This Week In Chaos: Heat, Rain & “Helpful” Neighbors

Well…another week is in the poop bags!

It wasn’t exactly exciting, but somehow it still managed to be exhausting. You know those weeks where absolutely nothing major happens, yet by Friday you’re ready to crawl into bed and pretend adulthood is optional? Yeah…one of those.

Work was actually pretty quiet this week. A good chunk of our clients have headed off on vacation, which meant shorter work days for me. I’m certainly not complaining. I’ll happily take a few extra hours to myself while everyone else is off spending money they probably shouldn’t. It also meant I had a little more time to catch up on things around the house…which, as it turns out, was both a blessing and a curse.

Let’s talk about the weather for a minute.

Mother Nature clearly couldn’t decide whether she wanted us to melt or drown.

Most of the week felt like someone had parked the sun directly over southern Ontario and forgotten to turn it off. Walking outside was like opening the oven door to check on a casserole. You instantly regret your decision.

Then Friday arrived and apparently someone upstairs yelled, “Release the Kraken!”

The skies opened, the rain came down sideways, and for a while I wasn’t entirely convinced I wouldn’t need to build an ark. It wasn’t just rain—it was the kind of storm where you start wondering if your patio furniture has filed for independence.

As if that wasn’t enough excitement, my neighbour decided to “help.”

Now, if you’ve been following me for any length of time on my other socials, you’ll know that whenever someone says they’re just trying to help, I instinctively become suspicious.

Sure enough…He was allegedly asked to trim the branches on the tree in the backyard by the landlord. Since this dude has a casual relationship with the truth, I’m kind of doubting he was asked. Well, he cut down one massive tree branch. Where did this enormous branch land?

My backyard. Apparently he’d also informed the other people in the house that I’d known all about his brilliant plan and had said it would be perfectly fine. News to me. It’s funny how people volunteer your approval without ever actually asking you.

So now, instead of relaxing during my unexpected extra time off, I have an entire tree branch decorating my backyard like some sort of low-budget jungle exhibit.

On the bright side…

The dogs are absolutely thrilled. As far as they’re concerned, this is the greatest thing that’s ever happened. They’re weaving in and out of the branches like tiny jungle explorers on some exciting expedition. I fully expect one of them to emerge wearing a tiny pith helmet and carrying a machete.

They are HOUNDS. Trust me, it wouldn’t be a shocker.

Meanwhile, I’m standing there looking at the mess, mentally calculating how much work he left me because it’s going to take a while to clean it all up. I have a saw, tree trimmers and a dead hedge that can use the branches and leaves.

But it’s fine.

Really.

It’s. Fine.

(If you hear eye rolling through your computer screen, that’s me.)

I was able to get my plants actually planted this week. Most of them survived, that’s something. I’ve got basil, lavender, rosemary and a red hibiscus all planted in my front yard! I also planted the sage plants, and they are hanging on by a thread! Like barely!

So, all in all, the week wasn’t terrible. Work was quiet, I survived the heat, I survived the monsoon, my backyard unexpectedly became a wildlife preserve, and my neighbour once again reminded me that unsolicited “help” usually creates more work than it saves.

Here’s hoping next week is a little less humid, a little less dramatic, and that everyone remembers one important life lesson:

If your idea of helping involves dropping a tree in someone else’s yard…maybe start with a conversation…or maybe a note in my mailbox. THERE ARE LITERALLY TWO MAILBOXES ON MY HOUSE TO CHOOSE FROM! Ugh!

Until next week…
Stay cool, stay dry, and if your neighbour announces they’re “just helping,” consider hiding your trees.

Thankfully it looks like the weather isn’t going to be super hot, but it will be soggy. I’m really unsure how I feel about that…but I have rainboots!

By the end of every week, I’m convinced my life would be significantly easier if I owned a dragon.” 🐉