Pretty Puppy. Also Things I Am Terrible At

Well, could a puppy be any cuter? I think not. I went over to Jessie's house today to meet the little girl and she is just a precious. I am sure she's adjusting to her new circumstances and Jessie says she is being cautious so far which can be good and she's very calm. She's coming from a home with eighteen dogs to this new home with one mommy, two brothers, and a dad. Of the human type, of course. She has already latched on to Jessie as her human and every time Jessie got up from her chair, the baby would get up from the floor and follow her. She was sweet to me and licked my face and gave me kisses but I can already tell that she's a mama's girl. Jessie says that August is still a bit wary of her but that Levon is already falling in love. As for Vergil, he tried to make his work calls today while the pup was in her kennel when Jessie took the boys to school and ran to the co-op and she (the puppy, not Jessie) barked and yipped the whole time so he's probably a little worried about that aspect of puppyhood. 

Jessie and I had a good chat and she gave me a recap of her adventures with her daddy. I think it was a very good time for both of them. 

And then I did a little Publix shopping and came on home. It's still hot as blazes and only going to get hotter for the next week at which time it looks like it may cool off a bit. I'm not counting on it. 

I was thinking of something today to write about which was "things I'm not good at" with one particular thing in mind. Now. The problem is, I have no idea what that thing was. I guess one of the main things I'm no good at is remembering stuff. 

Well, I don't guess that. I am. 

I am terrible at being able to envision things. Like, really awful. My spatial abilities are nil. When I'm putting leftovers away, I either pick a container that is way too big or way too small. This has become a joke between me and Mr. Moon. 
Also in the spatial thing, I can't put things back together after I take them apart. They just don't make sense to me. You should see me putting new hardware on a pair of overalls! I google, I examine the other strap, I google some more. It's like I just can't see it. The "this goes over this and that goes under that" part. 

One of the reasons I am no good whatsoever at drawing is connected to this. I look at something and I think, "Okay, I'll just copy what it looks like," and I try but trust me when I say- I obviously cannot tell what it really looks like. And if one of the kids asks me to draw something like a car or a bicycle or a tractor I am at a complete loss. Like I have never once in my life seen one of these things. I mean, I know a bike has two wheels but...what all else is in there? And forget perspective. That's never going to happen for me. 

I can't sing harmony. I swear to god, this is one of the biggest disappointments in my life. When I was young, I did belong to a glee club and also, my Girl Scout troop sang a lot because one of my leaders was a music teacher. I was an alto so of course, I had to sing lots of harmony. The only way I could do that was to memorize the alternative "song" that went with the familiar melody. And even then, I sucked at it. In my next lifetime, unless I come back as something like a stink bug, I'm going to know how to sing harmony and I will have a beautiful voice! 

All right- here's a thing I cannot do- I cannot dive or jump from high places into water. And I'm not talking about the high dive situation, either. I mean, I struggle with jumping into a pool from the edge of it. If there is any other method of entrance, I will use that. I don't think I've ever jumped off a diving board in my life. 

At one point there was a THREE STORY diving platform at Wakulla Springs. It looked like this.

I can't guarantee that I could dive off that top platform if my child's life depended on it. Definitely not if my life depended on it. 

Due to the realization that kids probably shouldn't be jumping off anything that high, they have rebuilt the platform and it looks like this now. 

Still. No. Just no. 

I think that my mother may have told me a story about someone diving into water and breaking their neck when I was quite small. Or I could be making that up. But for whatever reason, if I can't walk into water or ease into it, I'll not be getting in.

Let's see- something else I suck at...

Okay. Housework. The genesis of this is no mystery. I just do not like it and I do not want to do it. 
Period. The end. 
Of course I do not want to live in filth either so there is a conundrum. 

Related to the not being able to sing harmony thing is my inability to play any instruments which really does piss me off. I took piano for a few years but no one, including my teacher or my mother, put up much of a fuss when I wanted to quit and the reasons were obvious. Again- next lifetime? I'm going to be a master musician as well as a singer of harmony. You just wait and see. 

Having thought about all of this, I think it's a list not only of things I'm not good at but things I will not do. There is a difference. 

I am not good at jigsaw puzzles which I never knew until I took an interest in doing them this very year. And unlike many other activities that I cannot do well, I do very much enjoy working on jigsaw puzzles. I think that perhaps part of my problem has to do with the visual imaging thing. I can look at a place where a certain color or shape goes but when I search through the pieces to find it, my mind just blanks out on what it is I'm looking for. This may be age-related and if so, oh dear. 

And I guess that's enough of that. I AM good at cooking and that I will admit to. Tonight we are having...wait for it! Fish! And I decided to make some stuffed tomatoes like the ones we used to get at a local restaurant down near St. Mark's called Spring Creek. That place was iconic, family-owned and operated, and they caught their own seafood daily and they knew how to cook it. One of the things they made was these stuffed tomatoes and I bought a cookbook they sold at the restaurant called "Famous Florida!" Underground Gourmet Restaurants, Recipes and Reflections." I bought the cookbook because it had the recipe for the stuffed tomatoes in it. I haven't even thought of them in years but they popped up in my personal memory bank today and so I am making them. 

