Well, Damn

I didn't take any pictures today except for one of the bloom in the Chinaberry tree that just did not turn out well, and two of my driver's license for a business thing that Mr. Moon was doing in town. None of those are blog-worthy.

It hasn't been a terrible day but it hasn't been a great one, either. By the time I started making supper last night, I realized that I had rather fucked up my knee. Not a surprise. It was doing that thing where you feel like it's about to give out and you're about to go down. Plus pain, swelling, redness, blah, blah, blah.

Every time I woke up last night it hurt and was up to its same tricks this morning. I was so depressed about it. Not like "clinically" depressed, just sad and frustrated at this newest evidence of aging. Of course, like I said yesterday, this knee has been doing the same thing for many years but it hasn't happened in a long time. And I know there's nothing to be done for it except to rest it and ice it and all that stuff. I found my old knee brace and strapped that bad boy on and hobbled about as I did the bare minimum around here which makes me feel like a useless rag of a person not worth her salt. I kicked a few bamboo (I held on to my walking stick) and picked a few more mulberries and that was about it for the physical portion of my day except for walking out to the garden to see if my cucumbers were coming up and yes, they are! Hurray! We got so much rain last night. It just poured. And it's raining again right now. So at least watering the garden isn't necessary. 

But I will say that my knee feels better this evening than it did earlier today and I don't think it's a major deal. As long as I don't do anything stupid it'll heal up. 

I wish I had more to talk about but I really don't have it in me to discuss another school shooting or Republicans trying to protect children from drag queens while not doing one damn thing about gun control. I have thoughts. 
Trust me. I have thoughts. But you know what they are. What good is it going to do any of us for me to point out the hypocrisy of what's going on in government these days? The deadly hypocrisy. Whether we're talking gun control, or LGBTQ+ rights, or not allowing parents to get the necessary medical treatments for their trans kids, or denying abortions to women, it's about the absolute certainty of it all leading to deaths. 
And I am not talking about embryos here. 

Yeah. I can't. 

It will be interesting to hear what Pence has to say to the Grand Jury about the January 6 thing. "Thing." Haha! "Treasonous uprising" more like it. One would think that he'd be chomping at the bit to testify about a situation in which he very well could have been murdered along with his family in the US Capitol building but no, he's still too far up Trump's butt or...something. I don't know. Who can figure out a guy who's so afraid of his own demonic (I guess) sexual urges that he won't allow himself to be alone in the presence of a woman he is not legally wed to? Eh, he's probably just afraid of being accused of something he did not do which also says a lot about how much he trusts women. 
Of course he may weasel out of testifying. Does he really think that he could be the next Republican candidate for president? 
They're all insane. 

So hey! Here's two pictures from the Gibson celebration from last night that we did not attend. 

Birthday boy enjoying his birthday fancy drink. 

Two beautiful cousins.

Mr. Moon went back to town today. One of the things on his list to do was to get a haircut. I got a text from him saying, "You're husband is bald and he loves you."
Ooh boy. 
He's not quite bald. It's like I told him, "I can feel your hair even if I can't really see it."

Well, he won't have to get another haircut this summer, I'm thinking. Plus, he's still really cute. 

Love...Ms. Moon

Things That Grow In Lloyd

I decided to take a walk this morning. 
Finally. Not only do I desperately need to be more active both for my body and my soul, I also wanted to see what was blooming by the roadside and I was not disappointed. The red clover is out and it is one of my favorites. I have to be honest with you- that shot makes it look like there is an entire field of flowers but that was just the perspective. It was actually only a smallish patch. Still- so pretty. 

I was very much afraid I'd missed the wild pink azalea that grows in the woods next to a house I walk by but I did not. It was in full glory. 

I realize that it looks more like pink smoke than anything else but it's a bit distant from the sidewalk where I stood. I could have gotten closer but that would have involved walking through underbrush that can hold burrs and ticks and redbugs and I'm just as soon not get involved with those things if possible. I may, however, defy common sense and stalk through it tomorrow if I go again. It would be worth it. There are also Cherokee roses blooming but they are hard to make out in this picture. 

Okay. This made me laugh. 

I read the sign and thought to myself, "Good Lord! April 2 is going to be a very busy day!" That's a lot to fit in one single Sunday. I sure hope people bring their lunches. 

When I got home I checked the mulberry tree and thank goodness! 

I'm hoping for enough to make at least one pie and some pints of jam. I put sugar on my shopping list. I can't wait! 

