Chainsaws And Grandsons

When I got up this morning I discovered that the tree guys had already been here for half an hour. As I mentioned before, it's a father and son team and they work like demons. One was operating a front-end loader with which he hauled branches and tree parts to the fire they'd started in the area between the back yard and the old barn. The other was doing the chain-sawing and it was like a dance they were doing. A very fast and fancy dance that was well-rehearsed. When they left around noon, four of the trees had been removed. They'll be back tomorrow. The dad told me that these were the biggest Bradford pears he'd ever seen. 
I was a bit surprised to hear that but I doubt he'd lie to me. 

It's going to be different around here. But it's sort of nice to think about what we can put into that space now. Fruit trees really would be a good thing. I even suggested we plant a new live oak as the ones in our yard are mostly so very old.

Well, we'll see. 

Jessie brought the boys out this afternoon for a little visit. They were out of school for President's Day. I got to watch the video of Vergil at the circus and it was truly amazing and funny. He was indeed handcuffed and bound to a large wooden prop thing and there were two balloons placed on either side of his head. By the clown costume of the archer and the garishness of the bow, it was obvious that no one would really be shooting arrows at Vergil but still- once he was blindfolded, it had to be slightly nerve-wracking. "Hold still! Hold still!" the assistant kept saying and he did. There would be a countdown, "One, two, three!" and then the assistant would stab (as August and Levon said) a balloon. "Pop!"
After the second balloon, they decided to put one over his head. "He's too tall!" they said, and so they put it between his legs. Comedy! And then that got popped too. 
I imagine that those boys were incredibly impressed with their papa, the star of the circus! 

I picked some more camellias today. They are still so beautiful. 

I love the way the bright sunlight shines through these delicate petals. 

Here's what the ones I picked look like in the hallway.

They grace my life. 

I finished weeding the area in the garden where I'll be planting the beans. That felt good. Glen said that he'll drive to town for another load of compost tomorrow. Maybe I'll even help him shovel and spread it.

So really, all is well here in Lloyd. It is going to be a big change with those trees down. But as Glen keeps telling me, it's only going to be a few hours everyday when the amount of sun we get on the back porch will be much increased. The magnolia tree which is just a few feet, really, from the row of the Bradford pears is so immense and tall that it blocks a lot of sun. And the pecans on the other side offer shade too. 

Here are my three little periwinkle's that I bought in their new pot. 

It hangs from the kitchen porch. When I was a child, growing up in Roseland, periwinkles were everywhere but only lavender and white and pink ones. We used to pick the flowers and string them with a needle and thread to make necklaces. The red ones seem so exotic to me and yet, at the same time, familiar and comforting. I hope they like it there. 

The sweetest thing that happened today was when I was telling the boys goodbye. August and Levon, as we all know by now are not the most physically affectionate children. They are with their mama and daddy but that's about enough for them. So I am very careful not to overstep my bounds with my hugs and my kisses. When I was saying goodbye to August, I softly gave his little sun-warmed head some tiny kisses and as I did that, he leaned his head towards me like a sunflower leaning into the sun. 
I took that into my heart. 

Love...Ms. Moon

Miscellanea

Of course I had to do a little research on the Moon Infused Water I saw for sale yesterday and it is everything I expected and more. Surprisingly, it's a quite well-known thing. That photo is of a tin sign that you can buy on Amazon for wall decor. It is 6 by 8 inches and costs $5.57 which sounds like a steal to me. 
A long time ago I did a post on "ancient wisdom" and other related topics. It really disturbs me when people get all excited about something because it's based on ancient wisdom or ancient customs or ancient beliefs or...well, ancient whatever. 

Turns out that Moon Water is based on several of those ancient things or at least Moon Water's proponents claim that to be true. Here's a quote from a Yoga Journal article about the stuff. 

"Rooted in ancient traditions and infused with otherworldly beliefs, the sacred ritual of placing water where it will be infused with moonlight holds significance in cultures that revere nature and align with the lunar phases."

In this case, Moon Water is rooted in "ancient traditions." If you click on the link above you can find out all about it. 
I think humans are incredibly gullible creatures and that's all I'll say about that because Jessie says I'm judgmental and after doing a casual mental inventory, I do believe she is right. I'll probably write about that someday too. 

Next up! The garden! Mr. Moon, as I noted the other day, got a truckload of compost at the Tallahassee Waste Management facility. They give it to you for free. This is exciting. Yes, I do have a compost pile but that does not mean we have our own compost because we don't do it "right". We just throw stuff on a pile and occasionally pitchfork the stuff over. One of these days we have to use it though because it still has the goodness of chicken shit hay in it. I do believe it's mellow enough by now. 
In the meantime, Mr. Moon unloaded the truck and spread the compost around on the rows and it looks like this.