I am only making two so I cut down the ingredients, especially the bacon and drippings. Also, the amount of cheese. And I did not have jalapeño cheese so I used some good cheddar and some finely cut jalapeños, both raw and pickled. 
They won't be as good but... come on. 

Maybe tomorrow I'll write about things I am good at and do want to do or maybe I'll just think of more things I'm really bad at. 

Tell me what you suck at, if you'd like to. I would enjoy reading about that. 

Love...Ms. Moon

A Sunday That Did Not Suck

I have had a most relaxing day. I woke up at my regular time but just as I was thinking I'd get out of bed, Jack came in and snuggled up against me and, knowing that he probably needed more rest, I went back to sleep with him. 

I am nothing if not kind. 

I wanted to make sure that y'all knew that Jessie and Mr. Moon were not the only people on that boat. There were about twenty people, all fishing, and that's why there were so many fish. The boat was sixty-five feet long which is fifteen feet longer than the trailer I lived in when Hank and May were little. Jessie was the only female on the boat which is pretty funny. Her daddy said she did great which is high praise from him. I think they had a terrific time. When I spoke to them this morning, they said again how much they wished Lily had been with them. I told them that although I know they laughed a lot together, that if Lily had been there, they would have laughed three times as much. Lily is about the funniest person I know. She doesn't present that way but she will crack you up. 

Hank asked me the other day if I wanted to meet him and Rachel at the Wacissa today and I said I probably did. So after I did all my blog reading and commenting and read the paper online and did the crossword and made and ate a very fine breakfast, I put on my cherry tomato bathing costume and drove to the river. The parking lot was full and cars were parked about a quarter of a mile up the road but I thought I'd just go ahead and see if anyone had left a spot for me. I almost always get a parking place right near the river. It's like magic. But I had a feeling today that I was not going to get one of those spaces and I was right BUT, I drove all the way around the lot and by golly, the very most distant space in the entire place sat empty and I snugged up in it and grabbed my stuff and walked down to the pavilion where Hank and Rachel and friends were. It was a lovely group of people, including one woman I don't know that well although I follow her on FB. She is an activist and an all-around fighter of the good fight and she has brilliant hot pink hair and tattoos all over her body and I enjoyed studying them while we all sat and talked. She and Hank used to put on a festival every year and they worked their asses off for months getting that thing organized. She's one of those people. She gets things done. 
And guess who else was there? Our beloved hair-cutter and darling friend, Miss Melissa and her wonderful husband, John, aka Juancho. I met Juancho through blogs and invited him one year to our then-annual Thanksgiving Eve party. It was love at first sight. And he and our family have been close ever since. He re-met Melissa some years ago. They had been childhood sweethearts and it became apparent that the flame still burned and they got married. They are just the best people. I adore them and rarely see them. I see Melissa about once a year when I get a few feet of hair cut off but I rarely get to see Juancho. So it was terrific to get to spend some time with them. I just had a great time all the way around. We talked about books and all kinds of stuff and they are so kind to let me be part of that. Hank is so precious to invite me to these gatherings with such cool people. 

We got in the river a few times to cool off and when we were making our final dunk, John asked me to baptize him and so I did, awkwardly. "I baptize you in the holy spirit of the Mother of Mermaids!" I said, as I tipped him backwards. 

Here's a picture of me and John ten years ago. 

TEN YEARS AGO! 

Dang, I was still really cute. I had no idea. 

Sigh.

So Mr. Moon will be home soon. He has dropped Jessie and Jessie's new little girl off at home and is driving my way. I got pictures of their journey.

I saw that picture of Glen and the pup and I thought to myself, "Oh god. He's going to want a dog."
I am sure he is smitten. And who wouldn't be? 

But no, no, no, no, NO! There are no dogs in my future except those who belong to others and that's all there is to it. I'll move into a van down by the river before I get another dog. Ain't gonna happen. 

She is a cutie though. That I can agree on. 

***************

Well, the man is home and he has not said one word about wanting a dog so perhaps I misinterpreted the expression on his face and his text which said, "My little honey."

Here's another picture of Jessie with the new girl. 

I think she's happy. 

Lauren is getting better. Lily said that she can walk around now and was actually looking forward to the kids getting home so she has someone to play video games with. 

Lauren's a keeper, as we say around here. 

Seemed like I had something else to discuss but damned if I can remember what it was. I'm just a happy old lady whose husband is home from having fun with a daughter. I was thinking this morning how that is something I never got to experience- having a fun adventure with a parent. Forget the dad thing. That definitely never happened. And I'm sure that I did have some good times with my mother. I mean- there was that trip to Key West where she discovered the deliciousness and pleasure of a good pina colada, but it certainly was not just the two of us.

