Remember?

Well. Do we know what today is? 
I do. It is Levon Cobb Weatherford's sixth birthday. Look at that little precious. He was still literally wet behind the ears. Just born, freshest, newest, most miraculous thing on the entire planet. 

All day I've been thinking about the day he was born. It was such a fast, sweet birth and oh, how wonderful it was that he could be born at home, safely delivered by Midwife Tanisha who had also caught Magnolia June when she was born two years earlier. 

If you would like to read about Levon's birth, you can go HERE. 
I'm posting pictures from that post and the one after too, because they are so beautiful. 

To basically sum up how the birth went, I'll just say that Jessie made pancakes for her family, folded clothes, had contractions, had a baby, and we all ate lunch. 

Here she is having a contraction. 

And then it all looked like this. 

And this. 

And then this.

And there was Levon! 

Jessie said that last night she told the boys the stories of when they were born and at one point Levon said, "I feel like I might cry."

And of course his mother did cry and when she told me that, I did too. 

So this morning, the six-year old man went to school after waking up to a house decorated for him and a happy birthday breakfast. 

It is so hard for me to believe that this tiny infant

has grown into such a fine, smart, funny, guy who tucks his shirts in and does his own hair the way he wants it, and loves his family to pieces. All the cousins, both the Florida ones and the North Carolina ones, his aunts and uncles, his brother and especially his mama and daddy. He also loves his grandparents. 

Remember this? I took it recently.

You know, I think about the fact that if Mr. Moon had not asked that crazy woman in Kent's Lounge wearing her girlfriend's pink angora sweater that kept slipping off her shoulder to dance forty years ago, none of this would have happened. 

And yet it did. 
Just the way Mother Nature intended. 

I've felt better today and did some weeding in the garden. The kids and I have been texting back and forth about Thanksgiving which unbelievably appears to be happening in two weeks. 
Good gawd almighty! 

I better make my cranberry/pecan/orange relish and start stocking up on the things I know I'll need. I believe we may have it here again this year and I have pleaded with everyone to please- let's keep it simple! Everyone can bring one side-dish and one appetizer or dessert if that is what they want to do. Even that much is not required. We always have way, way, WAY too much food. 

We'll see how that works out. 

Meanwhile, we're trying to figure out some sort of little family party for Levon. Our little boy man. 
Instead of the Pokemon cards I got him for his birthday, I should have gotten the kid a briefcase and a tie. 

He is like no other. 

And oh, how we adore him. 

Love...Ms. Moon

Well, No Wonder I Was So Bitchy Last Night

I am making soup. 

I am making soup because I am a little sick. I slept ten hours last night. Ten hours! I probably would have slept longer than that if Jack hadn't gotten worried and come in to check on me. Mr. Moon said he had been worried and was about to come check on me but Jack actually did it. I think I must have picked up something from one of the boys. August had a little cold and I guess that's it. I'm achy and slightly congested and so, so tired. About all I did today that required any effort was to make the bed and then make the soup. 
This should be an interesting soup. I simmered some of last night's roast chicken and then added a few carrots and potatoes that I'd roasted with it, an onion, a lot of garlic, some chopped broccoli, cauliflower, and more carrots, a few collard and mustard greens, and a little bit of left-over stewed tomatoes. And peppers. It is seasoned with bouillon and salt and pepper and red pepper flakes and Sazón, which is a Mexican seasoning. 

The achiote in it is what gives the soup's broth the orangey color. I will also add some leftover pasta and steamed vegetables that I made last Saturday which involved the pasta leftover from a lemon and ricotta pasta dish I'd made earlier. So. Leftover leftovers. And then to make it all so much better and health-giving, I will add the juice of some limes. 
As I made it in one of my smaller pots, I am quite proud that I have restrained myself from making my usual vat of soup. I am not afraid of leftover leftover leftovers but that is taking it a bit far, I suppose. 

I've mostly done some online crosswords today, read a little bit of one of the New Yorkers in my guilt stack, worked on my eternally-never-finished jigsaw puzzle, and did a little of my hippie-Japanese patching and mending on my beloved blue linen shirt that has been worn as thin as a wisp of a dream of fabric in some places. 

"But Ms. Moon," you may ask, "Will you actually wear this shirt?"

