The Week that Was…Sleepy

Charlie, Taking an Evening Nap

I have been taking a lot of naps, this past week. I also have not slept well during the night. Not sure which is the cause, and which is the effect. Sunday evening, I went to bed before nine o’clock and fell asleep directly. While I did wake up around two o’clock in the morning, I managed to sleep again until eight-thirty, when Al woke me.

May we go outside, please?

Transitions: It’s Raining, It’s Pouring

A Week Ago

The weather has been quite warm, this week. For a while it looked as though there would be snow accumulation by bedtime, but I don’t think it ever got cold enough. Mostly, there was light rain to help melt away the edges of the remaining snowbanks around the yard. Except for the north side of the garden shed, where because the sun never hits that side, the ice keeping the door from opening is the last to melt away in the spring.

I have been concentrating on not concentrating on anything other than chores and minding my diet. Saw the dentist, last Wednesday, and have to go in next week for fitting the crown and taking filling a small cavity. The numbness is only now fading from the local anesthetic. May try having the cavity filled without using the topical or local, since the cavity is small. Goes much better when it can be managed.

Saint Patrick’s/Gertrude’s Day 2018

Impromptu Snapshot

Charlie, Taking an Evening Nap

Tonight I am up late, once again. Reading, this time. The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted, a change of pace, having reread The Others series (Anne Bishop) from beginning through Lake Silence.

Too much to think about, the lot of it distracting me, when I would rather relax and recuperate. And so I seem to be managing that. My last BG reading was in the 90s, BP 109/61, and my blood oxygen level is at 97% and holding up without breathing exercises, for a change. I even spent twenty minutes or so on the elliptical machine, this morning. (That would be Monday morning.) The day blends into the next without my noticing. Before I married, when I started freelance editing/writing, I would sleep when tired, work when not, and eat when I remembered to do so. Totally unstructured. It was so much easier, all boundaries but the walls, floor and ceiling of the apartment and contents seeming amorphous.

As during my college years. I wonder if I will attend the 50th class reunion events, come autumn. I floated through those years, also, and many years after. Unstructured. Absorbing. Writing poetry, constructing crossword puzzles, journaling…reading everything and playing the piano a lot. I think I didn’t pay attention. Not to the outside.

I ask myself if I would change that, were I able. And I think not. I have arrived here, and I like it.

I will like it if I go to sleep before two o’clock. That would be about twelve hours since I started writing this post.

Good night!

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Supper is in the oven: Baked Chicken Breasts

Our butcher posted his weekly specials, this week, on his web page. We had been forgetting to stop at that store, somehow, without specials posted, even though we did not always take advantage of them. I had been wanting to bake chicken breasts, and that was one of the three specials, so we stopped by the shop before Al went off to his volunteer work, this afternoon.

With two pounds of meat, I washed and dried the chicken breasts, rubbed them lightly with olive oil, added seasoning to top and bottom (crushed peppercorns, sea salt, and cumin), and put the baking dish into the oven for forty minutes at 350°F. Twenty minutes to go!

The strong winds, combined with heavy rain, this morning, pretty much beat down and soaked the plants in the backyard wildflower garden. The ornamental clover is still doing well, and there are some Black-eyed Susan and Siberian Wallflower plants that still have blooms, but that’s about it. The blue wild flax … may dry out. If not, I will be taking photographs of fallen leaves until the snow flies.

Leaves, Not Drifting

Wallflowers

Black Eyed Susans

Clover and Raindrops

In this morning’s rain, I saw two Northern Flickers hunting out bugs in the front yard. I’m glad that they are still around. I don’t imagine that the raptors do much hunting in the midst of thunderstorms or torrential downpours. (See Hunting Circles for background.)

In the new garden plot

California Poppy – Close-up

Sweet Clover

California Poppy

First Flower in the New Garden Plot

At last wildflowers are opening in the new garden plot. Most of what’s emerged, actually, is clover. Several different kinds. When I was a small child, I used to eat the sweet clover flowers. They really do taste sweet. California poppies are among my favorites, although they’re not great to photograph.