So nothing in the world could make my heart happier than knowing that Jessie and her daddy could enjoy each other's company so very much. Next time, though, Lily has to be part of it. 
They will all be so weak with laughter that they will all need help getting off the boat, if a boat is involved. 

God, I'm lucky. 

Love...Ms. Moon

Lagniappe

 I think they had a good time. 

Edited to add: There were about twenty people fishing on that boat. And yes, they were all line-caught. 

A Ramble

I did a little more weeding today. It took me over an hour just to do that one swath you see there. I sure would like to get it all cleared out before every weed reseeds. And maybe we could even till in some compost or mushroom compost or chicken shit or something. 

So many of you left such sweet comments about Lauren and I appreciate that. Thank you. She actually made it off of the floor last night and onto the couch and about eight this morning she was able to walk around a bit and get on the bed. This is huge progress! Why do these things always happen on weekends? I am hoping that our much-loved massage therapist can see her soon. And a doctor. I think though that time and continuing the muscle relaxers is what's going to help the most. Lauren is not one to want to lay about. She is a hard worker and almost never, ever calls into work but she has had to. She knew her back was bothering her some but, as we all do, she ignored it and decided to do a bunch of garden work on her day off and the next thing she knew, she was in agony. 

I have not yet heard from the fishing duo this evening but I expect to soon as they should be back on land around seven or so. 

I did get this picture this morning. 

Two happy people! I know they will be worn out when they get in. 

I've been just about useless today except for the little bit of weeding I did. I do not care. Well, I say that but if I hadn't done the weeding, I would be extremely unhappy with myself. I finished listening to "Demon Copperhead" and it got heavy, y'all. I mean, it was heavy from the get-go but then it got REALLY heavy. Kingsolver takes on issues that are dark and deep and important and this book was no different. Some of her books, I have felt lately, have been a little preachy but in most of them she manages to weave the issues into the story and the characters in a way that manages to get her point across without hitting us over the head but does touch us in the heart. 
Not unlike Charles Dickens. 
I am still so impressed with the way she draped her story over the bones of "David Copperfield." I guess we could call that a device but even so, it was done with such respect and ability that I can only admire it. And also enjoy it despite the grim reality of what she describes, just as "David Copperfield" can be loved and enjoyed despite its grim realities. If you would like to read the NYT's review of the book, you can go HERE. 

Many of you also commented on the okra blossom I posted yesterday, saying that the flower was very pretty but that you'd never tried okra and had no desire to do so. 
That makes me sad. Okra, to my mind and taste, is an excellent food. It has the reputation for being slimy but if it's cooked properly, there is no slime to it. I can't imagine gumbo without it, and cooked with tomatoes and onions it is a perfect side dish to go with fish or on its own with rice. I had some leftover from when I made gumbo last week and last night I air fried it and ate it for supper and then again for lunch today. Here's what it looked like. 

Usually, fried okra is cut in rounds but I have found it is far easier to get the batter to stick if I cut them longwise. Some people serve fried okra with one fancy sauce or another to make this most plebeian southern dish into something gourmet and that is fine but to be honest, ketchup goes very, very well with it. 

Another very southern thing I have made recently was Mrs. Matthew's peach "pie". That's what the recipe calls it, anyway. 

It will not be hard for anyone going through my recipe box after I am dead to know that this was a beloved dish. It's basically the same recipe that Truvy says of in "Steel Magnolias" she eats with vanilla ice cream to cut the sweet. 
Pretty much. 

I did, however, use fresh peaches and did not add an extra cup of sugar so it's not traditionally sweet. 

Here's what it looks like before you put it in the oven. The peaches go on top of the batter and then, magically, as it bakes, the batter rises up to cover the peaches to look like this.

Blueberries or any berries, for that matter can be added in. Or used on their own. It is a very fine dessert, no matter what you call it- pie, cobbler, buckle. I just call it damn good. And since it came from Granny Matthews, you know it is authentic. It can of course be served with ice cream, as Trudy recommended, or whipped cream if you'd rather. Plain is fine with me. 

Let's see- what else? I sort of went through the refrigerator and threw some stuff out. That needed to be done. I did not do an actual cleaning because, well, I didn't want to. I pulled out the sourdough starter which I have not fed in a week or so and attended to that. After sitting out in the kitchen all day it is looking like this. 

It smells deliciously sour and tangy and I think I will give it another feed either tonight or tomorrow. I have realized that my sourdough bread baking is very inadequate compared with that of a friend's whose loaves look like something in a magazine. I AM NOT KIDDING! They are true works of culinary art. I have just been so very meh about technique and rules and so forth, wanting to somehow magically create beautiful bread without doing the work. And don't get me wrong- my sourdough bread tastes lovely but it's just not...very impressive. I am going to work on this. 

Here's an old picture of Levon that came up in my memories today. 

