A Dash of Sunshine

It's a gorgeous day out. In fact, by the time the sun comes around the front of our house, it's going to be sweltering in here, and I will have to give in and turn on the AC. When your house faces west, and you have two humongous windows on the west side of the house, well, you've seen what a magnifying glass can do on a sunny day. This house turns into an oven and doesn't cool off until we wake up the next morning, because brick makes great insulation. It's wonderful in the winter, but when it gets warm, and our big front windows are soaking in the rays, we could bake pizzas in this house.

Everywhere else in our neighborhood, people have trees. Most houses are well shaded, but not us. All the houses around us have little or no trees. The people in the house across from us had trees, but they cut them down. I'm in the tree-hatingest section of the neighborhood, and it drives me nuts. There is even evidence of a tree in our very own front yard--a tree that would have shaded the front of the house and reduced the greenhouse effect that happens every afternoon. Now, there's just a depression where a tree once stood and roots to cut through every time I dig a hole to plant anything. If this house ever becomes ours, I'm planting a tree.

Since I can't yet have a tree, I bought a bunch of pansies this weekend. They don't provide any shade, but they make me happy. They are probably my favorite flower, but I hate to ever claim a favorite, because I love so many of them. I definitely have a thing for pansies though, especially the hybrids. I have four trays of them out front now, but I won't be able to plant them today. I have too much work to do in the house.

Leave it to me to put work off so long that I have to do it when it's nice out. I don't exactly have to do it, but I do if I don't want the neighbor seeing what a slob I really am. Since I don't want that, I do have to clean. It won't take long, but I don't have long. She's bringing her daughter and Booie over at 2:30, so I have to stop writing and start cleaning. I must at least unearth the coffee and dining tables.