Levi's Very Friendly Dog

The painters were back yesterday for their second day. I thought they were close to being done, but it turns out they had to "cut in" the bedroom, which I think just means giving the paint a sharper edge, and they gave everything a second coat and started the front door. We had a scare in the morning when they said the living room wall was too wet to paint -- and indeed, there were water droplets in some areas, which I have never seen before. They insisted the water was coming in from the outside. We have some dampness issues in the living room -- we always have -- but I'm sure what we were seeing was actually condensation from all the humidity in the room. I left the dehumidifier on overnight so it would be drier this morning, and it seems much better.

Also, the tree guy was here and cleared out a huge amount of greenery from the back of the garden. I'll get some photos this morning so you can see what I mean. I think we're going to have him come back and do some more, because he left a huge amount of ivy after cutting its stem, and I don't want all that dead ivy just hanging there. I'd rather pay extra to have him remove it.

So, yes, chaos continues here at home, though the painters say they'll be done today. That would be a mercy.

This was drawn by a boy named Levi in our Lower School library. He brought it to me and said, "How do you like my very friendly dog?" I had to laugh, both at his sarcasm and his artwork. Pretty amazing for a second-grader!

I got a treat yesterday when a book I'd ordered was delivered. It's a collection of UK crisp packets, known to those of us in North America as potato-chip bags, dating from the 1970s to 2000. I read about it in The Guardian and knew I had to have it -- it's just the kind of cultural detritus I love. Apparently the author started collecting the bags in tube tunnels while doing graffiti, which had preserved the decades-old packaging. He wound up with a fascinating assortment of graphic designs involving aliens, cartoon characters, dragons and more, for obscure snacks with crazy names like "Bermuda Triangles" and "Monster Munch."

Speaking of monsters munching, Dave had some leftover lamb chunks from a Chinese meal he'd ordered and we decided to put it out for the foxes. Here's the result. It looks like one fox got all of it -- ate its fill and then carried off a few more pieces for safekeeping, or perhaps to share with a mate. That must have been one happy, contented fox!

(Top photo: Edgware Road, a few weeks ago.)