To which I reply, "Yes. Yes I damn well will. And I'll keep patching it and wearing it until either I can't thread a needle any more. 
I finished watching Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris while I was sitting on the couch and then started watching the new film on Netflix, Nyad. 
Diana Nyad is one of my heroes. I wrote a blog post about her ten years ago when she did her Cuba to Key West swim. You can read that HERE if you want. Her achievement at the age of sixty-four blew me away and moved me deeply. I'll never forget watching the footage of her finishing that swim. 

Oh hell. I just watched it again and I'm crying like a baby. 

The movie seems to be fine but I'm not sure that any film could possibly capture the raw emotion of Nyad's achievement. I admire what I've seen of Annette Bening's performance. There is certainly no attempt to hide her age, either in face or body. It would completely have defeated the purpose of the portrayal of a sixty-four year old woman pursuing a dream that she was unable to achieve in her twenty-eight year old body. But I have to give props to Bening- that must have been one hell of a role to take on. 

So I'm looking forward to watching more of that. 

The jigsaw puzzle I've been working on has taken up the dining room table for well over a month now. I just don't sit down at it very often and also, I will openly admit that I am not good at jigsaw puzzles. But I somehow love this one and will finish it. 

Since I got it at Goodwill, I am afraid that there are pieces missing but don't we all? Have pieces missing, that is. The story the puzzle seems to tell is one of such celebration and curiosity. The sailors, the musicians, the gents in their suits, the ladies in their cocktail attire- they all delight me. And the contrast between them and the stolid, solid house behind them does too. The hanging Chinese lanterns lend the kiss of playfulness to it all. 

One more thing- Glen and I have given "Moonlighting" more of a chance and we are enjoying it. That first episode's sexist bullshit is not as prevalent in the subsequent episodes and the back-and-forth banter between David and Maddie is funny, quick, and sharp. The hairstyles and clothes are a big reminder of what was wrong with the eighties and the way they filter Cybil Shepherd's face in close-ups is ridiculous but hell- we're enjoying it. As my husband said, "This is the longest foreplay we've experienced in our entire lives."
Warning: The theme song is a dangerous earworm. It just is. 

See you tomorrow.

Love...Ms. Moon

Things Change But Some Do Not

The North Florida Fair is in town which I mentioned last night. Lily sent some pictures of the kids. Here's Ms. Magnolia June, posing like the Statue of Liberty with a large delicious-looking ice cream cone. That's our girl! 

Of course the fair is really all about the food, despite the joy of the rides, the games, the people-watching, the agricultural and home arts exhibits. 

Here's a picture of Lily and Lauren that Lauren posted on FB. 

As Hank commented, "The hell is Lily eating?"
And Lauren replied, "Korean Corn Dog with Flaming Hot Cheeto coating?"

Our local paper which, keep in mind, is the only newspaper for the capital of the state of Florida, ran an article today on the front page about the fair food and that corn dog got a lot of space in it. 

I that that particular delicacy may be the quintessential example of processed foods. I have no idea if it truly originated in Korea but perhaps it did. 
When I used to go to the fair, I would occasionally get a corn dog but just a plain one which I always ate with mustard. That is a pretty tasty thing to eat if you ask me. I also always liked candied apples. These things seem so non-exotic now. The article also spoke of a deep fried cannoli on a stick which is going by the name of "Deep Fried Cannoli On A Stick." It was noted that the cannoli was locally sourced which is reassuring, isn't it? And practically gourmet!
My favorite things to eat at the fair were not the corn dogs or the candied apples although they were good. I liked the food we got at the little local booths, especially those run by a church. But only the churches with the names "Bethal" or "AME" in them because those would be Black churches and those folks go out and catch their fish and fry it up and know how to make the sides that go with it. This may sound like a stereotype and it is but it is true. 

Forget the K-Dog, and give me a fried mullet supper with grits and greens and hushpuppies. They always have hot sauce, too. 

All right. The fair is not all about the food. 

It's about scary, thrilling rides and getting tired and leaning your head on your mama's shoulder. 

I did an in-town day today. Candie came to clean and while she was creating the magic, I went to Publix and to Costco where I bought about five thousand dollars worth of groceries. I bought a few things for Jessie who hasn't been able to shop since her surgery. I met her at one of our favorite lunch places- The Wharf- (guess what they serve?) and we ate and talked and I gave her her bananas and berries and sweet potatoes and the jacket August left here and the water bottle Levon left here. And then I came home to a clean house that smelled of Fabuloso. Candie had reported that "one of the cats" had puked on our bed and so she had the quilt in the washing machine. 
Jack. It's always Jack. I don't know that I've ever known Maurice to puke. I think that Jack just eats too much and then harks it up. It's a regular occurrence around here and always invokes a cry of, "Oh GOD!" from whatever human finds it. 

