papoose

Today there were 4 cucumbers ready to pick. Yesterday there was one. The plants all 10 of them are all growing like mad. Most have flowers all over them. I love cucumbers and do want to make pickles again, but I might just have over planted...
The tomatoes are beginning to ripen up too. I'm keeping my eye on a big Chef's Choice tomato that is almost ripe. There is a steady stream of cherry tomatoes coming off two of the three cherry tomato plants.
I had a couple of okra pods while wandering around the garden.
One of the apple varieties is ripe.

It is the perfect time for pruning apples, which I did today after scrubbing the clippers and letting them sit in alcohol overnight. That should have cleaned them of any viruses they might be carrying. Now I should go down the old orchard and prune the Sierra Beauty down there. That poor tree is full of fire blight, but it keeps coming back every year and setting apples. It is scary though, I sure don't want that blight up here at the house!

Cucumber beetles have slowed to a trickle. Hopefully all the hand picking will have made a dent in the future population of them.

I keep planting more stuff, mostly flowers, that have been sitting around in tiny pots. Ever so gradually the stuff that needs hand watering is diminishing.
It is time to cull the dahlias and get rid of a lot of them. Perhaps I should look up recipes for them and just eat them. Should do some research, I dimly remember that some varieties are tastier than others.

days_unfolding

Hmm. If I went to the Missouri State Fair to see the giant rubber duck, I'd have to stay overnight because it's a 5.5 hour drive. I found a hotel that I like.

Zara ate her food!! I gave her more. And she really fought my squirting stuff in her ears, so I’ll need to use a sedative.

I bought a couple more pairs of summer pajamas so I don’t have to wait for them to wash. I do have another pair, but the shorts are missing.

Forgot to mention that I got a couple of merino wool t-shirts. They’re supposed to stay fresher longer than other shirts. I’ll bring them to Sardinia. They’re a pretty berry color and a twilight blue color.

Bella likes play-fighting with Gracie. She jumped on the bed, and I thought that she had enough (Gracie chews her ears) but she jumped back down on the dog bed to wrestle with her some more.

Got up a little after 8 AM. I need soda and garbage bags, so I submitted a grocery order. Ordered checks because all the workmen want checks, and I wanted some with my current address on it. Gave Zara some food mixed with Gabapentin. I hope that stones her out.

Fed us all, although Gracie ate her food and then Bella’s food. And Bella let her! Nap time.

Hmm. The weather forecasters say storms after 12 PM.

Got two lanterns and batteries. One will go in the basement and one upstairs. I think that I want one more for my bedroom.

I looked at Costco for cereal, and they have a nice set of cereal bowls. Mine are missing in a box somewhere. I saved it to consider later. (They also had some cereal that I liked.)

Aww. Lily is curled up sleeping on the cat tree in the bedroom. Woke up but the dogs and the cat are still flaked out.

Some nasty thunderstorms heading our way. It’s raining now.

Gathered some recycling and cleaned a little. Set up the two lanterns. Gave Zara her ear meds. She was so stoned that I thought that she was dead at first. Sent some emails. But I think that I’m going to take another nap because I can.

Played around with Motion, but I'm not sure what I think of it.

Gracie keeps trying to play with Oliver or at least, she’s saying “let’s play” in dog language.

Went down a bit of a rabbit hole finding out that my travel clothes presser is dual voltage.

I’ve decided that instead of buying cereal bowls, I’m going to replace my stoneware. Me being me, I fell in love with a very expensive set. Need to think about it. A lot of the stoneware is on sale though, so I need to think fast. I think that I convinced myself to get a cheaper set. Go me.

Brought some of my groceries in. I want to bring in a couple of Amazon boxes and go to sleep.

days_unfolding

Cool. Now the forecasters are saying no rain this weekend. Ack! Now it’s rain after 8 AM. Well, if it’s dry, I’ll go out and weed and plant; if it’s wet, I’ll work on the house.

I had to explain to Gracie that Lily doesn’t want to play with dogs, especially one that is barking at her.

I bought a solar charger for my phone. Now I’m kind of hoping that we will have a power failure with all this prep.

I wound up staying up late. The dogs got me up at 9 AM.

I wonder if Gracie has some corgi in her. She does the sploot thing with her back legs.