After picking the mulberries, I decided to check out the bamboo situation. 
Shit fire. 
I've let it get away from me. 

Luckily, those are two of the thinner variety. One of the Big Boys had come up a few feet away and it was too big for me to kick. I kicked at least a dozen in the field by the bamboo jungle and a few more in the front yard. 

Obviously the project is not over for the year yet. 
I have noticed that the pecans are putting out their leaves which means that our winter is definitely over. The pecans are the first to drop their leaves in the fall and the last to get them back in the spring. I also noticed a few magnolias putting out buds across the street. Oh, how I am looking forward to those massive, creamy-white, lemon-scented blossoms. 

Traditionally, gardeners in this part of the world use the pecans' leafing as the signal that it's safe to put tomatoes in. Of course, this year Mr. Moon rushed that but it's turned out okay. I am hoping against hope that some of the little sprouts coming up from the pot where I stuck a few of the sugar bomb cherry tomatoes grow fast enough to be moved to the garden. 

I was thrilled to see that that they were coming up yesterday. Come on, babies! You can do this! Mr. Moon did ask me how I'm going to separate the plants when they get bigger.

"Don't worry about it," I told him. 

Of course this translates to, "I have no idea." Perhaps I should try planting a few more of the seeds in a more appropriate manner. It only took them a few days to come up. 

And so it goes in Lloyd. My left knee is not happy that I took it on a walk today and is doing that thing where it feels like it's going to go out on me. It's been doing this on and off for twenty years so I'm not too worried about it. I even have a knee brace somewhere in my closet if things become dire. Mr. Moon and I are both limping about like two old geriatric patients and laughing at how ridiculous we look. He did TOO MUCH today and is paying for it now. He had a doctor's appointment this morning for a regularly scheduled physical and after that he stayed in town "just running errands" so now he's back in his chair. We had planned on attending a family early dinner at El Patron to celebrate Gibson's birthday but he's done enough today. They'll just have to celebrate without us. It does make me a little sad to think of missing everyone being together but Easter is coming up. Remember back before Christmas and I, in my manic Christmas insanity bought a ham at Costco? It's been in the freezer ever since and I plan on bringing it out for Christ Is Risen! Day. I always hope that my collards are still in enough abundance to make a big pot of them to go with the ham on Easter and I do believe that this year they will be, especially if they are fortified with some kale. We haven't really discussed Easter yet, but hopefully everyone will be coming out here to hunt eggs and dine on delicious foods, specifically ham and challah, deviled eggs and greens. I like to pay tribute to as many faith beliefs as possible. 

Dietarily at least. 

Stay tuned for my annual Easter rant. 

Love...Ms. Moon

A Day That Will Forever Be Marked On My Calendar And Etched In My Heart

I have got to stop sleeping so late. I don't know what's wrong with me. I did stay up rather late (for me) last night. I worked some on my jig-saw puzzle and then I started a new book after I took my shower and got in bed and the next thing I knew it was almost midnight. But the dream I was having this morning definitely tells me that I'm spending way too much time in REM to be good for anyone. It was quite a complex dream involving many, many of my regular dream themes including the giant house with so many bedrooms and bathrooms, crazy amounts of laundry, many children to take care of, AND my husband was depressed because he'd had to break up with the dark-haired hussy that he has a second family with. 
In dream world. Not the real world. I hasten to assure you. 
I'm not sure why he'd had to break up with her but he was not happy. He was going to tell me all about it just as I was waking up and I was already trying to decide whether I would stay with him or not. 

So of course it took me another hour after I got up to shake that shit off and then I made a Sunday breakfast and did the crossword and so forth. Feeling useless I determined that today was as good as any to go wrestle with at least some of the crocosmia. 

Remember this?

After a few hours I got it down to this.

I probably got a fourth of that patch pulled and I am under no delusions that this is any sort of permanent remedy. But Maurice did help me. 

As insane as she is, I can't help but feel love for that silly little tiger. I often wonder what goes on in her mind when she suddenly shows up when I'm outside. Does she leave the house knowing I'm not in it and actively look for me or does she just spy me while she's on cat-patrol? Of course she never wants me to think that she's sought out my company on purpose. I always think of her as saying, "Oh. Well. Hello. I had no idea you were out here. I was just passing by. I might lay down here for a moment, have a little sun snooze. Don't mind me."

