Good Lord. You'd Think I Was Going On An Expedition Or Something

I took zero pictures today. I was too damn busy to be shilly-shallying around taking any pictures. I had a mental list a mile long of all the stuff I needed to do before we leave tomorrow and I think I got most of it done. And we even managed to go to the Hilltop for lunch which was...okay. 
The Hilltop is always...okay. We mainly go there because it's only about four miles away, if that, and they have a menu that takes up three walls. Well, pretty much. You got your hot foods, your sandwiches and salads, and your other hot foods. Glen got a chicken salad sandwich and I got a salad with a scoop of chicken salad on it. A chicken salad salad. I love their chicken salad but Glen was not impressed. 

Oh well. He'll know better next time. 

I managed to get my two last eggplant plants in the ground and the garden watered and the porch plants and house plants watered and I stuck all the herbs which were still in their little pots into a big pot and watered that really well because I figured if I left them in the small pots, they'd die of thirst in four days. I just can't ask Mark to do everything. 
I swept up a bunch of pollen and actually, I need to sweep the guest room tomorrow before we leave. I washed Mark's sheets and remade the bed and I did two loads of laundry. I washed Maurice's waterer thing and put a bunch of fresh food in the feeder. 
She knows we're fixing to leave. She was acting extremely weird and worried this morning but I told her, "Don't worry. Mark is coming," and she seemed to calm down. 
I swear to you that cats understand human language but they pretend they do not. They have to learn it in order to understand and report to their Cat God Overlords about what we're up to here on Planet Earth. That is their mission. 
Trust me. I know these things. 

And then, after all that mess, I started to pack which took me hours because I had to try on various things and make a decision about what I was going to wear to The Event and figure out what I'm going to need when we're not at The Event which involved checking out the weather forecasts for about the fiftieth time. 
Back to the layers situation. 
I know I've packed too much. That is a given. I may take a few things out of the suitcase. 
And then try not to put anything else in there. 
I've got a separate bag packed with what I'll need to take into the place we're staying tomorrow night. It's on a second floor and we don't want to be carrying forty-pound suitcases up a flight of stairs when we only need an eight pound bag. 
These are extremely rough estimates. 
I packed some earrings, make-up (you never know!), hair things, and toiletries. I have packed two medications and will pack the rest tomorrow after I take the "F" section of the pill organizer. 
And to think I used to joke about those things and call them the SMTWTHFS. 
Well, I still call them that. But know I have one. 
I've got a list going for things I cannot forget like chargers. 
I've put some needlework projects in a bag and I've picked out the book I'm going to read out loud to Glen as we drive which is "Don't Lets Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood" by Alexandra Fuller which is one of the best books I think I've ever read. We shall see how I feel about it after a probably third reading. Or possibly fourth. 
Okay. This shall be my picture for the day.

This is not a feel-good book. It is brave and hard to believe even as you know it's true. It's a good book to read to remember that humans can survive amazingly hard things. 
I should possibly take "The Yearling" in case this book turns out to be more than Mr. Moon needs to hear. I mean, "The Yearling" is also about how humans can survive hard things but it's not quite as immediate. 

My god but the scent of the wisteria is strong. I'm feeling a bit woozy as I write this. The freeze did not seem to affect it and I am grateful for that. I will miss it as we travel north but I will be happy to see what's blooming along the way. Of course I am having fairly deep anxiety about leaving my safe, beloved home but I shall survive. 
As shall Maurice. 
Mr. Moon told me that he is looking forward to getting me out of town. 
Lloyd being the town. 
And to tell you the truth, I am actually looking forward to not cooking for a few days. This is highly unlike me. Or at least highly unlike who I used to be. Don't get me wrong. I still love to cook but I could use a break. And I'm not really talking about going to the Hilltop for lunch. 

I suppose I will be taking my laptop with me but don't expect me to be commenting on blogs or answering comments on mine or even posting very much if at all. So HURRAY! You'll be getting a break from me. 
But I am quite sure I will have stories when I return. 