Remember when he was obsessed with shovels, calling them "fa-fa's" and moving dirt from one place to another? 

I guess I'll go cook something. 

Love...Ms. Moon

A Lot Going On, Also- Hank- Trigger Warning. A Frog Is Involved Here

Here's my annual requisite picture of an okra bloom. I don't even know why I bother to plant okra. If I get ten pods this year I'll be surprised. I always wait too long to plant them. I do this every year. And they don't mind the heat. They do fine in the heat but the bugs have just about destroyed several of the plants. The picture does not do justice to that dark burgundy velvet center. I suppose that alone is a reason to plant them. 

I am feeling good this evening although a little ant-bit on the hands and arms. After a day of not doing very much I finally changed into my overalls and did some weeding in the garden. I freed a rose bush from the wild morning glories and I yanked weeds for about an hour and a half. It was hot but not deathly so. It felt so good to get out there and get dirty and sweaty and rip those weeds by the roots and toss them into my old canning kettle with rusted holes in the bottom  which I use for just that purpose. I did not meet up with any ants until the very end when I went to pull the weeds and skeleton of the gone-by basil plant from a pot I have out there, only to find that ants have taken it over, the little fiery bitches swarming over my hands, furious at being disturbed. 

Ah well. It is part of it. And I feel much the better for having done some dirt worshipping and have had a shower and washed my hair and feel like a new woman. Soon it will be time to get everything cleaned out for the fall garden, which is always the best here. The greens! Oh, the greens! And carrots and lettuces. Arugula, arugula, arugula! Or, as you Brits might say- Rocket, rocket, rocket! 
By any name it tastes as deliciously bitter and spicy. 
The kale, the collards, the turnips and the mustard greens! Ooh boy. That's all the best stuff right there.  

So yes, Mr. Moon and Jessie have made their way to Apalachicola. I have not heard from them but I feel sure they are there by now. 
But what about Lily? 
Lord. That girl cannot catch a break these days. She called me this morning, pretty early and said that Lauren's back had gone out on her so badly that she was on the floor and literally could not move. That she had never experienced pain like this. She absolutely could not move to get in a car to go see a doctor. They did get ahold of Dr. Zorn's office (they are both patients of his too) and got a prescription for Flexeril but even after taking that and Ibuprofen, Lauren has not been able to so much as move from the floor to the couch. And of course she keeps telling Lily to go, she'll be fine and of course, Lily cannot leave her in this condition, not even if friends stepped into help, which they would. 

I feel so bad for Lauren and for Lily and for Jessie and Glen. I know how Lauren feels- it's the same way I felt when I had to ask Glen to come home from his trip to Apalachicola to go fishing with his sister when I had my kidney stone. I know she doesn't want to prevent Lily from going but I also know she needs Lily, just as I needed Mr. Moon. This is what love is all about. And as I told Lily- now that they know it's possible to do this, they can plan another trip. That perhaps their daddy should take them to Disney World! 
Lily laughed at that. I just really, really hope that Lauren feels better soon. At least better enough to get in a car and go see a doctor or a chiropractor or a massage therapist. Someone who can help her. 

In other, less serious news, I had a horrible experience this afternoon after the man left. I have often said that the main reason to have a man around is to remove any dead animals from the house that need removing. 
I am only partially kidding when I say this. 
So what happens an hour after my man leaves today? 
I walked into the kitchen to find Jack lying proudly beside what appeared to be a dead bullfrog. Not one of our cute little tree frogs. I mean a frog big enough to harvest the legs from for a frog-leg dinner. Not that I would ever eat such a thing but...
I almost gagged. I freaked out. GODDAMN IT JACK! NO! 
I have nothing against frogs. They are wonderful. Toads, too. But they are creatures that I have a slight problem with in that if I touched one I might die. They belong outside in their natural habitat, cheerfully croaking and eating insects. Not on my kitchen floor, lying on their backs. 
After some stern self-talking, I went and got the broom and the dustpan to deal with this situation. I pulled up my big girl panties. I girded my loins. I gathered all of my woman-power courage and I approached the frog with the broom and the dustpan and THE FROG STARTED MOVING! 
Oh god, oh god, oh god. 
It was not dead. 
I had to retreat and do another pulling up of panties, girding, and gathering. I re-approached the poor, no-doubt suffering creature, and as quickly as I could, I got it on the dustpan at which point it was sitting right-side up and, fearing it was going to jump off and probably right onto me, I hurried to the kitchen door, opened it, and tossed the doomed thing into the kitchen garden. I just could not get any farther than that with a dustpan full of living frog. 
I was making noises by that time that I am sure sounded like cartoon sound effects. The kind of noises that originate at the back of the throat. You know what I'm talking about. 

So I survived that. Barely. 

I know that Jack thought he was bringing me a gift. 
Well guess what? He was wrong. 

