Tuesday, October 18, 2022

Just More Blah-Blah


I had zero excuses for not taking a walk today and so I laced up my shoes and got on out there. Such a perfect day. The blue of the sky was as pure as the blue of the water in Cozumel. The wildflowers, where they have been left alone to grow on the sides of the road, are shining their faces up to the sun, so golden they may as well be tiny bits of it, come down to earth to spread the love. 

This poster is tacked to a utility pole between here and the new almost-open shop. 


Well. Okay. I love that they're not opening until 12 pm. I walked past the place on my way to the post office but saw no sign of any activity. The deteriorating building you see behind the sign used to be Israel's store but due to poor health, he closed it many years ago. It has been sold but I don't know to whom. According to Betsy Barfield, our local representative, the county has tried and tried to get the owner to do something about the building. It really is ugly-looking but I don't even notice it at this point. I saw the strangest Tik Tok video today on a FB group where Jefferson County people post things for sale. It was some guy I've never seen before standing in front of the building talking about how Lloyd is one mile from the interstate and we're the closest exit to the capital and how he wants to make that intersection a Welcome to Tallahassee thing although it's not IN Tallahassee and that he would love to buy the building and turn it into a famous beef jerky country store. 
Again I must say- Well. 
First of all, we are not the closest exit to the Tallahassee capital and also, we are less than a mile from the interstate and seriously- people are going to come to Lloyd to buy beef jerky? In a way, that makes as much sense as people coming to Lloyd to buy lotion bars and soy candles. Maybe more. I don't know. 
Let's face it- I don't know shit. 

I do know that this is what my arugula and collard greens look like right now. 


Coming along nicely, I think. 

I watered the garden again today. Still no rain in the foreseeable future. However, it is definitely getting cool. I am going to have to turn on my heat tonight. The thermometer on the thermostat says it's 65 in the hallway right now. It's supposed to get down to 36 tomorrow night and 39 tonight. Hell, I'm going to have to put on some socks, unpack the Goodwill cashmere, and get out the Real Duck. 

Mr. Moon and I spoke several times today. They made it into Canada where it's colder than it is here. He sounds so excited. We had to each virtually sign an insurance document and so there was some back and forth about that and I had to stick close to my laptop, waiting for it to arrive in my email and then sign it via Adobe documents or something like that. We finally got that done. You know, it is truly an amazing thing that he and I can talk on the phone as easily as if he was in Tallahassee now. Also, of course, text and send pictures. 


Not like the long-ago days when he go off hunting in remote places. When he was gone, he was gone. He'd always give me a phone number beforehand that I could call in case of emergency but I never had to, thank goodness. And now here we are, wishing each other good night, sending documents and signing them, sending our love back and forth. 

I finished up clearing around the tea olive. My hands are a little swollen, a little red and achy from pulling those damn things. Maurice helped me though. 


Cats are so funny. Jack has spent all day on my bed. This is not truly unusual but I swear- he didn't even move when I made it. I guess he's doing his job of watching over Dorothy Anne and Emily because he's so damn lazy he can't be bothered to go outside and help me with my chores. I haven't seen Black Kitty in two days which is odd. I'm sure he/she is fine. 

And that's about it. Tomorrow is a go-to-town day. I'm going to take Hank to an appointment because he and Rachel share a car and she needs it to get to work. I'll do my grocery shopping while I'm there. I need to buy my salmon! And we'll probably go get lunch after the appointment. So that will be a full and busy day. I plan to make time to struggle though some more songs from the John Thompson music book though. I sat down again today after my outside work and I can only say I am getting no better but that it is still making me happy. So. That's all I need to keep it up. 

Thank y'all for being here to keep me company while my sweetheart is away. I never truly feel alone at all. 

I better go make myself some supper. Tonight, shrimp will be involved. And salad with arugula. Of course.

Love...Ms. Moon

22 comments:

  1. Good on you to play more piano! I remember plodding (stumbling is perhaps a better word) through that John Thompson book as a child. I liked piano, but preferred to read or play outside. Finally my piano teacher told my mom she was wasting her money and I stopped having lessons. I think I would really would like to take lessons again, except that I still prefer to read and play outside. Maybe in my old age . . . .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is a soothing thing, I think, when you aren't taking lessons and have no one to judge you. Of course- that is not the way to learn but it is a form of enjoyment. For me, at least.

