Trees and Tea

Not going to attempt to address [gestures broadly] all that, but I am #LOGGING-ON to announce that I have officially cold-turkey quit Zuckerberg’s internet, both Facebook and Instagram. I will faithfully maintain this blob at least once a week (which was about the rate I used Instagram) and let our friends know what we’re up to.

After a whole weekend of heavy rain, our basement floor drain backed up on Monday afternoon and by Tuesday, there was ankle-deep water throughout most of the basement. We’re lucky it only took til Wednesday to get a plumber out to look at it but they broke their auger trying to break through the blockage, revealing that our lateral sewer line out of the house had completely collapsed. We’re working this repair into a full rehab of the old gal’s plumbing (our house is 102 years old), so it’s going to be great, but it’s gonna take some time.

Lots of fun things have been happening in between the quasi-disasters. We ate at the Mellow Mushroom for the first time ever and our table waiter looked like he was cosplaying Mitch Hedberg’s dad. He sat at our table with us and we talked about National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, and European Vacation.

And we ran across the road to Bass Pro Shop today and Laine bought me a pair of camouflage muck boots. They go with my collection of Missouri invisibility cloaks: Multiple Carhartt hoodies, knit caps, flannel shirts, and a camouflage Levi’s jacket with patriotic patches sewn onto it.

Severing ties with as many billionaires as humanly possible is only painful because Instagram has been my main tool for penguin pebbling with Laine & Lindsey. If you know of other media sharing options, do let me know. In some ways, it was harder to kill than Twitter, because at least Zuckerberg can keep his mouth shut most of the time. But it’s a filthy habit and it had to go. I will chew gum.

Also we spent last night reading magazines at the Oak Bend branch of the St. Louis County Public Library and I ordered a digital subscription to Mother Jones.

I ordered this t-shirt as part of a fundraiser during early pandemic and it is even heavier and more true today. I want to stay connected to my dear friends and a little extra effort will be necessary, but my phone number hasn’t changed in 20 years. YOU KNOW WHERE TO FIND ME as long as it’s a text and not a phone call.