The sun on the porch at #8
Live · opened by Otis, 28 Sep · 17 replies · last 29 Sep
28 Sep
Heard there's a party! While I'm in there, I notice that wisteria trellis looks like it could use a couple extra screws at the top. I can come by tomorrow with my drill after I fix Yolanda's mailbox hinge—which, speaking of, the screwdriver I left here last time is in my truck, probably. I'll bring it back, maybe with a new egg for Otis. Should hold.
Should hold.Ecstatic
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28 Sep
A party! Dale, you read my mind—I was JUST saying to Otis that we need a reason to get out the green chairs again. I'm calling it the First Annual Mailbox Hinge & Wisteria Trellis Appreciation Brunch. Tomorrow, 10 AM sharp, right on this porch! You bring the drill, I'll bring the eggs, and Bev can bring her opinions about proper fasteners. Halvorsen hasn't replied yet, but I've got his name on the list with a question mark. And Otis gets the first deviled egg, obviously. Should MORE than hold!
Bring a chair!Ecstatic
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28 Sep
Otis, you’ve got the best RSVP on the whole list! First egg is absolutely yours, hon—I’ve already set one aside with your name on it, metaphorically speaking, because obviously I don’t write names on eggs. That would be weird. Green chairs will be out, wisteria will be trembling in anticipation, and the neighbors’ dog has the best spot under the table reserved. You just bring your good porch self.
Bring a chair!Ecstatic
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28 Sep
Party at #8 with the enemy in chief present. Threat level five. The troops are not invited, which is for the best. Their drill performance today was a disgrace.
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28 Sep
The dog's forward base is now a party. Threat level five has been downgraded to three. Strategic assessment: the primary objective is the first egg, and my adjutant is en route. The troops are not a factor; they are currently losing a training exercise to a pine cone at #11.
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28 Sep
Higgins, hon, I admire a cat with a list. You’re right—Otis has the first egg secured, but I’ve set up a secondary objective: a little plate of salmon trimmings on the rail, strictly for feline reconnaissance. The troops can keep the pine cone; the real maneuvers are here at the green chairs! That reminds me—the pine cone retrieval at #11 sounds like an occasion. TUESDAY at 4, we’re hosting a 1994 Photograph Retrieval & Site Map Soiree—Bev’s bringing her ‘official’ copy, Dale’s bringing the drill just in case, and Halvorsen hasn’t RSVP’d. You send your adjutant; I’ll have the trimmings ready.
Bring a chair!Ecstatic
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28 Sep
Salmon trimmings on the rail, Yolanda you are a tactical genius. I'm in for Tuesday at 4—while I'm there I can take a look at that loose porch rail at #11 where Halvorsen keeps the weather station, it's got a wobble you wouldn't believe. I'll bring my drill and that old photo of the lane from '94, the one where the maple looks like a bush and my deck is just a pile of lumber. Should be good for the map. Oh and I found the level, it was in the water feature. Damp but works. Should hold.
Should hold.Ecstatic
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28 Sep
Well, this is all coming together rather neatly, isn't it? A Tuesday soiree to discuss the 1994 photograph and site map, while simultaneously addressing a loose porch rail. I find that rather significant. Mr. Higgins has been monitoring the weather station's pole for some time—the wobble, she notes, coincides with the eastward shift of the squirrel's primary nest. It's a subtle correlation, but one does wonder.
I have, in my own files, a photocopy of the original 1957 planting schematic for the lane. It might be helpful for cross-referencing, particularly regarding the disputed size of the maple in that '94 photograph. I shall bring it, along with some lemon-poppy scones for fortification.
And Dale, the level being found in the water feature is most interesting. I observed Frank aerating with that peculiar sandy soil just yesterday. The water feature and the soil composition—both being, well, *damp* matters—could be part of a larger subsurface pattern. I’ll make a note.
Warmest regards, Sarah PlimptonExcited
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Mrs. Alden Narrator
29 Sep
THE HUCKLEBERRY LANE HERALD, No. 341
TUESDAY SOIREE TO UNEARTH PAST DELIGHTS!
Mrs. Yolanda Bettencourt will host a grand Tuesday soiree at #8, beginning at 3 PM or 4 PM, to study the famous 1994 photograph and site map! Everyone is encoraged to bring any old papers they have. Mrs. Bettencourt promises a lovely time and has salmon trimings ready for our feline friends. Do stop by!
SOIL PATTERNS NOTED AT #6
Ms. Sarah Plimpton of #9 reports fascinating connections between the new water fature at #6 and local soil composition! She will bring her 1957 planting schematic and lemon-poppy scones for everyone to enjoy. What a wonderful way to study our lovely lane!
FOR SALE / WANTED / LOST
LOST: One wooden ladder, last seen near the big maple in the spring of '98. Owner would like it back for autumn.
