We Packed Up All Our Cares And Woes

This was taken from my chair under the cypress tree at the river where Glen and I went this afternoon to cool off and peace out. 

"Peace out" is not a phrase I generally use or, to be honest, EVER use, but it just seems so appropriate at this very moment. I got so hot working outside today and I felt like crying for no reason most of the day and I've had such unloving feelings about myself because who knows why? and if I were still a young woman I'd blame it all on hormones but I am not a young woman and I just don't know what was going on. But what all that adds up to is that I needed a plunge in the river to let those cold, clear waters wash away the twitchy stuff going  on in me.

That's the boat ramp area where you can see how clear the water is. While we were in the water I even saw a tiny little turtle, swimming near the white sand bottom, moving faster than one could imagine such little paddle feet able to go. A small gator was seen as well. Glen saw it, I didn't. I'm this close to blind in the water without my glasses. He assured me that it was just a baby. 

And now I feel reborn once again. As I said on our drive home, I never feel like the same person coming home from the river as I do going to the river. Everything seems less fraught with difficulty, my mind is so much less apt to jump on every worst-case scenario it can come up with. I am simply more at peace with myself and my world. 

I worked outside today some and it's just too damn hot to do that. First I picked some more peas and then I started working on the camellia bed which is just filled with weeds and the eternal invasive plants. I discovered a new one today- a different species of crocosmia whose blooms look like withered up gumballs. Not attractive. Where did these come from? I've lived here twenty years and I've never seen them before. Have they just been lying dormant, waiting for the right moment to shoot up and torment me? Of course there was the regular crocosmia and the border grass, my two most familiar nemeses. The glory bower is having a wonderful summer, and there are a few bamboo out there that escaped the kick. And other stuff that I don't even know the names of. 
I got out the big loppers (thanks, Boud!) and cut back some Japanese Magnolia branches and the largest bamboo as well as a few camellia branches. I probably worked for about an hour at which point I was DONE and Mr. Moon was ready for the river too. He's been working on repairing the fence. 

And off we went and that made all the difference. 

I did something today I've never done before which was to walk through a golden orb weaver spider's web and discover a few moments later that the lady spider herself was now riding on my shoulder. 
I was a bit taken aback! As I've said, the spiders have not reached their full maturity yet and are only about the diameter of a Ritz Cracker at this point but that's still pretty big if you're talking about a spider on your own personal shoulder. 
I brushed at the girl but didn't see her land and was immediately convinced she was on my head or back but then I saw her on my arm and I brushed at her again and she fell to the floor of the porch. Hopefully unharmed. 

And now we know which side is up. The scary mask side. Oh my goodness. I just noticed a screw head in that picture, caught between the boards. 

While we're discussing metal implements that hold things together, here's a nail that Glen found in the yard a few days ago.

I wonder how old it is. It looks like it might have been hand-forged. Or whatever you call it when someone makes a nail themselves. 

And one more wonder that I found in the yard today. 

And elephant ear bloom. It's about seven inches or so long. Is that not enchanting? 

I think it is. 

Love...Ms. Moon