Rutting Season

The firespike out front is finally putting out its bloom. The hummingbirds have probably already given up waiting. As always- I need more sun for most of the plants I have in my yard but it is what it is. However, the plants will soon be full of their scarlet glory. The firespike is one plant that was here when we moved in that I do curse. It is not invasive but is very, very easy to propagate to plant where you want it which I discovered one year when I put some flowering stems in a vase and then forgot they were there until much later when I realized the leaves were still as green as ever and that there were even a few blooms. I checked and the entire vase was filled with roots which I stuck in the ground when it warmed up and they grew. 

I woke up sad this morning. I know it had to do with Mr. Moon being gone although I truly do not mind being by myself. I mostly love that. It was more just a feeling of being low on the priority list and I've struggled with this for years. It is a conundrum because I do enjoy being alone so much and really, I cannot have my cake and eat it too. I have joked for many years that I can't believe we got married at the end of October because that, my friends, is rutting season. For deer, that is. During rutting, the male deer throw caution to the winds and go about proudly thrusting their antlers at each other and showing off for the females which are in their estrus.

You know, like in high school when the guys drive around the McDonalds' parking lot in their souped up cars to impress the ladies. Of course, that goes on 365 days a year but otherwise, same-same. 

But we did get married during rutting season and I joke that it's quite appropriate we did although it's come back to bite me because it's hard to schedule an anniversary trip when the bucks are all out there, strutting and forgetting their usual caution. 

Do I ever get resentful? You bet. Does that do any good? Oh, hell no. He has absolutely no concept of me not understanding how this all works and you'd think by now I would. And I do. It's like I always say- I do not understand why he finds these things so important but he does and I need to understand THAT. 

And of course this works both ways. Believe it or not, I am far from perfect and not always easy to live with.

So back to this morning. Lily and I had talked about getting together today with her kids but it turned out that the boys were going to a birthday party for a neighbor later on in the afternoon and Maggie had a playdate with her best friend, Mary. So instead of going to Monticello or something like that, we just met at the Hilltop and had lunch. I was happy to see everyone. 
I was fretting beforehand about what in the world I'd get at the Hilltop that would be even vaguely healthy which is not really the basis for their menu. So what did I eat? Not much is the answer to that. But that wasn't the purpose of meeting up, not really. We ate outside and it wasn't horribly hot and the mosquitos and flies and yellow flies were nowhere to be seen and I got to catch up on what the kiddos had been doing the last few weeks. 
Going to school, mainly. 
Owen is very excited about getting his driver's license soon. His birthday is this month but he wasn't able to get his learner's permit until a little after his birthday and it has to be a year after that to be tested and licensed. I asked him if he was going to drive out to Lloyd to see us and he said that would be one of his first trips. I really can't imagine this. I remember one time when he was very young and he got mad at his mother and demanded that she bring him over here and when she refused, he said, "Well then, I'll just walk."
I have thought about that so many times. 
But now he won't have to walk. He'll be able to drive and I'm not sure my heart will be able to handle it. Here's what Owen looks like next to me now. 

Do you see why I feel like he's a giant? And of course Gibson is taller than I am and Maggie is not far behind. 

After lunch I drove to Monticello on my own and went to Wag the Dog and the vintage/antique store next to it and the only thing I found to buy in all of that was a very nice wire whisk. There was a rather lovely blue vase that I could easily have rationalized buying by taking it to the cabin and there was a set of cool martini glasses that would have also been a nice find for the cabin but I just wasn't in a buying mood, I guess. I probably should have bought them both. I may go back next week and see if they're still there. I've looked up both of those items on the all-knowing google and they're worth far more than Wag was asking. It's rare to find martini glasses in thrift stores at all for the obvious reason that when people drink martinis, they sometimes end up dropping their glass. Especially if it's their second martini. 

I cannot say this has not happened here. 

Sigh. 

So. Have you ever heard of lovebugs? For those of you who have not, they are a type of insect which you almost always see tail-to-tail with another of the same species but of the opposite sex and yes, they are mating. They are tail-to-tail when they fly and when they hang out on your car, which these were doing when I was parked at the Hilltop. 

I have noticed a decline in their numbers the last few years but this year it would appear that they are back in full force. 

These two are either trying to make their connection or break it. I do not know which. They are a damn nuisance as they are attracted to cars and can clog up radiators and completely ruin a paint job. 

So- another fun part of living in Florida. You get to witness bugs fucking every September. Their rutting season only lasts a short while but it is an annoying short while. 
Fun note: the lovebugs can and do stay attached for not just hours but sometimes days as they fly about and eat. 
To give them credit- they do not carry diseases, bite, or damage plants. Just cars.

Does it look like Maurice has been stabbed by my pruners? She has not. She herself chose to lie on them for a nap and an afternoon hang. 

Thanks for coming along on my self-analyzing, lunch-having, thrift store shopping, lovebug lecture this evening. 

Guess I'll try to go figure out something I want to eat. 

Love...Ms. Moon