Just One Of Those Days

 It's like Jurassic Park around here right now, except in miniature. The anoles are out and about, skittering and sunning and flirting. I've seen several males puff out their pretty rosy throats for the admiration of lady lizards. I watched a couple today on the porch screen. He was all, "Hey baby! Look at this!" and she did take a few hesitant steps toward him and then turned and danced away. I do not know if she was playing hard to get or simply not interested. 

Today was one of those days. I woke up and laid in bed, unable to find my way out of it. I usually don't feel that way. I may not want to do whatever it is I need to do when I get up but I manage to get out of bed and get started with my day at least. But today I just couldn't seem to muster any enthusiasm for any of it. What's the point? I kept wondering. I thought Mr. Moon had probably already left to go paint but I heard him getting something out of his bathroom and I called to him. He came and laid down beside me and kissed me and I said, "I can't seem to get out of bed today," and he said, "And I can't seem to stay in it," and then he was off and of course I had to cry a little tear because...well. 
Turns out he'd spent most of the night on the guest room bed due to terrible leg cramps. And yes, he does everything that people can do for leg cramps. He's drinking tons of water and has begun putting Liquid IV in it. He takes leg cramp tablets. He drinks pickle juice. He's been taking a hot bath with Epson salts before bed. He has always been prone to leg cramps and it's a matter of circulation and that's all there is to it. All the magnesium in the world is not going to change that.
So, no, he probably did not have a great deal of sympathy for me, moaning about having to get out of bed as he'd gone through a torturous night and still gotten up and had his breakfast and was about to go put in another ten or so hours. 
You cannot stop this man. 

I moped around some this morning and eventually got myself out to take a walk. I did not enjoy that walk. It felt so forced and uncomfortable. I walked down a road that I don't usually take and a bulldog came out of a gate which I will admit scared me some. I have known bulldogs that were gentle as lambs. I've had bulldogs that were gentle as lambs. And I have seen those same bulldogs go into fighting frenzies when some evil spirit overtook them. This was a pretty one, gray with white ears, and I was leery as I walked by it. I don't know if it was a male of a female. Not that it matters, really. There was a Fed Ex truck right behind me that had just delivered a package to what I believe is the house that the My Gypsy Soul Boutique lady lives in. The driver in the truck followed close behind me (and there was plenty of room to pass) and I am thinking that the guy was making sure the dog didn't attack. I spoke gently to the dog and he (or she) did go back onto its property and the Fed Ex man sped off. I was grateful for his presence. I have been bit before while walking but not for a very long time. 

One of the nice things about the walk today was that the magnolias are all opening and I can actually smell them, even though they must be at least twenty or thirty feet up in the air. 

This one has a few open blossoms, a few spent ones, turning brown, and two (that I can see) buds. 

There's a house a few doors down from us that I've taken pictures of before. No one has lived in it since I've been here and no one has done anything with it or to it either, except for a tiny bit of work that someone did on the front door. It's state of disrepair has suddenly accelerated and I think that it's because the roof is leaking badly now and windows are open in it as well. 

And that will be it for that house. Once the roof goes, it's all over. It's hard to tell but the siding on the top story is buckling and I've never observed that before. I guess we have another fally-down house on our hands. I have no idea who owns this house. 

It makes me sad but at this point, it would take so much time and money to even try to restore it that I don't know that anyone would take it on. 

Here's another picture that I took but this one does not make me sad.

That's a branch of the new leaves and baby berries on a Yaupon Holly. I've written about it before. It is definitely a native plant and is the only plant in North America that is a source of caffeine. Supposedly it was used by Indigenous people here. I've heard it said that they used it ceremonially but I have to wonder if that was its only use. Perhaps they made a weaker brew of it just to help them get through long days. 

Here is a picture of the border grass I'm always bitching about having to pull up. I worked on that for a bit.

Border grass, mondo grass, monkey grass. Call it what you will, it's a bitch.

And here's what the root system looks like. 

I always refer to it as being almost like a net of nylon and truly, that's not a lie. That shit is strong. 

Here's a very good thing.

That, my friends, is a rattlesnake bean blossom which means we'll be getting beans soon. I noticed today that bees were buzzing about the bean plants and so I investigated more closely. Most of the tiny flowers are purple and I'm not sure why that one's white but it is. I was having a hard time getting a decent picture of them and that's the only one that was even slightly in focus. 

And that's all I need to talk about right now. Tomorrow will be better. I know it will be. I also know that some days, getting out of bed and taking a walk is a pretty big achievement. 
I know this but I don't think I believe it. 

We go on.

Love...Ms. Moon