Some days speak loudly to closing the shutters and drawing the covers over ones head. Today was such a day. What started as a usually pleasant morning ritual of sitting on the retaining wall with my coffee and ducks became a sad farewell to me Tinker Bell mug as she smashed onto the rocks at the foot of the wall. Sigh.

Ten o’clock brought a blocked toilet which led to the realization that the E-1 pump was, once again, on the fritz! WTF!! F.R. Mahoney, the same people who repaired the pump in January, were very polite as they informed me the work’s warranty expired in April. Soooo, $600.00 later, the pump is operational (for what I can only assume is for four months or so).

F.R. Mahoney at work.

Besides the damage to my credit card, my monkshood, which was about to bloom, was trampled to death.

Bye bye monkshood.

I should have known the day was going to be sucky. Midnight brought the loud roar of a boat engine as three drunk dudes raced up river. At around 1:00 they returned and, I can only guess were doing donuts in the water, because they flipped the boat. Hence the arrival of the police, firemen, flashing lights, men in yellow frog outfits, and a powered rubber raft, all in my driveway.

Hello officers!

Three-thirty brought peace and quiet, which lasted until 5:00, when an officer returned to pick-up the flipped boat, which had been deposited in my yard around 3:00 am. He apologized for waking me and said the dudes had been apprehended. Stupid dudes!

There was some good news today though. F.R. Mahoney had quoted me $800, so I did save $200. However, the toilet is still not working and the plumber is due tomorrow. Yup, don’t think that $200 is going to be hanging around for very long. Time to pull those shutters closed and draw the covers up and over. Blessed be. :{