Now is that not beautiful? He's going to get another truckload and then the pine straw I mentioned. I think he's a little disappointed in me that I did not help him unload that truck. When we first started living together (which was approximately five moments after we met), he said he'd help me make a garden and he did. We went to a horse farm and got some of their horse shit hay and I helped him load it on the truck and then did a lot of the shoveling of it off the truck into the garden. 
Between seeing that and watching how I made biscuits without a recipe or so much as a measuring spoon, he fell in love. Well, there was another thing involved but it would not be ladylike to mention it. 

And I have continued to shovel shit over the almost-forty years we've now been married but my days of that could be over. I just did not feel compelled to help him. And I do believe, as I said, that he was somewhat disappointed. 
I told him that I still make him biscuits (I did that this morning, in fact) and the other thing too. He agreed that this was probably sufficient. 

We do make each other laugh. This morning we were talking about the standing water across from the GDDG. He said he'd noticed it too. We both shook our heads in dismay and then he said, "Yeah, before you know it, there'll be fish in there."
"Yes," I said. "There's always a bright side." 

He is an optimist, isn't he?

Now let's discuss Maurice. Sorry for the blurry picture but she was up in my face and I was in bed, lying down. For the past two or three nights that cat has claimed the space in our bed for her own to sleep with us. Jack is our usual co-sleeper and there have been bloody fights over the land rights. But for whatever reason, she has lately been determined to sleep with us and Jack doesn't even fight her on it. She's gotten into a little routine wherein when she knows I'm going to bed, she leads me into the bathroom where I brush my teeth, take my shower, apply various creams that do nothing they promise, and all that stuff. She patrols every nook and cranny of my bathroom, under the dresser, behind the tub, etc. When I am done and in my nightgown, she stands by the door, I open it, and she waits until I get in bed and then she gets in bed to cuddle beside me. 
None of this is particularly surprising but what IS surprising is that she is letting me pet her without biting me. She even does a little tongue grooming of my arm. Also- she does not get up with Mr. Moon who is always out of the bed before me, but waits until I get up, follows me back into the bathroom, waits until I am dressed and washed and brushed and ready for the day and then follows me out. 
I have no idea what's going on. This is the friendliest this cat has ever been. I am under no delusions that she's never going to bite or scratch me again. 
None. But it is interesting. 
I have a theory that she's only using me to get back at Glen for going off and leaving her on his hunting and fishing trips. But who knows? Not me. 

I've spent a good portion of the day trying to make us something for dinner. The thing I'm making has gone through several iterations. At first I thought to make a greens and white bean, chicken and parmesan stew, and then I thought, nah, I'll make a white bean and chicken chili, and then I discovered that I had no no green chilis and now it's going to be mutt soup with chicken, greens, white beans, parmesan, and pasta, I guess. With tomatoes. 

It's taken me four different pots to make that soup, including the pressure cooker I had to use to get the beans cooked. They were white kidney beans which I bought because I'd never seen them before and was curious as to how they'd taste. 
They seem to taste pretty okay. 

Whoa! I'm getting texts about Vergil being in a circus today. I must explore this. 

Oh my god. Blindfolds, handcuffs, and popped balloons were involved. Cirque Italia. 
I'll update you on this tomorrow.

Meanwhile...sunset in Lloyd tonight. 

No filters. No editing. 
Not unlike this post. 

Love...Ms. Moon

Spring Fever

I went to the post office this morning as I was expecting to get some seeds in the mail. These seeds were being sent by blog friend and very sweet lady, Jennifer, who blogs at Sparrow Tree Journal. We both like to garden and she is very into heirloom seeds and so kindly offered to send me some of her favorites. They DID arrive today and I got so excited that I drove to town in the RAIN (well, drizzle) to a nursery to get what I needed to start seedlings. 

Before I did that, I stopped by the Gypsy Soul place with an item in mind to actually buy. I wanted to get some lavender oil. Now one would think that a store that reeks of incense and homemade soap would have essential oils, right? But one would be wrong. They DID have "Full Moon Infused Water" in tiny bottles for five dollars, labeled with the different moons the water had been collected in. 

Meaning what, I wonder? Did someone turn a tap on when the moon was full? And what is one supposed to do with Full Moon Infused Water?

But there was no lavender oil. Or any essential oils for that matter. 

Sigh.

