Work It Off

Boring ass picture, right? 
Yes. Yes it is. 
But it represents how I made myself feel better today. And stronger. And not quite as old. 

When I woke up everything hurt. My knee, my butt, my leg. 

And that was just one side of my body.

I cried. I cried because I cry almost every morning and the reason I cry almost every morning is because everything hurts and I'm old and I guess I probably cry because I'm still alive which means that I have to deal with all the things once again. I suppose this sounds so ridiculously babyish AND a little scary but I think of it as my daily morning existential angst and I generally get over it pretty quickly. 
I knew I wasn't going to take a walk today. That surely did not work yesterday but I was not going to sit inside all day and weep and grieve my youth and my looks and my abilities so after lunch, when it was good and hot, I went out to the garden. First thing I did was to see if there were any more peas to pick. 

Turns out there were plenty. So I picked peas and pulled a few weeds as I went and then I got to work clearing another part of the garden of weeds and dead pepper plants (that's the one cleaned out-row in that picture up there) and by then I was so hot that I knew I had to go inside and cool off, which I did. 
And then, after awhile, I went back outside and cleared the other side of that row and started in on weeding another part of the garden and got a lot of that done, as well as pulling most of the old, dried-up tomato vines from the growing bags they were in. 
Y'all, it was hell-hot out there. And yet, I wanted to do that work and I did it and all of the kneeling and standing and bending helped stretch out all that stuff that needed stretching out and hell- people do hot yoga, right? I figured I didn't need no stinkin' hot yoga studio. 
And now I feel fine. Except that it's a little hard to walk but it was before I did all that too.

There was nothing in this world I wanted to do more than work in my garden and I did it. I also ordered all the seeds I need for the fall garden from a company called David's Garden Seeds which is having a sale this weekend. I still ended up spending a stupid amount of money because I bought a packet of everything from Chinese cabbage to red Russian kale to delicata squash. Also all the old favorites- collards, mustards, carrots, lettuces, and so forth. I swear to you though, I am NOT going to plant multiple rows of things. We can't use all that green goodness. 

And of course I washed sheets today and okay, okay, I bought a new set of sheets at Costco this week and I am certain I will be disappointed in them before long but they were so cheap (which is why I'll be disappointed in them before long) and a lovely color of sea foam green and Jessie bought a set and, well. I am just a spendthrift, obviously. So those are on the bed and the ones I took off are clean, folded up and put away. 

And now all is well and Mr. Moon just got home from going by a friend's house to get some advice about a truck and it's time for a martini.
The zinnias are still giving me love.

I picked what I think are probably the last four little finger eggplants. I will happily shell those peas, but not tonight. And by the time my seeds arrive and the weather has cooled down enough, I'll have that garden cleared out and clean as it can be, ready for Mr. Moon to make his straight rows so that we can plant all that goodness. 

And on top of all of this, Jessie got six baby chicks today so there will be chickens in the family again. You have no idea how happy this makes me. 

See? I always recover from my morning weeping. Not always as well as I have today but maybe tomorrow I'll get back out in that garden and work some more. It is a tonic. 

Happy Friday, y'all. 

Love...Ms. Moon