“Remoted” – Day 160 (Sunday)

After yesterday’s high-quality entertainment and the shouted promise from the circus team of, “we’ll be back tomorrow!” I had high hopes for this morning. The coffee was brewed, the dogs were fed, and I was dressed and ready to be amused. The morning dawned with the ropes still hanging from the big tree from Saturday. The crew did, indeed, return, and the sound of a chainsaw rang from within the privacy fence. There was a shouted discussion about who wanted what for firewood. And that was it. No acrobats. Nobody yelling from up in the tree. This was, undoubtedly, the lamest sequel ever. 

The really big tree, ready
for the next phase.

Later, when I was pulling weeds from the too-narrow-for-the-lawnmower strip around the outside of my front fencing (note to Santa: weed whacker?) Happy Homeowner and another guy crossed the street to chat. I thanked him for having the branches trimmed and getting them away from the power lines. Storms will be slightly less scary now. Well, at least as far as branches taking out the power lines. 

Happy Homeowner is friendly and chatty, and I mostly listen. Much can be learned from the one-way conversations with him. He is frustrated about the ever-increasing cost of flood insurance, and I shared the name of the office that is saving me money on my policy for the next year.

It seemed there was to be more up-in-the tree work today, but a friend of the son living on the first floor parked his car in the space under the tree and was unavailable to move it. The big tree has rot. The area where the branches were dumped yesterday is part of Happy Homeowner’s property, so my outrage at the tree crew chucking branches over the fence and dragging them up the embankment was unnecessary and now I am over it.  

The story was relayed that a previous owner had a gazebo on the embankment overlooking Beaver Brook and Previous Owner was told to move it or the city would bulldoze it during some work. Previous Owner evidently liked the gazebo and its location, and opted instead to buy the stretch of embankment that runs along the yard. The gazebo is gone, and also the old canoe dock, and Happy Homeowner’s property taxes include the strip of embankment running along his yard and across to the other side of the brook. The old gazebo overlooking Beaver Brook and a little canoe dock sound like they were nice.

The entertainment factor today was sorely lacking. Even the storm that was supposed to hit was a bust with just a small amount of thunder and some rain. At least the neighborhood history lesson was fascinating. The tree still stands, so it’s possible the circus will return another day and the show can redeem itself with a comeback.