Mr. Moon went to a basketball game in the early afternoon and met the Weatherfords there. FSU was playing Duke, where Vergil attended college for his undergraduate work. So I knew they were going to have a good time and I think they did. Glen said that August ate 3/4's of a huge container of popcorn. I am not surprised. And I went to a nursery. I found the potting cups I wanted and some plastic trays to go underneath them, labels for the various seeds, and starting soil mix. I know I could have found everything around here except the soil mix to substitute for the store bought items but I wanted to get those pretty little tomato seeds in dirt as quickly as possible. After I collected all of my seedling needs inside the nursery, I went outside where the plants are kept and bought myself three small pots with a periwinkle plant in each and two small pots of Thai Basil. There was hardly anyone at the nursery and I had a tiny, very real moment of happiness as I wondered around and looked at plants in the rain. 

They all looked so glad for the sky water. 

And then I came home and carefully planted my seeds. 

Jennifer wrote the names of each variety on the little bags the seeds were in and I even looked them all up and wrote down a little description of them in a notebook. Oh, I hope they just burst out of those peat pots and demand to be planted in the garden. 
I did discover something about myself that I did not know while doing this. You know how some people have sensory sensitivities? Well, I've never thought I did, although some substances do not make me especially happy to touch. But in handling those peat pots I realized that touching them, handling them, was almost agonizing for me. I know, I know- makes no sense but there you go. 
I put on gloves. Problem solved.

All right. I'm late getting started on supper. It's still raining a nice drizzle that I'm sure all of the plants outside are loving and the bird frogs are singing raucous and jolly tunes about how much they're enjoying it. Gosh, they're loud.

Oh. Guess who has Covid now? 

Lily. I guess it's really going around. She says that Lauren is taking good care of her. I'm sure she is. She's a dear girl and a good woman. And obviously, the Weatherfords have all recovered nicely. I feel certain that Lily will too. 

Love...Ms. Moon

Let's Mix It Up (Trump! You're Fired!)

Have we all seen this? Heard this? 
I just deleted about ten paragraphs (lucky you!) about current events. When I found myself discussing the possibility of strokes or heart attacks happening to someone while throwing ketchup at the wall, I stopped. 

And now I really don't know what to talk about. It's just been a regular day. When I woke up I did not feel good at all and asked Mr. Moon if he'd get me some covid tests in town when he went in to work out. I mean- I was with Jessie and August and Levon (who are all feeling fine now) on Sunday. But as the day has progressed I've felt better and better and got some more weeding done, trying to clear out the area where I'll plant my green beans. 

Here is something that gave me great pleasure today. Which gives me great pleasure most days. And that may be silly, but it's true. 

Folding laundry on the table my husband made just for that purpose and custom made to fit in our laundry room. Especially in the earlier part of the day when the sun streams in through that window and I have a little moment with my plants there. I am so hoping that the orchid shoots that are coming out will actually bloom. I give them silent encouragement many times a day. 

Here are the bags that Mr. Moon has planted the potatoes in. 

For whatever reason, he is quite excited about the garden this spring. He even went to a tomato growing class at a local nursery last weekend. I am glad for this. We need to spread out the compost he got and then he plans to get pine needles to use as mulch which is what they recommended at the class he went to. Yes, I know that pine needles can alter the acidity of the soil but the guy who taught the class said it's not enough to affect the growth of the plants. 

I've got a lovely chicken in the oven, salad greens picked and washed, and I will soon put potatoes on to boil. The chicken is in my biggest cast iron skilled, resting on a layer of cut up carrots, onions, and garlic. I should have brought in some of these to roast too but I did not. 

I am becoming very fond of turnips, either diced and cooked with a variety of greens, including their own, raw and thinly sliced in salads, or stir-fried, as I cooked them last night. 

Back to Trump- the article above stated that if he pays the $350 million dollars the court has ordered him to pay and the $83 million he was also court-ordered to pay E. Jean Carroll, it will wipe out all of his cash, stocks and bonds. 

Of course he'll contest all of this but every time he goes back to court, his legal bills increase and I can only imagine that they are astronomical at this point. I have to wonder how many attorneys would take on that sort of client, knowing that funds may be limited and also, that the man is guilty as fuck. 

All right. 
Well. 

Happy Friday, y'all. 

Love...Ms. Moon

More Flowers

Are these not exquisite? Look at that color. I want a silk velvet dress in that color. I want to lick that color. I want to paint all the walls in my house that color and the floors too. They're the blossoms of a Japanese Magnolia or, as we sometimes call them, a tulip tree. They are generally pale pink-blossomed but this tree is of a much more dramatic colored variety. 

The azaleas really are coming along. I love their stamens and anthers.

To me they look like they're boldly but gracefully beckoning to pollinators saying, "Come on over, big girl! Come sip my nectar." 

Don't you think? 

