Ho Hum Weekend......

These are the cats and kittens that live under the house across the street from mine. The house is inhabited by college students. Sometimes I notice that someone has put out some food. Mostly, they depend on me. I return home from work anywhere from 5:15 to 6:00. They are sitting at the bottom of some steps on "their side of the street" and when they hear my keys jangling they begin their choruses of "I'm hungry, I'm hungry." I can pet the two kittens while they are eating but big daddy (the gray and white) isn't too fond of my actions. Once, as I was scratching the tops of the kittens head, he reached up and swatted the back of my hand with his paw. Amusing.
This past weekend was spent reading and raking. The two ultra-large trees in the yards of the two homes next to mine are beautiful and majestic. I love them. They keep my home cool in the summer and provide days and days of beauty in the Fall. When winter comes, however, it's simply no fun. The well-meaning citizens of the two homes next to mine decided they would rake and power blow the leaves into the street. Yes, into the street; where people park; WHERE I PARK! The second time I caught them engaging in this annoying practice, I informed them that local ordinances dictate you must rake the leaves to the curb, not into the street where cars are parked, and suggested they rake them to the end of the block, onto the part of the street where parking is prohibited. They were very nice about it and did so. However, they left the leaves that were already in the street to get rained upon and trampled down by cars and eventually they harden into lumpy rock-like bumps we must park on. On Sunday I raked all those leaves down to the end of the block. A young guy who was picking up litter around the block came over and helped me and we raked leaves onto a small tarp and dragged them down the street. The kindness of strangers. Love it.