Big love...Ms. Moon

One Woman's Lament

Well, when I said yesterday that the new plants in the garden were going to have to root hog or die, I really did not think they were going to die. But, there you go. That wilted thing in the middle? Yesterday that was a sturdy, strong tomato plant. So yes, we got a freeze. 
Those things growing around it are volunteer potato plants and they look to be fine. I'd love to think the tomatoes have a chance, however slight, of putting out new growth but I doubt they will. I'm not going to pull them up before we leave though. 
Here's another one. 

I've always heard it said that you do not set your tomato plants out until the pecan trees have started leafing out. And guess what? The pecans in this yard still have bare branches. And I myself have often said that yes, I have seen it freeze here in March. But somehow I convinced myself that all was well and it would be safe to go ahead and get those plants in the ground. And Mr. Moon was really pushing because he wanted them to have time to get some good growth on them before the horrible heat and bugs set in. And I'm sure nine years out of ten we would have been fine. 
Well, that's how it goes. I can't control the weather. But next year? Remind me please to remember not to plant until the pecan leaves start showing up. 
The peppers and eggplant look like they might be okay. My African basil looks to be dead. My regular basil is as ugly dead as the tomatoes although the volunteer celery growing with it looks positively jaunty. 

The potatoes look pretty good and of course all the greens I haven't pulled up are virtually frost proof and they look fine. And the rattlesnake beans? 
They are obviously not only heat tolerant, they appear to be frost hardy too. They truly are superbeans. 

I tell you who's going to benefit from this freeze though, and that is the nurseries and garden centers. You know people are going to be rushing back out to get replacements for what they've lost. I suppose we will too but not until we get back from Tennessee.

I spent most of the day trying to get things tied up and tidied up here. I tried on the dresses and surprisingly, a few of them fit. One of them is a truly lovely dress that I bought as my mother of the bride dress when Jessie got married. It will do fine if I choose to wear it. Another dress that would do is almost exactly like the one I wore at May's first wedding. That was my first Johnny Was garment. I found this other one at Goodwill and it is not Johnny Was but Sundance brand and that's hardly surprising as Johnny Was does manufacture some clothes for the Sundance catalog. The one I wore so long ago was a sort of dove gray whereas this one is more of a subtly gray lavender. But I think I like the other dress better. I've never actually worn the lavender dress at all because it never really did fit me but I bought it because who could pass up a Johnny Was dress, albeit one with a Sundance label, for Goodwill prices? Someone was eventually going to want it. 
And then of course the beautiful tights I ordered to possibly go with the lace Johnny Was Goodwill dress with the denim jacket arrived today and I haven't even tried on that ensemble. 
TOO MANY CHOICES! 

I tried on the beautiful, gorgeous, corduroy dress which is just as beautiful and gorgeous as it was when I bought it which was well over thirty years ago. It is the lightest, softest corduroy in a floral print and it has pockets and the most graceful of lines. I did not even dare hope it fit and it didn't. I mean, I could get it on but that does not mean it fit. I think it is my favorite dress of all the dresses I've ever had with a white linen sundress with a long skirt (and pockets) running a close second. And that dress is even older and it does fit. But way too summery for a March Tennessee wedding. 
So that was all that. 

I took the trash, I cleared the area in the pantry where we stash cardboard stuff and took it all out to the burn pile. I washed out the kitchen trash can. I did laundry and I ironed a few shirts for Mr. Moon to take with us on our little trip and also two blouses of mine which I may take with me. 
I winnowed out the freezer, taking some things out to the garage freezer, throwing obviously freezer-burned things away, getting rid of some of the magical freezer packs that come in deliveries which need to stay cold. I also went through the refrigerator and put some of that stuff in the compost (everything that could be composted, I did) because one does reach a point of acceptance that this or that leftover or sauce or product is never going to be used so let it go, let it go, let it go.
Wash the container and get on with life. 

