Signs Of Life, Signs Of Death, And All That Stuff In Between

I was looking out the front door window this morning and saw that. For a moment I could not figure out what in hell I was seeing. Had I teletransported to the Addams' Family Home? Was that a new ornament that someone with a weird sense of humor had gifted me? 
No, no. It was just a plain old buzzard or vulture or whatever you want to call them perched on my fence post. There were four more in the yard, just this side of the gate and a few outside. I figured there must have been some sort of roadkill there, which is not unusual. 
I went out later to get the mail and checked for any dead animals but saw none. Maybe it was just a little social meeting. I know people have very negative feelings about buzzards but we must all admit that without them, we'd be in a heap o' trouble. A literal heap. O' trouble. Things would get real stinky. Buzzards will do the dirty work and then move on to the next dead thing. I would not mind having them pick my bones when I go. I'd rather that than a polyester velvet lined coffin with my dead self lying there, eyes closed by the mortician, hands folded over my bosom. 

And yes, there are cultures where bodies are put on outcroppings for the vultures to come and take care of and in those cultures, they are considered to be sacred birds. 
Context is everything, isn't it? 

Y'all. I got shit DONE today. What happened? 
No idea. And nothing I did required much physical exertion but was mostly just things I've been putting off or forgetting to do (conveniently?) or actually needed to do before I collapsed into a ball of shame and degradation. I started off by pulling everything out of the cabinet beneath the sink and cleaning that area. Last night I kept smelling something I can only describe as "funky." Not like something had died, which would not be an unprecedented occurrance. 
Thanks, Maurice.
So I figured the cabinet needed a good weeding out and organizing anyway and got to it after breakfast. I found nothing at all of a funky nature and I didn't smell the smell anymore but what I did discover is that I have at least two of every cleaning product I use, and also quite a few cleaning products I never use and have no idea why I bought in the first place. 
I got rid of some things, not too many, but what is the expiration limit on roach motels? And now everything is much more orderly and easy to see and I know what I definitely do NOT need to buy in the foreseeable future. Of course I will have forgotten in a month or two and so the cycle shall continue. 

And then I took the trash to the dump place and stopped by the post office. We get mail at both our mailbox and the post office which is redundant and they have different addresses. I actually have to pay for the post office box but I like going to the post office and twirling the little dials on my box and opening it to retrieve my mail. Plus, if I don't visit semi-regularly at least, who is going to clear the counter of flyers, both commercial and religious? These things are not permitted to be on the counters but of course no one pays attention to that. 
Except me. 
Today there was even a pair of shoes. Very small women's shoes. I am sure someone thought that would be a good place to leave them for anyone who might want them but...come on. 
Have we no standards? 
I could not bear to throw them in the trash so I just set them neatly below the counter. Problem solved. Correct? 

I made the bed of course, because I always do that and then I tackled my shower. Every night when I step into it I remember that the tile floor of it is not exactly a housewife's dream image of a tile shower floor. It is stained and a bit cracked where I'm sure the floor has settled where mold has crept in and stubbornly made a permanent home, and yes, there was mildew on the walls because this is Florida which, as my mother used to say, is not the Sunshine State, it is the Mildew State. So for a long time I've been meaning to get in there with bleach and other deadly chemicals to try and regain some control and I did that today. 
It didn't help much if at all. I sprinkled Comet with bleach on the floor, I scrubbed with a brush and even a toothbrush. And then I sprayed other bleach-containing products and scrubbed some more and I did the best I could but it still looks like hell. 
At least I tried. I did my best. 
And I did remove a wig's worth of hair from the drain. This was a gross but somehow satisfying thing to do. 

From there I moved on to plant watering. I still have plants in the house and I am not taking any more out at this point because next Tuesday, we're supposed to get another freeze. Now, that freeze may or may not happen but I'm not risking it. This is hard to believe because it has been another sleeveless, barefoot day. So first I watered the plants inside and although I cannot believe it, the Christmas cactus I bought with the full acceptance that I would be killing it, has blooms on it, even though the cactus itself does look as if it may be teetering between this life and no life. 

Insane! 
And then I watered the plants we have returned to the front porch, giving them a good soaking. I also turned the (new!) sprinklers on the garden to give the peas and potatoes Glen just planted a nice drink of water. We're supposed to be getting some rain but who knows? 

On to the outside where I finally laid down some pine straw mulch in the camellia bed. It now looks almost...landscaped? 
Well, yes, until you actually look at the plants which need pruning and the border grass which has completely taken over large parts of the bed. But it does look tidier. 

It's not really that big of an area and it was truly easy to do. The weeding of the bed was much more difficult and time consuming. 

I'm not sure I've ever seen as many blossoms on the camellias. They are smaller, I think, than usual but sometimes it IS quantity, not quality. And anyway, larger is not always better or an indication of better quality, is it? 
I cut a few to replace the ones in the hallway that had begun turning brown at the edges. 

I swept the kitchen, the hallway, my bathroom, and our bedroom. And then, to top it all off, I did a cleaning of the coffee maker and my little espresso machine with vinegar and water. Then I ran the vinegar/water through the dishwasher because a repairman I trust once told me that was a good thing to do and why waste good vinegar water? 

So that's it, I guess. Last night I sort of went crazy and upon realizing I had an eggplant in the refrigerator which had about two hours left of life left in it, I made a sort of eggplant parmesan/lasagna/white bean casserole with halloumi on top. I had bought the halloumi quite a while ago just because I kept reading about it and had never tried it and it was still there in the cheese drawer. It was sort a ridiculous thing to make for one person but it fit nicely in the air fryer/toaster oven and was delicious. That will be my supper again tonight. And quite possibly my lunch tomorrow. 

Oh my goodness! It is raining! I thought I smelled it coming. I don't think it's going to last very long but it is certainly nice to hear. Just as good-old-god gave Noah hope when he sent the dove with an olive branch to him as Noah and his poor family floated about the planet on the ark, trying to keep the elephants, koalas, iguanas, coyotes, skunks, armadillos, bears, panthers, rattlesnakes, and T. Rex alive, even a short little rain shower strong enough to slap the ground and release the dirty, sweet, funky scent of petrichor is enough to comfort and reassure us.
Or at least it is to me and I am grateful. 

Love...Ms. Moon