So that's about it. I just got a call from Jessie and her daddy and they have made it to Apalachicola and are having a fine time although they are so very sad that Lily can't make it. As it turns out, their fishing trip is not going to be the six-hour affair that they had originally thought, but due to circumstances beyond their control- twelve hours. 
Oh my god. 

Well if that doesn't get all of their fishing ya-ya's out, I don't know what will. 

Here's some late roses growing on one of the rose bushes in my garden. 

Red enough for you? I think those roses are eating all of the red in the immediate area. 

I need to go make a martini.

Happy Friday, y'all. 

Love...Ms. Moon

Needless Information

I took this picture yesterday and it's not a very good photo but I was trying to get the blooming crepe myrtle in it. I planted that crepe myrtle not so long ago and it's gotten very tall but that's just because it's fighting for its share of the sun amongst the oak trees. 

That's an even worse picture but you can get an idea of how tall it has become. 

Good Lord but no one in the world needs to know that or see those bad photos. I seriously doubt that even Mr. Moon knows we have a crepe myrtle growing there. Although he does enjoy some aspects of food gardening (mainly the planting of very straight lines) he is not much interested in the horticultural aspects of house and yard ownership. He mostly likes to trim things back, as the natural wild and untidy look does not suit his sensibilities. He is a man who likes things to be under control and often mentions things like the three yellowing banana leaves that it would please him to see gone. I feel that if they bother him this much, he should go get that weird curvy knife out of the knife and kitchen-stuff drawer and cut those leaves off. This is how I trim the bananas. However, I am finding the yellow color of those leaves to be interesting. They are a sort of golden yellow and although it might do the plants good to be rid of them, I just don't care enough to deal with it. 

I suppose he does have a point. 

At any rate, it's a wonder that he and I have managed to live together in relative harmony all these years. We are so different in so many ways. I remember when we rented a two room cement block "apartment" on St. George Island across the street from the beach in the summers where I would stay with Jessie and Lily who were little kids (May and Hank were grown and pretty much gone) and it was a sort of heaven in that little place. When we started staying there, there was nothing built across the road and so we had free and easy access and viewing of the gulf. The amenities were very limited but it was cheap and I loved it. When it came time to "move in" when the kids got out of school, we'd pack up the futon that was a couch in the daytime and my bed at night and the beach stuff and books and Tiki torches and I'd bring my decor items that I mostly got at the Dollar Store (they had some good shit in those days) and I'd go to hang up twinkle lights which I loved then and still love now and Mr. Moon would get out his tape measure and make sure that the way they were hung was completely balanced between windows or whatever they were hanging between which cracked me up so much. Poor man. I think he's given up worrying about these things by now. 

This is what the corner of my dining room looks like this very second although the star lights do change color so maybe not quite. 

I've had some star lights hanging in my kitchen for at least ten years and I am not kidding. I never unplug them. 

All right. Two of the stars no longer light up. Maybe I should replace them with the ones in the dining room. I am more apt to do that than to cut those banana leaves, to be honest. 

Well I sure am banging on about nothing today, aren't I? 

It's not been a bad day and I did have a very good time when I went to town to meet up with Jessie. We went to lunch at an Indian buffet and laughed so hard and ate our tasty foods and then we went to Ulta Beauty because she wanted some skin care products. There was a guy working there whose picture I truly wanted to take for the blog because he was just fabulous in all regards. More style in his tiniest toenail than I'll ever have. I did not have the courage to ask him although I have a strong feeling he would have agreed readily. He was gorgeous. 

We also went to this new "bin store." Have you heard of these places? They sell returned merchandise from what I gather, and it is truly just a large area full of wooden big-table bins filled with...stuff. Lily and Lauren had gone there earlier which is how we knew about it. The deal is, they restock every Thursday night and on Friday, everything in the bins is twelve dollars. Now, I have no idea what you might find Friday morning but for all I know, it's Coach bags and brand new iPads. 

Probably not. But. One never knows.

As the week progresses, the price for everything goes down and down as things get picked over. Thursday, everything costs a dollar. There are many items which are complete mysteries, some of them (many of them) originating in countries not our own. Interesting. I got two things though, one, a still-in-the-box bottle of homopathic leg cramp pills that Mr. Moon uses and the other a small container of what I thought might be Czechoslovakian glass beads but after doing a google search, I think they may be something else. 

What do you think? Millefiori? Whatever, they are glass beads and I think they are pretty and they do have very small holes in them so they can be strung. 
For a dollar- who cares? 

So that was a sweet time and now I'm home and my husband has gone to help some guys set up deer stands (yes! it is that time again!) and tomorrow he is going to go to Apalachicola with Lily and Jessie who, for Father's Day gave him the gift of a charter fishing trip with them and he is so excited. I think the girls are too. They got the Moon fishing gene and haven't been able to go in so long and they will be able to stay in Apalach for two nights with the fishing trip in the middle. The boat has a bathroom and AC! Get outta here! I have been invited and I've thought about it but honestly, I think the idea of the three of them getting together for a weekend like that is just the best. They never get to spend time together. And then on Sunday, the man is going to drive over to Jacksonville with Jessie to pick up her new baby because Vergil is going to North Carolina with the boys in Jessie's car to attend a memorial service for someone who was very dear to him. 

