Sunday, December 29, 2013

Sow Some Seeds Or...Something

The sun decided to quit with the coy act and it came out and shone all day and I, refusing to ignore such a blessing, spent most of the day outside.

I went out to water the porch plants and realized that about half a tree had fallen in the front yard or to be more specific and accurate, a good-sized branch, and so I picked all that mess up and took it to the burn pile and then I got in my poor old garden which is so sadly neglected and sparsely planted and it was a joy. As always, I am listening to a book as I work and the one I'm listening to now is a fine one and the narrator is perfect. I've never heard of the author (I think; I could easily have forgotten) but her name is Lauren Groff and the book I'm listening to is "The Monsters of Templeton."
Nicole Roberts is the reader.
I'm about a fourth of the way into it and I am charmed and completely engrossed.

I weeded my pathetic rows of collards and mustards and salad greens and arugula, the few kale plants, the nicely-growing cilantro. I am quite shocked at the success of the cilantro. I have never planted it before but saw the seed packet at the store a few months ago and thought "what the hell?" and it seems to like the dirt of Lloyd and if I ever make pico de gallo again, I'm all set. I do know that cilantro is either a love-it or hate-it sort of taste but I love it and so does Mr. Moon.

I planted another row of mixed salad greens and another row of collards and we shall see if either of them do a damn thing.


I cleaned out the poopy hay in the hen house and gave them fresh to lay their sweet, fuzzy butts in at night where they roost. 

And that's been my day. 

While I did what I did, my husband worked on a project which is quite a large one but which is going to be a wonderful thing. Our across-the-street neighbor built a little play set for his daughter when she was young and now she's a senior in high school so he offered it to us for our grandboys. Two little tower-forts to climb up into, a swing, a slide. Mr. Moon is digging up the whole thing and bringing it all over here in parts for Owen and Gibson. I can't wait for it to all be set up, for them to see it and play on it. I will be able to say, "Go outside and play in your fort!" and I will be able to watch them from the porch. Well, that's the theory.
I love our neighbors. They are so generous of spirit. Another blessing in my life. 

I have to call the dentist tomorrow. I have been feeling pain and pressure when I bite down around my crown, my golden mouth-jeweled crown, and I've been telling myself that I'm just grinding my teeth and that may be so but it feels weird and when I finally girded my loins and looked at it in the mirror, I saw that there is redness and swelling around it. Is 2014 going to start with me needing a root canal? 
Oh Lord. 
Well, it's not screamy pain. It's just...there. 

And this is life as a human being. Dig in the dirt, deal with teeth that were probably not meant to last longer than thirty years, do stuff to make your grandkids happy. Enjoy the way the sun feels on you as you kneel and weed. Listen to someone read a book into your ear. We are a species which loves stories, the telling of them and the listening to them. Part the earth with your fingers and sow tiny seeds into it, cover it up as you would a baby. 

Live until you don't. Or something. I really don't know. 
I do not know shit. 
But I've not given up on trying to learn.

Mostly.

Love...Ms. Moon




8 comments:

  1. I remember Mr Moon's plans to build a tree house... later... and your wisdom on how long that would take. This sounds like a perfect solution.

    Good luck with the teeth... could just be a gum infection, hopefully. Stupid teeth :/

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  2. I hope your tooth is okay. I hate dentists as I broke my front tooth at 8 and have feared them since... Have you ever tried cilantro in tuna salad? it is really, really good. I am sure the boys will love the new fort and how nice of your neighbor to think of you/them! Sweet Jo

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  3. If there is pain go see the dentist sooner rather than later. I had what you describe and it was a mistake to wait. But I did wait until the pain got screamy. By then it was a shriek. Don't wait.

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  4. Catching up here. It has been raining a lot today. I stayed on the boat last night. Nice to listen to the rain pounding on the hatches.

    Hope that the tooth gets better.

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  5. Well, damn on the root canal. The rest of it is mighty fine. Those jungle gym/fort things are wonderful -- we had one for years and years, and my two boys loved it.

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  6. Here's hoping the tooth doesn't turn out to be much of a problem. Sometimes they just get sensitive, but you're in a better position to judge what needs to be tended to professionally -- and as Angella said it's better not to wait.

    The garden looks great! And yay for the neighbors!

    I don't understand cilantro aversion either, but I read somewhere that people who don't like it think that it tastes "soapy," and that's the result of genetic differences related to taste buds. Interesting! (I may have left that comment here before -- if so, as always, ignore my repetitiveness.)

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  7. Jo- Yep. This is a beautiful solution as we are taking what is already there and just transporting it. Although it is a lot of work, even still.

    Sweet Jo- I am not as neurotically afraid of dentists as I am of doctors but it's still sort of crazy. Well, I'm crazy. No! I haven't tried cilantro in tuna salad but I bet it's good.

    Angella- I have an appointment for tomorrow. Thank you for the little push.
    I needed it.

    Syd- I bet the rain did sound lovely on the hatches. And how cozy inside your boat!

    Elizabeth- I am hoping they spend hours and hours and HOURS playing on that thing.

    Steve Reed- I have heard that about cilantro as well. And I can taste the soapy flavor but it seems to be one I like.

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  8. I have a dentist appointment in a week and already have anxiety about it. Thankfully, she gives me drugs for that.

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Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.