I mixed Zara’s appetite enhancer with a Churu. That got her attention. Good. Lily was highly interested in the Churu, so I should give her one later.

I bought some quote magnets, although some of the ones that I wanted were sold out. It’s funny because a while back, I wanted to create t-shirts with quotes, but magnets are better.

Fed us all and took my meds. Now it’s nap time. Everyone is in the bedroom except for Zara.

Shit. Zara didn’t finish the Churu, but she ate part of it. I’ll try her on some food.

Ate lunch. Hmm, I really want to take another nap, but then I won’t get outside to work on the yard. Maybe I’ll shower and see how I feel. No, I am going to take a nap. Saturday is napping day. Overslept my nap by an hour.

Showered. Started laundry (I need clean pajamas before I go to sleep!) I’m still feeling tired, so I think that I’ll go to sleep after I eat dinner. The laundry might not be done, but I could sleep in my clothes.

I had a dog food can out for when their dishes are done soaking. Bella grabbed it. I had to chase her into the bedroom and get it out from under the bed, where she “hid” it.

Looked at some stuff at Target’s sale, but they wanted me to go pick them up. No. Not worth the drive to me.

The clothes are in the dryer now, so I just need to stay up for a half-hour to grab my clean pajamas. I should check on Zara and treat her ears.

days_unfolding

Ugh. Feeling arthritis-y. Need to go to sleep.

Got up at 6:30 AM. Bella did her business quickly, so I decided to go back to sleep for an hour and shower at lunch. I overslept work an hour. Suckage.

Today is Friday, right? This week has been a blur.

I found a propane heater in case the power goes out in winter, but I need to think about how much money I want to spend on something that might never happen. (I could use it for camping though. Speaking of camping, I have the down sleeping bag for if the power goes out, but that won't help the critters.) On the other hand, this area has a danger of ice storms because we’re far enough south that snow can turn to freezing rain. And hmm, the food supplies would help being snowed in.

Fed everyone and took Bella and Gracie outside. It’s hot out (90F/32C). I think that I need to stop feeding Gracie kibble because it seems to give her loose stools. I'd have to feed her another can of wet food. Showered and put on shorts and a t-shirt and sandals.

Hmm. I should order some tubs in which to keep emergency supplies, but I should wait until I get them to see what size I need.

Medium doesn't allow you to make money off of AI-generated text, so I need to rewrite the blog entries. In that case, I might have to wait until retirement. We'll see. I am so busy right now. Maybe I could work on some in my hotel room at night during my trip. Or at the airport.

I have a strong urge to go back to Hawaii, to Maui, but it won't happen anytime soon. Plus, I want to wait until Lahaina is rebuilt. I wonder how long that will take. Maybe I should check out Molokai? That would be a nice sleepy place for "R&R". You have to take a commuter airline from Oahu or Maui to Molokai. I found a flight that I like. Hmm, should I go to Molokai next year? It would have to be a short trip because I will be taking a lot of time for my European trip in the fall. I was going to go see my dad though. Hum. I have three weeks of vacation and two personal holidays right now. I'll take two weeks in Italy and a day or two in January at the end of my cruise. I need to figure out how much time I'll take for the European trip (how many extra days I want to stay in Paris and Istanbul). I have airfare that I need to use up before mid-June. (Too bad that I already booked the flights for the cruise. But part of it was from the flight that I didn't take earlier this year after the full cruise.)

Oh. I forgot to mention that I bought a second travel vest the other day because I wear mine all the time for the pockets. They're very useful. I have a burgundy one and the new one is black.

Hmm. Do I want to go work downstairs now? It's 93F/34C and kind of miserable upstairs. Luckily, I'm not doing anything that requires two monitors.

Oh no. David Gergen died. I liked him on CNN. He was a presidential advisor that became a political commentator.

Bella is so jealous. If Oliver or Gracie jumps on my lap, Bella jumps on my lap (well, as much of her that will fit), chases them off, and kisses me. "I am YOUR DOG! And don't forget it!"

Zara didn’t eat most of her food (which is concerning), so I gave her food to Oliver and Lily. First Bella jumped up with her paws on the counter. I made her get down. Then Gracie jumped up. I made her get down. Then they both jumped up in unison, and I cracked up. I told them that they were dorks. I got Oliver and Lily to sort of share by moving the dish around so that Lily could get some food.

