Jerk

Before Ryan left for work this morning he set the trash out by the street for pick up. I was off to an early start (relatively speaking) and was out the door by 8:30 because today is the free car seat check day at Ikea in Renton. I wanted to arrive by 9:00 so I wouldn't have to wait in a huge line and it paid off, I was second in line. The nice volunteer from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission helped me install Gavin's new car seat - the kind that is going to stay put in the car. No more taking him in and out and clicking the basket infant car seat into the stroller. If he falls asleep in his car seat now we have no choice but to leave him in the car while we do our shopping.

Ha. As if.

The trip to Ikea isn't really a part of this Jerk story. I only write of it because this morning when I walked out to the car everything appeared to be normal in the yard, everything in its place. Upon arriving home I checked to see how my dahlias were doing as I walked from the car to the front steps. After surveying the sad looking dahlias by the steps my eyes wandered to the other corner of the yard to see how the other grouping were doing.

Something wasn't right. The dahlias were there, the lilies were there but something was missing.

Our new tree!

We have hemmed and hawed for TWO years about what to plant in the corner of death as we call it; so named because the sun is so intense in that location that you have to be vigilant about watering it and it has to be hearty. So we selected a tropical looking tree that thrives in heat and is hearty to 10 F.

Before I freaked out I called Ryan to ask if he moved anything from the front yard to another spot. He asked what I meant so I asked him if he moved the tree we just planted. He laughed and said that he didn't as it dawned on him that our tree was stolen.

Someone stole our tree! In the middle of the day. It was freshly planted and not very big so someone could just walk right up and pluck it out of the ground with very little effort even though the yard is about 5 feet above the level of the sidewalk.

Jerk!

We are debating whether or not to buy another tree to put in that same spot; are we just going to be giving someone a new tree to match their freshly stolen one? If we do plant another tree we are going to have to put some sort of icky barrier around it so the $&^% who stole the first one can't just reach over and pull it out - they will have to be especially brazen and walk up the stairs and cross the yard to get it.

This is kind of funny, kind of not. The tree only cost $25 because it was on sale but now we have to go buy another one that will cost more as the sale is over. At least we won't have to amend the soil and dig a hole since there is a gaping hole from where the first tree was.