I haven't done a whole lot today. I haven't really felt at the top of my game, quite possibly due to yesterday's grand Valentine's celebration preparation. And the celebration itself, of course. Besides all the food I'd mentioned, there were also steaks that Mr. Moon grilled AND artichokes. Oh, and martinis were involved. But we weren't crazy or anything. There was no hanging from the chandeliers. 

Mr. Moon has been gardening mostly today, getting the dirt ready for spring planting and putting compost and soil in the potato growing bags. He did a lot of weeding and I did some too. That garden is looking so good. I picked some collards and kale and mustards and turnip greens to go into a stir fry I'll make tonight with the leftover steak of which there is a great deal. There will be other vegetables. We need to eat a little more mindfully around here. The last Valentine's Day present Glen gave me was a box of Godiva's. The man has obviously lost his mind. So now we have Godiva's and truffles. I made a quick trip to the GDDG this afternoon for celery and milk and a few other things and before I left the house, I told Glen in all seriousness that while I was there I would pick up some chocolate because WE JUST DON'T HAVE ENOUGH IN THIS HOUSE! 
The GDDG is always a trip. It smells like cheap dryer softener sheets and there are about enough horrible fluorescent lights to light up a closet. It is grim. They might as well put a sign on the front door which says, "Abandon Hope, All Ye Who Enter Here." At least that's the vibe I get. But hey! They sell celery! 

There's never anyone at the check-out. You could probably yell for someone to come and help you or you can do self-check-out which is what I did. I'd brought my own bags and when I was paying with my debit card, an employee came up, looked at my purchases and said, "Are you going to just walk out with those things?" I think he was talking about the fact that I had not put them in the crime-scene-tape colored plastic bags they provide. I'd brought my own canvas bags and hadn't yet loaded them up yet. I showed him my bags and said, "I'm going to put the things in these." 
He looked like I was going to tie them to the back of a camel. 
"Okay. Well, do you need any help?"
"No thanks."

And that was that. 

Something big is about to happen here. 

That is the view of the backyard from my porch where I spend a great deal of time. Those trees without leaves are Bradford pears. There are actually eight of them, two lines of four. Every year we say we're going to cut those fuckers down. Bradford pears are yet another invasive species that was originally planted because they are fast-growers and have nice white blossoms in the spring. HOWEVER, they dominate native species when it comes to resources and actually poison the dirt around them and those white flowers smell like...how do I say this delicately? 
Male human life essence? 
Although some people describe the odor as being "fishy." 

I listened to a podcast about them last week and told Glen about it and I guess that triggered him into calling some tree guys and by the end of next week, those trees are gonna be gone. It's wise to do it now when they're not leafed out. 

So my back porch view is going to radically change and we won't have nearly as much shade. I am worried about that. We've talked about planting fruit trees in their place. Real fruit trees that bear real fruit, unlike the Bradford pear. But as we all know, you don't plant trees at our age and expect to get shade out of them. 

My suggestion is that we put in a pool but it would have to be screened in due to wildlife and other surrounding trees. The magnolia tree alone would keep a pool's surface covered in their giant, seemingly never-decaying leaves. 

And there's the first miniature bouquet of the year. Wild violets, both purple and white, and two varieties of oxalis. Now that just makes my heart happy. 

As does the fact that the covid people are doing better. May took the family some pizza and salad from where she works on her way home tonight and Jessie reports that the boys ate a lot and are feeling fine although they are tired. Levon hasn't eaten much for two days so that's good news.

Time to get out the wok and chop vegetables. God knows we might starve to death if I don't get supper on in a timely manner. 

Love...Ms. Moon

 

Hearts And Flowers

 When I got to the county line on my walk today, this was hanging from a mailbox support and of course I had to take its picture. The sweet guy who lives in the house there likes to decorate and I appreciate it. 

This church was also sporting hearts and I appreciated that too. The sky was that beautiful today. 

One of the things that Glen does for me is to make the coffee every night before he goes to bed. Well, he sets it up so that it will brew in the morning. And sometimes he leaves me sweet notes and he left me one this morning for Valentine's. I have those notes (mostly written on index cards) all over this house. Candie, my cleaner, wanted me to somehow display them but I prefer to just tuck them here and there. I probably should at least get a pretty box to put them in. 

He had to go to town early-ish to meet with the guy who helps him with his workout routines and so after my walk, I started in on the pavlova. For some reason, I was nervous about it. I've had pavlovas fall into very shallow and gummy circles before and I did not want that to happen today. It's so humid here but today's humidity was only 35% so I figured this was my best shot. 
Here's an incredibly wonky picture of what it looked like before it went into the oven. 

I swear I was not drunk. 

Once I got that squared away and baking, I rolled the ganache for the truffles. They turned out nicely. 