I ordered some dog DNA tests for Bella and Gracie. The results should be interesting.

One of the things that I need to do this weekend is find the chicken wire so that I can plug the gaps in the fence and let Gracie run around. She’s small enough that she could get out, and I don’t trust her to come back like Bella does.

I’ve added seeing the giant rubber duck that one_raido wrote about to my bucket list. Waukegan this year would be doable except that I’ll be in Italy. Sorry not sorry. I’ll have to bookmark its Web site. They should bring it to Chicago (if they haven’t already).

I started going through Amazon boxes. My emergency supplies are starting to arrive. Some will also work for camping, such as wipes to use in lieu of a shower. I got my weather radio and have set it up for alerts in my bedroom.

Note to self: go through my travel chargers this weekend and order anything that I need. Also check on my travel adapters and transfer them to my medium suitcase. I have my travel pillow and sleep mask, but I ordered a second sleep mask in case I lose one on the plane like I did on my last trip to Italy. Pack my swimsuits (or do I want to go swimming before I leave?)

Oh good. I’m yawning. I want to get to bed early so that I can get out early to do some weeding and planting.

Shit. Zara isn't eating at all. I'm really worried. The vet gave me some appetite enhancers, but I was going to crush the pills and mix them in her food. I wonder if she would take one mixed with a Churu. I also ordered some pill pockets, but I remember in the past that she would eat the pill pocket and spit out the pill. I'll call the vet on Monday if I can't get her to eat.

ranunculus

The garden looks like a demented spider has been at work; I'm more or less finished with shade cloth in the garden. One piece of cloth needs to move, but otherwise I think everything I want to cover is covered. It is hot today, it got up to 107F 41.6 C. ( Shade cloth pictures. )

days_unfolding

ChatGPT came up with a good blog post on intentionality as a spiritual practice. I might be able to start a blog before I retire in that case (if I come up with enough ideas). It also asked me if I wanted to create a workshop from it. Maybe I should consider creating workshops when I retire? It would be a fun way to make some money. I asked it to create a couple more blog posts.

I asked ChatGPT about WordPress themes for a blog and found two that I liked. We were working on colors when I ran out of ChatGPT time.

Fed the critters and took Bella and Gracie outside. Bella found a large stick and Gracie was trying to get it away from her. But Bella is stronger.

I looked at a site that analyzes your address for risks, and the highest risk at my place is heat. I should see if I have an air mattress in the basement in case the power goes out. Oh, but it has an electric pump! I need one that uses a battery-operated one. It would be good to have some water and a small litter box there as well. Is there a battery-operated fan? Anyway, I ordered a weather radio for my bedroom. I should have one.

I’m out of caffeinated soda. I need to submit a grocery order (done).

I ordered a bunch of emergency supplies, many of which were on Prime sale. I just need some jugs of water and we'll be ready. Hmm, I should get an extra can opener to stash in case I misplace mine. Though I got MREs to eat in case of a power failure. But I need one just in case the pull tabs on the cat and dog food come off. Hmm, I should stash some extra cat and dog food too.

I overslept, but Bella did her business quickly, so I still managed to take a shower. I need to pick up my plants at 5 PM today. Gracie no longer has diarrhea, so I need to call the vet and cancel her appointment.

I have a bunch of deadlines at work today, but they depend on other people. I've reminded people of the info that I need, and I need to tell myself that I'm doing everything that I can to meet the deadlines and calm down. But I'm stressy. One task down.

We got an extension on the deadlines. In a way, that’s good because we aren’t going to make them, but I’m afraid that the data that’s owed me will get pushed out. I want this done. In other exciting news, IT was working most of the afternoon on my work computer. Windows 11 is installing V-E-R-Y S-L-O-W-L-Y. It finally installed.

Went and got my plants after the GPS on my phone led me astray. Returned a library book. Mailed my letters. The post office was still open, so I got a book of stamps because I don’t want to use all my mom’s elephant stamps because they’re so her. The postal clerk asked me if I wanted flags, and I said no because that would be a political statement right now. I got some dahlia stamps. A book of stamps is a lot smaller than it used to be, but I so seldom send letters that they should last for awhile.

