We Have Crabs

Y'all are just the sweetest people. Thank you so much for all of your words of encouragement and support yesterday and of course, for the anniversary congratulations. And for every day, really.

Mr. Moon got up early this morning to go fishing. Normally he would have gone to the coast the night before to save himself that pre-dawn drive but it was our anniversary. I got up at a reasonable hour and as I do on many, many days, asked myself why? 
Because I have to pee, usually. The body's needs do compel, do they not? And once you're up you might as well brush your teeth and go drink some coffee. I guess.

I haven't been talking much about the garden, have I? I just haven't felt a great deal of interest in it lately. This is not a good sign. And part of that is because so much of it isn't growing very well. We have been so dry. But I do water regularly. Most of the problem is that although the garden is probably in the sunniest spot on the property, the trees that are around it have grown in size tremendously since we moved here and it's never gotten enough sun as it is. Everything except the arugula looks puny although I am getting enough in the way of different greens to augment our salads and make them far more interesting. And the Mexican and Thai basil plants are still sturdy, huge, and especially in the case of the Mexican variety, attracting more bees than I've ever seen in my life. The plant is nearly alive with them and they vary in species. They are worth planting for that alone. And I do love their flavors in salads, especially. 

But overall, I just don't have the usual daily curiosity to go out and see what's happening out there. So today I weeded, although there really were not many weeds at all, and I thought I'd do some thinning but nothing looks like it needs that either. So. 
But there are still a few zinnias blooming in one bag planter. The photo up top is one of them and here's another. 

I will be planting those candy-stripe ones again next year. 
If I remember. That prospect is definitely not guaranteed. 

It's gotten horribly hot again here. Not as bad as July or August but enough to make working outside an unpleasant experience. High temperatures in the upper 80's. I can go an hour at a time and that's it. Today I did an hour in the garden, came in, cooled off, went back out and worked on the area inside the fence by the driveway. While I was pulling crocosmia corms I was wondering, as usual, what in hell we're going to be able to put there that won't spread but will grow even in the dense shade. And then it occurred to me- we should put a little brick patio in and add a fountain of some sort. I find a lot of bricks in that space and wonder if that has been done before. I talked to Glen about it and he is not adverse to the idea. He got home early today because they had engine trouble on the boat and had to come back to shore. I'm glad they weren't very far out when this happened. 
He stopped on his way home and bought a bounty of seafood. Shrimp and blue crab claws and four enormous stone crab claws. 
Stone crabs can only be taken during certain months and only claws of a particular size may be taken and then the crab is put back in the water where they will regrow that claw. This is what the four he bought look like.

And to add scale and interest, that is a sprig of the Mexican basil.

I may heat them up or may not. They are cooked already. And I will make some sort of sauce and melt some butter too. 

We will go to work with hammers and crackers and picks and forks to get the meat from them. It will be worth it. 

And there is leftover coconut cream pie which turned out to be fine. 

Another day lived and another day I am so looking forward to sleep. 

Love...Ms. Moon