Mr. Moon went to Dog Island early this morning to get some tools he'd taken over there to work on the floor but now needs for the roof project. Supposedly this will help hurry the project along. I hope so because I feel guilty that when Vergil is working over here, he's not able to spend one of his days off with his family. Everyone assures me that it's fine- that Vergil enjoys these projects with Glen and that it's good for the boys to see that their dad and grandfather can do things like this. I know that the boys were quite interested to see what was going on last Sunday and were very happy to do things like bringing Boppy's water bottle in and refilling it for him. 

Anyway, the trip to the island was made quickly and easily and the required tools are now in the garage. 

I've been trying to digest the news from the urologist that I got yesterday and honestly, I now have more questions. I do not know what to do. I think that the stone, even though it is not moving much, is causing some other physical symptoms, including just a general feeling of unwellness. On the other hand, I could be dying. My anxiety always tends to focus on physical problems which is terrifically ironic in that of course I do not want to go to the doctor about any of them. It's a vicious cycle. And I know very well that my body presents me with symptoms that are not based in reality which is another good reason to ignore them. But which are real and which are figments of my overactive imagination? As I have said before, I remember being a very young girl, going to the doctor with my mother for an appointment for her, and being in the doctor's office made me feel as if I were, in fact, dying. 
Did I ever tell my mother about this?
Oh hell no. 

And what would she have done? What would anyone have done? Patted my head and said, "Now, now. You're fine. Don't worry so much!" 

Oh, arggh. 
I know for sure and for real that my right arm was in some way injured by opening and closing the sliding glass door at the beach that led to the deck. That door needed some work and it took a lot of effort. 
However, we could have called the realty company OR I could have walked six feet away and used another door. So it's all my fault. But Jesus- really? It hurts. 

Also I have a tooth that's bothering me. Now THAT can easily be explained by the jaw clenching I do in my sleep. But yeah, I'll watch it and if it gets bad, I'll call the dentist. So I've got all that going on and also the vague ache in my side that comes and goes and the gastric problems that seem to coexist with the kidney stone thing AND the feeling of menstrual cramps which are obviously NOT menstrual cramps but are a symptom of...a kidney stone. 
There are other things but I really do not need to go into them. 

I am just a regular human being who has lived 69 years on this earth and worked her body pretty hard, physically, and given birth to four babies and have had the requisite number of falls and injuries and so of course I have the pains of age. 
And the anxieties of a very anxious seven-year old. 

August asked me the other day if when I was a child, there were cars or if we'd ridden everywhere on horses. Bless his heart. I told him that no, we had cars for sure, although not as many big roads. But that then, like now, people rode horses mostly for enjoyment. He was very respectful about all of this. Just quite curious. And I also told him that my grandfather had grown up in a time when there were no cars and people did get from place to place on horses or in wagons pulled by horses, or on foot. This was interesting to him. I think it's fascinating for children to try and figure out how their parents and grandparents fit into the timeline of the way humans have lived. And the last hundred years have been explosive in that way. I love and welcome all of these questions and I guess that being able to tell my grandchildren stories that I heard from my elders as a child and from my own childhood is at least one benefit of growing older. 

It sure ain't a benefit to hurt and ache and feel like you're losing your marbles all the time. 

Meanwhile, I've got a lovely chicken roasting in the oven in my biggest cast iron skillet. The chicken is sitting on sliced carrots, onions, lemons, and garlic and I'll throw some potatoes in there soon. Dinner will be delicious and there will be many meals made from the leftovers. 

At least I can still wrangle iron skillets and remember how to roast a chicken. 
I ain't dead yet. 

Love...Ms. Moon

P.S. I also told August what a goat tee was when we were talking about beards. 
He informed me that I have one. 

He's not really wrong. 

More About Pork Fat Than You Ever Wanted To Know

Those are the first collards of the season from the garden that will be part of our meal tonight. Because they are young they will be especially tender and delicious. I have them simmering already with chopped onions, some chicken Better Than Bouillon, salt, pepper, a little olive oil, and some balsamic vinegar which is a beautiful thing in greens because it gives them that sweetness. Southern cooks have always added a tiny bit of sugar to their greens but with the balsamic, you don't need it. 

