floating holidays are weird. they seem artificial in how they're fixed on a particular day of a particular week of a particular month. for instance, american memorial day is the last monday of may. the only other thing i know that does that is the street cleaning schedule (on my side of the street it's the 3rd tuesday of the month with the exception of winter). i can understand the practically of a long weekend, but how do you then explain a day like thanksgiving, which falls on the 4th thursday of november. why not make it the 4th friday? i think remembering the holidays would be much easier if they just fell on a particular day, like the 4th of july or christmas.

a yard sale on linnaean street actually had a blue english 3-speed. maybe a few months ago i'd been interested, but my tastes in bikes have matured since then. i still think they're beautiful bikes, but it's a clunky ride and difficult to repair (besides the standard cable replacements). i didn't even bother asking for a price; besides, i have too many bikes as it is.

i got to belmont right when the memorial day procession was making its way into the town cemetery. the police were about to redirect traffic, but fortunately my route didn't cut across the parade path so it wouldn't have affected me. still, it was unusual to suddenly see so many cars and people crowding the usually empty streets.

for lunch i ate 2 leftover blue cheese burgers. my father fixed one of the old broken bubble machines (fan doesn't run) by swapping out the broken mini dc motor from another broken machine (on/off switch doesn't work). a bubble machine is surprisingly simple once you've seen its internal components. a motor that drives the carousel of bubble wands, and another motor that works the blower. maybe it's because it is such a simple device to build that lowers the overall quality and which is why these things break down all the time. we already broke 2 kids stuff bubble machine (purchased through rite aid, although we did manage to salvage one); will this new super miracle bubbles machine hold up to the rigors of mass production bubbles?

initially super miracle bubbles wasn't working at all. it only made a few bubbles; they were large but popped before it could even come off the assembly line. my sister was getting ready to return it, especially since my father had fixed one of the broken bubble machines. later we tried a different bubble solution (thicker) and that one did the trick, producing a steady stream of bubbles (of different sizes too, despite the same bubble wand shape) for hailey to chase in the backyard. it'd probably be cheaper to make our own solution, but whatever it is will need to be non-toxic since the dog eats the bubbles.

while my mother and sister went out shopping, my father was sleeping (the only day all week where he didn't need to go to the cafe). i was busy outside doing gardening stuff. it was so hot that i went topless, just to work off this farmer's tan i managed to develop from bike riding.

i finally put down some salt marsh grass mulch in the raised beds. i ended up just using the leftover grass from last year (kept in 2 plastic trash barrels), and none from the big bale i got this season.

i also relocated a stray peony plant from the eastern shade garden (hostas, astilbes, lilies-of-the-valley, solomon's seals, bleeding hearts). a long time ago this was where the peonies originally lived. but when trees and bamboos and grapevines turned the neighborhood shady, the sun-loving peonies suffered for it. this was why i relocated them 3 years ago to their current location on the western side of the yard. but i missed a plant and it continued to struggle, competing with an astilbe that i accidentally planted right on top of it. since there's a perfect sunny spot for it on the southeastern corner of the house (behind the garage), i took the opportunity to do some moving.

first i conditioned the soil with 2 buckets of hot compost (fresh from the bin). i mixed it with the existing dirt so the bed was nice and soft. i then added about half a bucket worth of dehydrated manure. i dug up the peony and planted it in its new home. peony root stocks are surprisingly plain given how spectacular the flowers are. it's entirely possible to mistake them for some sort of nondescript weed and throw them out by mistake. finally, i mulched the area with a layer of salt marsh grass and watered.

there's no chance this particular peony will flower this season; the question is will it be ready to flower next spring? location-wise it's pretty ideal, with plenty of morning and afternoon sun, lots of space (no overcrowding like the other peonies), and nutrient-filled soil.

finally, i planted the dianthus and the lavender in RB3, next to the hitherto perennial snapdragons from last year. i was also supposed to shrink some zinnia and calendula seeds but i forgot.

yesterday i lowered the trek allant's saddle and handlebar so i could still put the toes of my feet down while remaining seated. i found out that isn't necessarily the most optimal riding position, since my knees are very much bent when i'm pedaling. so today i readjusted the saddle and handlebar so my legs are only slightly bent on the downward stroke. that means i can no longer touch the ground while seated, i just have to learn to hop off (onto the top tube) whenever i come to a complete stop. fortunately when i ride normally i don't usually need to stop except at traffic lights, which i will run if there aren't any cars.

my mother came back from their shopping expedition with some turkish delights. they were okay, but not doughy soft like really good turkish delights. they're more similar to what i made, less chewy, more jello-like. one of these days i'll try my hands at making turkish delight again, but i'm still recovering from the sugar shock from last time.

my sister also bought a bubbling dog drinking fountain, in her neverending quest to buy her dog the most unnecessary things. she'd been wanting to get one for a while now, but we've always managed to talk her out of it. she even inherited one from a friend but dismantled it when i discovered it was an incredible electricity hog. this particular fountain she bought only uses 3 watts of power. unfortunately, you can lead a dog to water, but you can't make her drink. hailey is notoriously dehydrated to the point where i'm suspicious she might have rabies. my sister was hoping this would get her to drink more but she was having none of it, even when we both pantomimed drinking from the fountain. so looks like my sister will have to return it.

dinner was some more leftover barbecued stuff from last night, plus some roches bros. turkey sausages that tasted just like italian sausages but spicier.

biking home, i noticed the brake pads would occasionally rub against the wheels. i also noticed an annoying rattling sound. i'll have to investigate tomorrow, nothing that can't be fixed.

tonight was game 1 between the celtics and the heat. all pundits have predicted miami will win the series. i'm more hopeful boston can turn it around, despite the injuries and old age. a big help would be for either lebron james or dwyane wade to get injured. the game was good up until halftime, when boston tied miami despite play badly in the first quarter. in the second half however, the celtics just fell apart, nothing was falling, and the heat took advantage.