Where the Wind Comes Sweeping Down My Moat!

It's windy today. Wow! I bet that's big news to any of you who realize I live in Oklahoma. However, I am just not sure any of you non-Okies can truly understand the power of our wind. Last Friday we had 60 to 70 mph winds. It literally rattled my windows. Oh, and it had torrential rain with it, and my kitchen window, which has never leaked before, leaked a river of water that literally ran onto the counter below. Lovely. I guess it was because the wind was out of the south, and that window faces south. Please, God, don't make me replace windows on this castle right now...

Speaking of our castle, Popcorn ran to check the mail today. She decided to cross the moat by leaping over it rather than taking the long, boring way down the driveway. Because, clearly, driveways are BORING!!! She's always looking to add a little spark to her life. Like the time I found her walking the ledge of our above ground pool like it was a balance beam. Life was really exciting when she discovered this was very likely going to result in a spanking of epic proportions...

Anyhoo, she decided to jump the moat. Only the wind is blowing. Really hard. Like, it's a beautiful day, and I needed to do yard work since I'm home with a sick kid today, but the wind is ridiculous...

Like, really ridiculous. Ridiculous enough to blow her over mid-jump and make her land in the moat...

Did you forget about my moat? Well, it has had an update since I originally posted pictures for you (click here for a refresher.)



You see, the city streets and planner guy of our humble town was finally sick of hearing me complain to him about the drainage that goes to my front yard, then stops because lo and behold water won't run uphill to the pond behind our house....

So, during the last heavy snow, he and his crew showed up with a back hoe and a dump truck and they dug this lovely ditch in my yard.

Ain't it a beaut!? The ground was so saturated when they began this endeavor that the water was literally pouring out underneath the back of the truck and running in a river right back to my yard. Our conversation was as follows:

Me: So, you decided to work on the drainage today?
City Streets Guy (CSG): Yep. We saw all the water standing in your neighborhood, and thought if we did this ditch out a little more, ti will at least let the water out from further up the street.
Me: But now it has nowhere to go. Are you planning on driving that backhoe through our yard today to correct the drainage at the back of my yard?
CSG: Oh no! It's way too wet for that. We just are out here for a few minutes to do what we can to let some of this water start this way...

I left in utter exasperation. Need I remind all of you that the main street south of our house has a drainage ditch on either side of it, AND it's at a lower elevation, but because the original developer "platted and did easements" for the water to drain to the back of our subdivision our city will never change it? Even if the plan makes no sense? And, because "all your neighbors have their driveways in now, and we'd have to tunnel under them to make it drain that way."

My heart bleeds...

Okay. I'm done with that rant for a few days at least. I'm sorry you must be burdened with this on such a regular basis. You see, I have to gripe to you, or Studmuffin gets wound up too, and that creates too much stress in the house, so with him I pretend the problem doesn't exist. Even when I'm hauling buckets of water out of the bathtub...

Yeah. Denial is a great coping mechanism for me...

However, let's not leave you with the mental image of my moat. Let's focus on this lovely young redbud....

No! No! Don't look down at the dandelions!!! They will remind you that I should have been doing yard work instead of napping today!

Instead, let's focus on the lovely crocus that started to bloom today. Did you know I almost dug these up last year because they never bloomed? Thank heavens I was too lazy to get that done!


I think those are irises to the side. However, they never bloomed last year either. My neighbors up the street (an older couple who I adore) told me they may not have been planted right by the previous owners...However, maybe it was an off year, so we'll see what blooms this year!

BTW, I went over to thank them for the butterfly bush I found lying in my yard on Friday night. It turns out they had put it there Thursday evening, and "told my nanny about it" who forgot to tell me.

But, I was totally okay with that, seein' as how Emmett & Katherine totally get that I'm a trophy wife, and so I need not only a nanny, but a home delivery service for yard beautification...

Either that, or they totally wish I'd do something to fix this place up, and in desperation they're leaving random bushes in my yard!

I obviously prefer the first theory.

Oh, one final thing.

I DO NOT DO FARMVILLE PEOPLE!!!

I blocked the application so nobody can even invite me. First, I'm shocked and offended that you have learned so little about me. Remember me? I'm the gal who will not see movies everyone must see, or read the book that will change my life, because really, I don't want to be a better person? That same gal stayed away from facebook until my hubby created an account for me, and basically the only time I go over there is when someone friends me. So. There you have it. Now, I expect no more comments about being disappointed in my farming habit that doesn't even exist!

And yes.

Apologies are expected.

The End.