The meat of the pig is also often used in the cooking of greens in the south. I believe there was good reason for this back in early days, one of them being that the cheapest cuts of pork were what many people could afford and not much of that. So using what could be bought as a seasoning in the greens added a little protein, some needed fat, and a lot of flavor, especially if the pork was smoked. I have seen more modern cooks use a smoked turkey wing in their greens and that sounds good. I've used a few drops of liquid smoke in my greens many times but that's not necessary. I imagine that some smoked paprika would work well too. 

It might seem weird that I would say that the pork gave the greens needed fat but remember- those were the days before the normal diet was full of the fats that we consume in so many different ways. Especially for those who were living on very little money. One of my favorite lines of one of Marjorie Kinnan Rawling's books comes from a woman who was welcoming Marjorie to "The Creek". She is a Black woman and has been raised there, knows all the neighbors and their histories, and is a sort of de facto expert on all things related to The Creek. She tells Marjorie that although life there is not easy, one can indeed procure enough of their "grits and grease" to live on if they try. If you think about it, there were probably very few sources of dietary fat commonly available then. Venison, which was hunted and eaten by many, is very, very low in fat. Same with the fish they caught. Cows were raised to eat and to milk but not many could afford their feed and keep. Most of the cattle (and I'm talking about Florida here) were wild things, scrub cows, that were rounded up and driven to market, and they were scrawny and tough, I am sure. A milk cow was somewhat of a luxury, I think, and so the cream needed to make butter was not often available. 
Olive oil sure wasn't around. Neither was corn oil. Peanut, coconut, avocado oil? I doubt anyone ever even dreamed of those sorts of fat. 
So there was the pig. Far more easily and cheaply raised then cows, and just full of fat. 

It was a different world, a different time, but damn- pork is still delicious and many still eat it and use it as seasoning, consuming the fat of it whether we need it or not. 
And of course, mostly not. 
Still- how many of us remember that can beside the stove that our mothers poured their bacon grease in to keep for cooking? And many great bakers still claim that lard (the rendered fat of the pig) is the best fat for making pastry, far better than butter. 

I surely did not mean to come here to talk about pork fat tonight. Hell, I don't know what I came to talk about. 
I'm sort of having a time of it, feeling low and without energy or purpose. It sucks. 
But I did take a walk this morning. Not a long one, but enough to get me up and out. And did some laundry and gathered up the branches the roofers had cut away from the house and hauled them to the burn pile. I've been meaning to do this for weeks so it feels good to finally get it done. 

The kidney stone doc just called and gave me a report. I really appreciate the fact that he calls me himself to discuss things. It turns out that the stone is 8mm which is a pretty large stone. Too large to actually enter the ureter. So. It is not going to make that agonizing journey down the tube. But it appears that it is trying, moving forward, moving back, which is what is causing my discomfort. Sound wave lithotripsy can be done. I should have asked him what the benefits of that would be. I suppose one of them would be that I wouldn't have to live with yet another type of chronic pain. He said I don't have to make any decisions right away and I appreciated that too. It is comforting to know that he's there and available should I need him. 

So that's life here. Hank and Rachel are on their way home from Miami after a fabulous weekend. Lily and her kids are at the fair which is happening this week in Tallahassee. How I used to love the fair and Lily invited us to go but I just can't even begin to imagine that sort of stimulation and input these days. 

To end on a positive note, here's a joke August told me yesterday.

Why did the lion cross the savannah? 
To get to the other pride. 

There were more in the same vein. Here's one I just made up. 

Why did the groom cross the church?
To get to the other bride.

Bet you didn't see that one coming, did you?

I gotta go cook my grits. 

Love...Ms. Moon

In Which We Get Pizzas From The GDDG And Are Not Ashamed

Hoo boy. Another day. Vergil spent it on our roof and Mr. Moon spent it cutting boards and handing them up to Vergil. I am sure there was more involved than that but that was the gist of it, I think. 

The boys and Jessie and I hung out all day. We started out playing "Life" which August is obsessed with. We didn't finish the whole game but we had a rousing time for a while. I never played Life before my elder years and it's sort of a lot for me. Insurance? Taxes? Careers? Salaries? Deeds? Education? Plus a lot of other stuff. It's a lot like...Life. But as with Monopoly it's good for the boys as the money aspect teaches them math and they can practice reading as the game goes along. 

I forget why we took a break. Maybe just because we wanted to. Jessie got in her Daddy's chair with some pillows and a heating pad and she and the boys and Sophie watched some TV. 

