An Afternoon Of Rest

As you can see from the calender above, my February has been and is quite filled up.

Yes. Owen is my social secretary. So, okay, yesterday he saw me write something on the calender and then he pulled up a step stool and proceeded to fill in the rest of it for me. He pointed out that there were letters and numbers. And then he asked me to draw things in there too. A moon, a star, some fishes. Can you tell which ones are sharks?
No, you cannot.
I drew him a picture of a bull one day that was so bad that when Mr. Moon saw it he said, "Thank god we don't have to live on what we could make from selling bulls drawn by Mermer." He wasn't joking, either. I can't draw anything. I can't draw convincing stick figures. But what the hell? I don't have to. Good thing, too.

But it really has been a busy month and a good one, or at least good enough. For a February, it's been spectacular, I guess, although I'll feel a hell of a lot better about it if I get some peas and potatoes planted.

Besides filling up my calender for me yesterday, Owen also took all his clothes off. I have found that this is something that children just do and it never ceases to charm me. My own kids were naked from dawn to dusk whenever the weather allowed when we lived out in Lloyd when the older ones were young and we lived even farther out in the country. So when Owen stripped and wanted to run around outside yesterday, I just told him that he had to wear his shoes and he was so happy.

Wouldn't YOU be? There was also naked tractor-playing and naked-gardening. By Owen. I had my clothes on. Believe me.

It was mighty fun but I was exhausted by the time his mama came and got him. And then of course I had things to do around here and then rehearsal and I was just so exhausted by the time it was over last night and then I woke up at approximately 4:53 again this morning and couldn't get back to sleep but when I finished doing everything I needed to do in town today, I came home and laid down and slept for two hours and it was as luscious and gorgeous and pink as this:

I'm sorry to keep posting pictures of those camellias but it can't be but a good thing for the universe. I mean, LOOK at that! I don't even know what I'd call that color. Or those colors. But the word "luscious" sure keeps coming to mind. And sleep CAN be pink. Or at least I think so. If we can dream in color, why can't we sleep in color?

I got up reluctantly from the nap and it was dripping rain and no wonder I'd slept so well. Then I was talking to Judy on the phone and I noticed something on the fence out back. "Good Lord!" I said to Judy. "I think that's a hawk out there."
And it was. I took some pictures of it and this is the best one I got.

That hawk was waiting for my chickens to come by for their evening promenade. I know he was. The chickens did not take that promenade but the hawk continued to watch them and even flew up into a tree by the coop when they went inside. They're closed up safe now but look at that beak. What a magnificent bird but I still don't want him snatching one of my hens. It would upset Elvis so much.

Speaking of chickens, when I took the trash yesterday, there was a little goldy hen pecking around the trash place. I asked the guy there about her and he said she's been there for about five or six weeks. "She laying?" I asked. "Just started," he said. She lays in the little portable building where he hangs out watching a discarded but perfectly good TV when he isn't doing his trash-smashing duties. The little hen looked happy as could be and he said he was building her a pen at home and was going to take her there when he got it finished.

Lloyd.

When I went out to take the picture of the hawk, I saw Ballsy, The World's Fattest Feral Cat. He was posing perfectly so I took his picture, too. He only has one eye but he has a full set of...balls. They're huge. They don't show up here.


I feed him and I doubt I'm the only one. I hear him at night sometimes, wrastlin' and yowlin' out in the darkness with another cat. I pity the poor fool who takes him on. He'll let us pet him sometimes so he's not that wild. Unless you're another tom cat out in the darkness.

Well, it's just about dark. I don't have rehearsal and I'm going to make some sort of chicken and bean enchilada casserole for our supper. I got to see Lily and Owen today and we planted a few things I'd dug up in my yard and took over there. Owen mostly stood on the picnic table and practiced his Kung Fu moves with a bamboo pole. Hai-YA! is his favorite phrase these days. Then we met Bop for lunch at the Chinese buffet and so it was a good day.

Lily had a midwife appointment and all is well. She's 37 weeks now and that baby will be coming soon.

Yes. It has been a full month and will continue to be so. Friday and Saturday are our last performances, Sunday is tear-down. Tomorrow I will go to the Assisted Living Place to be with Mother when she gets yet ANOTHER cognitive test. I have more insurance forms to fill out.

But I tell you what- it's been a nice day and I am so grateful for the sleep I got with the gentle rain coming down, the beautiful bird I saw sitting on my fence, my hens, my rooster, my husband. I better go make him some supper.

Love from Lloyd, y'all.

Ms. Moon