On my walk home yesterday evening I found my usual quotient of beheaded daffodils on the sidewalk. It's an annual ritual -- someone will pick or mangle some daffodils and leave behind the remains, which I will collect and take home and try to salvage as a bouquet. So here's yesterday's haul, displayed on the kitchen windowsill. No flower left behind!
Yesterday we cleaned up all the DEAR paraphernalia and activities in the library. I can't remember if I already mentioned this or not, but one of the activities we developed involved me shredding several old books, putting the shredded pages in a big glass jar and having the kids guess the number of books and their titles. Despite my visceral dislike of tearing apart books, I found some old demolished paperbacks of popular kids' books and did the deed. I kept the covers so I would know which books I used and how many there were.
As we cleaned up yesterday, we read the kids' guesses to determine the winner. One girl matched the number exactly and got five of the six titles, so she emerged victorious. Even I misremembered how many books I'd used, so it's a good thing I kept those covers.
Otherwise it was a relatively uneventful day, but busy as usual -- so busy that I am once again behind in blogland but I will endeavor to catch up this weekend.
A house two doors down from us recently went through some renovations, and now there's a very bright security light in the garden -- so bright that when I got up at 5 a.m. to let the dog out, I noticed it bouncing off the buildings behind. Whoever lives in those apartments can't be too happy about the glare.
Here's how it looks over our fence and our next-door neighbor's dark garden. I hope this light is a temporary thing and not something that stays on all the time. It'll kill every moth for miles, not to mention annoying the rest of us. At least we can't see it from our bedroom, but I bet our neighbor can.
Who the hell came up with the idea of shredding books to encourage reading? It's ridiculous. Even if the books used were old paperbacks, the activity sends out a bad message to schoolkids. The message should be - cherish books and enjoy them - not destroy them and stick them in a jar.
ReplyDeleteI used to feel the same way, but the honest truth is, we throw away SO many books. It's inevitable in a library. I don't think it hurts to repurpose them for something fun. The kids are smart enough to know this isn't something they should try at home!
DeleteThank you for the peek at your kitchen windowsill. Lovely daffodils and some quirky items! The devil dogs are standing guard too.
ReplyDeleteYes, the kitchen windowsill is a catch-all for oddities that I find here and there!
DeleteThat activity sounds like a bit of fun, but it seems odd to have book shredding as a game in a library. I love daffodils. Nice to see you saving them (but of course you do). That light is awful and offensive. I’m sure it’s going to be temporary whether intended or not. The neighbors sure won’t tolerate that for long.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe no one has complained. It was on this morning too.
DeleteLight pollution in cities is bad enough without people adding to it.
ReplyDeleteI like your interesting kitchen window sill.
I don't think people realize how damaging light pollution can be, especially for insects and wildlife.
DeleteThat would be an annoying light. I can relate -- our up north neighbors have one that stays on most all of the night. A little spill into the bedroom, but I suppose that's what curtains are for. Still. Unnecessary. I love your daffodils -- they look wonderful on the sill. I like that you have a wide window sill -- you can really do something with that. Great for plants!
ReplyDeleteI just don't understand why people can't be happy with darkness. I can see in certain dangerous places why you'd want light but that's not most neighborhoods.
DeleteWhy pick and/or mangle them to just leave behind? Why not just leave them be???
ReplyDeleteWho knows? People do things all the time that I don't understand!
DeleteEvery year, an organization I am part of has a used book sale of tens of thousands of donated books. We presort them all into categories or always weed out a dumpster full of books nobody would buy or in too bad of shape to sell. It always breaks my heart to rip off the covers so that the interior pages can be recycled.
ReplyDeleteAll things have a lifespan. I used to feel terrible about throwing away books, and I still try to find a second life for those that are useful, but inevitably they get worn out.
Delete"security" lights just make you feel insecure....and disrupt body clocks and sleep, despite decent curtains..plus as you mentioned wreaks havoc with insect (and bird) life.
ReplyDeleteNoise does too..did you know that it has been discovered that birds shout to be heard over traffic noise?
I hadn't heard that about birds, but some of them CAN be very loud! I agree that security lights just make us more nervous.
DeleteI hate those bright security lights at night and that one is seriously offensive. I bet that neighbor gets a lot of complaints about it.
ReplyDeleteI think they literally just installed it, within the last few days. I'm not sure there's been enough time for opposition to form!
DeleteOff to read about shouting birds (the things I learn from blogs!!) We use security lights here, but they are motion detectors. If something comes through, the light comes on. It normally is enough to keep the deer from the garden or the foxes from the chicken coops. I cannot imagine the need to have that light on all night long. What is the purpose? Quite strange.
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping it's a light that's meant to be used infrequently -- when out in the garden at night, for example -- not one that's meant to be left on all the time.
DeleteI have neighbors like that with bright lights on all night. Luckily, I have good blinds to block the light. You are such a sweet person to care so much for flowers, Steve.
ReplyDeleteI just hate to see them wasted, and I don't get why some people break them off and then leave them.
DeleteSuch sweet daffodils.
ReplyDeleteI always feel like people with lights like that are huge narcissists. Look at us! Our house is bright as day! It's ridiculous and light pollution is a real thing.