Somehow all of this took me most of the day. I also started a loaf of bread to go with our supper. 

I do not have great hopes for proper rising but a girl can dream.

And then the man got home and he started bringing in presents and you know what? I have the hardest time receiving gifts. My gifts to him are so simple- sweet things to eat and a card- and he's giving me roses and my favorite espresso and he got lobster tails for our Valentine's Day supper and he brought home some hardware that he thought might work for my pot-hanging wall and I was just so overwhelmed. 
I mean, he brought home an entire truck load of compost the other day! What more could a girl want? 
I am overwhelmed. 

In other news, August has covid and Levon probably does too. Either that or something else. He did not test positive but those boys live in each other's spaces and faces and by the way, Jessie's sick too although she has not tested herself. 
Sigh. 

Anyway, it's been a sweet Valentine's Day and I even finished my little patch. 

Another good example of funky and wonky. Oh well. It's cheerful. And here's how the pavlova turned out. I am happy with it.

I have mixed fruit to go on top. 

I haven't answered comments today as I've been a little busy but I'll try to get to that at some point. 

Meanwhile- will you be my Valentine? Please?

Love...Ms. Moon

I Feel Almost...Perky! (What A Weird Word)

Mr. Yorkshire Pudding mentioned recently that I had not posted a picture of the house since the Great And Amazing Re-Roofing Event and although I can't believe I didn't, here's another one. Or, the first one. Whatever. Doesn't that roof look terrific? The thing in the left lower quadrant of the picture which looks like some naked branches are indeed the naked branches of a wild azalea. What you can't see in this picture are the tiny buds that are coming along on it. That poor plant has struggled and struggled for all of the years it's been there and although wild azaleas are underlying plants, happy in the woods beneath the big trees, I really don't think that spot gets enough sun even for them. Isn't it odd how we are abundantly aware of how different plants need completely different growing conditions from the amount of sunlight and water they require to the acidity of the soil they grow in to the temperatures they can withstand. And so much more! And yet we somehow assume that all humans just need the same basic growing conditions to grow and thrive. 
Some of us could be like succulents who are prickly and don't want much attention or messing with and need the sun and heat to do our best. 
Some of us could be more like shy ferns who want to shelter under trees and love the rain that drips off of their leaves or needles. 

You get what I'm saying. Maybe someday there will be a test we can take to find out where we would be best suited for our health, both physical and mental. There is no doubt that some people gravitate to the mountains, some to the desert, some to the shores of rivers or oceans. Some people need definitive seasons with all of the attending temperature changes and foliage changes while some of us are quite happy to live where the seasons are less dramatic, more subtle. 

There should be a study.

I took a walk today and it felt very good. I was slow about it and just enjoyed the beautiful day. Here is some Chinese Fringe Plant (loropetalum) that I took a picture of.

There were other sights that did not make me so happy. Remember my worries about the water drainage when they built the GDDG and brought in tons and tons of dirt to elevate the lot? That's always been a low area and there's even a culvert that goes under the road where the water drains into what is obviously a lowland. Today I noticed that despite the fact that we haven't been getting exactly crazy levels of rain, the woods across the street from the Dollar General are flooded higher than I think I've ever seen them. 

It's hard to tell from these pictures but trust me. There's a lot of water. 

Again- hard to tell but there are plants and trees in that water that would not have grown there if it had always been so deep. 

Meanwhile, the holding pond behind the GDDG is not overly deep at all. 

But oh, how we love the convenience of being able to buy frozen pizza right here in Lloyd. And although yes, I am being sarcastic, I am not immune to the charms of running up the street to buy something that I need rather than having to drive all the way to Tallahassee. 

I made the ganache for Mr. Moon's truffles today. That took at least fifteen minutes. Haha!

I'm almost wondering why anyone bothers to roll that deliciousness into balls when a spoon would work just fine. Of course it would be so wrong to eat a bowl of ganache but rolled into little balls and dusted with cocoa or chopped nuts, it is an entirely acceptable treat. 
So I'll do that tomorrow. 

I'm thinking I'm also going to make a pavlova. I've had a container of egg whites in the freezer for long enough and if there is a more delicious dessert than an airy pavlova with fruit, I do not know what it is. 

Oh wait. Creme Brûlée. I think that is the best dessert of all. 

As you can probably tell, my spirits have been much improved today. Was it the walk? Or did I take the walk because I felt better? 
Chicken? Egg? Who cares? I am so grateful. 

