Men. Men is who does that. My dad limbed our row of white pines that way, and it took several years, but it left them topheavy and unstable in high wind from a certain direction, and one by one, they all broke, or toppled.

Not all of us would do that. It enraged me when the new owners trimmed all the branches up to the 30 ft mark on a stand of hundred-year oaks along the West face of my previous apartment. It completely eliminated the afternoon shade for the units in two buildings and removed the visual barrier between them and the rehab center across the street. Coming on the end of a hot, dry summer it was a miracle they didn't lose any of the trees (which probably would have then been toppled against their historic building by the periodic straightline winds).

I would be an inveterate hedge pruner, if I weren't so lazy. And hate the sound of hedge trimmers, lawnmowers. etc.

I would be an inveterate hedge pruner, if I weren't so lazy.

Unlike a caterpillar, which would be an invertebrate hedge pruner.

I think I would be pretty good at being a caterpillar. Lazy but hungry. Poisonous, if I get to choose.

This flan is more challenging than I expected, but I think I may have assembled a set up that will work. I don't trust it to run while I'm at work, though.

Well, I ran into a coworker at the bus stop this morning, so at least I knew I was in the right place.

I was going to take that literally (because I am having the kind of Monday where I would mean that literally (not that I have run into anyone, all my little fuckups this morning have been of the type to harm only me)) before I remembered where you are AND that you would not have rented a car and driven it to the bus stop to commute to work.

Ah, there's my coffee. That will help.

It was less "run into" and more "hey, I think I know that guy, yeah, I do know that guy" as I approached on foot.

I hit snooze and didn't have time to get coffee this morning. My brain is crying.

I came in this morning to my office and apparently I had gotten the carpet wet when I defrosted my fridge on Friday (I thought I had gotten it all with towels, which I took home and washed). My office smells like mildewed diapers. I now have a fan, and baking soda, although I have no idea how I will vacuum it up, because only the cleaners have access to vaccuums.

Guh, this morning is not working for me. My tummy was unhappy yesterday and it still isn't happy with me today. I want to sleep. SLEEP. But alas, I have too much work to even consider a mental health day. Then again, my computer is going so slow this morning, I'm getting micronaps while I await queries.

Jack and I were out and about all day Saturday, from the stables to a picnic and I think I used up every ounce of socializing I had stored up. Cave. Where is my cave?