I have not yet started packing and one of my stupidest worries about traveling is making sure I have the things I NEED, while not bringing fourteen extra outfits that I will not. Why do I feel as if it is of utmost importance that I have a multitude of choices?
Well, for one thing, temperatures are going to be in the fifties at night and upper seventies and even low eighties during the day. 
Yes. I know. Layers.
Layers involve a number of garments, just by definition, don't they? 
I am being neurotic about this. 

And meanwhile, as I was doing all this busywork, tripping out on my anxieties and baseless worries, what has Mr. Moon been doing? 
Well, for the past several days, he has been doing all of the paperwork required to give up his dealer's license, to finally and officially retire. Now this is not a simple task in any way. Every time I've gone into the Glen Den, he has been surrounded by documents and forms and folders, filling out the crazy multitude of things that need filling out. Like...legally. 
All of our vehicles which have been insured by the business for many years are now going to have to be insured in our names. Not only does this involve a transfer of all these things, but also requires finding and buying new insurance. New license plates must be bought. 
Oh, y'all. I have no idea what in the name of sweet baby Jebus he has had to be doing. Making copies, filling out all those forms, making sure I sign all the forms where I need to sign because I'm on every single thing we own. 
Right now he's in town, dealing with getting all of this paperwork verified, legalized, documentized, recognized, stamped, sealed, and delivered. 
Holy motherfucking shit. 
And this is a man who, because he had a learning disability, grew up thinking he wasn't very smart. A man who majored in body mechanics (I think) in college because his entire college career was based on his athletic ability which is what he figured he was best at. Everything he knows about business he has learned on his own by experience. When we got married and he told me he wanted to start his own tire and auto-repair shop I was terrified. I had no idea what he might or might not be capable of. 
And you know what? I am not sure I understand yet what he is capable of. 

And here I am, a person who, if she had to pick out and buy her own car insurance would have absolutely no clue in the entire world about how to do it. I have been frighteningly sheltered from any of that. I mean, I think I did it when I was first divorced from my ex-husband although I believe I may have made those decisions even before we divorced, but the thought of doing it now drives me to my knees to pray that I go first, oh again dear baby Jebus, let me go first. 

Love...Ms. Moon

 

Lagniappe

 

Sunset colors over the church next door. 

Happy Corned Beef And Cabbage Day!

Yes, yes, I've posted too many pictures of the wisteria already but I think it may be, at this moment, in peak bloom. Also, it may freeze tonight so we shall enjoy it while we can. 

While I was out taking its picture, Maurice strolled by and when she got to the end of the petaled path, I called her name and she turned back towards me which was my intent and I got a few pictures of her walking the purple carpet. 

As I so often say, all cats are supermodels whose superpowers are posing. 

When I woke up this morning it was freaking cold and I told Mr. Moon that I was "dying of anxiety." 
I can be a bit dramatic. 
My anxiety, of course, was due to the trip we're taking to The Event (oh, wait until I can write about this) and how I did not have anyone to stay here and watch my own supermodel and we didn't have a place to stay on our way up on Friday night and...
Well, that was about it. 
But that's enough to kick my ass into panic gear. 

I finally gathered my courage and texted Mark, my other son, to see if he'd be interested in coming to stay while we're gone. When Mark is here, I know that all is well. Sometimes Maurice even gets on the bed when he's sleeping so I'm pretty sure she adores him. And he is such a tidy person. Such a responsible person. 
But the thing is, is that he's house/Sophie sitting for Jessie right now and I know that he is very, very involved in taking care of family members who do need help. They all live together and I believe that Mark is the cruise director, chef, sound-bath healer, driver, and general Mark of All Trades for them. And so would he feel okay about staying here right after he is relieved of house-sitting for Jessie? 
Turns out I didn't even have time to type out a second text burst after my first one before he'd written back. 
"Yes. Every time. I can't wait." 
And with that I felt about 75% better. 
His parents only live a few miles from here, really, so he can easily go check on them. 
I can't tell you how much I appreciate him. He even asked if he'd need to water the garden. This is not his first Lloyd rodeo. 