Watered the garden while I was out with Bella and Gracie. Then the IT person with whom I'm working said to reboot my work computer, so I did that. Started laundry. I need to stay up until I can put it in the dryer.

days_unfolding

ChatGPT came up with an excellent blog post about decluttering as a spiritual practice, but I wasn't logged in and lost it. I tried several times but it didn't come up with anything as good. I modified the prompt, and it came up with something that I like. I just need to edit it slightly.

Woke up at 6:30 AM. Bella did her business quickly, so I’m going to take a nap.

I don’t think that I can do dog training today; I need to go pick up my plants. In addition, my foot hurts. I’m a mess. I ordered a bunch of dog training books instead. Yeah, I'm overwhelmed at work too. Cannot cope.

I forgot to take out the garbage last night.

I was trying to nap at lunch, but Gracie started barking. It was close to the time that I needed to get up, so I gave up. Sigh. Gracie is a loudmouth.

Had a vet appointment for Zara. She was hiding in the closet, and the door went off the track, so I thought that I wouldn't be able to get her out, but I got it open. Her mouth healed well from the dental work. She still has an ear infection. They gave me some gabapentin to calm her down before I treat her ears. We made an appointment on Friday for Gracie because she's having diarrhea, but they gave me some probiotics to try first.

Oh! I need to pick up the plants tomorrow! I could have gone to the dog training in that case, but I'm still swamped and stressed out, so no. PetSmart has training at more convenient times for me, but their next class starts right before I leave for Italy. I found a place with Saturday classes with a session that will start in the beginning of September. That will work.

I read a Quora article about a doctor who wouldn't give a guy drugs, and he took a horrific revenge on her pet (I won't say more so that you won't have the awful images that are now in my mind) and I feel like crying.

Bella is teasing Gracie. She seems to know that Gracie is on a leash, and Bella runs around, stopping just out of Gracie’s reach. Gracie gets mad and barks. I think that Bella is finding Gracie a little annoying.

Article in the BBC: “US lawmakers write to Canada to complain their wildfire smoke is spoiling summer.” Oy. Like it was a plan.

Fed us all. Got the recycling out. I need to scoop litter boxes, but I need to cool off first, so I thought that I'd post. I also need to check my work computer to see if I got messages about the stuff that I'm working on.

Printed out bank statements to analyze. Bella got into some of the highlighters (I swear that she has a radar for stuff that she'd like to chew), so I ordered more. It's supposed to rain this weekend, so that will give me time to work on them.

ranunculus

Shade cloth project is coming along but is not finished. Here is a little walk through the garden.
The little fig tree is, well, little.

( Pictures )

ranunculus

Another successful ride on Firefly with my friend Kim riding Raja. I was a little worried, the wind was blowing, coastal fog (rare this time of year) had cooled things off, and Firefly was objecting to everything from being groomed (normally she loves this) to having the bridle put on. I walked for the first 1/2 mile of our "ride" because it was all downhill. Downhill invites faster speed and that isn't what I wanted. Uphills usually follow downhills, so I mounted up and we went up for the next most of a mile, which calmed things down a lot. She was never "bad" just a little snorty at first. We worked on confidence, she did great, and only once needed Raja to take the lead and show her that the scary downhill with an eroded trail was perfectly safe. We also worked on refining our cues. The times that I have to use big gestures and insist on where I want to go are getting fewer and the times I can give a tiny squeeze of leg, or tightening of my fingers are getting more frequent. At one point I leaned over a little, grabbed a gate and pushed it open a little further. It took some pressure to push, and I could see Firefly thinking hard about what was going on, but she stood perfectly still. Oh, and we picked up trail ribbons from April's event. Firefly only once looked scared of the ribbon, and that was a big 3 color one with 18" streamers. Like usual she thought about it, sniffed it and relaxed. If I can ride, at least a little, three or four times a week, we will make really fast progress. Sorry, snuck out before M took any pics, but here is one of Firefly today being very, very serious about eating her evening meal.

P.S. Yes, she has changed colors again. In my last post, on June 19th, she was dark grey.

days_unfolding

I came up with an idea for a blog, Stumbles on a Spiritual Path. I was thinking and reading about the Society of Friends (“Quakers”) idea of cumber, possessions or philosophies that keep you from a spiritual path. Oh, do I have cumber. That led me to the thought about decluttering as a spiritual practice. All of this is aspirational, but interesting. (Note to self: another thought, intentionality.) I created a LiveJournal site to use as a scratch pad for ideas.