Jessie is so, so excited. This is the pup that Jessie's been asking us to suggest names for. I came up with one I think is pretty good today: Golda My Dear. Get it? 

I'm looking forward to meeting my new granddog. She looks like the softest thing on earth. I hope that August and Levon will be good big brothers. They've all been listening to dog training podcasts in the car. 

And that's it for today's news. I'm sort of back into the cry-at-the-drop-of-a-hat mode but I'll try to take a walk tomorrow and that will help, I"m sure. And there are worse things than being emotional. 

Oh. There is this. 

That's Jack's new favorite place to lounge. Right by the refrigerator in front of the door to the kitchen from the hallway. He does this to prevent Maurice from getting into the kitchen to eat. He looks sweet. He acts sweet. But he is the Eddy Haskell of cats when it comes to Maurice. And if you look carefully, you will see that Maurice can easily slip into the kitchen without him noticing by coming through the door from the library. 

Sly minx. Jack may be bigger but the knives in Maurice's drawer are a little bit sharper, the bulbs in her string of star-lights a little bit brighter. 

Love...Ms. Moon

Got No Complaints

It's been quite a day today! It has been marked on our calendar for over a week that today was going to be the day that a tech from Century Link, which is the company we get our internet from because there are no other options here in Lloyd, was going to be coming to rid us of our landline and...somehow magically increase the speed of our internet dramatically! 

WHOO-HOO! 

I've always known that our internet is not the fastest but when we were in North Carolina, staying at the perfect house by the creek, I realized just how slow our service is. When I uploaded an image to my blog, it took less than five seconds in that house whereas here I can start the process here and go stir the soup and check on the bread and come back and it'll still be loading. Also, Mr. Moon was always complaining bitterly about the TV stopping and buffering, especially during the hours between 5 and 7:30 at night. So he finally called Century Link and they had services that might speed things up which of course involved getting a new router for a not-cheap price and paying for the service and so on. BUT, since we also wanted to get rid of the landline, it would probably end up being cheaper in the long run. So, yes! And like I said, we were pretty dang excited. 

The tech was supposed to be here sometime between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. which is how these things work, of course. Last night we got a message saying that the hours had been narrowed to between 10:30 and 2:30 and by golly, the guy was here at 10:30! And he pulled the landline and he did some other stuff and showed us some corroded lines which he replaced and hooked up the new modem and we entered the new password into our devices and OH HELL YES! Our internet just skips right along now and I think back to when we all got our internet over the phone line and the beeps and squawks and more beeps and more squawks and the buffering wheel and how exciting it was when we got two phone lines into the house, one for the phone and one for our internet and now it's all just this one thing and I think I'll upload another image just for the enjoyment of how fast the process is. 

Whoo-hoo! 
That's what the sky looked like when I walked down to the little library box in front of the woman's house who chased me off the property across the street from her one time because of...who knows? And who has a sign on her gate that says, "Beware of God," but who I forgive because she put up that little neighborhood library. I had noticed that it was getting very, very sparse in there and so I gathered up some books, both adult and children's, and took them down there. I took some of the little children's books that I know I'll have no need of anymore and that I'm not that attached to and also two Magic School Bus books because I hate them and do not want to ever read them again. 

There's still lots of room in there so I'll take more soon. 

What was I talking about? Oh yes. The Speedy Gonzales internet. 

Now- here's the ironic thing. For whatever reason, our cell reception is not happening. I'M TALKING ABOUT YOU, VERIZON! And it's not just our phones but also the tech's phone. He's on Verizon too. And let me tell you something- that company has no desire to help you figure out what's going on, even as to outage maps. Instead of our regular cell indicator at the top of our phone which is the little bars, it just says SOS which means that we can make emergency calls but no others and I am pretty sure that we're not receiving calls either. And of course...we no longer have the landline. 

It's my darling friend Mary Lane's birthday today and I haven't been able to call her. Which- dammit. We always call each other on our birthdays. We've probably been doing this since about 1967 when our friendship began. I did text to alert her to the fact that I'm not ignoring her, I love her, and I am wishing her a happy birthday but I can't call her. 

Sigh.

First world problem. I got a million of 'em. 

I finally finished the puzzle that Jessie got me for my birthday today while the tech guy was doing his stuff. That's the picture at the top. I really enjoyed this one. And besides that...uh, I've not done much. Repaired a shoe strap on one of Mr. Moon's sandals, cleaned off the side board in the dining room. 

Here's a picture that sits on that sideboard that I love. 

That was Lily Rose Moon when she was about three, I guess? We were at Vero Beach and she was wearing a Seminole Indian skirt that I think I bought for May with a Dr. Science shirt which was also a hand me down. Look at that girl- as full of life and as bold as the Atlantic Ocean itself. Lily tamed me. She tamed all of us. My god, she was a force. She is still a force. There is no one like our Lily. 