And then, to make matters even better, Glen found a place for us to stay on our way up in a little town called Cave Spring in Georgia. We've never been there but we will be on Friday. There's a sweet old house that takes guests and all the reviews make it sound like a very good place to stay. So THAT is covered. 

I am so grateful. 

Of course, once again, even knowing I was going to town, I fucked around and then found out that it was already after 1:00 before I hopped in my 2017 Prius and drove to Midtown Pizza. The timing there was fine because the lunch rush was definitely over and so I had May almost all to myself. I ordered some lunch and we talked and talked and talked while I ate and she folded pizza boxes. She brought out the bin of clothes and we went through them. Some I swear I do not even remember. 
"Really? This was mine?"
One dress had NOT been mine. It had been Sue-Sue's, my friend who died many years ago. I did not remember that in the least but May did. I have no idea if any of these dresses will fit. I haven't had time to try them on yet so we shall see. 
Here's the sad thing about body dysmorphia- when I was wearing some of these dresses, I thought I truly needed to lose weight. 
I did not. 
I was beautiful at that size. I was beautiful at a larger size. But far more importantly- I was simply not overweight. I just wasn't skinny. I have wasted so much of my life fighting a battle with my very own self, sometimes in what could be called a healthier way, sometimes in what could be called a disordered eating way. 
I could write books about this. I have written a lot about it in this blog. But what I want to say now is that if I try on those dresses and none of them fit me, I need to not suddenly feel as if I am fat. As if I am overweight. I know I'm not. It is an extremely complicated subject and I fear that my brain has been wired a certain way since I was about seven years old. I honestly don't think I can rewire it at this age to be more accepting of the truth. To be more accepting of myself. 
Which I mostly am! I know I am doing what I need to do to be healthier, easier in this body, more able to bend and to move and to not try to avoid every mirror in the world I come across. 

So that's that. 

And speaking of, well, we weren't speaking of it, but...food.
Happy St. Patrick's Day which for me personally just means an excuse to cook corned beef and cabbage and make Irish soda bread. The corned beef is simmering away, I need to go put the cabbage and carrots and onions and potatoes in and I need to find my recipe for the soda bread which is delicious. 

I did not answer comments but once again, perhaps I will get around to it. 

Here's another vacation adventure photo.

Y'all- it's not even that warm down there. I mean, it's probably warmer than where many of you are but it's less than 60º which to us is WAY too cold to be swimming. 

Children. 

And the latest forecast on my weather widget for tonight here in Lloyd is 33º. 
Holy shit. 
Well, it will be what it will be and there is no way in hell I'm bringing any plants in or covering anything in the garden which has just been planted. 

 To repeat myself once more- Root hog or die. 

Love...Ms. Moon

What The Hell Is She Talking About Tonight?

I have no pictures to offer from today so I'll give you this one which I took last week when we were at the nursery. This is a pink wild azalea in full bloom. I seriously doubt either one of my two will ever look like that but as I recall, last year's bloom of the flame azalea I planted years ago had more flowers than I'd ever seen on it so maybe it will be even better this year. There used to be a flame azalea planted very near here on part of the yard of a house that had been unoccupied for a long time which had grown up into weeds but every spring that azalea bloomed and was beautiful. Then the damn Methodist church who owned the property decided to turn the old house into offices and cut down everything in the yard, including that azalea. 
I will never not be pissed off about that. They probably didn't even know it was there and I wonder if they would have cared if they had. But that yard is sure neat and tidy these days. 

It was raining hard when I got up and then it rained even harder. We got thunder and lightning and a tornado warning but I don't think there were any actual tornados reported. The power went out, as it generally does during a storm, and although the generator kicked in the way it's supposed to, it soon cut back off with great sounds of pops and backfires. Glen looked at it but it was still raining and lightning and so he closed it up and came back inside and the power company did get us all hooked back up relatively soon.
All I can say is- he better get thing fixed, sooner rather than later. 

