its not all doom and gloom. sometimes its goats taking a stroll through your yard.

 I know my last post was all mopey and endless woe is me. I generally try to stay upbeat but sometimes your house floods and it's hard to be optimistic when ants are covering the place you eat your meals.

Our neighbor Hippie Bob invited us to his birthday party on Saturday. He didn't invite us until Friday night so it was obvious we weren't on the original guest list. Our relationship with HB and his common law wife is very shallow. We wave at each other and he yells 'hi' to Annabelle until she verbally responds. She gets shy and doesn't do more than wave which causes him to continue yelling. HB has a constant yard sale going on at the end of his driveway and while I can't say how much he makes, I don't think he does too poorly. There's a constant stream of customers to buy his old bikes and expired infant car seats. Sometimes he decorates his yard with items he doesn't want to part with. For months he had a giant stuffed horse on a tree stump. Much like the USPS it was there through snow, rain, heat and gloom of night. No matter the weather Bob wears a jacket and straw hat. He has a bushy white beard and wears his hair in a pony tail. Many a time the smell marijuana has drifted over from their yard. He and Sue make for quite the people watching. Not that I'm into that kind of thing of course. I'm always reminding Christopher not to be so nosy.

In preparation for his party he displayed not only an American flag but a confederate as well. He wanted all guest to feel welcome, no matter which side of the Mason/Dixon line they call home.

Hippie Bob spared no expense for the party. He had a horse, a pony, a rabbit, four goats and stage where Strawberry Jam serenaded him late into the night. Let's not forget about the shipment of porta potties that arrived at his house the day before the party. He told Christopher there would also be a bull (it was not specified whether it would be a real or mechanical bull) but the only bull was a bull shaped grill. There was about 50 guests and we didn't know a soul until our landlord and his parents arrived. We were the only non-family members invited and it was very awkward. We said we "had another event" after the party and made a quick getaway. Our other event was going hiking but Bob didn't need to know details. He cornered me yesterday as I was watering plants to talk about the party. He said it was a great time, that he didn't start drinking until 7 o'clock because he "wanted to be normal", that his niece is a world renowned neurosurgeon who is "known not just here, not just there, but everywhere" and that Sue's mother sold furniture to Martha Stewart. We covered a lot of ground in four minutes.

In other party news, Annabelle hosted a tea party in the backyard. She said it was the best tea party she had ever been to. I enjoyed it, but the host asked me to wear a too small pirate vest so I was very uncomfortable. She's not afraid of dirt or picking up worms but she's also very girly and I love it. 

Mr. Happy came out for his yearly visit. We'll been taking pictures with him for four years now so we've gotten our money's worth out of that dollar store investment. Shortly after this picture Annabelle used the potty of her own free will. I almost cried. She hasn't done it again since but I needed that glimmer of encouragement. AB's future employers will really love this detailed recap of her potty journey. 

Our garden is doing so well. I took this picture yesterday morning and by the evening it had turned into a green bean. Our tomato plants are bursting with green tomatoes. Contrary to our landlord's father's Eeyore prediction, no rabbits or deer have come by for a snack.

On our fifth day of potty training we went out to play in the rain. Sesame was in seventh heaven. She wore her puddle boots, winter hat and no pants. She was as happy as a clam.