And since we're doing pictures of pictures on the sideboard, here's one of my very favorites of Hank and May when they were little. 

This, I believe, was taken on St. George Island. I could be wrong. But that picture is so Hank, so May. Hank was probably the captain of a pirate ship in his mind there, and May was keeping watch, looking out, being happy to be with her brother. My beautiful children. 

And this one which is one of those pictures, like the other two, that happened and I don't know why or how but I am so grateful it did. 

Baby Jessie, definitely on St. George, waving to her PawPaw Jesse, for whom she was named. Lord, how he adored that child. And she loved him. 

When I see the grandchildren fishing with their Boppy now, my mind goes right to this photo. Glen looks so much like his daddy in some ways and he, like his daddy, is such a very, very good man and grandfather. 

I guess that's enough for this day. We had another good rain and tomorrow the temperature may not get over 90 degrees! What? To top it all off, Glen sold a boat. He advertised it on Craig's List and a guy named Tripp came to look at it and bought it. I got to meet Tripp as they had to come inside to do the paperwork and I absolutely enjoyed that experience. He looked just like a Tripp should look and as I told Mr. Moon, I do believe he has seen the inside of a country club. 
Extremely polite young man from Valdosta, Georgia. May he catch many fish in that boat. 

See you tomorrow.

Love...Ms. Moon

Calling Dr. Freud!

I've had a mostly terrific day today. Since the temperature was a tiny bit lower than it has been, I decided to take a walk. Hurray for me! When I stepped outside though, the humidity almost knocked me over. I guess yesterday's rain was causing everything to steam and it felt very much like being in a sauna. Sauna's are great but you do not want to exercise in one. At least I don't. But I decided that I could indeed do this and it was somewhat overcast when I left the house so I struck out heading west towards the county line, planning to do a very slow one mile out and one mile back. Easy-peasy. No worries. Just don't pee by a trail cam. 

Unfortunately, the clouds started dissipating and the shady stretches grew farther and fewer apart. But, we persevere, do we not? I made it to Leon County, turned around and headed back, cursing myself for deciding that this was a doable situation. By the time I'd made it to the Woman's Club building, I was ready to quit and call Mr. Moon to come and get me. However, the Woman's Club building is only about what might be a block from my house if, as I so often say, Lloyd had blocks, and that would be ridiculous. So on I trudged and I made it into our house and I got a bowl and filled it with water and ice and soaked hand towels in it that I wrapped around my neck and I washed my face over and over with that icy water and it did not take me long to recover. 

I am so dramatic. 

Last night I was reading an article about something called "Gray Rocking" which can help people deal with the narcissists in their lives and that's fine and good but I got to a part in the article about how narcissists do not always display the behaviors that we think of them as displaying. There are people who are overt narcissists but there is also a group of narcissists labeled as covert narcissists. Here is what the article said about them:

Covert narcissists behave differently. What they believe makes them special is how greatly they suffer. Often this will manifest as pulling you in to listen to their woes while completely ignoring your concerns, Malkin said.

Oh my god. 

Is this me? 

My wonderful therapist once asked me (and again- I know I have written about this before) why I feel such a need to suffer. And I have never been able to answer that question. I joke about it- I only feel like I can sit down and watch TV or read after I've done enough suffering for the day. I take walks because they fulfill my need for suffering. And then, and THEN, I write blog post after blog post about the suffering I have done whether it involves walking in the heat or working outside in the heat or being depressed or anxious or whatever and DO I DO THIS BECAUSE I AM A NARCISSIST?

So this is something I've been pondering all day and I've also been thinking about how so many religions elevate suffering to being a holy thing, to love Jesus because he suffered so much for people, to berate ourselves because we cause god to suffer due to our sins. 

Supposedly Mother Teresa, holiest of holies, said this about suffering: 

“Pain and suffering have come into your life, but remember pain, sorrow, suffering are but the kiss of Jesus - a sign that you have come so close to Him that He can kiss you.”

And I just think that is such horseshit. 

I really hope I'm not a covert narcissist. 

Anyway, back to my day- I thought I was picking Magnolia June up after school today and so I got in the kitchen after my lunch and made the gumbo so I wouldn't have to rush when I got home but then Jason got off work early so he could pick her up and there I was with my already-made gumbo and although I had been happy to go get Maggie, I was glad that her daddy was doing it because it had started storming with great gusts of wind and thunder that rumbled and rumbled and rumbled and then rain that poured from the sky. Because I had already SUFFERED on my walk, I thought I would spend the rest of the afternoon on my ass, embroidering and watching TV but first I had to roast peanuts for Mr. Moon, take the trash and stop by the post office and look who I met in the PO parking lot. 