Woke up a little after 7 AM. I decided to go back to sleep for a half hour and take my shower during lunch.

Crud. Someone chewed off the pads on my headphones. Or anyway, they came off, I'm not sure how.

So freaking tired.

I'm not having a good day at work, and I keep falling farther behind. I'll need to log on later.

Fed us all. I’m going to try to take the short nap that I intended yesterday. I think that I need to do more self-care when I’m busy. Overslept my nap again. Sigh. At least, I'm well-rested. Chaos over here. Gracie is barking.

days_unfolding

Woke up at 6:30 AM. Bella did her business relatively quickly, so I’m going to go back to sleep for a half hour.

I changed the printer ink and got the return pages to print. Packaged up the laptop to return.

Called the guy about the garage to sign the contract tomorrow.

I’m in bed, and Bella and Gracie gave me a thorough face washing. Shit, Bella was trying to chew the new sheets!

Mailed my returns. And drat, I forgot to mail my letter.

Fed us all. I want to take a nap, but I need to log back onto work. I compromised on taking a "short" nap and slept for three hours. Oops.

ranunculus

Hotter weather is on its way. We have been luxuriating in temperatures from the low 80's to the mid-90's for the past couple of months. Sadly that is ending and a week of 100F + is coming up. The hot day is forecast at 104F. By last year's standards that is cool, last year this time it was running up to 117F. Oh well, the cool was nice while it lasted, and it resulted in the tomato plants setting huge amounts of fruit.
100F + means I have to get busy and finish up the shade cloth supports. I --was-- finished with the main part of the garden. But that didn't include the bed and tanks behind the main area, or the apple trees and it doesn't include side panels on the west side.
This morning I walked out and took a hard look at: measurements, paths and how everything lines up. Turns out I did a rotten job of advanced planning in half the garden. The shade cloth worked great on the raised beds, but I really needed different post spacing in order to extend it out. This means; undoing the wires holding up the overhead pipes; removing the shade cloth; pulling out 7 posts and moving them over. On the west side one more post and associated pipes, need to be added to each line. Fortunately the ground is soft and the moves are going well. I've got 5 posts moved and the associated pipes and shade cloth back in place. Two of the three new posts are in the ground. Shouldn't take long to finish.
When I have finished extending that half the garden, the small tanks in the back of the other side of the garden need all new posts (4) and a couple of pipes. Two of the small apple trees need shade as well or the fruit will sunburn. Those should be easy as the trees are only about 5 feet tall.

Note: pruning apples in summer works amazingly well. Summer pruning encourages fruit. Winter pruning encourages growth, so I don't prune much, or at all in the winter. My oldest apple tree, now in its fourth year, is absolutely dripping with apples. After doing a bunch of reading: apples fruit on branches that are at lest 2 years old or older. This year my 3 year old trees are starting to set a little fruit. Next year there should be lots.

While I'm talking about fruit trees, the little fig that I planted this spring is doing well. There hasn't been much growth above ground, but I bet the root system is growing like crazy. It has stopped wilting in the heat. I'm so happy that it has finally taken hold. Way back in the winter of 2020/21 I took the first cuttings from the old trees near Split Rock. The trees are at least 100 years old and incredibly tough to have lasted with no care. Those first cuttings failed completely, as did the ones from the next year. But the cuttings from 22/23 rooted as did a couple from 23/24. This is a baby from the first batch.

days_unfolding

I was debating whether to weed this morning—I really want a nap—when it started raining. Well, that settles that. Bella and Gracie were chewing a branch that the tree people left.

I really like Bella and Gracie’s new personalized collars with my phone number on them. I think that I want to get some for Oliver and Lily too. (Zara will never get out. Well, maybe I’ll try one for her too, but she probably will resist it.)

There’s a cat (Oliver) in my face. Someone wants to eat.

Serendipity. I got a mail-order form for a “Comfort Tower Pro” that heats and cools. I’ll put it upstairs.

I think that I’ll stay home today and get the package ready to send tomorrow. My Walmart order hasn’t arrived yet. And I need to empty the storage shed. The dogs are barking at nothing in particular.

