posers.

One of my favorite movies is "Across the Universe." Probably because my favorite band of all time is the Beatles. I am a flower child.

However, there is one tiny little thing that irritates me about this movie... Bono. Bono plays the uber-hippie character that sings the John Lennon songs. I detest Bono. He's a self-involved douchebag posing as an activist/philanthropist to serve his own ego and his own pocketbook. He does not deserve to even think about singing John Lennon songs.

John Lennon was a visionary. Bono is not. I am SO tired of seeing him everywhere and hearing about him every time I turn around.

Ok, I feel better now. :)

morning.

Good morning world! I couldn't resist snapping a shot of my pride sunflower this morning in the early light. I just love the way they always face the sun, they brighten my day every time I see them! I should have put my hand up or something so you can see how large it is. It's roughly 10" in diameter... a huge one!

Here's a quick shot of my little cherry tomatoes. Of course, you know Tina couldn't resist getting in the photo too. She was kind of running past and it makes her look like she's almost glowing! Anyway, looks like one of them will be ripe in a couple of days, so I see some really tasty salads on my horizon.

Any interesting salad recipes you've tried lately??

homeowners associations.

Does anyone else despise their homeowners association? I do.

I completely understand why they are in place. Make sure the neighborhood looks nice, that there's no broken down beater cars in the street, and people are not living on a sofa bed in their front yards. Ok. Good enough. 

Why then, must they constantly harass you when your trash can stays on the curb 2 seconds longer than they deem necessary? Do these people not have lives of their own? Do they not have jobs that they go to every day? Why is it that they think in any real situation that I would be at home at 11 am to pick up my trash cans after the garbage man comes on Mondays and Thursdays? Who is home at that time? 

Scratch that... I do not CARE who else is home at that time to pick up their trash cans. The fact is, my husband and I are not doodling around the house all day every day catering to the whims of the HOA. We have jobs. We have responsibilities. None of those responsibilities include making the hour commute home at 11 am to pick up my trash cans and put them back in the garage, and then making the hour commute back downtown to go back to work. 

Apparently life would be easier if that were the case. I would not be getting letters in my mailbox. I would not be getting certified death threat letters from the HOA, and I would not be getting FINED for doing something at MY house that I PURCHASED with MY MONEY. 

I believe that makes it MY property and anyone who wants to tell me what I can and cannot do with it can shove it. Get a life HOA.

By the way... I'm sure they haven't noticed, but HOA's all across the country are coming under scrutiny for this very thing. HOA's are going out of business, getting sued for trying to take people's homes away. (Really?? You're going to take my house that I OWN away from me because my grass is 1" higher than you want it to be??) You'd think they would be more careful about choosing their battles.

I feel that I should also mention that I do not live in a master-planned community, nor is it even a community that has been built in the last 10 years. So I have to feel like this is pettiness, rather than what could be viewed as a concerted attempt at keeping one of the brand-spanking-new "hoity toity" neighborhoods on the Better Homes & Gardens List. 

Needless to say, my patience is running thin. They got an earful this morning, and I will do whatever it takes to make this right. There is no reason in the world why they should be trying to take advantage of homeowners who are already paying them dues. Especially when it's over something as stupid and petty as this is. Something that I absolutely cannot control under any circumstances.

UGH. I'm stepping off my soapbox now...

on the heels of Iva Messy.

As does often happen, one of the blogs I regularly read has shared a page from the book of my life. It's always so surprising when someone else writes about the very thing you're going through in your own affairs.

Here it is:

Iva Messy: A Friendship Breakup?

On the heels of Iva, the only thing I will add is this:

friend |frend|
noun
• a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection
• a person who acts as a supporter of a cause, organization, or country by giving help.
• a person who is not an enemy or who is on the same side : she was unsure whether he was friend or foe.

ORIGIN Old English frēond, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch vriend and German Freund, from an Indo-European root meaning ‘to love."

-cited from the New Oxford American Dictionary

People who are your "Friend" should show support, and care for you in the same manner as you do them. Friends do not run out on you, friends do not forsake you in the name of money, and friends do not lie or betray.

If you are associated with people who do this to you, they are in fact, NOT friends and should be eradicated from your life. At least, that's how I feel and that's the way I practice relationships within my own life.

Life is way too short to waste it on people and things that bring negativity into your life. I personally CHOOSE to have people around me who:

1. Love me as much as I love them
2. Respect me and my family the way I do theirs
3. Do not create "high school-ish" drama
4. Are positive, honest, and trustworthy
5. And enjoy every day of their lives to the fullest...
...without harming or compromising the lives of other people.

There's my 2 cents.

following your leads.

(sorry about the trees... they're kind of unavoidable in my neck of the woods.)

Seems that everyone is doing a post for Independence Day: well wishes toward fellow bloggers, and rehashed fun plans, etc. While my weekend was exceptionally wonderful, I'll leave my description at:

A 3 day weekend full of food, fun, friends, family, swimming, sun, fireworks, and partying. Needless to say, I am exhausted!

The pinnacle of this weekend for me was standing in my backyard around 9-10pm listening/seeing all the fireworks going off in the sky around us. This was my first Independence Day in many years that I have lived in the suburbs. It's a totally different experience from living in the city... Much of what we could see and hear was being set off by neighbors, and other people in and around our subdivision. For the first time on the 4th of July, I felt a sense of camaraderie. It was nice to look up in the sky and actually see the celebrations going on simultaneously all around us.

All of these people were celebrating our country, celebrating our freedom, and celebrating the brave people who serve in our country's armed forces so that we may maintain this freedom. That night was truly the physical manifestation of the people rising up to honor this tradition, and commemorate our fellow Americans. It was extremely moving.

As I stood there enjoying the ever-changing colors and shapes streaming across the sky, and waiting on my hubby to come out and start our own backyard show, I had a moment of clarity. I was overcome by feelings of reverence, and wondered if the Americans of decades past would be touched by our extravagant displays of commemorative pyrotechnics.

I think they would. Can you imagine what Independence Day looks like from above??