What a pretty girl! She came into the post office with me while I got my mail out of my box and then she followed me back out and acted like she wanted to get in my car so I went into My Gypsy Soul Boutique where the proprietor's mother, I think, was talking to another woman and the dog followed me in and I said, "Do y'all know this dog?" and they did not but one of them said that she thought she lived in the house across from the dump where all the metal is in the yard which is the place where they have two American flags flying upside down on their gate. "I hear she gets out sometimes," said the woman who thought she knew where the dog lived.
So. I opened my car door and this happened. 

I indicated that I would like to get in my seat and she scootched over to the other seat and I took her down to the house with the upside down flags and went into the driveway and got out and went around the car and opened the door and said, "Come on, baby." 
She got out and I told her, "Stay!" And then I drove home. She was so polite and so well-mannered. Also, her eyeliner was perfectly applied. 

This is a strange post, I think. But maybe not. One never knows what will emerge from my mind when I sit down to write. 

BECAUSE I'M SO AMAZING and UNIQUE! (Said the narcissist.)

Damn that gumbo smells good. 

Love...Ms. Moon

Maurice Is Fearless. I Am Merely Feckless

I did not realize until after I had taken that picture that it made Maurice look rather weird- as if she has no back legs. Trust me, she does. And as usual, her face is scarred and healing. She is a fighter, not a lover, that one. A little while ago she and I were both on the back porch when a wind came up and began twisting branches which caused pecans to fall. Some of them hit the AC unit which made a noise so loud that it startled me. Maurice woke fully from her doze, looked out into the backyard and then jumped down from the table and dove out the cat door, as if she was on a mission to defend us from whatever evil force it was that was flinging those pecans. That girl is not just a fighter, she is a warrior. 

Yes, we did get a nice little storm this afternoon. That wind began whipping and the thunder began booming off to the south and then it poured. It did not rain for too long but it was enough to push the temperature down almost ten degrees which is a heavenly blessing, a righteous relief, although the humidity is only worse and my skin feels sticky. I remember when I moved to Denver to go to college when I was eighteen. I could not believe the dryness. I couldn't wear my contact lenses comfortably which was a huge blow to my ego, and I probably bought more Vaseline Intensive Care lotion than was legally allowable. I had no experience with that sort of climate and it was shocking to me. I was used to the swamp-like temperatures and humidity of Florida which makes heat feel hotter and cold feel colder. When it snowed, I was the stupid Florida girl who went outside after she'd washed her hair without drying it only to discover that even though it didn't FEEL that cold, wet hair will freeze. 

I went to Publix and Costco today and got enough food for weeks. I think. No doubt trips to the GDDG will be required to pick up things like milk but when it comes to all of the basics and much of the not-so-basic, we have plenty. 
I think I need another pantry. I am not sure why I am such a food hoarder. Well, not really a hoarder. I just want to make sure that I always have enough of certain things to assure not running out of them. Things like olive oil and all the vinegars I use, coffee, pasta, rice, flour (bread, all-purpose, and self-rising), corn meal, grits, beans,  ketchup, mayonnaise, taco sauce, soy sauce, canned tomatoes, chilis, beans, and on and on and on. And my freezer is stocked with fish (of course), and some venison, and Tennessee sausage, and chicken, and ground beef, and, and, and...

I think that covid made this tendency of mine to stockpile foods worse than it was. And it's not an especially great thing to do. It gets to the point where even though I KNOW I have an item on one shelf or another, things are so crowded that I can't find it which leads to me buying another which only makes the problem worse. 

Ah lah. This is definitely an old person first-world problem- i.e. - not really a problem. I have the money to buy the groceries, I have the ability to drive to stores to buy them, and I have the strength to pack them into my car and then unload them and put them away when I get home and then the ability to turn them into delicious meals. 
I am grateful.

So today was better in that I didn't have to do anything out of the ordinary and nothing happened that disturbed or upset me. It wasn't one of those days wherein I end up going back and forth between the rows for items I may have forgotten that I meant to buy but which weren't on my list. Do any of y'all do this? Think of something you want and put it on your list when you enter the store? Or is that just me? 

Ay-yi-yi. My mind. 

Our fish tacos and spaghetti ended up being a delicious supper last night. A bit odd in flavor combination but we enjoyed the heck out of it. I bought more mangos today at Costco and I think I'll probably be making more salsa with them. It is so good. I bought some Dungeness crab claws, also at Costco today, and I asked the guy at check out if he'd ever tried them as I don't think I ever have. 
"I don't eat seafood," he said. 
"Oh, I'm sorry," I told him. 
"Mercury," he said. 

Yes. I suppose we should be worrying about mercury. We are eating so much fish these days. But as I told the check-out guy, I'm sixty-nine years old and going to die of something. 
"I'd like to reach the age of sixty-nine," he said. 
Which gave me much to ponder. I get that. Meanwhile, I went on to buy shrimp at Publix. 

I have thrown caution to the winds. Gumbo will be made tomorrow.

Love...Ms. Moon