I agree. What possible purpose could all that light serve?
DeleteYes, that much light is out of line.
ReplyDeleteIt makes no sense and must be so expensive!
DeleteOh wow, that light would drive me crazy. I recently had a situation where someone broke the cover over an outdoor light on the building next door and it would shine into my bedroom each night and light up the room. I usually leave the blinds open all night but while that thing was broken, I had to close them.
ReplyDeleteYour rescued daffodils look wonderful. I can't imagine anyone leaving them behind.
So it sounds like they repaired the cover? Hope that problem is solved!
DeleteI would not be able to tolerate that security light. I live in the country where dark is dark (but not really, since the moon and stars provide an amazing amount of light) and I'm very sensitive to light. Plus... light pollution is a real problem. I became more aware of it when I briefly belonged to Dark Sky International.
ReplyDeleteI can't tell you how long it's been since I've seen a sky really full of stars.
DeleteWhat an interesting daily ritual you have with the daffodils! It’s lovely that you collect and try to salvage the flowers. There’s something about the fragility of flowers and their ephemeral beauty that makes them all the more special. It's such a small but meaningful way to brighten your space, and the photo of the bouquet sounds lovely!
ReplyDeleteThe activity involving shredded books sounds like such a fun and creative idea for the kids, even if it did come with the discomfort of tearing up books. It's impressive how someone was able to guess so many of the titles, though—it's clear you inspired them to pay attention to details!
It's unfortunate about the bright security light in the garden. It seems like a common issue in neighborhoods where bright outdoor lights can be more disruptive than helpful. Hopefully, the brightness is temporary or gets resolved soon. It’s always tough when something like that affects your sleep, but it’s good that you don’t have to deal with it in your bedroom.
I hope you're able to catch up on blogging soon! Life certainly does have a way of keeping us on our toes, doesn't it?
I hope you are having a great weekend. You are invited to read my new post: https://www.melodyjacob.com/2025/03/the-breathtaking-adventures-we-had-in-glencoe.html Thank you!
It's not really a daily ritual -- I don't find THAT many daffodils. But it's frequent!
DeleteThere are certain norms that should be followed when living in close quarters. Security lights should be motion activated, period. We live in a dark sky neighborhood, so lighting is prohibited unless they're hooded and face the ground. My particular irritant is wind chimes. Our houses are really close together, next door has those giant Paola Solari wind chimes in his back yard. At four o'clock in the morning, they are amazingly loud. It's inconsiderate, IMHO. And who decapitates daffodils?
ReplyDeleteI never thought of wind chimes as an annoyance but I can see how they would be in a windy area and at close quarters!
Deletethat LIGHT!! Holy Cow!! nothing that a B-B gun could not fix...The shredded books could be used as mulch for paper making- a librarians project...make new books.
ReplyDeleteI think our art department has done paper-making. I should offer them some of our discarded books!
DeleteThe devil dogs look right at home in your kitchen!
ReplyDeleteKeeping watch!
DeleteI have a terrible memory for numbers so I would have forgotten too. Very bright lights on houses (and cars) seem to be TOO popular these days. I have a black out blind for my bedroom for which I'm extremely thankful.
ReplyDeleteWe need one of those, particularly around the summer solstice when it gets light so ridiculously early.
DeleteI think the shredded books activity is intriguing. It's a unique take on the old activity of guessing the source of a quote. As an avid reader, I'd enjoy doing this exercise myself. But that's just one opinion. How do you view this, as a librarian?
ReplyDeleteDaffodils really brighten up a room. I like your post title - it could mean the neighbour's lights or it could mean the daffodils !
I always hated the thought of throwing away books. But having worked around so many of them for so long, I now realize that there are a LOT of books in the world, and they have natural life spans just like everything else. I'm less concerned about discarding them now.
DeleteI don’t know what I like the best , tge abstract dogs or the Red Devils
ReplyDeleteThey both have their appeal!
DeleteI love the daffies, but I don't love the bright outside light. I'm not happy that Dr. M leaves our back porch light on all the time. I know it's to discourage crime, but I feel bad for the night critters who can't find dark anywhere.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine there's much crime in your area!
DeleteWhat a pity people damage public displays of flowers, but I suppose it is to your benefit. I am sure there will be local rules about such a bright light, never mind who now has a very bright bedroom.
ReplyDeleteYeah, there MUST be rules. I could probably report them but I imagine it affects other people worse.
DeleteI wonder if the people doing the renovation have had valuable materials stolen at night? It's not uncommon. This might only be a temporary measure till the work's done.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you rescue flowers!
That's a possibility. Let's hope so!
DeleteYour windowsill is cheerful, and I love the daffodils that you rescue.
ReplyDeleteThe bright lights must have some kind of security intent. I would not like seeing all that light when darkness is the norm.
Even for a security light, it seems AWFULLY bright, though, doesn't it?!
DeleteThat's quite the bright light! I love daffodils. How wonderful that you save them.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Seems a shame to leave them on the sidewalk to be trampled!
DeleteThat is an extremely bright light, I hope enough people complain so it gets toned down. Nice daffs.
ReplyDeleteI wonder who we'd complain to? The council, I suppose.
Delete