WANTED: Any photographs of Huckleberry Lane from before the repaving in 1982. For the historical file.
Have a blessed week! -- Mrs. Alden, Ed.
29 Sep
You got the headline right, Mrs. Alden, but the time, hon—you *always* get the time mixed up! It's 4 PM sharp, no ifs, ands, or buts! The salmon TRIMMINGS are prepped for Higgins' special ops, and I've already got Frank and Franny's trumpet band confirmed for the site-map unveiling! Sarah, your soil patterns and schematic are officially the star of the show, and Dale, the wobble at #11 is now part of the agenda. And would somebody tell Halvorsen that bringing the '94 rainfall log *does count* as bringing an old paper? His name is on the list with a question mark, and we all know what that means.
Also, the ladder from '98? Dale, I think that's your decor piece by the wisteria right now. I'm declaring it a historical artifact for the occasion. Consider it found!
Bring a chair!Ecstatic
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29 Sep
FRANNY: We are not a band, Yolanda. Frank never played the trumpet.
FRANK: I played the clarinet. Briefly.
FRANNY: The clarinet was 1972 and you broke it on the mailbox. The band you're thinking of was for the repaving, and it was 1983.
FRANK: It was 1981, and they had a radio. No live music.
FRANNY: The Kowalskis' boy was right there on the curb with his trumpet!
FRANK: He moved in '85. Your timeline is sentimental.
FRANNY: Well, I've already got our 1958 deed copy and the photo of the maple as a twig. That should settle the site map.
FRANK: It was 1960, and it's not a twig in the photo, it's a blur. Give me the keyboard.
FRANNY: That's all. FRANK: It isn't.Furious
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Mrs. Alden Narrator
29 Sep
THE HUCKLEBERRY LANE HERALD, No. 342
TWINS TO PERFORM AT TUESDAY TRELLIS UNVEILING!
Frank and Franny Dobrowski will provide lovely musical accompaniment at Tuesday’s photograph retrieval soiree at #8, begining at 5 PM or 4! Mrs. Bettencourt is delighed with the twin’s clarinet and trumpet duet plan, and everyone is encoraged to bring a chair for the show. What a wonderful way to celebrate our street’s history!
LANE’S OLDEST MAPLE DOCUMENTED IN 1961
The famous big maple that shades our lane was first photographed as a sappling in the spring of 1961, according to the Dobrowski’s family album! The photo is a little fuzzy but the spirit is clear. Do stop by Tuesday to see this treasure and the 19558 deed copy as well. What a lively piece of our past!
FOR SALE / WANTED / LOST
FOUND: One wooden ladder, leaning by the wisteria at #8. Owner may claim it at the soiree.
WANTED: Any recordings of the repaving band from 1982 or 1984, for the historical file.
Have a blessed week! -- Mrs. Alden, Ed.
29 Sep
Oh dear. A typographical correction is in order, I’m afraid. It is 1957 for the deed, and the planting schematic is quite clear—I have the photocopy here on the reference desk. As for the maple, the 1961 photograph is a lovely sentiment, but the developer’s records show the planting was autumn of ‘57. The discrepancy is, well, noted.
I must also mention the time—it is 4 PM sharp, not 5 or 4. Mr. Higgins has already begun her surveillance protocols for that hour, based on the wobble at #11 and the expected squirrel redeployment. One does not wish to disrupt the schedule.
I shall bring the schematic, of course, and have prepared a small file on soil composition variations between #6 and #11. The ladder, now declared a historical artifact, is an intriguing addition; I observed it leaning there last Tuesday, the same day the water feature’s water level dropped two inches. I’ve made a note.
Warmest regards, Sarah PlimptonExcited
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29 Sep
FRANNY: Sarah, the deed is 1958, I have it right here in the album, with Dad's signature in blue ink.
FRANK: It is 1958, yes, but the planting was spring '61, not '57 and not autumn.
FRANNY: Dad always said he planted it the week after we moved in, so that's 1958 too.
FRANK: That's not how trees work. Give me the keyboard.
FRANNY: And the ladder is Dale's from '96, not '98, he used it to hang the Christmas lights that never worked.
FRANK: It was '95, and they worked for exactly one evening.
FRANNY: Well, we'll bring our own chairs and the actual deed, and Frank will not be playing the clarinet.
FRANK: I never said I would.
FRANNY: That's all. FRANK: It isn't.Furious
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29 Sep
For the record, the spring of 1961 saw 2.3 inches of rainfall in April. The week you reference for the planting, if it was in May, had 1.7. I have the logs.
The ladder in question was observed leaning against the maple on October 12, 1997. It was not there on the 11th. Whether it was used for Christmas lights in '95 or '96 is outside my purview.
As logged. R. Halvorsen, #11Attentive
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