But somehow she does find me and I am always gratified to see her. It is rather a magical thing to connect with creatures not of our species, I think. And it absolutely feels like a small blessing when they seek us out for our company when they don't really need us at that particular moment for warmth or food or scratches. I have found that most cats do not want to be scratched or pet outside. Some do, but not a lot. They may twist around your ankles for a moment but if you reach down to pet them, they generally take off. 
Of course we don't let Maurice get close enough to our ankles to twist around them. If she gets that close, her mind is on drawing blood. 

So that's what I've done today. 
Dream recovery, breakfast-making (and the biscuits were very good this week), and dirt-kneeling. 
Mr. Moon is doing better every day although he rather pissed me off earlier. The trash needed taking which is usually my job anyway. I have no idea why that is. I don't recall signing a contract. But I had specifically told him that he was NOT to take it this morning because he's not supposed to lift anything weighing more than fifteen pounds and yet he did take it while my back was turned. 

I have forgiven him but I am still not happy about it. 
I remind myself that it's better than having another family on the side. 

Eighteen years ago today a very important event happened at this house. 

Billy and Shayla got married. And they let me marry them. 

I was so cute eighteen years ago!

Billy and Shayla were pretty cute too. 
That was the best wedding ever. Families by choice and families by blood were there. Little old country ladies in their church dresses holding on to their husbands wearing their JC Penny's suits. Punks, goths, Fancy Nancy wearing her short-alls and pole dancing- it was a joyous and amazing celebration. And this was before their marriage could be legal but no one worried about that overmuch. I did hear one of the older gents saying, "It was just like a real wedding!" 
"It was a real wedding," I told him. "Until they try to get on each other's health insurance." Since then, they have been married twice more, I think. Once in California when it became legal there and again in Florida when our laws got civilized. 
For that moment in time, at least. 

Billy texted me this morning to thank me for marrying them. I said "Thank you for asking me." What an honor that was. 

Here's a picture of Billy and Shayla and their boy Waylon from a few days ago. 

I love those people so much. As do many, many other people. 

The important thing, however, is that they still love each other. 

And that is worthy of celebration every day of the year. 

Love...Ms. Moon

North Florida Law Enforcement Celebrity Sighting And Oh, So Much More!

What a truly nice day it is has been. When I kissed Mr. Moon good morning I said, "I'm sorry I slept so late. Wait- no I'm not!"
And I wasn't. 

I took my time with reading blogs and the local newspaper (four new invasive species of disease-bearing mosquitoes have been discovered in Florida!) and doing the crossword. 

Mr. Moon talked about going to the coast to check on one of his boats which has been in a shop there for repairs and getting lunch and I said sure, but then he got hold of the shop guy and the boat hadn't even been looked at yet so we decided to go to Monticello and eat lunch there, just for fun and so we did. 
We ate at the Rev, the place right by the round-about that circles the county courthouse and we sat outside. It is much warmer now and very, very humid, but a good breeze was blowing and we were comfortable. I noticed a guy sitting by himself and he just looked like a regular guy but the women at the table next to him obviously recognized him. I heard them talking and they were saying things like, "We follow you on Facebook!" 
They seemed a little starstruck. 
They did finally call him by a name- Sheriff AJ. So of course I was googling before my french fries got cold. Turns out he's the sheriff of Franklin County which is where Apalachicola is and he's well-known for being so strong on crime that he arrested his own daughter for selling meth. 
See the story here.

At least I'm pretty sure that's who it was. I am so bad at facial recognition. If I was ever asked to pick someone out of a line-up, they could probably have four guys of different ethnicities and different facial hair and I wouldn't be able to identify the possible suspect unless he had tattoos all over his face or a third eye or something. 
Anyway, those women were pretty excited and got a picture with him and even paid for his lunch.
Whoa, Nelly. 

No one volunteered to pay for our lunch but that was fine. 

After lunch Glen sweetly offered to go to Wag the Dog with me and boy, did I buy some stuff! The picture above is what the store looks like when you first walk in. It seemed to me that there has been some major organization going on at Wag lately. There's still too much merchandise in too small a space but there was a lot more order to it all. 

When we did our first aisle, I found two paintings on wood that I knew were going to come home with me. They were just so me. The colors were my colors, the style was...okay, primitive. I immediately visualized them on the front porch and I hung them up as soon as we got home. 

How could I have said no? 

And then I found some salad plates that I liked and bought those. And one dinner sized plate came too that matched four of the smaller ones. 

