Ever had one of those weeks where you find a South African brown widow spider with nest on your back door, get a property tax bill for twice as much as you were expecting, fret for three days tending a cranky daughter who has cold with fever, hear really sad news about an old friend, discover that your dishwasher is suddenly making noises that can only be described as a parrot trapped within and whistling the first few bars of Sentimental Journey, catch your daughter's cold, pass out asleep at 8:30 on a Friday night only to wake up with a headache at 1:30AM and the unsettling realization you haven't yet written your daily blog?You too? Ah, that's comforting.
So look! Here's a pretty pathway next to a pretty gate with pretty plants and trees! (And a somewhat inexplicable, totally incongruous, teensie little picket fence -- but it's far too late and I'm way too much of a curmudgeon at this point to go into that thing.)
20 comments:
Hope you feel better soon.
The little corner fencing isn't pretty enough to be decorative solely; must have a purpose.
That little fence is wild. There's another at the other corner of the grass - maybe at all four corners. I wonder if it's a way to steer dogs elsewhere, or to keep people from walking on it as they proceed down the sidewalk. Maybe you can knock on the door and interview the residents for a Patch article about "The White Fence."
And South African brown widow spider? Never heard of that? In South Pasadena? Also never got a property tax bill twice as high as I expected, although this one looks about $400 more than I expected.
Look at it this way. It can't get worse. Those little fence things make me chuckle. Are they keeping tiny gnomes at bay? Is it for a bonzai sized trellis?
Hope you have a restful weekend.
Oh, I'm just cranky. Nothing serious. Although who knew about BROWN widow spiders? New threat to Southern California. Look just like black widows only brown, with the same red/orange hourglass and same type of nests. 2x as toxic. Great.
That little fence. Honestly. I've wondered about that thing for so long. It just seems so out of place, right?
here's a link to S. African brown widow spider in SoCal info so all of you can be as creeped out as I was.
Shudder.
I've seen black widows before, but never right in plain sight on a door we walk out of every day!!! I remember talking to one of those people who worked as bug wranglers in Hollywood. You know, if a movie needed a scorpion or a black widow for a shot, they'd call this guy. I asked him where he found black widows and he said,"Oh, sometimes I am asked for another one on a shoot and I can usually find one under someone's porch." YIKES!
http://www.ktla.com/news/ktla-brown-widow-spider,0,6177740.story
I love the big solid moorish wall and the toy fence. Maybe it's good luck? Was put there by their child? An inside joke?
(Black widows don't scare me because I think all spiders look alike. Rattle snakes are another matter.)
Little Bit chimed in on today's photo:
"Well, that fence belongs to the grass fairies, of course."
Of course!
This looks like the entrance to a Napa Valley winery with a fence outside to keep the South African spiders in check.
Sorry to hear you're under the weather...and even sorrier that that nasty new spider invaded your porch!!! And as for the tax bill...well, I'll not even go there!!!
Here's to a brighter day today!!!
It's already brighter, Chieftess. Jon took Little Bit to do the grocery shopping and I'm going to take a bubble bath. It's the simple things. Really.
Working on my next Patch column. I'll have two up next week -- my column plus a history piece on The Raymond Hotel. After bubble bath, I'll be chained to my computer today. Hope everyone has a lovely Saturday.
Oh, and don't forget the Art Walk tonight! It's a wonderful festival and an inspirational trek through the work of some true South Pas visionaries. There will be some fun community art projects, too, so go down and get your creative freak on. 5-9 tonight downtown.
Aw darn it anyhow!!! That's one of my favorite So Pas events!!! Wish we could be there for that one!!! Hope it's warmer there than here, cause it looks like it's snowing on the mountain!!! We may have snow on our deck again soon!!!
There's another one of those little fences that only partially covers its subject at the end of your block, on the lawn of the last house, west side.
Can't go the the Art Walk. My baseball team is playing for all the marbles.
I can't get away from that Barbie doll fence. I see Barbie leaning against it kissing Ken goodnight. But why is it in this particular place? Maybe The Shadow knows.
Ken and Barbie kissing in South Pasadena? You must be getting into the cough syrup again, Dixie Jane. Next thing you'll tell me is the Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants are in the World Series! GO GIANTS!!!!!
Barbie and Ken! What a great image! I'm tempted to go and place them there, parked, in Barbie's pink convertible...
It's late and I'm a little loopy.
Love all of your ideas, people. And Earl, come on, how can you pick who to root for in these unlikely teams? It's like something out of a great sports movie! I'm going Rangers. Not becasue I'm from Texas but because they are the true underdogs here. And I always root for underdogs.
Laurie, I'm from San Francisco. I think the Giants are the underdogs in this series. The Rangers have an awesome offense. The question is how they will fare against Giants pitiching.
I'll be happy either way. Love Cinderella stories. Love San Francisco!
Just love baseball, and often don't even care who is playing. I was a Cubs fan for years -- talk about loving underdogs. And who could top Harry Caray as an announcer!? I was in Chicago many years ago and I got to go to a Cubs game. Harry's famous 7th inning stretch singing of Take Me Out to the Ballgame was such fun. When he announced, "All right, baseball fans! Lemme hear you loud and clear! One, two, three..." and the whole stadium burst into song, I knew I was part of a quintessentially twentieth century American moment. It was grand.
Harry Caray was a classic, but if you want to know who can top him you don't have to go far. Vin Scully, the finest announcer in any sport at any time. That voice - it's like your favorite uncle telling you a story. Pure genius.
My dad would have agreed with you about Vin Scully, db.
My father was a coach and I grew up with a soundtrack alternating between my dad's games on the tv or radio, and my mom's jazz or Gershwin on the stereo. I am comforted by both, and find poetry in each. I think I love sports as much as I love art, and see inspirational stories in both.
My, I'm philosophical today.
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