Got my groceries in. Crud, my donuts fell down and the dogs helped themselves to two of them.

They are saying thunderstorms later in the afternoon, but I have stuff to do inside.

Ate lunch. Gracie: "Why won’t you give me your food?" Me: "Because it’s my food. I get to eat too." Gracie: "Oh."

The Washington Post suggested taking your bank statements and some highlighters to see where your money is going. That’s easy. I’ll try that. Ordered highlighters.

I got my new loofahs, which I put in the shower. A program to wipe files off my old computer plus some transfer software. And I got the purse in which the tablet fits.

Went to order markers for delivery from Walgreens, but they are "age-restricted items," so I need to be available to receive them. Now they’re saying thunderstorms after 6 PM, so I need to get outside.

Well, I made it to 5 PM. I was dripping sweat, and I figured that the dogs (who were outside with me) were hot too, so we came in. Gracie liked being staked out on a long leash. I got some weeding done in front and almost emptied out the storage shed. (There are a few bags of leaves that I need to take out in the morning. Everything else, including my bicycles and the lawn mower, are out and in the basement.) And the markers arrived.

I’m looking at day lilies for the patch at the corner. I’m going to move some of my orange day lilies and add some additional ones for a day lily patch. But I should deal with the plants that I have first.

The Week keeps on trying to get my mom to resubscribe. I like The Week, so I subscribed on a discount magazines site.

I really want a nap, but I need to feed the beasts first. Here comes the storm. Fed us all. Nap time. Gracie loves having her belly rubbed. Had a nice nap. There was an alert about a severe thunderstorm, but I went back to sleep.

Me: “Bella, leave your brother (Oliver) alone." Bella: “But I like bothering him.” Sigh.

Hmm. Now I’m wondering if I should get up a half-hour early and get the package together to send tomorrow. I’m having stomach cramps and want to go back to sleep.

I'm still having issues with Semagic. It won't let me post to multiple journals.

days_unfolding

I got a face full of dog when they decided that I should get up. Gracie needed to pee but used the litter box in there. That works.

Well crap. The return label for the laptop isn’t printing. I just ordered new ink. Maybe I should stop at Staples today and also get more and return it tomorrow.

Gracie has figured out how to go upstairs! But she hasn’t figured out how to get downstairs, so I had to carry her downstairs. She and Bella swapped food again. Oh hell, she went upstairs again. I think that I’ll wait until after my shower to bring her down because Bella scratched my legs when I brought her down. But wait, I was going to wear shorts. Hmm. I threw some jeans in the wash. Oliver stuck his claw in my leg, so I removed him.

Whenever I go to South Carolina, I’d also like to go to Asheville in North Carolina. I found a senior living place that I’d like to check out.

Nap time. Woke up a little before my alarm. Gracie figured out how to get downstairs.

My massage was very nice (hot stone this time, which helps unlock my muscles). Whatever part she hadn’t rubbed yet felt tense. I was good and relaxed when she was done. She invited me to use the new sauna, but I said that I had errands to run. I forgot that it was 1.5 hours, so I didn’t make it to the UPS store. Plus, I was very hungry. I’ll go tomorrow. Stopped at Steak and Shake for a bite to eat. Got printer’s ink at Best Buy. Bought two more lamb toys at PetSmart so that Bella and Gracie each can have one (although I could see Bella trying to take them both). I also bought cat ball toys that probably will get stepped on. Went to Prairie Gardens and bought a Boston Fern for my porch, two enormous spider plants for the kitchen, and two more coneflowers. All were on sale.

Bella and Gracie were thrilled that I came home. Gracie is now taking the stairs upstairs and downstairs like a champ.

Fed us all. I have the shakes. Placed a grocery order for tomorrow.

Oh hell. I didn’t get the mail, which has Bella and Gracie’s new collars, but I don’t want to go back out in the heat.

I’m thinking of going to bed REALLY early to get up in the cool morning. I really want to weed and plant tomorrow. And drop my returns off in the afternoon. And maybe go to the other garden shop.

I don't know why Semagic keeps saying that my DW password is invalid.

days_unfolding

Some idiot was setting off loud fireworks at midnight. The dogs took it surprisingly calmly. They were barking at something though.

Woke up at 7 AM. I stayed up late reading a book about The Big Bang Theory.

