the ever-fascinating Leeann
The earring

I put my subconscious to work on the earring problem and two mornings ago I biked over to my sister’s house and looked in her driveway and there was the missing earring behind one of their two cars where it had been lying for two or more days and isn’t it a mystery that it didn’t get rolled over or blown away. The earring has a gold ball that is part of the earpost and two more dangling below it and the last one was separated and the little thingy that linked it was gone but this is just a link that can be replaced – it has no design features. I have to take it for repair.

Meanwhile, I don’t toss my single earrings – I must have 10 or so accumulated over the years of pulling off a sweater and not noticing that I have stripped an ear. I must stop doing this. There was a trend some years ago about deliberately wearing mismatched earrings – the most effective look was one stud and one dangle that complemented each other color and design wise. I’ve done that from time to time. The other use I intend for these earrings is to use them in an art collage. I may never get to that, seeing as how I have evolved into such a sloth.

Meanwhile my sis said to me, “No problem, hon. You can recreate the missing piece if you just put your mind to it!” I don’t know if she really believes I can cobble up a gold ball (with facets like a diamond)that matches in my handy workshop or she is just showing me that I don’t have the gumption to try. You don’t want to hear my answer.

The sink

Last night I rinsed stuff to put in the dishwasher and water started pouring out of the cabinet at my feet. The sink was sinking. There was a two-inch space between the top of the sink and the counter and strands of caulking were stretched like the cheese that hangs on after you lift a slice in those pizza commercials. Oh boy, I thought, more s… I called Ed, who was listening to Civil War songs on You Tube (oh, guh), and he was thrilled, too. But he poo-poohed my dismay and said he could fix it easily. But re-positioning it and putting shims in place and me holding it while he worked wasn’t working and I said something like, “I am not strong enough to help you with these jobs.” So today we will keep a look out for Steve, the handyman who does a lot of work for our neighbor, and ask him to come help.

Steve is wonderful. I hope he has time to step in because while we were foomfing with the sink, the PVC pipe worked its way loose from the fitting and I tried to secure it but couldn’t and now I can’t run water into the left sink at all, at all, and using water in the other sink sort of works as it goes straight down but I don’t trust it. So to all this I say @#$%$$#@. (P.S. The latest is that Steve is on jury duty and can't come today.)

Flaky but lovable Leann

This morning Leeann called. She invited us to a birthday party for her new boyfriend at Mulletville on Sunday, 4-7, two bands, and tons of food. She has known him for a month. He is a steadfast, reliable, widower, who I hope can keep her from straying, and he doesn’t drink which means she has help avoiding the sauce and messing up her bipolar meds. And at around 11:00 today, they are signing the lease on a 2-bedroom, 2-bath house on a street a few minutes away from me on our island, a very nice street, not down island at all, and he has given her a ring but has not actually asked her to marry him. There is an age difference of, I think about 16 years. And, as I have said, this doesn’t have to mean anything but, knowing Leeann, I hope he can keep her occupado. She has a tendency to look over the fence at foxier grass. Our mutual friend, Toni, warned her that if she “screws this up”, she will be stuck having to relocate since, on her own, she cannot afford these digs. We’ll see. Meanwhile, she asked me to go over to the new place while they are there and say hi, so I will.

Sometimes I think I am living in Peyton Place.

xx, Teal