I swear, Sophie's face is in there somewhere. 
While they were chilling, I took the trash to the dump and stopped at the post office where they have put up a Christmas tree. 

This is the first Christmas tree at the Lloyd post office I can remember. Now, the dump always decorates but the post office? Not so much. 

When I got back, the boys and I walked down to the GDDG to get a glue stick which they needed and some frozen pizzas to heat up for our lunch. 

 This, my friends, is August and Levon. August danced all the way down the sidewalk while Levon marched along like a man on a mission. We got our pizzas and I got a can of black beans and a can of pinto beans to make chili with. I also bought them each a Nutty Buddy, not realizing that the ones I bought them were the most GIGANTIC NUTTY BUDDIES in the world. 
Sigh. 
I just wanted to get out of there. 

We walked home and I cooked the pizzas and the men came in for a delicious gourmet (hahahahahahaha!) lunch and then went back to work. I finally got Jessie to really settle down for a nap and Levon needed one too so he snuggled with her in the Boppy chair and August built a terrific Lincoln Log house and I made the chili. 
Then he showed me some magic tricks he knows involving cards and then I showed him how to play gin rummy. 
Oh, Jesus, y'all. 

I am not even kidding you. He grasped the concepts and developed his own strategy in thirty minutes. 
I give up. 

I didn't even bother to tell him that you usually play until one of the players reaches 500 points. I just went and stirred the chili. 

By then the men were about ready to call it a day and began to pack up their tools. August ended up playing Life with Levon, making Jessie's and my moves himself. 
He won that too but I am a bit suspicious of that. 

I sent them home with chili and Mr. Moon has made us a martini and I could not be happier. It was a good day but I wish I'd been able to help Jessie rest more than I did. I know she's doing too much. Even Vergil says that when he was three days post-op from his ONE hernia repair he was still in bed, moaning. 
Women. We don't stop. 

An interesting thing that happened today was watching what was happening between Sophie and the cats. At first they were incredibly suspicious of her, hissing and freezing in their tracks whenever they saw her. But by the end of the day, both Jack and Maurice seemed more curious about her than anything. In fact, Maurice was making an appearance far more than she ever does when just the children are here. She allowed Sophie to get quite close to her. Closer than she lets Jack approach her. And Jack was acting completely chill about and around her by the time they left. 

And I will not lie- Sophie did manage to inhale a bowl of cat food. So- good associations for her of the cats in this house. 

She is a good dog, that Sophie, never trying to chase or harass the cats at all, keeping her distance politely. 

A few people have asked me my recipe for dumplings and of course I do not have one but here's how I basically make mine:

I take some self-rising flour (let's say maybe a cup and a half) and add a very small pinch of baking soda. I mix that up with my fingers. Then I add buttermilk, carefully, stirring it in until I have a not-too-oozy but not-too-stiff batter. Don't mix too much. Just make sure all the flour/baking soda is mixed in. You can do a trial run with just a tablespoon of the mixture in the simmering broth. If the dumpling falls apart, you have added too much buttermilk, so mix in more self-rising flour. If the dumpling doesn't puff up and seems dense, you need more buttermilk. 

That's it. 

Now I'm going to go make some cornbread. And I think I will sleep until 7:45 tomorrow! Thank you, time change, for making me feel less slothful. 

Be well, y'all. 

Love...Ms. Moon

No Title

That's a brag picture. I admit it. Aren't those some lovely dumplings? Self-rising flour, a tiny bit of baking soda, and buttermilk. That's all there is in them. 

We had a very good time with those boys last night. They ate their fair share of chicken and dumplings and sliced cucumbers and maybe a little more. That's okay. Mer had made plenty. 

Then came showers. Levon showered in my bathroom, August in his grandfather's. I let Levon off easy. I didn't even make him really wash. Soap and a washcloth were involved but I didn't do much oversight during the process. Mr. Moon, on the other hand, gave August instructions- rinse out the shampoo, now some conditioner...
Both boys came out clean as little river guppies.

And then- purple cow time! I'd thought we had grape juice when I went to the store so didn't buy any. Guess what? We did not. Oh well. They had to make do with Cranberry Mango juice with the ginger ale and sherbet. 

Brushing teeth came next and by this time it was pretty late for them. So off to bed where those sweet young men allowed me to read them "The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza" AND "The Owl and the Pussycat." 
I was more than pleased. 

