Cement Overshoes
9:04 a.m. - 2004-05-06
Some snail ate one of my cucumber plants, not to satisfy his hunger, but just to cut the stem in half in an exercise of malicious evil. It was a crime against all snailkind because it reminds me to get out the eco-friendly snail killer pellets. In my more energetic younger gardening days, when we first moved into this house and no one had done anything about the snails in decades, I used to go out in the evenings with a flashlight and tongs and catch them and throw them into a snail deathpit, and bury them to be compost. One night I weighed my catch and and I had gotten over 9 pounds of snails. These are the same variety that the brave and loyal (cough cough) French eat. Early in the century some enterprising Frenchie decided to bring some to this great state to raise for the restaurant market, but they escaped and have been chomping the state's gardens ever since. Since they are an example of the ecology out of balance, I feel justified in exterminating them.
Saw Jason et al last night. It was Jane's birthday and Joel stopped on the way home from work and got her balloons and flowers. I was impressed. Jellie had to tell me all about how she swam with the fishes at Hanauma Bay, and Jason had to explain to her the more New Jersey meaning of swimming with the fishes. They stayed in Waikiki, just like we did when he won that trip, and drove all over the big island and went to the pineapple plantation just like we did, except that now it sounds like more fun since we were there, with a maze and other things. They brought us some chocolate-covered macadamia nuts, which are always welcome.
It is now the second day of my little vacation and I am going to stay put and putter. I have already finished my two afghan squares for the day (current count: 28) so will try to get back into sewing. Maybe I should go check out more videos to help this process.
When I came home from Jason's last night, saw another clump of neighbors standing in the street gossiping, no doubt about the recent drug bust. Nothing like a little police action to bring about neighborly togetherness.
