A Lot Going On, Also- Hank- Trigger Warning. A Frog Is Involved Here

Here's my annual requisite picture of an okra bloom. I don't even know why I bother to plant okra. If I get ten pods this year I'll be surprised. I always wait too long to plant them. I do this every year. And they don't mind the heat. They do fine in the heat but the bugs have just about destroyed several of the plants. The picture does not do justice to that dark burgundy velvet center. I suppose that alone is a reason to plant them. 

I am feeling good this evening although a little ant-bit on the hands and arms. After a day of not doing very much I finally changed into my overalls and did some weeding in the garden. I freed a rose bush from the wild morning glories and I yanked weeds for about an hour and a half. It was hot but not deathly so. It felt so good to get out there and get dirty and sweaty and rip those weeds by the roots and toss them into my old canning kettle with rusted holes in the bottom  which I use for just that purpose. I did not meet up with any ants until the very end when I went to pull the weeds and skeleton of the gone-by basil plant from a pot I have out there, only to find that ants have taken it over, the little fiery bitches swarming over my hands, furious at being disturbed. 

Ah well. It is part of it. And I feel much the better for having done some dirt worshipping and have had a shower and washed my hair and feel like a new woman. Soon it will be time to get everything cleaned out for the fall garden, which is always the best here. The greens! Oh, the greens! And carrots and lettuces. Arugula, arugula, arugula! Or, as you Brits might say- Rocket, rocket, rocket! 
By any name it tastes as deliciously bitter and spicy. 
The kale, the collards, the turnips and the mustard greens! Ooh boy. That's all the best stuff right there.  

So yes, Mr. Moon and Jessie have made their way to Apalachicola. I have not heard from them but I feel sure they are there by now. 
But what about Lily? 
Lord. That girl cannot catch a break these days. She called me this morning, pretty early and said that Lauren's back had gone out on her so badly that she was on the floor and literally could not move. That she had never experienced pain like this. She absolutely could not move to get in a car to go see a doctor. They did get ahold of Dr. Zorn's office (they are both patients of his too) and got a prescription for Flexeril but even after taking that and Ibuprofen, Lauren has not been able to so much as move from the floor to the couch. And of course she keeps telling Lily to go, she'll be fine and of course, Lily cannot leave her in this condition, not even if friends stepped into help, which they would. 

I feel so bad for Lauren and for Lily and for Jessie and Glen. I know how Lauren feels- it's the same way I felt when I had to ask Glen to come home from his trip to Apalachicola to go fishing with his sister when I had my kidney stone. I know she doesn't want to prevent Lily from going but I also know she needs Lily, just as I needed Mr. Moon. This is what love is all about. And as I told Lily- now that they know it's possible to do this, they can plan another trip. That perhaps their daddy should take them to Disney World! 
Lily laughed at that. I just really, really hope that Lauren feels better soon. At least better enough to get in a car and go see a doctor or a chiropractor or a massage therapist. Someone who can help her. 

In other, less serious news, I had a horrible experience this afternoon after the man left. I have often said that the main reason to have a man around is to remove any dead animals from the house that need removing. 
I am only partially kidding when I say this. 
So what happens an hour after my man leaves today? 
I walked into the kitchen to find Jack lying proudly beside what appeared to be a dead bullfrog. Not one of our cute little tree frogs. I mean a frog big enough to harvest the legs from for a frog-leg dinner. Not that I would ever eat such a thing but...
I almost gagged. I freaked out. GODDAMN IT JACK! NO! 
I have nothing against frogs. They are wonderful. Toads, too. But they are creatures that I have a slight problem with in that if I touched one I might die. They belong outside in their natural habitat, cheerfully croaking and eating insects. Not on my kitchen floor, lying on their backs. 
After some stern self-talking, I went and got the broom and the dustpan to deal with this situation. I pulled up my big girl panties. I girded my loins. I gathered all of my woman-power courage and I approached the frog with the broom and the dustpan and THE FROG STARTED MOVING! 
Oh god, oh god, oh god. 
It was not dead. 
I had to retreat and do another pulling up of panties, girding, and gathering. I re-approached the poor, no-doubt suffering creature, and as quickly as I could, I got it on the dustpan at which point it was sitting right-side up and, fearing it was going to jump off and probably right onto me, I hurried to the kitchen door, opened it, and tossed the doomed thing into the kitchen garden. I just could not get any farther than that with a dustpan full of living frog. 
I was making noises by that time that I am sure sounded like cartoon sound effects. The kind of noises that originate at the back of the throat. You know what I'm talking about. 

So I survived that. Barely. 

I know that Jack thought he was bringing me a gift. 
Well guess what? He was wrong. 

So that's about it. I just got a call from Jessie and her daddy and they have made it to Apalachicola and are having a fine time although they are so very sad that Lily can't make it. As it turns out, their fishing trip is not going to be the six-hour affair that they had originally thought, but due to circumstances beyond their control- twelve hours. 
Oh my god. 

Well if that doesn't get all of their fishing ya-ya's out, I don't know what will. 

Here's some late roses growing on one of the rose bushes in my garden. 

Red enough for you? I think those roses are eating all of the red in the immediate area. 

I need to go make a martini.

Happy Friday, y'all. 

Love...Ms. Moon