Last Friday, the Scampers finally got their summer haircuts. They’re looking really cool. Here are “before” and “after” photographs. And Thadd having a wonderful time rolling in the grass when we brought them home and let them out in the back yard.

Due for a Haircut

Charlie in the White Campions

After Their Haircuts

Relaxing

I think that I’ve finally gotten my eating patterns squared away as I want them. I do forget to eat, more than I’m comfortable with. Trying to do better while not raising my blood sugar levels. Weight loss has slowed. Isn’t it such nice timing, our having to replace the bathroom scale when we did? The new scale shows the tenths of a pound! We can be really obsessive, now!

For tonight, assuming the rain holds off, I am planning to mix the latest batch of spent coffee grounds into the sandy dirt that contains little to no organic material (other than the seeds that I sowed, which did not germinate) along the south side of the garage. Then I am going to plant clumps of wild flax seeds with bricks on the downward slope to keep all of the water from running off and taking the seeds with it.

One of my husband’s ham radio buddies has come back into the area for a short visit with relatives, and they’re getting together for an evening out, whoever can make it. That will give me time for the planting procedures, assuming nothing comes along to interfere. Must check the radar before I get everything readied for gardening.

Later in the week, some of my husband’s family are coming over to help wrap the workshop building in with whatever it is that blocks the wind, once the inner and outer walls are up. Windows are ordered and a couple more things. Not getting ahead of what’s being used almost immediately. I keep thinking that June is the “rain” month around here and worrying that everything is going to either drown or blow away.

Out in the rain

 

 

Our promised rain arrived! I’d gone outside, yesterday, with the spent coffee grounds from making Toddy coffee (cold-brew concentrate) at the end of the week, and mixed those with the sandy loam and more wildflower seeds along the south side of the garage, where I’ve been unable to grow anything but tulips since the addition of dirt around the house. Was that only last summer? I’ve lost track!

The rain started before eight o’clock in the morning, and I had slept in. By the time Al’s alarm went off, it was too wet for him even to think of starting to work on the workshop roof. I did help him carry the table saw out to the workshop (and back inside, afterwards), so that he could make a sliding panel to keep the dogs out of the workshop. That’s gotten me to wondering if perhaps a double-hung door would be a good idea for the workshop. Surely it would help to keep the workshop cool, adding another source of fresh air while keeping the dogs out (or in). Also, to keep the rain from splashing into the workshop while the door is open. It’s not going to be a terribly big room. I’d think that an open door would make the room seem larger.

I have gotten behind, here, with writing. Several spontaneous poems, this week, but no Weekend Coffee Share post. Time did not organize itself during the weekend, and I did nothing to try to tame it. I looked at Ronovan Writes Haiku, just to find out what this week’s prompt words were, and went on with rereading a story arc of books from Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar series.

There is total silence in the back yard. I do not see my puppies anywhere. I must investigate!

Best wishes for your week!

Lizl

 

There has been rain…and flowers

Rain

Yesterday’s Rain: The Building Project

Yesterday’s Rain: On the tulip leaves

Flowers after rain

Wild Violet

A Dandelion (My Favorite)

The Inside of the Tulip: Shapes & Shadows

Tulips by the Front Step

Today’s Flowers: Shades and Colors

The weather turned cooler, with rain, but progress has been made on building the workshop. I’ve found myself back in bed, however, after being up for three or four hours, because of cold feet.

Yes! Cold feet! I finally found an old heating pad, and I’ve warmed the tops of my feet. Now, I’m holding it between the soles. Should not have been walking around in wet moccasins, this morning.

Next on the agenda is to feed the Scampers their noon meal, find warm socks, and write my poem(s) for today’s National Poetry Writing Month ongoing event during April.

Accomplishments for today, so far? Fed the Scampers their breakfasts, cleaned up after them, took photos, and fitted in half-hour nap before lunchtime. (Have not yet made lunch.)

