It is a disgusting process. I appreciate the results, but encourage everyone to look after their sinuses before roto-rooting is required.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Liese.

So sorry for your loss, Liese.

Car.behind.crimetape.driveby. I win?

I also have this space filled on my Crime in Bmore bingo card. Yay?

So I left for the pool just after it happened, but I was on my deck when a lone Blue Angel flew low over my head. Like directly overhead. I could see the leading gear panels. Not quite rivets, but still. It was the only pass they made directly over the hood.

So that was kinda cool.

And then I went and watched them do maneuvers over the harbor from the field.

Liese, I am so sorry. I'm glad Dave could be there with his father at the end.

I dug a hole. A big, big hole, about 3' in diameter, and about 2' deep. This involved removing the following:

• Rocks

The good news is, the 8-10" of soil on top of the FUCKING WEED MAT was good, loamy soil, full of worms and other goodness (once I removed the rocks and roots). I put that aside for re-filling the hole when I get the lovely, wee blue spruce that will go in place of the crappy shrubs that I had ripped out a couple of months ago. I will have to do a little more work on the hole in coming days, mostly breaking up the clay that's in the bottom portion of the hole and working in some compost.

In other news, my legs are sore from the bending and the digging. Also, I discovered I can rip out a sizeable chunk of root-bound weed mat simply with the power of my glutes, hamstrings, and rage. Of course, I did land on my butt when the last bit of mat gave way, but it was worth it. That stuff is nasty. After the first couple of years, it does nothing to stop weeds, but a decade after the fact, it makes it a pain in the ass to rip out unsatisfactory plants and dig holes for new ones.

I keep thinking I smell gas in the living room. I have no gas appliances other than the water heater and the furnace, and there's no smell in the alcove where the gas heater is and the furnace guy was under there yesterday and said he didn't detect any leaks. It's intermittent, which makes me think there's something else in that mess that's outgassing--could be a can of spray paint that's getting nudged as I clean, could be just about anything. Beloved, I love you, but you were such a god damned hoarder.

If you call the gas company, they will probably sent someone out to make sure it isn't gas or the furnace. They are paranoid that way.

Jilli, checking in from my Target to report success x 2.

Put on jeans and a sweatshirt to go down to the field to watch fireworks @9:30. Wonder if we'll get acapella Star-Spangled Banner sung or not. (All of this, the cannons, Blue Angels, fireworks: bicentennial of the Anthem.)

Wonder if we'll get acapella Star-Spangled Banner sung or not

You could sing this instesd!

[link]

(I highly recommend checking out 1814! The Rock Opera tomorrow in Patterson Park at 7:30. We're doing that and then somehow trying to make it across town to the 8 pm O's game. This is the last performance and we really don't want to miss it! It is completely made of AWESOME.