I am Really Very Good At Pruning Trees

It was raining when I got up this morning. Not surprisingly, I spent an hour or so in bed, reading, writing in my journal, and listening to the radio. After I got up and had breakfast, I got this month's bills together.

The rain stopped around quarter of 10. By 11, it was still cloudy, cold, and damp, but otherwise fine. I was able to get to the Oaklyn Library for this week's volunteer session there and stay dry doing it.

The Oaklyn Library continues its beautification efforts. The Children's Area is now a cheerful orange. The same guy who did the kids' section last week was doing the wall above the New Releases shelves when I arrived. I concentrated on the DVDs and the kids' picture books instead. The kids' books really needed to be done. I wasn't able to do them last week, due to the painting going on in there. I also took out two DVDs, The Fantastic Mr. Fox and an earlier Charlie and Lola set.

I went for a nice, if chilly, walk in the neighborhood after I left the Library. Most of the houses in Oaklyn are brightly decorated with pumpkins and mums. Many have Halloween things out by now, too - cloth witches flying into trees, cheesecloth ghosts blowing in the small breeze, carved jack-o-lanterns, plastic or wooden "tombs", bushes covered with cotton "cobwebs." I love how festive things get around here for holidays. It's a lot of fun.

I got a call from Miss Ellie when I came home around 12:30. She was wondering if I could help her prune the small trees on the front yard this afternoon before I went to work. Sure! I was more than happy to spend the next hour learning how to cut down old branches and pile them in bags.

I found out the other reason Miss Ellie won't get rid of the smaller trees besides the cost, too. They're special to her. They're the saplings of the big tree on the patch of lawn next to the driveway. She raised them herself from seeds. She even had fences around them at one point, so they wouldn't get mowed over.

I finished around 1:40...which gave me just enough time to hurry upstairs and have leftover chili for lunch, change into my work uniform, and make it to work right on time!

Thank goodness after yesterday, work was steady the entire night, and there were no problems whatsoever. It cleared out a little bit later in the evening. That could have had to do with the Phillies game tonight. Alas, they lost to the Giants, 3-0.

I went home, had tilapia, spinach salad, steamed broccoli, and a slice of home-made rye bread with honey for dinner, and watched the Charlie and Lola DVD that came from the Oaklyn Library. My favorite episode on Volume Three was the title short, "My Little Town." For once, it's Charlie who learns the lesson when he and Lola are given an activity set from their grandparents that allows them to build a town out of blocks and art supplies. Trouble is, Charlie hogs the whole mat for his vast city, crowding out Lola's park and zoo. Lola wants the last blocks for her zoo animals; Charlie wants them to head off a Martian invasion. They finally decide that they can work together and make a city filled with animals, flowers...and Martians.