Hmm. It’s supposed to be really hot today. Not sure what to do. Sunday, it’ll be cooler but it’s going to rain.

Nap time. Gracie is barking at nothing in particular. The dog waste people are here. Bella, Gracie, and Oliver are all snoozing.

Had a nice nap and then ate lunch. Shower time. I’m getting a headache though, so maybe I need to lie down? Bella and Gracie were wrestling, so I escorted Gracie out.

My headache is gone and I want to get up, but Oliver is sleeping in the crook of my legs. Now he’s awake.

I ordered some Blue Sage and purple Coneflowers. I need to remember to pick them up on campus on Wednesday.

I started cleaning off my old laptop by copying files to a hard drive. Salt and Light refurbishes old computers and gives them to people in need, so I’ll donate this one.

Showered. I have Lily on my lap. I explained to her that it’s too early to eat, and she left.

Ugh. 92F/33C, feels like 97F/36C. No. I need to get to bed early (no reading!) and get outside early tomorrow and Sunday. Though I was going to go to the Unitarian church on Sunday. Took the dogs out and yes, it’s hot.

Got my new cool sheets on the bed, with a lot of hassle from two dogs and a cat. I lost my temper a little bit. But the duvet cover has beige stripes rather than gray ones, so I want to exchange it for one that matches the sheets. Contacted them.

My new laptop is updating. However, I accidentally bought two of them, so I'm returning the other one. I need to package it up tonight to drop at the UPS store tomorrow.

What now. I need to feed the critters and myself (done). Watered the garden.

Bella chewed up my external hard drive. I love that dog, but damn. I ordered a new one. Meanwhile, I'm recovering my files and downloading them.

I have Semagic installed on the new computer, but I'm having problems getting it to work with DW. I'm going to give up for tonight. I'm tired.

ranunculus

Carrie called around 9am and asked if I'd like to do a short ride. Yes.
I groomed and saddled Firefly, putting her bridle on over her halter, then moving the reins to the halter, not the bit. We walked out a little way to meet Carrie and I got on. For the first few yards Firefly was a tiny bit fussy. We were headed back toward home and she DID NOT want to go home. The minute it was clear we were going somewhere else she perked up. Honestly, for most of the ride I felt like I was on an old experienced trail horse. She was as good as gold. She looked carefully at the bank we had to walk down and then went down quietly. She looked carefully at the rather steep stream crossing and then walked quietly and carefully across, no jumping, no trying to move fast, just perfect. At one point she did spook a bit at a particularly black and suspicious cow pat. When I say "spook" I mean she stopped, looked at the cow pat , tensed up a tiny bit, looked at it again, put her head around to my boot to ask me if everything was ok, and when I said it was and encouraged her; she sniffed it, relaxed and walked on. That is the first time she has clearly asked for reassurance from me while I was mounted. Perfect. We rode through the herd of cows, passing several within a few feet with no incident. We watched the flock of turkeys without a spook or moving away, or any drama except stopping and looking. I never for an instant felt I needed to move the reins to the bit for more control, in fact quite the opposite. She accepted light contact with the reins and went where I directed her.
I'm thrilled. Maybe we will have issues next time, but for the mile we rode she was delightful. Very slow when we turned for home, but that was enough for one day.

ranunculus

Lots of tomatoes have set. Far more than last year at this time. I think it is because it has been quite cool all the way through June and the first few days of July. I'm expecting, and dreading, the arrival of very hot temperatures. I still have lettuce in the garden!
The first okra will be ready tonight or tomorrow morning.
Picked the first cucumber today, it was a pickling cucumber. The lemon cucumber, which was planted quite late, has started blooming. Meanwhile one of the Japanese thin skinned varieties, Shinto Kiwa has tiny fruit all over. Somehow I planted two of that kind and both vines are growing vigorously.
I'm ready to pull out the "Smooth Criminal" yellow squash. I don't like it's flavor or size. Ditto another summer squash, Zucchinio. Zuchinio is supposed to be both a summer squash and, if allowed to get big, a winter squash. As a summer squash it just tastes like it is green, with no other redeeming qualities. I'll replace it with another Butternut.
This morning, pre-snake activities, I added some big logs to the bottom of the 6' tank. Over the top of the wood is lots and lots of old potting soil and coconut coir mixed together. All that got wet down a little and then I added a nice layer of moisture holding, native soil that is rich in clay and mixed it in a little. Next: drip irrigation followed by planting, followed by horse manure for moisture retention.