I like that size plate because it makes a great lunch plate and is also perfect for small children's meals. Unless it's pancakes I'm serving in which case they need the large ones. But the magnolia is so pretty and the fruit and flower pattern is so cheerful and colorful.

So there was all of that and I got three kid books and a Kate Atkinson novel and Mr. Moon bought a book on woodworking,  AND I got a pretty couch pillow, as well as a little ball of yarn that I have absolutely no idea what I'll do with but it's mohair and silk and as fine and soft as a newborn babe's hair. Any ideas about what a poorly skilled knitter/crocheter could make with 25 grams of that? 

So that was my haul. 

When we got home I was going to replant my beans. As of yesterday they had still not come up and I was sure that they had died in dirt-utero by that frost we got on Tuesday. But Mr. Moon and I checked once again and guess what? 

Can you see them? 

A close-up. 

The sugar snap peas have finally started flowering. 

Could there be a more delicate and lady-like blossom? 
They will probably soon be banned in Florida as being too suggestive. Until then, I shall simply adore them. 

Here's a little yellow rose that grows in a pot by the bananas. 

Oh, my heart. 

And finally- what the native azalea buds look like today. 

So I am practically swooning now and that cannot be allowed to happen because I must make supper. Tonight will be air-fried bream and garden greens. Collards, mustards, and kale. 

I believe I may be the richest woman in the world. 

Love...Ms. Moon

Loosen Up, Woman

I am SO far behind on my regular routine this evening and as I have discussed before, I am way too rigid in my ways and days. I have got to learn to be a little more flexible. At least. Or is it time to simply accept that this is how I am and that this rigidity in routine is a crutch and a coping method? 

I don't know. 
I'm tired tonight. I've been somewhat tired and quiet all day although it was a busy day. Jessie and Vergil had to go to Jacksonville to deal with some business and so I picked up the boys from their schools and then brought them out here. The plan was that they would spend the night at Lily's house to celebrate Gibson's birthday. So they hung out here for awhile and had a snack and we read some books and then they watched a few minutes of TV while I made up our bed with the sheets I washed this morning because it's Friday and Friday is the day for clean sheets and that's all there is to it, so sayeth the Lord.

Then I took them over to Lily's where I got hugs from all her kids and Levon and August flowed into the general population there like cane syrup on a biscuit and could barely stop exploring their cousins' toys long enough to kiss me good-bye. I tried to get a picture of all of them but didn't have the heart to force them to pose for me. Maggie did let me take her photo sitting in front of the vanity her mama gave her for Christmas, so lovingly painted and glittered. 

She showed me how she had her eye-shadows and brushes and nail polish all arranged so neatly. She loves it. What girly-girl wouldn't? And as you can see, August and Levon are already plundering her things too. 
It's going to be quite an evening, I am sure. I told Lauren when I left that she and Lily were brave women to take on two extra for the night. There is a lot going on in that house. Not just the children but two cats, two dogs, and a rat habitat condominium.  
I am sure they will all survive. Well, the kids at least. I am not quite as sure about Lily and Lauren.

Mr. Moon is on his way home from the river. He took the boat out, just to cruise a little, get out of the house and into this beautiful spring world. He's had enough of sitting in his chair and I don't blame him. I know he's a happy man. 
And I will be a happy woman, sipping a martini and being grateful that my years of day-to-day child-rearing are behind me. I think even when my children were still at home, I resisted changes in my schedule whether due to ball games or unplanned events I had to attend. I feel quite certain that one of the main reasons I never did pursue my dream of becoming a midwife was because if there is anything less certain than a midwife's schedule, I do not know what it is. 

Anyway, it is definitely time for me to start our supper. 

Happy Friday, y'all. 

Love From Your OCD Friend in Florida...Ms. Moon

Almost Too Much Excitement For One Old Woman To Handle

 

Well, there you go. I finished the puzzle this morning. It is missing eight pieces which I am sure made the darn thing that much harder to do. 

Ha-ha.

I have truly enjoyed working on it, finding that the searching and studying, studying and searching, does indeed lead to a sort of meditative state. An hour passes before I know it. I have to say though, that when I was taking it apart to put back in its box, I got a rather sad feeling that I had spent all of those hours doing something that was completely useless to anyone at all, except for possibly me and that is not something I'd bet the bank on. I mean, if you spend hours knitting or sewing or painting or writing or cooking or gardening, there are tangible and true results.
I comfort myself in thinking that my knitting is so bad that even when I knit for hours, there is no real benefit to the universe. 

