores.
They Told A Tulsa News Station:
“A trip to the store can be overwhelming for families affected by autism. Between the sounds, crowds, and smells, a simple outing for school supplies or groceries can trigger sensory overload and a difficult meltdown,” said Founder and Executive Director Melinda Lauffenburger.
“AutismOklahoma is grateful to Walmart for taking the 1 in 36 Oklahomans with autism into consideration with this thoughtful accommodation.”
One of the reasons I don’t like to go into stores is this very reason. I’d much rather shop online where I don’t have to deal with all that sensory overload.
The number of people in the US with autism is roughly that same number: 1 in 36.
My Garden Photos:
Oh my! Just look at the garden photos.
Aren’t my flowers and plants pretty and lush right now? Oh, it’s so wonderful to be back in my “gardener’s shoes” again.
Last year I didn’t get to plant much due to ankle surgery last June.
But this year…
It makes me so happy to have my garden.
Brenda,
IT sounds like you had a busy weekend. I would love your cake recipe! I am sure that all of the neighbors enjoyed it.
As for your friend with the unfriendly neighbor, if I were her I would get out of there ASAP. He sounds like a very nasty and vindictive person and perhaps a little unhinged.
Hope you have some relief from the hear soon.
Brenda, I am so glad to read you are able to get out and about again. Your garden looks fabulous!❤️
Since you didn’t post for a few days, I worried about you. I prayed that you would be well. I guess you were busy baking a cake and seeing after a new neighbor.
Lovely you made a cake…and shared with many others…that is lovely!! Adding to the already great neighbor situation there!! As to the dogs…well, some people do not really love animals and should not have them…but then some people do not love anyone and should not have children either (speaking as a grandma here!!) Not a nice world. But you and others who are good folk are doing all you can to improve it!!
It sounds like you’ve really turned the corner with your ankle. Do you still have any residual swelling or pain after walking?
Is the man selling the puppies? If he is selling the puppies, does Tulsa require a license for him to run such a business out of a residential area? Most municipalities have restrictions on the number of dogs and cats a person can own in one household, and they are required to be licensed whether or not they are living inside the home. The lady who owns the house that is next to the nasty man needs to talk to a lawyer. A lot of local Bar Associations have programs with volunteer attorneys who will give free advice to people during a 30 minute consultation, perhaps she could check into seeing whether the Tulsa Bar Association offers such a program or get in touch with a local Legal Aid Society or similar group that gives legal assistance/advice to low income persons. She could make a call to her local district Alderman or whatever they’re called in Tulsa and see if something could be done about the guy next store. If she is too frightened to do anything, she’s just going to have to dump her home for whatever money she can get for it and get the heck out of there, the sooner the better. Maybe she can look into one of those “buy as is, you don’t have to do anything to the property” outfits that flip properties.
Beautiful sunflowers! Those squirrels are quite the acrobats when they are trying to get to food. lol Much sympathy for Peg and the evil neighbor.
Oh my gosh, that’s terrible about Peg’s nasty neighbor! What a horrible, vindictive man! Those poor puppies! Too bad someone doesn’t go rescue them in the middle of the night. Maybe video tape their living conditions, and send it to the local news station. Like you, she is moving to a way nicer place. On a happier note, I hope Ron had a wonderful birthday. It was so nice of you to make him a chocolate cake and share it with all your wonderful neighbors. And good for Steve, with all his travels. I think being active helps you stay and feel young. As for Lisa, maybe you could advise her on the best way to arrange her furniture to make it look spacious. You are good at that sort of thing. The squirrel picture was hilarious! It looks giant next to the bird house! I’m glad your mystery plant turned out to be one you love so much. And I’m really glad you are back to gardening and so very happy!
Love your photos today. The one of the squirrel is so cute. Your flowers look amazing, even in this heat. Your neighbors hydrangeas are beautiful too.
So sorry about Peg’s neighbor. I’ll try and remember to say a prayer that she is able to sell her house.
I enjoyed this post so much, Brenda that I had to read it twice. And, I may be back later to read it yet again. It’s a ‘feel good’ post – thank you for making my day.
First I want to wish Ron a belated happy birthday!
I wish Steve and his loved ones a safe journey!
I’m glad to hear that Lisa has moved and won’t have to deal with stairs anymore.
God speed to Peg as she deals with her incredibly nasty neighbor. Hopefully it won’t be much longer.
And, you dear Brenda it’s so nice to sense your happiness now that you’re able to play in the dirt again and fill your gardener’s shoes. Reminds me of myself – I didn’t feed my creative soul for a little over a year but when I had an overwhelming desire to thread a needle again I was filled and have been filled with so much joy. I’m a huge believer in feeding my creative soul and listening to the whispers of my heart. It’s so nice to not feel so stressed any more.
With that said I’ll wish you a fabulous Sunday. BTW, I live in the Phoenix Arizona area and it’s been intensely and overwhelmingly HOT. Our monsoon season is making its way in so here comes the humidity to go with the well over 110 degree heat. All I can do is sigh and stay indoors. Take good care!
Aren’t the Zinnia leaves and buds the most charming parts of this flower? I just cut mine down last week. I live in hot humid south GA (zone 8B) and planted a zinnia patch about 3′ x 8′ in early March. They had grown so tall (over 5′) and each stem had multiple branches and, even after thinning multiple times, it was hard to keep enough air flow in the bottom/middle section because of the large number of leaves. So I had to bid them adieu for now. I love your mystery plant and hydrangeas! Everything looks lush in OK! Peg’s neighbor sounds troubling on many levels – it is a blessing for her to move out and start fresh w some kind & considerate neighbors.I hope she gets a deserved market price for her home and that it sells quickly. I pray for the poor pups he keeps caged.