I did actually work on my puzzle a little bit this afternoon and I think I'm going to love it once I figure out the border pieces which is not going to be easy. Talking about studies, I wonder if anyone has ever done a study on whether people who have face blindness (prosopagnosia) have a harder time doing things like jigsaw puzzles. I have read that they have difficulties differentiating between cars. I am pretty sure I have a mild case of face blindness and I truly feel as if finding the correct jigsaw pieces to fit into the puzzle at the correct places is a little harder for me than it should be. I will look at a piece and and note the basics of it (leaf, part of red flower) and then look at the puzzle and have to check the piece over and over again to try and match it up to the correct place. But that's okay. It's supposed to be a challenge, right? This is not a competition. It's just...an interesting pastime. 

One more thing I did today which was pleasurable was to do a little mending. When I went to make the bed this morning, I noticed a small tear in my almost-new coverlet/bedspread. 
WTF!?
Either it's a really poor quality product (quite possible) or one of the cats ripped it with their pointy claws, which is even more possible. Whatever. You know I love to mend. I am almost ashamed to show you this picture because my stitches are messy and I know that some of you are such excellent stitchers. (BOUD- I am looking at you.)

Anyway, here's what I've done so far. 

Obviously, I am a big fan of visible mending. I will next do running stitches through the patch that hopefully will match up with the ones already in the coverlet. 

It doesn't take a whole lot to make me happy, does it? To top it all off, Mr. Moon received his order of potato growing bags and got FREE compost at the waste management facility in Tallahassee today. We're trying a new thing. I'll let you know how it works. 

Love...Ms. Moon

No Title

That is a sugar snap pea blossom. Finally, after months of just hanging out on the fence, the vines have started blooming. I now know they can survive freezes just fine but when it comes to thriving, they seem to need warmer temperatures. 
I don't know. I really don't know anything. Well, I know that the pea vines are so pretty and the blossoms are so...ladylike. As I always say, when Mother Nature finds a design she likes, she is not afraid to use it over and over again. 

Really, the garden is looking as pretty as it'll ever look. Here's some kale.

And lettuce there on the right. I don't think I've ever grown such pretty greens. Here are the salad greens I picked for our supper, washed and ready for the salad bowl.

And yes, that IS the forty-seven thousandth, nine-hundred and sixty-second picture of salad greens I've posted over the years. 

Y'all- I'm tired. I am the most unmotivated I've been in my entire life. I am not doing shit. If I get a load of laundry done and put away and the trash taken to the dump and a meal made, I'm having a good day. 
I'm not sure what's up with me. I think some of it has to do with feeling like nothing really matters anymore. Am I quoting Freddie Mercury? Maybe I'm just suffering from some sort of existential exhaustion. Maybe I'm dying. 
Well, aren't we all? 

And this reminds me of the Bob Dylan song, "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" wherein he sings, "He who is not busy being born is busy dying." 
Yeah, well, I am certainly not busy being born. 
I bet he still sings that in his endless concert tours. Bless Dylan, that ephemeral spirit-poet of our generation. 

I went to town today briefly. I decided that I'd make my sweetheart some chocolate truffles for Valentine's Day. Lis taught me how to make them and they are the easiest thing in the world to make. And are about the most delicious thing in the world to eat. Here are the ingredients:
Bittersweet chocolate.
Cream.

You can get fancy and roll them in cocoa or chopped pecans or coconut or whatever you want. 
So I needed to get the two ingredients, which I did, and I got to see Lily in the not-yet open Publix Liquor Store where she's going to be working. That was nice. They're getting it all together. There's something that makes my heart so happy when Lily introduces me to coworkers. "This is my mommy," she says. 
I soften like bittersweet chocolate in steaming cream. 

I started my new Frida puzzle today. Really, if I could spend my entire days working on jigsaw puzzles and reading I would be perfectly content. I'm reading a book called Singer Distance by Ethan Chatagnier. I picked it out at random at the library and I have no idea how to describe it. Here's what Tin House has to say about it. 

It's not quite like anything I've ever read and so far, I like it very much. Martians are involved. The first chapter book I think I ever read was called "Marooned on Mars." I got it from one of the six or so bookcase shelves in the Roseland Community Center where there was a sort-of library open one evening a week. I've loved Science Fiction ever since. Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land, which also involved Martians, informed some of my most profound realizations in high school. 

I am hoping that tomorrow is a better day. It has rained today, off and on, and has been gloomy again. Perhaps that is part of the problem. Again- I have no idea. 

I do have to say that I was sorry to hear of the death of Bob Edwards who was known mostly for his many years as a journalist and broadcaster on NPR. So many of us loved his voice. I'll never forget how, on 9/11, before any of us really had the slightest idea of what was happening, the sound of his voice was so comforting and reassuring. If Bob Edwards was on the radio, the world had not quite come to an end yet. And if it did, he would have calmly ushered us into the inevitable. 