ranunculus

Firefly was being obstinate this morning. I called her to come in from the field and she turned her back on me. We had words. So I marched her into the corral and hurried around the shop to get some alfalfa for her.* I was about 8 feet from the hay pile, which is covered with a blue tarp, when I spotted the snake lying along the front of the tarp. I screamed, because snakes are what I'm scared of, and left the area. Dave gave us a shotgun a couple of days ago, but we didn't have shells for it yet; so I called Michael. Perhaps 25 minutes later Michael and his girlfriend showed up armed with a shotgun, shovel and metal rake. The snake hadn't moved. Michael carefully uncovered the snake's head, and shot it. Poor snake, it was never aggressive, even at the end. It had 10 rattles and was really fat. I fetched a bucket and they took the body with them. While I am quite relieved, I'm also still wary. Snakes often have a mate somewhere around, so caution is still warranted.

* Grass looses most of its protein when it dries. We feed alfalfa, which is a legume and very high in protein, as a supplement. Firefly had lost some muscle, which means she was protein deficient and her body was breaking down muscle to provide needed protein. I should have started a couple of weeks ago.

days_unfolding

Well, this was a quick walk. Bella wanted to play but Gracie didn’t, so she decided to come inside.

Turned the dryer on but forgot it was on the dewrinkle setting, so I’m going to take my shower at lunch after the clothes are dry. Napped a little.

Bella and Gracie swapped food again. Clearly the other one is getting the better food.

Napped over lunch. I had to remove Gracie because she and Bella were squabbling over the lamb toy. (Bella is more restful to sleep with.)

We were let out of work early for the holiday weekend. Popped into the shower.

My therapist wants me to ask my psychiatrist about my feeling lethargic. And she wants me to talk to my primary physician about a CPAP. (I had gotten one, but that was right when my mom died, and I couldn't deal with it.) We also talked about my going to the Unitarian Church, and she said that I just needed to ask a few questions and let people talk. We commiserated about the time of the church service though--10:30 on Sunday. My therapist said that she isn't dressed before noon, and I agreed with that statement. She also said to look for evening events held by the church.

I fell down a rabbit hole trying to find out when I created my Gmail account. I finally found the answer through trial and error.

Fed us all. Bella was trying to "forget" that she’s not supposed to eat the cats’ food. I told her that nothing had changed even though we now have Gracie.

Hmm. I’m wondering if I should get a “dog backpack” so that Bella could carry her own food when we camp.

Dozed lightly. The dogs are crashed out.

I’m thinking that I should get ready for bed and go to sleep early. I want to get outside to weed in the morning. Do I want to go to the fireworks show in Champaign tomorrow? Parking will be a bitch. No, I should stay home with the dogs and cats because they won't like the noise.

Got my ReMarkable tablet set up and planner pages loaded. I think that it will be a help.

Bella knocked into my laptop and the track ball went who-knows-where. I went into Zara's room to grab the trackball there. She seems to be feeling much better, is staying visible, and was loving me up. Good to see.

I should feed the beasts and go to sleep.

ranunculus

Picture a two car carport with a fully enclosed room (my shop) at the end of it. The roof over the top of this building extends out toward the garden about 4 1/2 feet on the south side. The carport hasn't been used for cars for years, though I do park the Gator in it most of the time. These days there is a tarp across the south facing side of the carport (but not the shop) and another tarp that goes halfway across the east facing side of the carport. This keeps the carport fairly dry except in the most violent storms. I've struggled to keep things tidy, especially as more and more stuff arrives from San Francisco. Here is a picture of the garden path leading to the door of the shop.

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Page generated Jul. 15th, 2025 12:44 am

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Cucumbers, tomatoes and okra - Garden status

Another Tired Day

Tired Day

I'm Worried About Zara

Update

Heat Threat?

Near the End of my Rope

Garden Photos

Firefly

Stumbles on a Spiritual Path

Short and Sweet

Garden

At Home Day

Errand Day

July 4th Holiday

Firefly

Garden Notes

R.I.P. Snake

Planner Tablet

Cleanup Progress

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March 2022

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