An apology

Dear O’Reilly Auto Parts Staff:

I am very sorry that I had the audacity to walk into your store and attempt to purchase car cleaning products this evening. I was not aware of your store’s policy requiring all female customers to be accompanied by an adult male.

I appreciate your attempt to handle the situation diplomatically — rather than embarrass me by coming out and explaining that I was not supposed to be in the store without my husband, you simply refused to wait on me, speak to me, or even make eye contact with me the entire time I was there. Especially diplomatic was the way you looked past me to strike up largely pointless conversations with all the men who came into the building, even after I got in line to buy something I needed.

I apologize for attempting to do business with you. It was an honest mistake, and I certainly will not let it happen again.

Emily

P.S.: Your gearshift-knob selection righteously sucks.

Catching up

With the last of my official school obligations behind me for a while, I’m finally getting back to some of the things I’ve neglected … like my husband, my house, my dogs, my car, my blogs, my projects, and my beloved Rebel.

I spent some quality time with the Rebel this afternoon. Here’s what I found in the yard:

Afternoon sunlight filters through a blossom on one of the Million Bells plants hanging from the pergola.

Volunteer basil is coming up in a hanging basket.

Wisteria is climbing gracefully up the corner of the pergola. Theoretically, it could get heavy and pull down the whole structure, but I’m pretty sure it won’t, because the wind always rubs the vine against the sharp corner of the 4×4 support beam, eventually fraying it and causing the whole plant to die back before it can get too big.

My fabulous Green Man gnome watches over a neglected bed in the middle of the yard.

Tomatoes are shoulder-high.

They’re starting to set fruit.

Peas are producing a nice crop, which may or may not have time to mature and find its way into the kitchen before I eat every single pod straight off the vine.

Nothing special here; I just liked the curl at the top of the vine.

Radishes are blooming. These are rat-tailed radishes — a special variety grown for its seed pods rather than its roots. I can’t wait for them to start putting out pods so I can throw ’em in salads.

Zucchini is getting big. This year’s crop is actually setting fruit — which is more than I can say for the ones I’ve grown the past two years. I’m looking forward to frying some.

Rugosas are starting to bloom. I hope they set fruit like the ones we had in Belleville. I’ve never seen such enormous rosehips. They’ll make lovely tea.

I planted this pretty little lily next to the pond several years ago, having mistaken it for a hosta. It’s obviously a relative, but it tolerates sun much better, so it survived — and thrived — after we had the boxelder taken out a few years ago.

The boys are enjoying summer, too. Here, Songdog attempts to take Riggy for a walk. This is a game they play CONSTANTLY — they wrestle a little bit, and then Song will grab Riggy’s collar and lead him around. I really need to teach him to do this on command, because it would make an awesome Stupid Pet Trick: “Song! Walk the dog!”

Jason, of course, is much too dignified for such shenanigans.

Today was truly a wonderful day. I finished up some school training early and came home to find Ron in the back yard, inspecting hives, so I threw on my jacket (easily the best piece of beekeeping equipment I own) and joined him. I’ll post an update — and maybe a video, if I got anything decent — later.

Emily