Thursday and just a little yard work...

I checked on the daffodil when I came home for lunch at it was open! So, I took a photo and posted it.

It got just over 60 degrees F. today. So, I changed my clothes and went out in the back yard. First stop, uncover the roses.

I had just collected the remaining four rose cones when my neighbor came to the fence for a chat (he was cutting and splitting wood). He told me that he knew how the other rose cone got damaged. Seems some kids were playing in the old Farmer Jack parking lot and something they were tossing back and forth sailed into my yard. So, two of them jumped over the wall to get it.

My neighbor was watching them from a chair on his enclosed back porch, BTW. Well, the one kid climbed up on my south side fence and back onto the cement wall to get back. But the other kid took the rose cone (made entirely of 1/2 inch Styrofoam) and tried to use it as a stepping stone. Naturally, his foot went right through it! So, he took the south side fence route, too.

So, one mystery solved. We talked for a long time and then were joined by his wife. I asked about his experiment with heating with wood and he said it worked great, except he had 12 cords of wood which only lasted him three months. So, this year he plans on doubling the amount of wood he has prepared.

We talked about neighbors, the paving of the road and the falling prices of homes. He built his himself six or seven years ago. He paid $40,000 for the lot and put $100,000 worth of materials into the house. The township appraised it then at $180,000.

But, every year he goes back in with a list of comparable house and what they sold for and every year they drop his assessed value. This year, they said it's worth $120,000 (which is what I paid for my 50+ year old place three years ago!)

We finally all got back to work. I was shocked when I took the rose cones into the back room to dry and found it was already 7:30! So, I didn't get much done, but I did get some fresh air and a nice neighborly visit.

I scrounged up some leftovers and then watched TV until bedtime.