Mango Madness...and Other Fun.

Dear Friend,

I have quite a bit of non-exciting fun things to share because today (like everyday) was...interesting!

I woke up, and went to Boca Helping Hands to sign up for volunteering! If anyone lives in the Boca area--you should sign up to help out at Boca Helping Hands--they are a fantastic organization! I really look forward to getting involved there when I get back in July! They have tons of things for you to get involved in--cooking, stocking, picking up from supporting companies, data entry, making sandwiches, making food bags, etc. There are tons of ways to help out, and it's a great cause. They are really organized too--which is a definite plus!

After the Boca Helping Hands orientation we came home (Mom, Big Sis, and Lil Bro are in on the whole volunteer for good causes thing too...what can I say?!...we're awesome.) and I was sitting at the dinning room table making out a list of foods I need to make/pack for my upcoming trip (more on that later) when my beloved pup starts puffing*.

*Definition of Puff: it's not a bark--it's more like the sound a human makes if they were to *huff*....it's a precursor to Honey Bear's loud/warning bark

Okay--back to my story: Honey Bear is puffing and looking out the front window. Anyone who knows my dog knows that she barks at EVERYTHING...ALL THE TIME!!! So the fact that she was puffing instead of just being obnoxious got my attention. I turn around to look out the window and what do I see?...an old black Corolla...looking like it's going to park in front of my house...oh wait--the car is parking in the city grass (where the mail box is)...no the car is turning around and just all up in my grass....NO!!! Guess again. The car is pulling into MY YARD. Yes Friend, my YARD!! Not the strip of grass that technically doesn't belong to me--the actual chunk of land that is MINE (well...my parent's :)). So...we are all freaking out inside thinking that the car just isn't going to stop (it's coming in at an angle..so it's headed for our parked cars in the driveway...did i mention they are in the middle of my YARD?!!?) So...an old lady gets out of the car (LOL)...we thought she was having a stroke or something because in my mind--that's the only possible excuse to pull into someone's YARD,LOL. Christy and I run outside to see if she's okay...(LOL)..she's smiling and waving a plastic walmart bag and proceeds to ask us if that's our mango tree in the back yard and if she can go pick some Mangos...I can't make this stuff up--that is the honest reason why this old lady pulled up into my YARD and nearly hit my car and my mom's van!!! FOR MANGOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had to burst her bubble--we don't have any mangos...i climbed the tree a couple weeks ago and sawed off all the fruit-bearing limbs LOL...and the ones that still bear fruit (unfortunately) are not producing ripe fruit yet. She was let down, but then started to ask if the next tree belonged to my neighbor. We informed her that the next mango tree did belong to our neighbor...and she asked if she could leave her car (in the middle of my YARD) while she goes to ask for some mangos. Christy kindly asked her if she could move her car off our grass (I was just staring at the old lady in pure shock).

If I could...I would give that old lady my mango tree. She deserves to have her own, and I honestly hate that tree.

Reasons Why I Hate My Mango Tree:
~I'm allergic to Mangos!!! I can't touch the thing or else I break out in hives!! Why do I have one in my backyard?!?!?!
~No one in my family eats Mangos...so what does that mean? A bunch of rotten fruit that I have to pick up off the grass--WITHOUT TOUCHING IT!!! (Can you see how this is annoying??...just wait--I'm not done.)
~Mango trees are the Sasquatch of fruit trees...they just grow and grow and grow taller and taller and taller...They take over.
~The fact that mango trees are sasquatches is extra annoying because it's going to be THAT much harder for me to annihilate.
~The leaves go everywhere...I really just hate Mango trees. LOL

So after all of that...I went out in the backyard and weeded both of my mom's rose beds, cleared all the vines off the fence, filled in the two holes I created from digging up trees over Spring Break :) and got some old palm fronds off my coconut palms by jumping up--grabbing them--and then hanging until they came down :)....and I raked up about 10 tons of leaves. Honey Bear was a great helper today too! I will put a picture up tomorrow of her..she was so cute (and filthy!!!). I would clear a spot in the rose beds and move on to another weed infested area and she would lay down in the dirt I had just uncovered :)...AND she would drag the palm fronds into a pile. She really is a very smart pup!

Well Friend, that's about all I have to say about today. I'm exhausted from all the yard work, but it felt so great to be outside!!! It was a beautiful day today too! Not a cloud in the sky and nice and HOT!! :) Gotta get to bed now because rumor has it we are going to the early church service in the morning (which means I have to be up at 6!!). Good night, Friend...sweet dreams!

Lotsa Love,
Linds

P.S. Photos: one is me holding a caterpillar I saved, then one of my "serious yard work face...do work!" and then sweet Honey Bear sitting in the rose bed right next to where i'm working :)