Love...Ms. Moon

I Hope I Made You Laugh

I invited whatever Weatherfords could make it for breakfast today. It would be more accurately called brunch or second breakfast as we didn't sit down until about eleven. Vergil had some Ultimate Frisbee stuff going on but Jessie and the boys came out. It was the usual- pancakes and bacon and eggs. I tried making sourdough pancakes and they were not very pleasing to me although everyone else said they were fine. I mean- you could put syrup and butter on cardboard and it would fine. I did make some banana pancakes the way Granny Matthews used to make them. I am thinking now she must have had some Cuban influence in her cooking because she used a lot of guava and bananas and other tropical fruits. But her banana pancakes were made by slicing bananas, laying several slices in a circular shape in the skillet in which butter had been melted, sprinkling them lightly with brown sugar, and then pouring enough pancake batter over the bananas to hold them all together, letting it brown on the bottom, flipping the pancake, and letting that side brown. 
Now that is good. The bananas cook to almost translucence and are so sweet that you need no syrup at all. 

While we were eating, August told me that he had invented a segment of time. "Oh really?" I said. "What is it?"
"A banana second. It's a billionth of a nanosecond." 
I wrote it down to make sure I got it right. 

And then Levon, a few minutes later, pointed out a salient feature of the winged mermaid that I have flying above the table on the back porch, which is her breasts. 

I was not kidding when I said that I do love whimsical things hanging from ceilings. 

Anyway, Levon said that the mermaid had "Mama Makers." 

"What?" we all asked.

"Mama Makers!" he said. 
We all agreed that this was quite true and from here on out, I believe we should refer to bosoms as exactly that. 

So they were entertaining as usual and even let me read them part of a Richard Scarry book on the swing porch. It's the swing porch because it has a porch swing on it. Here's one of the doors from which you can access this porch.

That's in the guest room. You can also enter or exit it from steps on the front of it, or through a door that leads off my bathroom. 
We have so many doors, due to the fact that this house has been added on to and added on to and...added on to...over the years. That window you see through the door is in the Glen Den. It's sort of confusing, even to me and I've lived here twenty years. 

Then the boys played some Wii and Jessie did some studying for a neonatal resuscitation class she's taking and I worked on a crossword but mostly we watched the many, many birds come and go from the feeders and of course chatting. At one point, I told her about the campaign signs we'd seen over in Wakulla County when we went over there on Friday. I have no idea what office the person was running for but his last name was "Tooten". 

Because no one ever outgrows fart jokes, Jessie and I laughed and laughed about that. Then I told her what I'd said to Mr. Moon when we were driving past the signs which was, "That's so sad. I know that kid got teased unmercifully." To which I added, "Can you imagine if his best friend was named 'Putin'? People would be saying, 'Oh god. Here comes Tooten and Putin again.'"

This made Jessie and me laugh so hard that when I could get my breath I said, "Do you suppose that anyone's ever died laughing?"
"Sure," she said. 

"I mean, died FROM laughing," I said. "Not like died laughing because they were laughing and then an anvil fell on them."
At that point, I completely lost my shit. It was like if you were in church and had one of those horrible and inappropriate compulsions to laugh and actually let it out, it would have been this intense. 
Know what I mean?
I was crying. I was choking. 

And then it was time for Jessie and the boys to pack it all up and go on home and so they did. It had been so good for my soul to see them and to have that laugh with Jessie. The rest of the afternoon has been sweet and I'm about to make the man some air-fried chicken wings and oyster stew. What a great supper! 
Uh-huh. 
It is Super Bowl Sunday, right? 
I told Jessie I had no idea who was playing. She said that Taylor Swift's boyfriend was playing. "I know that," I said. I don't live under a rock. "But what team does he play on?" 

And she told me because she'd just discussed this with her dad but she couldn't remember the other team and now I can't remember what team that Taylor Swift guy is playing for either. I barely know who Taylor Swift is but I could identify her in a line-up and I hear that she really is amazing. 

Today's camellias. 

I am so glad I planted those things. 

Love...Ms. Moon

Cheer Up, Buttercup!

 Last night when I had served the fellas their supper and was bringing my own bowl of chicken and dumplings in, this is what I found. Jack was obviously thinking he had a place at the table. He really does, though, as he always lays between me and Mr. Moon while we eat, hoping that a miracle will occur and we will offer him some tasty tidbits. 
He is ever optimistic, that one. 

Owen and Mr. Moon both proclaimed the chicken and dumplings the best ever and they were good. The dumplings were very nice and fluffy and I even had to make two batches- one with self-rising flour and buttermilk, and the second with self-rising flour, milk, and plain yogurt because I'd used up all the buttermilk. I know that I can add vinegar or lemon juice to make a fake buttermilk but the yogurt worked beautifully. 

