Rappaccini's Daughter

Don't ask me to watch your plants, gardens, animals, or houses while you leave town. Just don't do it. It's just better for all of us. I'll most likely neglect your flower, flood your plant, lose your dogs, kill your rat, and forget about your single fish, but all done with the best of intentions.

Probably about 10 years ago, a family friend left their rats with us to take care of. They came home to dead rats. Growing up, some neighbors frequently had me take care of their animals while they left. They had everything from dogs and birds to mice and various sea creatures. Needless to say, they came home from one particular vacation to a dead hamster and a Beta fish gone belly-up.

The very worst, however, happened my senior year of high school. A couple in my ward, in all confidence, asked me to water their beautiful flower gardens, and take care of their 2 dogs they had raised from the puppy state, and probably considered them family. There were very specific directions for me to follow while they were away, and everything was going well until I wrapped the chain around the wrong pole to keep the dogs in the kennel, and came back the next day to find the kennel door swinging in the wind and two missing dogs. Now, maybe it's just me, but in my noticing I've found people tend to get a little more attached to dogs than a fish or a rat. People tend to get a little more protective of their dogs, and care a little more if they are dead or lost. With this in mind, I panicked. After tossing and turning in attempt to sleep in the backyard in hopes of them returning, scouring the town in a fanatical search, and calling the pound to report them missing, all accomplished with no results, I finally resorted to calling the couple to break the news...ooooor allowed my dad make the dreaded phone call. Turns out, if we had waited just an hour to make the call, the pound would have called saying two dogs matching our description were turned in, and what our friends wouldn't have known wouldn't have hurt them. Needless to say, the two dogs were indeed the blasted dogs I lost, and after a ride with two large, grown, excited canines in the back of a suburban peeing and shedding uncontrollably, they were safely returned to their rightful kennel, and I was never asked to house sit for the family again. I'm pretty sure we're all okay with that.

Although not the greatest, the latest is actually still in my possession, and I am counting the hours to which it is no longer my responsibility. My sister left for over a month, and I was placed in charge of several plants. The 6 flowers my little niece had planted and was growing are now down to 2 wilty, measly twigs on which it seems bugs have been feasting, and the plant that was received after our Grandma's funeral was found on multiple occasions flooded with murky, green, questionable looking water every couple of days, never quite soaking in or evaporating. I finally figured out it was in direct line of the sprinklers, and I can only hope I figured it out in time.

This seems to be something that can't be helped, but exceedingly fatal nonetheless. Just call me Rappaccini's daughter. So, all this equates to, if you leave me with anything to take care of while you leave town, you will come back to find it in a state less than healthy. It may be past the point of no return. You may not be so happy.

Mail can't be killed. It's about the only thing I can be trusted with. I'll stick with mail.

Shots of progression

I've recently rediscovered the realms of the continuous shot setting on my camera, and turns out I've had a lot of fun with it. They're not the most aesthetically pleasing pictures, but I just like them. What can I say, I'm easily amused.

The step-by-step of rock skipping: I took this one several years ago, but it still remains a classic favorite.

The Finger: Just look for it, you'll see what I mean. This is only 4 of a sequence of 8 - all movement revolved around the same little girl with the same fixation.

"Ah Yeah! Did you just see that?!": Facial expressions - my favorite.

"Plan B": This is a shorter one, but for background, he's trying to rip a shirt. You've got to give him credit for not giving up.

My recent favorite is rather long and involved and may or may not involve something of an obstacle course and an older adult sibling sister that may or may not have preference as to whether or not it is shared. You're just going to have to take my word on it. It's epic indeed.

As promised.

There was a point in time in which I found a certain level of charm in this house I live in. Why else would I have moved in? I didn't recognize the deception in the lure of the charm in which it uses to draw people in.

The first thing I notice upon first pulling up to move in: Weird green chair sitting out front. Much to my dismay, it wasn't temporary. It's still there, almost a year later looking very old, weathered, and germ infested.

The next thing that assaults me as I walk in: It's alright, I can pretend like this is cool and retro.

Those are lights. Pink and purple ones.
I turn around and alas! Cute dress hanging on the wall! And it still hangs on the wall!

Back to my room: Those are glow in the dark stars somebody painted over rather than just take them off. Classy, or just trashy? I've pretended long enough.The kitchen contains this nice ever growing collection of yarn art from D.I. It's all made from yarn, like from the 70s, and this is just one wall.

And in case you needed a closer glance at the wallpaper, voi-la. Flower power anyone?

A few months later, this head shows up, and never leaves.

As all of these treasures pile up in this little house, I learn to quit asking questions. Whatever, I can deal with some eccentric decor, but meanwhile, the house begins to crumble. Literally. And this is where my tolerance begins to disintegrate as well.

Cause and effect: a leak in the roof leads to a bowing effect in the ceiling, which leads to crumbling plaster to the floor, complete with mold and other living cultures.

Electrical problems. One of them being the front porch light literally exploding every time we try to put in a new light bulb. Makes for a very dark entrance when coming home at night. Very dark indeed.

Our food is taped into our refrigerator. If that's not the height of ghetto, I don't know what is.

This is only the beginning. I would say come see for yourself, but please don't. I'm highly embarrassed of this house with the growing piles of filth and scum due to the nonfunctional vacuum cleaner and broken dishwasher. Mysterious and very legal looking mail comes for our landlord that lead us to wonder when this nonsensical house is going to foreclose. Let's just say the "charm" has worn off, mostly replaced with pure repulsiveness. Especially ever since the new ant tenants have moved in. My contract can't end soon enough.