Back To Normal, Whatever That Is

The thing I had no desire to do yesterday was to stay inside. It was too beautiful of a day. The rain the day before had washed everything as clean as newborn green leaves can be. And it was cooler. I spent a good amount of time just wandering around the yard, looking up, remembering Ross. I even got out the duck last night and it's supposed to get down to forty tonight. I am not complaining. I wish I could store up every bit of coolness we get this spring and use it as needed when the temperatures rise. 
The cats wanted to be outside too. They followed me around in their lazy, unconcerned way as I picked peas and did some weed-pulling and stick picking-up. Maurice settled for awhile up there on that step that leads to the back porch. 

Here's the peas I picked.

Our experiment in planting them way early this year has paid off, mostly in that the aphids have not yet had time to find them. 

And remember those beans that were just coming up three days ago? 

They're getting to it. 

The part of the yard I worked on yesterday and also today is the camellia bed. I pulled betony, glory bower, crocosmia, various creeping and crawling vine-things, and found two bamboo shoots which I attacked viciously with my trowel. 
Not today, Satan! Not today. 

There's a lot more in that bed I could have/should have pulled but for now, it'll do. I need to read up on camellia pruning. I believe the way those camellias grow is going to be very affected by the greater amount of light that's going to get to them. 

I took a walk this morning but there was nothing special about it. I saw more violets and other small wildflowers and I took a picture of this fleabane.

I love the little lavender fringe surrounding that egg-yolk yellow center. 
There are several places I pass on my walks where azaleas grow amidst the trees in a wooded area. Not the wild azalea which grows naturally in those areas, but the cultivated ones that humans plant. I always figure those bushes must have stood beside or in front of houses that have since disappeared. Speaking of the wild ones, there's a place I pass where a gorgeous one blooms and I am watching for it. They are just the prettiest things and a gift from the forest deities. I am still enraged every time I walk by a yard that passed into the hands of the big ol' Methodist Church in Lloyd where a gorgeous, mature wild azalea bloomed every year until they clear cut the whole yard. It is now a very large lawn, completely controlled and tidy. 
Bah. 

Here's a picture that Mr. Moon sent me last night. 

Now that is Dog Island. Paradise. But not without a few hitches along the way. 
The men got the boat towed off the beach and are on their way home. I talked to Glen and he sounds almost giddy. I think that hunger and relief can do that to a person. They may have gotten a little low on the food situation. He was reading me some of the expiration dates of things in the pantry there the other night and although I am not stickler for following those guidelines, all of them were from before 2018. I know there are spices in that kitchen that came with the house when we bought it almost twenty-five years ago, as well as a few bottles of strange liquors. 

It makes me sad to think about selling the place. It really does. I mean- look at that sunset. That's what happens almost every night. We have had such very, very good times there but I myself have had some very, very difficult times there. And, let's not discuss the poltergeist! But mostly, it's a matter of practicality. Glen and I are just not up to the challenge of maintaining the house and hauling stuff back and forth. I used to do it by myself! I'd tote that heavy ice chest up the rickety stairs and all the bags of food and water. When we needed to bring over a new hot-water heater, Glen could do it. Same with a washing machine and dryer when the laundry room/workshop beneath the house got flooded. When a new well was needed, he could dig it. 
But. We're older now. And although I would love to leave it to the kids I don't think any of them would be able to use it very often. None of them have boats and although there is a "ferry," it's a lot of effort and takes a lot of planning to go there for a stay. 
But oh- we sure saw some glorious sunsets and we sure had some great walks and we sure had some hilarious card games and we sure had some amazing meals. 

I guess we need to just tuck all those memories in our pockets and be grateful for them. 

Oh, by the way- our internet is back. You may have already deduced this. It was working just fine when I got up. This morning when I walked past the little fenced in place right beside the My G***y Soul Boutique where CenturyLink keeps all of its magical machinery, there was a pole leaning over and a generator chugging along so- I don't think that was a permanent fix. 

And tomorrow I'm going to go get my first shingles immunization. From what I've heard and read, this one could be a doozie and you know me- strong reactor. But I know I do not want to ever get shingles so...here we go! Have any of y'all had the vaccine? What were your experiences? 

One more picture of Maurice, taken when she was in the garden today, struttin' her stuff. 

You know she wasn't there because I was. It was a complete coincidence that we met up. 
Oh, our little furry alien animal buddies. How we adore them. 

Love...Ms. Moon