The Beautiful Zinnia . . . And This and That
Next to the peony, the zinnia is my favorite flower. There's just something about zinnias.
Or maybe it's the subtle nature of their existence.
Whatever it is, they've captured my heart and make me smile every single time I seem them when I pull into the driveway, return from a walk with the boys, or am outside working around the house. My vision for next summer is to have several zinnia gardens around the house. Just thinking about it gets me so excited for what's possible next summer.
It does seem fall is just around the corner. While the temps last week were nearly unbearable, 92 with a real feel of 110 several days in a row, this week has been on the cooler side with the evenings and overnight temps dipping into the 60s and even the 50s. Our morning walks have me in jeans and a new favorite flannel shirt I found at the thrift store. Switching over from shorts and sleeveless shirts to jeans and long-sleeved shirts is always one of my favorite moments.
I have a roomie these days. Angel Baby. He received a notice from the property management company of the building in which he rented his apartment that his rent was going to be raised $70 a month. His apartment was, frankly, a shithole. Seriously. It was completely and utterly nasty. Not because of anything Angel Baby had done to it, but because it was awful when he moved in. The kitchen linoleum was old and scuff marked to the point of no return. The living room carpet was torn and had what appeared to be cigarette burns all over it. And it was just plain dirty. The whole apartment was gross, but I didn't want to rain on Angel Baby's parade and tell him this when he moved there. This was his first foray into applying for an apartment and paying rent, and I knew I had to let him go.
He did a great job through all of 2020 and 2021. He paid his rent on time. He paid his utilities on time. He dealt with a mouse infestation through the winter. He figured out how to manage the ant infestation through the summer. He grew up a lot. Then they threw the rent increase at him for what is really a nasty, filthy, gross apartment. He said no, and after trying to find another place only to be smacked by overinflated prices on rentals, he asked if he could move out here for awhile. Between the two of us, we got him moved quickly.
Today he prepared a wonderful lunch for me. We sat and laughed over silly YouTube videos as we ate. We talked about his work, my work, and lots of other things.
It is so incredibly nice to have him back.
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