After Rain

In the Wind and Rain

Scamper in Cold Water

Reflections

Forgotten Bones

Yesterday’s storm brought us about a third of an inch of rain. I took these photographs when I took the Scampers out, about 11 o’clock this morning.

I hope that the freshly dug-up garden bed doesn’t dry out quickly. I managed to get my wildflower seeds scattered and tamped down, not covered by dirt, just before the rain started. There’s wind in the forecast and some dry days before there is to be more rainfall.

Rain and Flowers

Downpour

Hail in the Grass

Driveway & Street

 

After a rainstorm in the early hours of the morning, which woke my husband, but not me, I was surprised when my cell phone announced a Code Red Alert just after lunch. Simultaneously, the storm hit with winds and torrential rains, quickly interspersed with pea-sized hail. I got wet, going out to make certain the rain spouts were down to direct the water away from the house. I so very much enjoy storms, and I miss the storm spotting that we did over the years with the ham radio club.

While the dogs were in the back yard after breakfast, I went out also, the temperature’s being low, and pedaled another five miles on the exercise bike. I’d like to go out again, but the mosquitoes look ferocious … and they outnumber me.

Because of the rain overnight, there were few flowers in the garden, but I enjoyed playing with them before lunch, while the dogs’ bedding was in the dryer. I also played the piano for a while. I did not play very much during the last several days, but I have made some progress since the last time I played the exercises.

Together

Discovering Waterdrops

The Scampers

Lovely rain

I have been in the backyard gazebo for a nice lot of time, now, listening to the rain on the roof and enjoying the warm air from the space heater, brought out for the occasion, across my legs. I would like to stay out longer, but I have no idea what Samantha is up to in my absence. She decided not to join me, here. (Ah! She is watching me from inside. I had left that door open, not wanting her to get wet when she decided to abandon me.)

Away! I have not yet written an immediate poem to the prompt, Away, from last week’s Poetry 101 Rehab. The gazebo is a beautiful Away that is most enjoyed in cool, cloudy, rainy weather. Note to self: Think about it, write the poem. Write two poems!

In a little more than an hour, the temperature has risen three degrees, in here. That’s quite nice, really.

Tulips and Wildflowers

Turning Orange

Wildflower with Bee

Tulip with Pointed Leaves

A Yellow Tulip

In some previous years on this date, there were tulips in my gardens. This year we have enjoyed an early spring, but with several visits from late winter weather and, more recently, temperatures lower than normal, accompanied by strong winds, heavy rain, thunderstorms. As though nature were trying to make up for the months of drought and lack of adequate winter snow cover.

During the drier spells, Samantha has rushed to the as yet unprepared garden plot (too wet) to discover if there are new scents of rabbit. (I’ve noticed the rabbit a few yards away, lately, eating the new grass in the German Shepherd’s yard. Perhaps Sam has been too enthusiastic in rabbit chasing. Our dogs loved the chase, but they didn’t know what to do when they catch up.) The damp weather is giving me some problems with breathing. I may have to resort to meds. My energy level is up, however. I am caught up on washing dishes and with the laundry.

I have been falling asleep early and sleeping soundly. Without the background noise of my air cleaner or the Nature recordings of surf or jungle. I do love the sounds of the wind and rain against the bedroom window within a foot or so of my head when I lie back to sleep. And I have been waking after an appropriate amount of time without using an alarm clock.

My brother (the one next in age to me), one of his sons and a granddaughter are planning to be in town, one day next week, and my brother has requested that Al and I meet them at our favorite restaurant for a meal on the day. He, his wife and children live about three hours away, so we do not get to see them as often as we would like. Should be fun if it happens! A lot depends upon the weather.

Speaking of eating . . . I think I should. I had an omelet and ham too recently, and I’ve eaten the last of the grits. I do believe there may be tapioca in my future. Or the better part of a pint of strawberry ice cream, still in the freezer from the beginning of the week; too, there is also a full pint of pineapple-coconut ice cream. Not, however, a handful of grapes and some of Al’s potato chips. Not! Absolutely!

Going off, now, to explore the possibles.