In which trees perhaps never before specifically photographed get their big chance

[eve_prime]

A neighbor on the street behind us has a huge back yard, part of which is actually a vacant lot with access from our long driveway (the view from our livingroom window), and today we got a letter that she'd sold the lot and a house will be put there soon. Unfortunately, they need to cut down the cottonwoods on the lot to make room for the house. The purchaser of the lot is building it as a surprise for his sister-in-law; the purchaser's wife is a pre-algebra teacher at our neighborhood middle school and a native of India (Google is useful), so I suppose our new neighbor will be from India also, which would give our neighborhood a bit more variety. Construction crews and equipment going up and down our driveway will not be so great, but it could be interesting to show D. the stages of house construction.

Doomed trees at dusk:

D. got a package from his grandparents on the coast today, a game called "Tumblin' Monkeys," which is great for his age level. (Yes, probably for yours too, keyboard_monkey, knowing you as I do.) He also got a birthday phone call from DH. We played with the Spongebob sprinkler, which is really pretty amusing, and he created his third painting, three fish in a blackish ocean. The previous two paintings were a snake and a basilisk. Tonight I'm creating the party favors bags ("Dino-sacks") for tomorrow's big occasion and looking up structured activities on-line, since D. wants lots of that sort of thing.

I read Too Many Magicians by Randall Garrett today, a Lord Darcy mystery. I know I've read it before, but so long ago that I can't remember the circumstances, which was rather disconcerting. Fortunately I also forgot whodunnit.