Then covers pulled up and kisses given and they were asleep before I got out of the room. 
I had told them that they could come into our room at 7:00 if they wanted a snuggle but not until 7:15 if they did not want any snuggles. Mr. Moon ended up getting out of bed at 7:00 and found them in their room, reading books. When I walked through that room an hour later I said, "It looks like you guys had a rodeo in there," and August said, "Maybe we did," and Levon said, "What's a rodeo?"

I made the pancakes and bacon and there was yet another feast. Those guys can eat some pancakes. And then, rush, rush, rush! Levon had a piano lesson at 10:30 and we had to drive to town! I had no idea where this piano lesson place was but plugged in the address to Google Maps and when we got to the apartment complex, the boys led me right to the apartment where the darling piano teacher lives. 
She was so precious! Just the most encouraging, enthusiastic, and animated piano teacher I can imagine. And Levon could not have been more enthusiastic himself. He paid complete attention, did everything he was asked, and was obviously excited by the whole process. Having been taught piano by a screeching and probably very unhappy woman myself, I was delighted to see that piano lessons have come a long way. It was just pure fun. And August sat in a chair by the piano and watched the entire lesson, clapping when his brother played well, and after the lesson was over, gave him a big hug. 
What a wonderful half-hour! 

I took them home and checked on my girl. She seems fine. Her light is not dimmed. She said that when she took her bandages off, she found that Kelly had put heart-shaped steri-strips on the laparoscopy incisions. A very sweet surprise. 

I was very tired when I got home and I'm not sure quite why. I got plenty of sleep last night. Anyway, I laid down and took a nap! Something I never do these days. And when I got up, there were boys in my living room again! Vergil had brought the little guys over to watch the FSU football game with Mr. Moon. They had been eating wings and veggies and August and Levon were putting together some ladder-thing that Vergil and Glen are going to use tomorrow to help put siding up along the roof. Or something. I don't know. 

And let me hasten to assure you that it will be Vergil on the roof, not Glen. 

So that's been my day. I think that tomorrow the guys will be working on that project and Jessie and the boys will be here to hang out. Jessie can sit in her daddy's big, comfy chair and rest and the boys and I can play cards or something. 

A full weekend, indeed! 

Hank and Rachel report that the wedding they attended in Miami Beach was beautiful and Rachel said she sobbed. I'm so glad she could be there at her darling friend's wedding. I hope the reception is full of celebratory merriment. As all wedding receptions should be. 

Oh! I almost forgot. When I was going home from Jessie's house today, I took a picture just a few blocks from where she lives. 

That is the house we lived in when Jessie was born. In fact, she was born in that house. It's actually much larger than it looks. It goes back a pretty long way, there's an upstairs, and the entire back of the house is mostly glass windows which I always loved. It was like living in a doll house where the fourth wall is missing. Having grown up in a house where so many rancid secrets hid, it felt tremendously freeing and right to live in a home that could not keep its life to itself. There was a big back yard so it wasn't like we were on display all the time to the general public, but it meant a lot to me, knowing that we were not afraid to be seen. 

A whole lot of life went on in that house. We lived there twelve years. Some of the best times of my life, some of the hardest. It was a place where we had so many celebrations and mourned so many sorrows. I was ultimately glad to move but it was a good place for us to be for a very long time. I surely did raise some kids there. 

That's enough. 

Love...Ms. Moon

All Is Well

 I don't think that Jessie would mind me telling you that what she had done today was a double hernia repair. Her daddy's had three so...
And Vergil's had one. 
And all went well. That's her before they took her back. The strangest thing for me was how incredibly worried and anxious I was all day until she got out of the OR. I mean, I knew I was concerned. Surgery is surgery. Never to be dismissed as of no possible consequences. And we have the sweetest, darlingest friend who goes way, way back with Lily who is a surgical tech and she is our surgery advisor in all ways. She gives us her educated opinion on different doctors and I trust that opinion with all my heart. And she even tries to scrub in for any surgeries that our family may have where she practices. She was with Jessie today and even texted me several times to tell me that all was going well and then, when it was over. 
But even with our darling Kelly there, I was a complete mess. I guess it was ridiculous not to think that I wouldn't be. I was just shocked at how profound my anxiety was. Our babies are our babies, no matter their age. 
But Vergil kept us informed from his end and he has already taken her home and has gone to get her prescriptions. Here's the picture he sent when she got out of recovery.