As I laid in bed this morning, enjoying the sound of the rain and the coolness of the air coming in through the window above my head, I thought about the fact that I could take a day off of doing yard work without any guilt. I imagined knitting or mending or even working on that jigsaw puzzle which I doubt I will finish before I die, no matter how many years I have left. 

And I did finally sit down in front of the TV and work on a shirt I've been patching for well over a year while I finished watching the movie "Blue Moon" which I'd started a few nights ago. I was interested in it because Ethan Hawke played the main character, Lorenz Hart, he of the Rogers and Hart duo. Almost the entire movie was set in a bar where Hart had gone to get a drink which he felt he dearly needed after watching the play "Oklahoma" which had been written by Richard Rogers, his writing partner of 25 years, with Oscar Hammerstein. 
Not a movie for those who crave action, excitement, broad comedy or romance come to fruition. It is a movie for those who like dialogue, excellent acting, good writing, and true stories about real people which can often include deeply unrequited love.

So yeah, I loved it. I have recently come to admire Ethan Hawke since I watched him in the series "Low Down" and I am hoping with all my heart another season comes out soon. 

The best thing that happened today is that I got to talk to May and we talked for well over an hour. I have been needing that. All of my children are so wise and so funny and so very, very precious, each in their own way and I have not gotten nearly enough of May's wisdom, humor, and preciousness in quite awhile. I can't even really talk about it. But it was good and what I needed. I hope I was able to give her a little bit of what she needed. 

One of the lighter things we discussed was this upcoming event which Mr. Moon and I will be attending on Sunday. We will be leaving on Friday, spending one night on the way up, two nights at the destination, and one night on the way home. 
Needless to say, I am having some major anxiety and am still not certain about the "pretty dress" that I am supposed to wear at this event. 

Anyway, May suggested that I try on some of the dresses I have given her over the years, generally because I have outgrown them. There may be one or two that I can now fit into and truthfully, they are all beautiful in their own way and definitely all fit into the category of pretty dresses. I'll probably go to town tomorrow and pick them up from her at work. Even if none of them fits I will have gotten a hug from my darling girl and that will be worth it all. 

Both Jessie's and Lily's families are on vacation. 
Jessie, Vergil, August and Levon made it safely to the campground where they are staying in their new camper. Here are a few pictures she sent me. 

Here's what she wrote: " It’s mostly been cooking and cleaning for me so far. But I think the boys are having fun. 😜"

To which I replied, "Yeah. That’s camping life for moms. Doing everything you usually do but under more difficult circumstances with inferior equipment."

And here are the pictures Lily sent.

Mermaid Maggie!

They're staying in an Airbnb in the same area where Jessie and her family are camping. I believe they're all going to get together tomorrow to go to Weeki Wachee Springs and you know how much I wish I was going to be there too. 

And finally, a few pictures May shared with the group of her and Michael's 10th anniversary trip to Savannah. 

Hank and Rachel have sent me no pictures of them on vacation because they are NOT on vacation but at home where they are working and living and getting ready for a surgery Rachel is having soon which we all hope will help with the horrible chronic pain she has. 

But those are many of my babies and I love to see them all having fun.

I've made a soup which is appropriate as the temperature is dropping like a stone in a deep, cold well. I felt the need to deal with some leftovers in the refrigerator. I can only describe it as chicken/red lentil/many vegetables soup. I also attempted to make Boud's beautiful baguettes  but once again, my bread has failed. Well, not in the sense that I burned it up or it's inedible but in the sense that my baguettes are rather flat. Not enough flour, I am thinking. I do not really know.

I have lost my bread-making abilities which is a huge hit to my ego. 

Hardly life threatening though. It will still taste good, dipped in the soup. The chewier the, well, chewier, I guess. 

