Why this introvert usually avoids people

Homeowner association annual meeting today. My yearly reminder that I hate people.

Maybe I just live in a bubble, or in a special area of the world where people are reasonable, kind and generally listen to one another. It never ceases to amaze me how petty people can be, how self-interested, how flat out hypocritical. Agh. Community, in this case, is overrated.

Viola Etain. A bonus- they smell like
vanilla!

In unrelated news (yes, unrelated, as nothing came up at the annual meeting about plantings), I ordered a bunch of plants today. A pink knockout rose, three small containers of violas and another strawberry sundae hydrangea for the containers on the patio. I'm still on the fence as to whether the hydrangea planted last year has made it; I realized it blooms on new growth, which means last years' canes will look dead, but there should be new ones coming up. It's only May 2nd, and this is Wisconsin. Today was our first seventy degree day since October, I think.

Patience.

A few more small arborvitae shrubs for out front (they don't get any bigger than 3 feet around) and a reblooming lilac. It will still bloom quite a bit in the spring, but will produce more blossoms every 4 - 5 weeks to first frost. Next year. Provided I keep it alive this year.

I do have mulch picked out (brown - none of that nuclear orange or red for me) and need to pick it up this week. The plants will all arrive around May 11 - 13. As I said on Facebook, southeastern Wisconsinites should watch out for an unusual snow or frost that week (only partly kidding - the record for latest measurable snowfall around these parts is May 9th)(it would be just my luck that the record is broken this year).

Tomorrow I need to clean out the beds and uncover the patio furniture. I checked with the property management firm, and they checked with the refuse people: I can put out the old patio chairs, rug and umbrella with the regular garbage and they will haul it away. Yay! Except, of course, I need to put all that stuff out Monday night for the Tuesday pickup, and it is supposed to rain Monday. Funny, it also seems to rain any time I have a load of cardboard to put out for pickup. Anyone want to hire me as their local rainmaker? Maybe I should move to California; I could make a fortune out there.

The shepherd's hook I have out front needs to be moved three feet to the right, and get planted about four inches deeper in the ground. I forgot that our windows swing out from the bottom; the hook keeps the window from opening fully. That hook, plus a much lower one, will get flower baskets whenever they go on sale. Provide a bit of color this summer while the lilac bush starts to take root.

Not all of this is going to happen tomorrow (checked the weather forecast - high of 79!!! but since they also say thunderstorms late evening, I'm going to assume it will be a slightly muggy 79). If the furniture gets uncovered, the patio swept and the hook pulled out, it will be a good day.

Maybe, just maybe I can get it all done very, very early in the morning, and avoid any neighbors.