      Delete
  2. glad Mr Moon has made it to Canada....land of hunting! Can't believe you will have temps into the 30's at night? Cripes....we barely get there in winter here...... but yes, cashmere and down comforter, and cats! We actually hit 87 today here.....good heavens...... will summer EVER end?
    I must share that my day/week/month was made today when hubby messaged me and said *there is a pristine couch for sale at Leslie's *Good Flea* 2nd hand store and what do you think*? Pics and measurements followed. Well.....our old couch was 15 yrs old and beaten down to no life left.......and this couch was perfect, he bought it, had a friend come with him to move old couch out, new couch in......and I am in absolute heaven. Everything and more I ever dreamed....plus I didn't have to go furniture shopping (which for me, is WAY worse than clothes shopping). I'm a happy woman tonight. Enjoy your shrimp salad and day w/ Hank tomorrow
    Susan M

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow! To me, the best part of this story is that your husband found a couch that he likes that you like too! I have to admit that Glen's and my taste in all things furniture are so vastly different that I'm not sure how we've managed to live together all these years. Probably mostly because he defers to me except in the Glen Den where there is a lot of leather. Both the couch and his chair. It's okay. They're pretty comfortable.

      Delete
  3. One of my NJ friends I know because she founded ActTogetherNJ, and led various political efforts I was able to take part in, Vietnamese refugee, amazing woman, anyway she's in her fifties and this week is starting to learn piano!! Always wanted to, never could afford but now she can. i, having taken up violin at 47 I hugely encouraged her. She's amazed at the number of older women pleasing themselves finally and learning an instrument.
    You're part of a great human movement, Mary!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I had a good friend in nursing school who, after her four children were raised and out of the house, decided to take cello lessons. She had schlepped her kids to music lessons of all kinds for many years and she decided it was her turn. I loved that.

      Delete
  4. Mr. Moon is in my neck of the woods - though the border is a good couple of hours south of here.. I'm sure he'll enjoy the hunting - the ducks and geese have been gathering to head south.
    Enjoy your time with the piano.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Maebeme! He said they had a grand first morning.

      Delete
  5. Good heavens! Your night temperatures in Lloyd may be colder than ours up here in Boise (a thousand miles further north - and two thousand miles west - and about 3,000 feet higher in elevation). How odd!

    Enjoy that piano! And good on'ya for getting out for a walk today. I did too.

    Chris from Boise

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Weather can be weird, can't it? Everyone has perked up a great deal with these cooler temperatures here.

      Delete
  6. I had to look up what 65F is in Celsius. It is 18C and def. getting chilly. When I am sitting watching TV in the evenings our room is 19/20C at the moment and if the radiator beside me starts to warm up I can switch the heating off from the gadget beside me....which I do at the moment, and I sit there with a fleece top and a blanket over my knees. Sometimes with a dog on top of the blanket! I am trying to save money as the gas prices are going sky high this winter as I expect you know?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes. Gas is definitely going up and you have reminded me I should check our tank. I would really hate to run out right now. I had to get one of Mr. Moon's fleece jackets out of the closet to wear last night for awhile.

      Delete
  7. Isn't technology something!!!! You get to speak to Mr. Moon every night and "sign" things virtually! When my kids were born (one in the US and one in Switzerland), my folks had to wait ages to see/meet them. I know it's not the same as meeting them in person but it would have been so nice to have Whatsapp etc. then! And what's more it's free!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are so right. Our lives have become so dependent on our technology and in some ways that is a good thing. We can definitely stay in touch better. And yes- so much of it is free. Well, except for what we pay to data and internet providers.

      Delete
  8. I know arugula, we call it rocket, maybe because it grows so fast? But I have no idea what collard greens actually are. Are they in the mustard family? What the English call mustard greens? which I also don't know much about, I know I have never eaten either of them. I know cabbage and lettuce very well, and dislike spinach.
    I'm happy that you can keep in touch, modern technology is wonderful. When it works.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That could be why arugula is called "rocket" because it certainly does grow quickly. It's pretty much a domesticated weed. We have what we call mustard greens here as well as collards. They are all in the cruciferous family along with broccoli and cabbage and cauliflower and kale, etc. We eat a lot of them here in the south, especially the collards and mustards. I believe they were first introduced by enslaved people from Africa as so many of our favorite foods here were.

      Delete
  9. I'm enjoying our hunter widow time!

    ReplyDelete
  10. THAT's the store where they should have built the GDDG -- where Israel's old place was. A beef jerky store sounds a bit specific and peculiar, but hey, at this point, it would probably be better to have just about anything in there. (Well, maybe not pole dancing.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, there's not really enough property there for a GDDG. It would have to be tiny and there's no real parking. I have no desire to live two doors down from a jerky store, to tell the truth. I wish they'd just pull that building down, tear up the pavement and plant some more oak trees there. Sigh.

      Delete
  11. It occurred to me that I can plant some broccoli and cauliflower and greens in the empty space where the zinnias were. Now, whether I do or not remains to be seen. I'm wearing jeans, long sleeve shirt, and flannel shirt. Too early to turn on the heat.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sure! Why not do that, Ellen? That wouldn't take too much work, would it?
      I've got on corduroy overalls, a long sleeved shirt and a sweater and I'm chilly!

      Delete

Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.