More Tree Drama

Here's some amusing graffiti I found on my walk to work yesterday morning. The note beside the drawing says, "To you who prefer a blank wall, I pity you."

We had some excitement yesterday morning. One of the old elder trees in the back of our garden -- which you may remember I went through a lot of stress to have trimmed a couple of years ago -- broke off and collapsed onto the back garden wall. I have no idea when this happened. I was out in the garden yesterday morning, but it's possible that I just didn't notice it. Anyway, while I was at work I got a text about it from the caretaker of the apartments behind us, and I told him we'd report it and I'd try to get it taken care of as soon as possible.

The branch is too big for us to remove ourselves -- we'd need  a chainsaw, for one thing -- so the management company will have to handle it. I'm sure the apartment caretaker is annoyed because this is exactly what he was concerned about when he pressured us to have those trees trimmed.

Oh well. I did my best, and meanwhile the birds and other critters got to enjoy it for two more years.

Speaking of trees, remember when Dave and I went to Penzance last October? We went to the Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens, a forested ravine full of artworks and lush plantings, and we had a view of St. Michael's Mount off the coast. Well, apparently that area got decimated when Storm Goretti passed through last week. St. Michael's Mount lost 80 percent of its trees, and the sculpture garden lost many too. They had 112 mph winds!

I don't think Storm Goretti is responsible for our tree falling. I think I'd have noticed it before now if it happened last week, but I could be wrong.

Apropos of nothing, here are a few more photos from yesterday. First, I found these little handmade pottery vessels sitting on a garden wall, waiting for someone to adopt them. I left them there because I was headed to work, and they were gone when I passed that evening, so someone took them home.

Here's a fun pillow in the window of a futon store on Finchley Road...

...and a mysterious critter in the Lost & Found at school. (I think it's a hat?)

Yesterday I spent an hour in a meeting with my department to choose our final statement of purpose. Remember how I went to a meeting several weeks ago to help wordsmith that? Well, this time we were presented with two options and asked to choose the one we preferred. They were both very similar, and I still struggle with the need for a statement of purpose anyway. As I told my co-worker, yesterday's exercise was like being asked whether I preferred a white marshmallow or an ivory-colored one. Ultimately, we all chose the same option, which made the meeting easier than it might have been, I suppose.

I also got two Christmas cards in the mail last night, including one from former blogger Vivian, who painted Olga's portrait several years back. She mailed her card a month ago and it's only just now arrived -- but nonetheless we appreciate the thought, Vivian!