Still smiling. And now she just needs rest. 

I went to the grocery store before I picked up the boys, so dissociated that I really had a hard time getting what I needed but I did, and then I picked up August and Levon at school and brought them home to Lloyd. They're so excited. TV! Chicken and dumplings! Purple cows! Pancakes! 
Ooh boy. 

Here they were watching TV after eating some popcorn with their Bop. 

Now they've all gone outside to put some new wheels on the garden cart. 

They were full of words on their way home, describing Halloween and talking about school and many, many other things that I can't remember although I do recall we had an in-depth conversation about different types of candy. August told me that they are studying cause and effect in school. I feel this is a good subject for eight-year olds to learn about. They are smart and darling boys. 

I've simmered the chicken with celery and carrots and onions and mushrooms and garlic, and added a bag of frozen green beans. The chicken is out, cooling on the counter and I'll shred that up in a little while and make the dumplings. Again, I've used my broadest pot to get in as many dumplings as possible because it's all about the dumplings, isn't it?
I'm going to do my best to convince them to let me read "The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza" to them before bed. 
They don't need that but I do. 

Hank and Rachel seem to be having a very fine time in Miami! Hank took a walk this morning while Rachel was having to do work in the room for her job. 

The Atlantic Ocean which despite my many, many years here near the Gulf of Mexico, is ever and always my mother ocean. 

We also got these pictures. 

Sushi goodness! I'd trade a bowl of chicken and dumplings for whatever is in that bowl in front of Hank. 

Somehow I did manage to get clean sheets on the bed so you know I did not fall apart completely. And now I'm trying to get Mr. Moon's attention to come in and make us a martini. It is, after all, Friday. 

I hope you've all had a happy one.

Love...Ms. Moon

P.S. Garden cart wheel replacement was also a success.

I'm Rambling Again

This was my view in the radiology place where I went to get my kidney x-rayed. It was just as I thought it would be. I went to the urologist first and described what was going on. He said, "That is the textbook definition of how a kidney stone moves." I did not, however, have any blood in my urine so that is good. Also, it has not bothered me today.
Of course.
But he sent me to get the x-rays and the whole thing was done in less than an hour, from doc to snaps. 
I did something in the doctor's office today that I'd never done before. When the nurse said, "Here. Step up on this scale so I can get your weight," I said, "Oh, must we?" sort of trying to be funny but she surprised me by saying, "No. You don't have to." 
And I didn't. And then, when we went into the exam room, I asked if I could pass on the blood pressure situation too. "Sure!" she said. 
Well I'll be damned. 
Who knew patients have the right to refuse such things? Of course I knew that but I suppose I've always wanted to be the most compliant patient I can be in order to...what? Be liked? 
If I was going in for a physical, I would both weigh and allow them to get my BP but in appointment to just speak with the doctor, why should I?

I really like that urologist's office. They got me the order to get the x-rays in less than ten minutes which meant that I could go directly to the radiology place and they, too, are fast and efficient. I don't think I waited there for fifteen minutes. 

I guess I'll be hearing about the results of my x-rays at some point in the near future. And a plan can be made according to circumstances. Until then, one day at a time. 

So after the huge relief of getting that all done, I went and bought myself a latte and a bagel and sat outside and enjoyed the peace and quiet and coolness of the morning before I came home.

Hank and Rachel are in Miami! They've flown down there for the wedding of Rachel's long-time best friend. It's been quite a while since those two have had any sort of break, much less a vacation, and so this is wonderful. 

Here they are on the plane! Aren't they adorable? They are being safe and wearing masks and I really respect that. I've known several people lately who have gotten covid on planes. 

I hope they have the VERY best time. 

When I got home from being in town this morning, I did some more garden weeding. Maurice helped. 

By ignoring me. 

She did ask for some scritches before she settled down to lay on the mustard greens. 

I wanted to get a better picture so I said, "Hey kitty!" 

 
She'd moved by then into a better patch of sun and had rolled around in the fallen leaves. 

Doesn't she have the sweetest face? Hahaha!

I picked the tiny greens that I am going to make the lovely little salad with to go on the focaccia, washed them twice, and they are now wrapped up gently in a kitchen towel in the refrigerator. 

They smell like heaven with the peppery arugula and spicy mustards. Honestly, I just can't think of anything better. 