And of course I've already gotten another one off the shelf and started sorting out edge pieces AND I've ordered another from Amazon. I need to start searching out the ones at the libraries. 

I had a lovely experience today! I met Jessie and Lily and Rachel at the Indian buffet for lunch and oh my god, we were rowdy and loud and we laughed so much. The food was fine but of course that's not the point. It's the sweetness of the company, the joy of being together. 

Then I went to Michael's with Lily who was buying a clay pasta machine and please don't be confused. It was not made of clay but made FOR clay. She had read that these are quite adequate to make real pasta with and cost a lot less. Owen, believe it or not, has recently expressed an interest in making homemade pasta so Lily, always thrilled when the kids come up with any ideas for suppers, wanted to help him do that. She says he's been doing a lot of cooking, even making salmon and rice to take to school for lunches. 
Amazing! Our boy is developing excellent taste in food and the skills in cooking it. 
Lily loves Michaels. Crafts are the only things she spends money on for herself. I swear. So we wandered about looking at cool stuff for a little while. I wanted some new knitting needles and possibly a crochet hook but they didn't have what I wanted so I bought nothing. 
And then we went next door to Marshall's but neither one of us bought anything there at all. She had to go home but I thought I'd go to Bed, Bath, and Beyond to see if they had Roomba filters but I have to tell you- BB and B has almost NOTHING. Of course that's not really true but if it has half as much merchandise for sale as it used to, I am shocked. Great empty spaces, shelves sparsely filled. Very few employees. Sort of like the GDDG but with a lot fewer things than people actually need. 
They did have some Roomba filters but not the kind Ralph requires. 

So again, I bought nothing. 

On to Costco where I finally spent money. Of course. I bought more of the Sugar Bomb cherry tomatoes and honey and bread and fish oil capsules and about a quart jar of capers. And then I came home and now I am tired. 

Mr. Moon has felt much improved today. The twinkle is back in his eye, he is joking with me again. This morning he declared that he might just go fishing tomorrow but later this afternoon he said he'd probably give it another day or so. 
Thank god. 

I took a few pictures in the yard a little while ago. 

That's a not-yet-opened bud of my precious native azalea. I love that plant. I got it at a local plant sale years ago that I went to with Kathleen. It is growing at a glacial pace, probably because like everything else in this yard, it just does not get enough sun. But it is alive and it blooms and every year it becomes just a tiny bit bigger. They never get huge anyway. 

Now. On to two more patches of my yard where Croscomia is taking over or has already done so. 

That is in the bed in front of the front porch where the sago palms grow. Believe it or not, I weed them out as best I can every year. And yet...

And this nice plot of the motherfuckers is at least 100 square feet if not more. I have read that they are native to South and East Africa as part of the grasslands there. I can only imagine how beautiful they must be, growing wild and blooming orange where they are supposed to grow. However, MY YARD IS NOT PART OF THE GRASSLANDS OF AFRICA! 
I am wondering how much it would cost to rent a back-hoe to just scrape all the dirt and corms out of these areas and then to add back in soil that has not been tainted. 
I doubt even that would work. 

And here you have a cat with its head resting on a bowl of water. 

The black panther kitty has not given up on the dream of living here. In fact, it sort of does live here. I do not feed it but I have put water out and I think the cat is claiming what territory it can. I told you about the fight that Mr. Moon witnessed between this cat and the bleach-spot cat who also comes around. Panther cat whipped the other cat's ass. Badly. And lately Maurice has taken to pooping in the pantry now and then which is most unlike her. I had a strong feeling that the panther cat was involved and my thoughts were confirmed a few days ago when I saw that cat chase Maurice across the yard. I yelled at it and pointed my finger. 
"NO!" I told it. "You will NOT do that!" 
And the damn thing just stood and stared at me with its gorgeous golden eyes even though it always runs from us when we get too close. It was a stand-off between me and the cat and I think the cat won. 
My Lord, it's a persistent creature but the last thing we need is another cat who wants to kill Maurice to claim alpha status. 
That is Jack's job. 

Man. Things really do get exciting here, don't they? 
I will report in on how this issue progresses. 

Love...Ms. Moon

A Little Journey Around Lloyd

Another day with a sky that would be hard to beat when it comes to blue. The Japanese maple tree has been sending out its animal-paw leaves and the way the sun lights them up is nothing short of spectacular. 