Gosh but we had a good time with our boy. He's just the sweetest. He wanted to go to bed early because that 5:00 a.m. wake-up call was going to come fast so he took his shower and got in the guest bed, fondly known as the most comfortable bed in the world. 
And it is true. 

Mr. Moon's alarm woke up me up this morning but I just rolled over and went back to sleep while the guys got up, put on their camo, loaded up their stuff, and headed out to the ponds. I got up late for me and I'm blaming it on Maurice who actually came and snuggled up to me after Glen left, and Lord knows I don't ever want to give that cat reason to become upset with me so I just stayed right there in bed having crazy dreams until I finally realized that unless I intended to sleep all day, I'd better get up. Maurice did give me one of her yowls of bitchiness but I was spry enough to get away from her before she could get her weapons out. 
I found a pot of hot coffee, just made, and two sweet notes from my boys when I got to the kitchen. Glen always makes the coffee the night before and when he goes hunting in the early morning, he sets it for when he's going to get up and then he pours that into a thermos flask and makes me a separate pot, set to brew later. 
Now that is love. 
The guys had a great time. Glen sent me a video of an eagle, soaring over the water, looking for fish or a duck. And Owen told me that he'd loved it, especially the eagle and watching the dogs work with the hunters to retrieve their ducks. It's a whole world and I know that nothing could make Glen happier than to share it with his boy. It would not be my choice of something to share with a grandchild, of course, but it is my husband's and I am happy for him to have these opportunities. He is proud of the way Owen conducts himself on hunts and fishing trips, too. And they get to go to breakfast afterwards and eat like Real Men. 

When they got back, Owen walked with me down to the post office and I was really surprised to see all the cars at the farmer's market organized by the My Gypsy Soul Boutique lady. Good for her! We didn't buy anything but it looked like other people were. I wanted to go to the PO because I'd gotten notification that a puzzle I'd ordered from eBay had been delivered and it had been. 

Now this one really is going to take me a year to do but I am excited to start it. 

And then Owen had to get to work. He took a shower and put on his Publix clothes. 

His grandfather is about six feet, eight inches tall. I love seeing them together. 

I drove him to work and then did a little shopping. When it came time to check out, I got in the line that Owen was bagging for. I took this picture when he wasn't looking, bagging up the groceries of the lady in front of me.  

I was so proud. I tried not to embarrass him and did not even kiss him when I left. It was hard. 

I've been a little low today, again completely unmotivated to do anything. I made myself get out and do some garden weeding but that and some laundry is about all I've managed to do. I really have no excuse. It's been a perfect day, weather-wise, and there have been so many birds at the feeder, chirping and chipping and even lining up in the camellia bushes to wait their turn to fly in and take their share. We've had so many cardinals this year. Their brilliant scarlet feathers, black faces, and yellow beaks are such a contrast to the mockingbirds' and wrens' dull grays and whites. And then of course the red-headed woodpeckers and blue jays and gold finches bring more colors to the feeder, to my life. I absolutely do observe the birds and listen to their songs and love the fact that I share my tiny part of the world with them. 
I have so very, very much that I am grateful for. And yet, as I have confessed before, sometimes these things, these riches, only serve to make me feel guiltier because how can I have all of this and still so often find myself sad? 

It's okay. I'm okay. 

And this made me giggle today. 

I love "Pickles." I've read that the artist bases a lot of his strips on his parents-in-law. I think. I could be wrong. It could be his own parents. But whatever, he is paying attention and he gets it so right so often. 

And for my (by now) quite familiar "one more thing"- here's another picture I took at the Trident restaurant yesterday which I find to be richly ironic. This is how one wall above the wainscoting in the ladies' room is decorated. 

For those of you who do not know- those are oyster shells. There was not one oyster on the menu that I saw. Sadly, they have cut off oyster harvesting entirely from the Apalachicola bay due to over-harvesting and water issues concerning the Apalachicola River which has been devastating to the local economy so it's not completely unreasonable that they don't serve those sweet, salty bivalves which have been gathered since before white people ever showed up in that part of the world. Other local restaurants are substituting oysters shipped in from places like Cedar Key, Florida, and Texas. And in fact, we stopped at a seafood retail place on our way home and Mr. Moon bought some in the shell and had them shucked and I am going to make him an oyster stew which he loves. 

I hate to think that the day will come when we've fucked up the precious waters of our planet so badly that oysters will be known only for their shells' ability to adorn a black wall in a restroom in a seafood restaurant. 

I am so ashamed at what we are leaving our grandchildren. They deserve so much better. 

Love...Ms. Moon