And it makes me so happy to think of my grands at Weeki Wachee. Here's a link to a trip I took down there with May, Lily, Owen, and Very Young Gibson. 

No mermaids for me this week. 
Sigh. 
But I am glad there will be for the grandchildren. It's somewhat crazy and quite wonderful that my children still love Weeki Wachee so much that they will take their own children to bask in the mermaid magic. 

Love...Ms. Moon

From My Heart

Can you see the buckeye blossoms? 

Here's a closer image.

Don't they just look like they were designed for hummingbirds? 

I have three little buckeye saplings that have sprung up. I need to find new homes for those. 

I didn't do much today. It was, shall we say, a leisurely day. I did a bit of leisurely work in the bed I want to plant herbs in. I used the big loppers to trim the damn sago that lives there and then I used them to prune the roses. I think there's probably a law against that. But it had already put out new stems, and the thorns on that plant are wicked sharp and unusually large so I had no desire to get up close and personal with my small hand pruner. I did what I did and you can bet the ranch I have not killed that rose. It will grow back with mighty power and meaty branches. Trust me. And it will probably bloom just as much as it usually does which is to say- not a whole lot. As to the sago- well, you know how I feel about those. Too bad the comet that killed the dinosaurs didn't destroy all of the sagos too which actually predated the dinosaurs. I imagine dinosaurs hated those things as much as I do, always cutting their tender dinosaur flesh, refusing to be a part of their diet, their frond needles getting stuck between their toes. 
Clearing that area in order to put in herbs is a task. The border grass, chenille plant, Virginia creeper and other ground-hugging species are almost impossible to tear out. I don't really care how far out the border grass and chenille plant grow. That battle is well and truly lost and Mr. Moon just mows it but they also grow into the gardening space itself which of course decreases the amount of growable area every year. I fear this is a fool's errand. 
Oh well. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
But the fact is, I did not plant even one sprig of rosemary. I did discover that the oregano I planted some years ago has made a comeback which is nice. 
La-di-da. La-di-da. 
I gently cut back the dead parts of the limequat tree and watered it. I was afraid it had been freeze-bit to the point of all-encompassing death but it appears to have new growth coming along. Bless its little baby heart! 

It was quite beautiful today, once again, although working outside was a sweaty proposition. Mr. Moon who was clearing vines and branches suffered far more than I did with my little bit of effort. It's supposed to rain tonight but not much. And as I said a few days ago, there is actually the possibility of a freeze early Wednesday morning. I am simply not going to worry about it. Right now the sky is darkening and the birds are quiet. We do very much need rain so I will welcome it if it comes. 

************

I have been having a lot of thoughts today about things concerning the Epstein files and the horrors being brought into the light. I've written about this before but it occurs to me that for those of us (and our numbers are legion) who were sexually abused as children, these reports are a constant trigger. So. Should we simply not read any of what's being discovered? Or refuse to watch survivors' videos? 
Is that even possible? 
And has there ever been a time in history where the actions of one group of men (and some women) have caused so much emotional turmoil and pain to one specific group of people in this way? 
What would happen if all of us banded together and sued Donald Trump and all the others in those files who perpetrated such violence and pain on children for emotional distress? 
Yeah. Not going to happen. 
At this point though, it would certainly be a start if at least some of these people had to go through the legal process of being arrested and tried and imprisoned for what they have done. Knowing that they walk free now, completely able to enjoy their massive wealth and their positions of power is untenable and incredibly agonizing. 
All of us who are affected by this and of course, especially those who were directly victimized are having a hard time right now. I don't even pretend to have any idea about what those survivors are going through.

It is starting to rain. Not much. Not nearly enough to clear the air of the pollen which is affecting so many or to nurture the new growth of which spring has presented us, but a start, a promise of a promise. 

Better than goddamned nothing. 

Love...Ms. Moon

So Many Pictures

Spirea, camellias, azaleas. 
Okay, Spring. You're just showing off now. 