Mr. Moon is not the happiest husband in the world today. It is upsetting to him when his body is not running in perfect order and he knows that this is all normal but is still not thrilled about the process of post-surgical healing. I am trying to be here for what he needs but I think that what he really needs is to just feel better which is obviously going to take some time. He has spent a lot of time in his chair which is telling. The man is not good at resting so he must truly need it. I feel so helpless. Here I am, going about my life, and he is going through such difficulty. 

I did a tiny walk-about today, going to the post office and then walking down Main Street to the fally-down house. One end of it is just about gone to ground. 

It still calls to me, though. I just feel that there are so many stories it could tell about the lives of people who sheltered in such a small and simple house. It's odd how we all know the stories of the big buildings, the stately homesteads, the impressive houses and yet, we never know anything about the stories of the cabins, the shacks, the humble homes unless someone famous grew up in one. And then the story is always the rags-to-riches kind.
Can you believe that Abe Lincoln grew up in a log cabin?
Etc.
And yet, so many log cabins were lived in by people who were born and died in them, lived their entire lives of growing up, being part of a family, working, dreaming, making love, giving birth, being sick, eventually dying right there and are their histories less important or dramatic than the ones who "escaped" to become rich and famous?
Some may look at the rags-to-riches stories and be inspired and that is fine but there is, to me, more inspiration and wonder to be found in the slave cabin than the plantation house. 
The strength of the souls of the people who lived in them could never have been matched by the people who lived in the Big House.

On my walk I stopped again at the GDDG to pick up a few things Mr. Moon needed as well as milk which I did not get at Publix for some reason. It is such a bizarre place to me. It truly does have a good selection of things that people really need from OTC medications and supplements to food to housewares to cleaning supplies to gardening supplies. And more. I am sure that each and every item they carry has been researched as to its potential to be sold. There are many name-brands and the mark-up is not steep.
I saw one employee stocking shelves which is a never-ending and never completed task there. When I got to check-out, there was a couple at the self-check out and no employee in sight except for the one I'd seen on a ladder. They went through the process and bagged their purchases and left and then I did the same. We could have easily walked out of there without paying. Of course everything is on video camera. So there is that. 
I've been thinking that there are so many of these stores that even if the monthly take for most of them is ridiculously low, the profit must still add up. I mean, I'm sure it does or otherwise they would not keep building the damn things. 

Walking home I saw that the wetlands to the south of the store are filled with water right now. We have gotten a lot of rain but I do not know if what I saw was a normal amount. The run-off of the built-up piece of property the store is on must amount to something. 

But whatever. Here we are. The store is there and I do use it. 

It is such a joy to be outside these days. The oak trees' new leaves are such a determined and youthful green. 

There is an old, abandoned house behind that tree in the forefront. When I moved to Lloyd, people still lived there but they have died and I guess the kids don't know what to do with it so slowly it is becoming one of the dying houses which is sad because it's rather beautiful, even cloaked in the encroaching vegetation. 

I had an encounter today with someone and I will certainly not give any identification details but it was somewhat of a surprising encounter. Within the space of a few minutes, deep and very private details were exchanged, first by her, and then less so by me. I find that women do this- we share hearts, as I say. We must have talked for half an hour and I have spent a good deal of the afternoon wondering how an event has turned out that she told me was about to happen in her life. This seems to be a week for me of becoming even more aware than ever that every one, EVERY ONE has a story or stories that you would never have imagined. They have lived through things that may have brought them to their knees but they got up and they continue to live their lives. 
It is humbling, isn't it? 

I planted cucumbers today and was stupid enough to try and plant through the ants which means that I have bites all over me. And it's not just stupidity, it's also stubbornness. I can do this! I think but honestly, one cannot come out unscathed in a red ant stand-off. Perhaps you could if you wore a hazmat suit but I do not own one of those. They can and do crawl right under clothing and find the most tender and delicate skin to attack. 
I will live. At least I didn't have to take off my overalls in the garden to frantically brush them off today which I have done before. 
And knowing me, will probably have to do again sometime. 

One more picture. 

You know how I'm always bitching and moaning about the invasive plants in this yard? That is one small patch- ONE SMALL PATCH- of the Croscomia that I speak of so often. Theoretically, it puts forth a lovely stalk of orange flowers but I guarantee you that there will be maybe, if I am lucky, six flowers produced in that whole area. And of course they must be removed by digging up entire bulbs. More bulbs than you see represented by the plants themselves. 
Sigh. 
I need to get to it. 
I probably spend more time on my knees than a nun with questions. 

See you tomorrow.

Love...Ms. Moon