Some Days Are Just Like This

 I told you I'd only get one good day of beauty from that magnolia. There it is today, its form still lovely but its stamens all spilled into the cups of the petals, its color darkening so quickly from the brilliant ivory it was to brown. 
Such is life. All things must pass. But you know what? She is still wearing her perfume. 

Today's been a bitch. I didn't sleep well last night. I had heartburn, I had to get up four times to pee. I experienced what I know is kidney stone pain and that makes sense because when one of those stones gets somewhere it's not supposed to be, I am up and down all night. I don't exactly understand this phenomenon but it's a true thing. Maurice came to join us in the wee hours and announced her presence by scratching on the bed which is what she does and when she jumped up she came over to my face and rubbed up against my cheek which was really very sweet and then she settled down by my legs but because I was already having trouble sleeping, every time she moved I was aware of it. So of course I was cranky when I woke up. Why is that when you're having trouble sleeping, the best sleep you get all night is the sleep you get right before you're supposed to get up? 

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I have a folded paper shade in the doorway of my bathroom which leads out to the porch and today I actually looked at it. Really, really looked at it.
Oh dear god. 
Filthy, filthy, filthy. It needs to be burned. 
All right. But something has to go up there because the door has windows in it and I don't feel like sharing my toilette routines with anyone. The door leads to the porch with the swing on it and it doesn't really expose me to the entire population of Lloyd, but still. Now, the thing is, is that my bathroom was built using part of that porch. Think of a long-ish porch which has had half of it walled off and turned into a bathroom. This works great but the door they used that goes from our bedroom to my bathroom also has windows in it. I think it was probably the original door leading out to the porch. A long time ago I bought some sort of brightly colored industrial strength fabric to make curtains in the bathroom because not only are the doors both glass, but there is one literal wall of glass and two other big windows and they all do indeed give the world a fine view of what goes on in my bathroom. 
Who does this? 
When I bought that fabric, I also bought a different print to make curtains for the doors. For some reason which I cannot remember, I only made the one for the door that goes from the bedroom to the bathroom and left up the tacky, flimsy paper shade on the other door. Are you with me? 
But when I made that curtain, I knew I probably wanted to get another curtain out of the material for the other window so I incorporated all of the fabric into that one thing, and used a basting stitch to sew it all up so that when it came time to make the other curtain, I could just pull those threads, cut the fabric, and get busy. 
Today was the day. After my walk I took the sort-of curtain down from the door and got out my handy seam ripper and ripped those seams. Then I measured and ironed and measured and cut. I have not yet gotten the sewing machine out but the plan is to get the rest of the project done tomorrow. 

And that's what I've been doing today. I took the compost out and toured the garden because that's my favorite thing to do. Before I even got in the garden, I noticed some volunteer potatoes growing so happily. 

Look at those pretty little potato flowers. Did you know that potatoes make flowers? I am sure many of you did. 

The tomatoes are coming right along. 

I did, however, see a bunch of tiny black bugs on one tomato on another plant. They were on the tomato itself and I did not recognize them. Oh boy! Another pest! They may be something called a "flea beetle" but I really have no idea. I'll let Glen figure this development out. 

He went up to the lake cabin this morning to meet the roofer and I haven't seen or heard from him yet. Since there's no cell reception there, that's not a big surprise. Also, this is the first day he's been able to go up there by himself since he bought it. I think he's probably had a very, very good time, walking around, looking at things, figuring it all out. I told him yesterday that what I would really like is for us to keep it all very simple. To let it be a lake house where we go to get out of town and be somewhere else where he can fish, not another new residence. No need to build more rooms, or any of that stuff, just do the very basic things that need to be done, let us sort of settle into it the way it is and decide what, if anything else we want to do. 
He was happy to hear that. 
Hell, I told him we could keep the carpet if he wants. I don't really care. I see it sort of like going to stay in an Airbnb that we own. Right? No pressure. 

All righty. Wish me luck with the kidney stone. A little while ago it was starting to climb the pain scale chart but it's calmed back down. 

Do you folks who live in other countries use this chart? 

It's funny/not funny, especially if you've ever hit #10. 

Going to go cut up the potatoes for split pea soup. The only reason I made split pea soup is because I read a book recently in which split pea soup was made and enjoyed. 
Hmmmm, I thought. 
I have no carrots so it's not really authentic split pea soup but Mr. Moon doesn't like cooked carrots anyway. But there must be potatoes. 

Absolutely. And also, part of last Christmas's ham bone. Time to get that thing out of the freezer. 

Love...Ms. Moon