Don't stop! Please don't stop!

Tung blossom. Now, according to everything I've read, one tung seed can kill a person if ingested and the entire tree is toxic if humans are exposed to the different parts. However, as I told Glen a little while ago, I have never once heard of anyone dying by tung seed, neither human nor animal. I used to worry a bit as my chickens pecked under that tree frequently but none of them ever keeled over. Or even got bad tummies as far as I know. 

I had more insomnia last night. 
This will not stand. 
I didn't even have any itches to blame it on. I simply could not get back to sleep. Eventually, I did, but there was at least an hour of time where I just laid there playing alphabet games in my head. 
And I did not feel great when I woke up. I almost wondered if I was coming down with whatever Mr. Moon had. But when he asked if I wanted to go to town with him to shop at Oak Tree Treasures while he delved into a Moon Plaza situation involving trash pick-up and then have lunch, I said, "Yes. I think so."
And so I did. 
Hank and Rachel joined us at Oak Tree. They live less than a mile away. And it was SO fun, shopping about with them. Rachel and I had a very good time, holding up garments and commenting on them. Not always in flattering terms. 
Well, what would you expect? 
And hanging out with Hank and discussing different finds is also just a damn good time. 
I did not find any clothing I wanted or needed but I did find a rocking chair that yes, I do believe I wanted and needed. Rachel (I think) took this picture of me sitting in it. 

It was the sweetest little old granny rocking chair you can imagine. And that did come home with me. It is now in my bathroom because I love my bathroom and I love to put things I love in there. 

I believe it will probably end up on the porch at the cabin. 
Maybe. As for now, I may or I may not sit in it in the bathroom. I did try it out there, curious as to what I would be looking at when I did, and it was rather nice. 

I also bought these. 

They are plates of the salad or side-sized or luncheon-sized and I have been looking for more of those. I really like the way they are painted. 

All different and yet definitely of a set. I didn't Google Lens them until after I got home. They were priced so reasonably and I liked them so much that their value was obvious to me. When I did look them up, I discovered that they are vintage, collectible, and far more valuable than what I paid for them. I mean, not hundreds of dollars, but perhaps thirties of dollars. 

But the main thing is, I bought them because I liked them and that was that. I just won't be putting them in the dishwasher, knowing what I now know. 

So that was a very sweet shopping trip and being with Hank and Rachel was absolutely perfect. 

Glen and I had lunch after that. Once again, it was way late and once again, we ended up at the Cuban restaurant. My favorite server took care of us and I told Glen, sotto voce, "I love her."
"I know," he said. 
I never joke around with this server whose name is Jessi, as I am sure I have mentioned. She is too professional for that mess. She is friendly and polite and knows what she's doing and I have absolutely no illusions that she wants to be my friend. 

And then, back to my mission to find a Mexican basil, we returned to Native Nurseries where I was hoping they'd had some come in but they had not. 
Sigh. 
Oh well. Other things were bought. 

Just a few more herbs and vegetables and...

This kalanchoe commonly called Miracle Plant. 
I know nothing about miracles this plant can do but if you click on the link, you will find that it can CURE EVERYTHING.
Oh well. Sure. 
The reason I wanted it is that it used to grow in the woods in Roseland and I was fascinated by the blooms it made. I assume they were blooms. I'm not sure. They looked like this.

And you could pop them, which we did. We were not only entertained, we also recognized uniqueness when we saw it. 

It needs to go into a pot because it is not freeze hardy but it surely makes me happy to have it in a pot or in the ground, either one. I have been looking for one to dig up in Roseland but have not seen one. Perhaps all the popping of their blooms we did may have killed them all. They could still be there somewhere but I am not one to trespass on privately owned property to look for plants to dig up. 
Unless I'm sure I can't be caught. 

Dang. I have to go make supper. Air-fried catfish tonight. Caught in Lake Seminole by Mr. Moon. 
He will be so happy. 

