Duck Decoys, Deer Heads, John Lennon, And Clothespin Bags. What Do These Things Have In Common?

I promised yesterday to try and do something interesting today. That picture may be a clue to you that I did not. However, Maurice has recently started lounging like that, holding her own paw, as it were, and although I think it's darling, I also find it a little bizarre. Do all cats do this? Is she so hungry for affection that she holds her own hand? If so, why won't she let us love on her a little without stabbing us with tooth or claw? 

I'm not even going to try and pretend anything with any element of excitement happened in my immediate vicinity today. Nor did I go out and create any. I just stayed here and did regular boring stuff and it felt like a very nice day. Mr. Moon and I made each other laugh when he called this morning. First off, I said to him, "Do you know where the loppers are?"
And he answered, "I seem to remember seeing them on the porch."

So I looked straight ahead of me at the end of the porch I face when I'm on my laptop and was staring right at them. And I'd put them there, too. 
So we two old people just laughed and laughed. Because that's how it goes these days in our old people lives. 
Then we got to talking about the log cabin (every time I say "log cabin" I think of Lincoln Logs so it's okay if you do too) and I suggested something I thought of the other day which was that he could move some of his many collectible (to him and him only) treasures he has squished into the shelves on either side of the fireplace in the Glen Den to the shelves in the loft over at the fish camp. These are things like beer glasses he got when he was playing ball overseas and antique fishing lures and all kinds of stuff that I never, ever clean because it's HIS stuff and I'm not messing with that sort of fussy, dusty stuff. 
I fear I may be destroying my reputation as the best wife in the world here. Oh well. I have other attributes. 
So he agreed that it might be a good idea to take some of those things over there and then he said, "What I'm really interested in right now is duck decoys." 
And I started laughing. At first I didn't want him to know how hysterical I found the idea of him collecting duck decoys and displaying them in his own personal log cabin was so I tried to hide it but then the idea of that whole situation overcame me and I couldn't hide my laughter any more and I said, "Honey. Just how much do you NOT want me to come stay there with you?" And he started laughing too.

How in the world did the two of us ever, ever get together, much less stay married for forty years and if not always in utter and complete bliss, at least in a kind and loving and often romantic way? 
I do not know, I do not know. I don't know shit. 

Yet here we are. 

Good Lord. I haven't even talked about my yard work yet! 
I had to wait until it was over 90 degrees to get out there and work because that is the shortest way for me to satisfy my need to suffer. I mean, if I did yard work when it was cool, it would mostly just be a joy and that's not suffering. 
I can't believe I wasn't raised Catholic. 
So if sweating does rid the body of toxins, I have a very, very pure body right now. 
By the way, it doesn't. 
I found bamboo. I kicked bamboo, I dug bamboo, I lopped bamboo. 
I found a culm that was too big around for me to do anything with so it remains where it is, shooting up to the sky as if it wanted to poke it in the eye. 
And when I'd done that and hauled a bunch of bamboo to Burn Pile #2, not to be confused with Burn Pile #1, I started doing a little clearing of the old kitchen garden area which is so bad I am too ashamed to even take a picture of it to show you. There is every type of invasive plant in there that we have in this yard with the possible exception of crocosmia and why that hasn't happened yet, I do not know. There is also a whole bunch of phlox that I planted but it all looks funky right now, probably with something like powdery mildew although I've looked that up and it doesn't seem to be an exact match for what's going on. The (literally) stinking Glory Bower is celebrating its obvious victory over me and my puny attempts to eradicate it. Virginia Creeper is much in evidence along with dewberries and other plants that I have no idea as to identity and don't care. I really should have Glen help me just clear that area and make a lovely little herb and flower bed there. 
Dang, I need some goats. 
And when I had worked some on that and had soaked through my underwear, shirt, and hat, I lopped off all the yellow fronds of a sago palm by the camellia bed and swore a silent promise to that bed to get in there soon and clear some things out and trim some things up. 

So that's been my big day. 
Oh. Here's something. 

One of the aloe vera is in bloom and if you can make out the blurry stuff going on behind that bloom, you might see about a hundred more aloe vera along with some dewberry vines. 
One day I am going to dig that whole area up and I will probably need a medic to stitch me up when I'm done. Both the aloe vera and the dewberry have vicious, vicious thorns, the aloe vera especially. Its edges are as sharp and serrated as a shark's teeth while my skin is as thin and easily pierced as tissue paper. 

Since I have so few pictures today, I took some of the art on the east side of my laundry room. I have posted many pictures of the other end of the room. It has plants and wood and fabric fish and a beautiful picture that Lily made me and a beautiful girl in a shell that Linda Sue made me and all of that is on or over the folding table. 
However, a new display has been developing over the washing machine and it brings me much joy. 

The whole thing started when Linda Sue sent me that darling little clothespin bag made to look like a child's outfit. 

I hung it where you now see John Lennon which my darling friends Beth and John got me in NYC. 

I am definitely not a matchy-matchy person when it comes to colors in my decor. (Haha!) However, the shades of blue and red in both of those things were too good not to show in proximity to each other. And then I remembered the apron.

Well. That certainly had to go in there somewhere. 
And finally, the hand stitched hankies or whatever they are that Liz Sparks gave me long ago absolutely had to be included.

Please enlarge them and look at what incredible folk art they are. Of course I had to frame them. And again- all the right colors. 

This little corner gives me so much pleasure every day because as you can imagine, I not only spend a lot of time IN the laundry room, I also walk through it many, many times a day. To get to our bedroom and my bathroom from the kitchen or dining room or Glen Den or library, you have to pass through it. 

Honestly, I probably should not be laughing at Mr. Moon for wanting to collect duck decoys to decorate his new house with. We love what we love. 

Ms. Moon