Jessie is going to have some minor-ish surgery tomorrow if all goes as planned. It's scheduled for later in the day so I'll be picking up August and Levon from school and bringing them back to Lloyd to spend the night. I believe that chicken and dumplings will be involved. It's been quite some time since they've had an overnight here so this will be good. Vergil can concentrate on taking care of his sweetheart and we can take care of those boys. 

This is a rather disjointed post and I apologize for that. That's the way my brain is today. Neither flowy nor flowery and it seems to me that some of my channels are experiencing temporary static and difficulty which is often what happens when I've got a lot going on, and when I say "a lot" I mean, anything more than the usual routine. This is just the way it is for me these days. 

Oh! I found this on Facebook the other day and it made me laugh so much. 

Of course I had to send it to my husband- the man who sold a herd of cows for his father at the age of six or something like that. He didn't find it that funny, telling me that his hair never looked like that and also, that his Cutlass Supreme is a '72. 

Doesn't matter. I love it. And in a way it also reminds me of Levon who was born a workin' man and who is still one to this day at the advanced age of almost six. 

Love...Ms. Moon

Soul Food For The Soul

I went on an adventure today! Liz Sparks picked me up and drove us down dusty, red dirt roads to Metcalf, Georgia to eat, of course, at Mary's Kitchen. 

The prices have gone up but they needed to. I had the roast beef, fried okra, and peas and snaps. It was amazing. With that came a sort of pan-fried corn cake as bread, and a slice of lemon cake. 

A nap should always be scheduled in after lunch at Mary's Kitchen. 

As good as the food was, though, it was not nearly as good as catching up with Liz. That woman! Since late last spring she has been to England twice, to Kentucky, Virginia, (I think), Chicago, and North Carolina where she worked for two weeks as a nurse at a summer camp. Those are just the places I remember. She took the the trips to England to take her mama home for a visit. She was born in the UK, and became a war bride when she married Liz's father 67 years ago. She still has a little cottage there with the most beautiful and charming garden you can imagine and as you can also imagine, she misses it so when she is here in the States. So Liz took her home to prune her roses but then her dad, who was still over here, had some rather dreadful experiences that challenged his health status so back to this country they came but when things were figured out with him, they flew back across the pond. There is a LOT more to this story but it's not mine to tell. 
But as I have often said about Liz, she is absolutely the most say-yes-to-life person I have ever known. There is no adventure she will not embark on, no road she will not travel, no experience she will not try. Let's put it this way- her mildest, least adventuresome experience would kill me with anxiety and fear. 
And yet, she does not judge me for my semi-agoraphobia, she understands, she never gives up on me, she takes me on these little trips to places where she knows I will be comfortable. I can say anything to her, I can tell her anything. We are old country hippies who laugh about different hippie ways. 
I simply love and adore her as does everyone who knows her. You could not have a better friend in this world. Not only would she help you bury the body, she'd paint your house, make you soup, help deliver your baby, cast out your demons, decorate for your daughters' weddings, serve you high tea and lend you the perfect hat to wear for the occasion, and take you kayaking down the most beautiful rivers in Florida. 

I could go on for days. I'm not kidding you. 

So that was wonderful. 

When I got home, I did a little weeding in the garden which is coming along pretty nicely. The collards, which we started from seedlings, are big enough to start making meals of. The rest of the greens and lettuces are big enough and plentiful enough to start supplementing  our salads with. I think that tomorrow I might make some focaccia baked with tomatoes and mozzarella to serve with a perfect micro-greens and basil salad on top. We have not had rain in weeks and there is none in the forecast so I am having to water the garden but not too much. The winter garden is tolerant of heat, drought, and cold. To a degree. No pun intended. 

It is supposed to get down to the low forties, upper thirties tonight. So guess what I did?

I got out the Goodwill cashmere. And actually, I even have a newish sweater that I got last year when they went on sale. I am wearing cashmere as we speak and it is cozy and so soft and so warm and there is no fiber in the world that I am aware of which is finer for winter. It is not bulky nor scratchy. It is a tiny bit of heaven you can wear on your body. 

The Duck may also be involved tonight. Mr. Moon suggested that we either do not leave the window in the bedroom open or else we only open it a crack. 
A crack it is. 

Tomorrow I'll go see the kidney stone doctor and we shall see what he has to say. And then I'll come home and make my focaccia and pick my teeny-baby greens and smash up garlic to mix with vinegar and olive oil to dress the greens and basil in, and my husband and I will feast on things that we grew, eating on the table he made us. 
And life will proceed from there. 

Love...Ms. Moon