Love...Ms. Moon

I Am Looking Up. I Am Paying Attention

Another just ridiculously beautiful day. And it was so cool when I woke up this morning. Burrowing-under-the-covers cool. Put on a sweater cool. Sweet, sweet, sweet. 

I took that picture just a little while ago. Yes, you can see the generator but that is a thing of beauty to us so try not to regard it as something that looks out of place or inappropriate. I also cropped out the AC/heat pump but that is possibly even more beautiful than the generator. 
But oh, the lushness! These pink azaleas are on a bush that never did very well until I started throwing kitchen scraps around them when I had the chickens. Every day they would spend time scratching there in search of treats and as they scratched, they would poop and before I knew it- the azalea was a dazzler. 
OH MY GOD I MISS MY CHICKENS!
What you see framed between the magnolia tree and the cabbage palm is the spray of the sprinkler I turned on to water in what I planted in the garden today. 

Whoa. Mr. Moon just got home and made us a martini and I've completely lost my train of thought. However, since I rarely do have much of a train of thought, it hardly matters. We went out to the garden together and I showed him what was going on there. I planted some peppers, a tomato, and two eggplants, just then realizing I had inadvertently bought white eggplant plants and WTF? today after I took out the kale which hardly did a damn thing this year. I carefully saved every usable leaf though and I've been doing the same with the arugula I've pulled up although I have not saved every leaf. I'm leaving quite a bit of that as it is flowering now and the bees seem to enjoy it. I am going to plant more very soon. Since I discovered last summer that arugula can indeed tolerate the heat, I am not so panicked about running out of that delicious peppery green. 

Oh! I know something I wanted to talk about and that was more about the hookworms. I really don't want everyone to think I was the poster child for abject poverty in the south. I mean, we didn't have much money but I could have worn shoes if I'd wanted but I didn't want to. And if I did wear shoes, they were those rubber flipflops that cost about a buck a pair, if that. This is how all the kids ran about. The soles of our feet were tough as shoe leather although they were not impervious to sandspurs. And those are a whole different subject. 
So yes, most of us got ground itch at one point or another. We also got pinworms and if don't know what they are, just take my advice and don't google them although they are quite common, even now. I read once that one of the reasons southerners, especially those who lived in poverty which was a large percentage, had the reputation of being slow and lazy might well have been due to the vast numbers of people who had various intentional parasites and probably the dermatological ones too. They literally sapped people's energy and caused anemia and gastrointestinal and abdominal problems. And let us also remember that many poor southerners had a less than optimal diet. 

So there's your little inservice on parasites which can affect humans. Oh, I forgot to even mention tapeworms but let's leave that for another time. 
Probably never. 

Shall we move back to the garden?

My carrots have been incredibly slow growers this year but I finally pulled two today. I washed the dirt off of them and cleaned the kale in my outside sink today. What a beautiful sight! 
All of my bucket bag tomatoes are looking very nice. One of them has potatoes coming up in it too. Did I already mention this? And some of them have what is probably acorn squash making a nice healthy appearance too. I know I'm going to have to pull some of these things in order for the tomatoes to thrive but you know how hard that is for me. 
No, no! Do not kill them! 
Oh please, Mary. You know damn well that when the little black nymphs of the giant Georgia Thumper grasshoppers appear in swarms you will be smushing those things like you were getting paid to do it. Somehow I can rationalize that whereas pulling purely innocent plants that just want to live is much harder. 

A few more pictures of spring.

Wisteria, of course.

Mulberry leafing out and blooming. 

Lizard on porch screen, scratching his head. 

You may notice I have stopped discussing anything going on in the world at large. I guess I'm taking a break. 
I do not want my heart, soul, or consciousness to be filled with anything but the magnificence around me. Who knows how many more springs I will be able to enjoy to the degree I am enjoying this one? 
And that's what I have to say about that, even though I feel guilty as I say it. 

Anyway...

Happy Friday, y'all. 

Love...Ms. Moon