i am awake absurdly early today. my migraine has settled into my left eye, so it looks like it’s gonna be one of those days…

i put away dishes, threw away stuff from last night, changed the garbage bag, and cleaned out gunk from the bottom of the dishwasher. i feel like, me being a bigshot farmer and all ( ;) ) i should say something more farmery- like, “ this morning i milked bessie and then cleared the back forty so we can plant our clover and put the animals out to pasture”. but, in reality, you aren’t reading the blog of a super-farmer. you are reading the blog of a suburban mom with a garden.

so, i cleaned the gunk out of the dishwasher .it’s not gritty or edgy, but  there ya go.

i also read an article- i don’t even want to say the name of the paper because i don’t want people to read it- but it’s the detroit free press. it’s only fair that if i tell you my side, you should be able to read theirs.

the reporter who came out was soooooooooo nice- she felt like a friend of the family, and we spent a long time talking to her. the photographer came out yesterday, and she was also great. she was a bit incredulous at how small the garden is in real life- i guess the internet makes it look bigger??- so she was like, “is this it? i mean, is THIS what all the fuss is about?” (that’s not an actual quote, by the way- i just put in quotes for clarity…)

so, i just read the article- before i even had coffee, which, in hindsight, was a huge mistake.

i feel like (by the way, i hate when people say that- don’t feel, think!- but it’s crazy early in the morning, so you’ll have to cut me some slack) some of my quotes were put in the wrong context. i don’t remember saying exactly what she printed, although i’m sure i did, since she didn’t seem like the type to lie. when i reviewed the interview in my head ( 50 million times, right feythful? hahahaha), i remembered really poignant on-target things that i said. i think she quoted some wimpy non-poignant things, but i guess that was her call…

anyway, the weirdest part of the article for me was  that the mayor of oak park has some weird conspiracy theory about our lawyer.

our lawyer (i’ll just call him OL, cuz i’m lazy…) heard about our case from a friend of my son. my son was talking to N. (names left out to protect the newly guilty) when the news came here, and a day or so later, N. was talking to OL and N. said how crazy it was that the city was ticketing us for having a garden in the front yard. OL said he would represent us for free. just a friend of a friend, doing someone a solid.

at that point, some people who read my blog had contacted local news stations. the local news people came out because the city was taking me to court for such a silly thing. that was it when OL said he would represent us.

OL heard our side of the story, and thought- like most sane people do- that what the city was and is doing is completely ridiculous. in fact, that’s the word most people use. but back to our story…

later, when OL talked to the formerly crushed-upon prosecutor, the prosecutor told him that the city would not be dismissing the charge. the city told him they DO NOT WANT THIS in oak park. i capitalized because it captures his insistence better than small letters. the city was prepared to go all the way (and not in a good sense, like when you go “all the way” in college…). so OL prepared his motions and briefs and other legal paraphernalia, and we set up a link to donate for the legal expenses, since it is clear this is no longer just a simple show-up-in-court-and-get-a-dismissal kind of case.

let’s cut to the chase. the mayor of oak park thinks OL has some kind of vendetta against him. he thinks OL is staging this to make him look bad in an election year.

so, i’m kinda wondering (cuz i’m a curious sort):

did OL arrange for kevin rulkowski to tell us that decorative plantings were ok? did OL somehow manipulate us into wanting to plant vegetables?

did OL connive his way into making me make that initial phone call, before he even knew me, and before kevin rulkowski became a household name?

did OL get the city to issue me a warning about not having vegetables in the front yard?

did OL write me a ticket?????????? (the nerve of him!)

did OL fail to dismiss this at the initial court pre-trial? or did he somehow bribe or corrupt the nice judge or the used-to-be-cute prosecutor to not dismiss the charges?

did OL talk to HIMSELF and say the city wouldn’t drop this case?

did OL say that the ordinance was correct and that the city had no reason to change it- and then TOTALLY FLIP that for the free press article and act like they want to work with me?

is OL behind this malicious prosecution just to get at the mayor?

give me a break!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i love a good conspiracy as much as the next guy (and sometimes even more than the next guy!) , but this stuff from the mayor is crazy.

and by crazy, i mean crazy- not ‘weird’ or ‘funny’ or ‘oh, i can’t believe it’- i mean really certifiably possibly needs to check for a head injury or a brain tumor (neither of which are remotely funny at all- i’m being serious here). i think there is something off about our mayor.

i have never actually spoken to the mayor. i’ve seen photos of him, but i don’t know that i would recognize him on the street. we have no grudge with him, no problem with him, and-AS A POINT OF FACT- he has never even spoken to anyone about this case, as far as i know.

i know this is getting long, but let’s review:

key players: KJ, the code enforcement guy; kevin rulkowski, who thinks suitable means common; the used-to-kinda-like-him prosecutor, who you will please remember i liked because he reminded me of someone else; the judge, who was nothing but fair and patient and even-handed; us, the poor sorry wretches who just want some fresh veggies (hahahah- ok, i took a little poetic license with that one!), and OL, who has done nothing sneaky or conniving or underhanded or untoward to ANYBODY in this case.

so, mayor of oak park- really?????? seriously, this is your theory about why oak park is prosecuting me?????????? i hope you really aren’t seriously ill…

and, detroit free press- really??? this is the article you chose to write???? after spending so much time with us, this is the final product you come up with??????

c’mon, people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1