dughlas

Greetings! It aches terribly. I'd like to take my meds but if we are to have strong storms I don't want to be sedated. I'm trying the quiet restful approach and less strong medication.

Here we woke up to t-storms but those passed quickly. It stopped raining by the time we left for our morning walk. Showers started up on the drive to the park. A gentle rain was falling when we arrived. While the temp was warm, 77/25°, we would have been thoroughly drenched making for a soggy drive home. We returned home only for the showers to end. The sun did come out and the temp reached it's current 91/33° with the humidity it feels like 99/37°. We sat out for a bit this afternoon but another passing shower sent us back indoors. It's become very breezy. There is the potential for more storms as another front moves through providing a respite from the heat.

Thanks Tim. Stay well.

PAGE!

A frighteningly well written story ...

Hi! It hasn't been a bad day so far. I just spent the better part of the last 3 hours using a small garden tiller to churn the soil around what was my veggie garden. You might recall that last year about this time I'd decided to rework the small side yard where I had a raised garden bed. The old bed was 9×12 feet and not being used. Even with the raised bed, gardening just required more effort on my part than the migraines allowed. Also with fresh produce being so readily available where I live it seemed foolish to plant a garden when I didn't need to grow my own veggies. I shifted the raised bed a few feet closer to my deck and resized it to be 3×12 feet. At that size I can easily reach to do any weeding with out needing to walk on the planting bed. The bed is large enough for a tomato, a pepper, a zucchini, a bush variety cucumber, some beans and a few onions. Or if I decide against veggies I can turn it into a strawberry bed, or an herb garden or plant flowers. The biggest issue though was that I'd decided to replant grass around the new bed. Originally the side yard had been a small lawn. About same time the migraines forced me to quit working I had an issue with the water main into my house. A leak was discovered. The local water/sewer authority thought from acoustics that it was under the side lawn so they forced me to have an excavator come in and dig up the 50 feet of water line from the valve connection to my house looking for the leak. Turns out it was the valve connection not my water line so all that work and expense was wasted. I could have made the Township pay to have my yard regraded and planted and to replace the shrubbery that had been damaged plus pay the excavator since they are responsible for the connection. However all we asked was they pay the excavation costs. My wife had left by this time and the landscaping was what she wanted. I put in smaller shrubs and planted several roses, a minature lilac and peonies and turned the small front yard into a flower garden. We moved my garden to the side yard from the far end of my lot, 200+ feet closer to the house, creating a smaller raised garden and mulched the surrounding area. The idea being this would make the garden more convenient and be less yard for me mow around the house. Considering my physical ability at the time it was a good idea. Unfortunately, my ability and desire continued to decline and the garden was impractical. Finally, when things started to improve last year I was able to attend to some things that had been neglected. The garden was the last on my list. I started the project. Resizing the garden bed and taking up the mulch but the whole area needing to be regraded before grass could be planted. I set about it but with the hand garden tools available it took more effort than I'd expected and the project didn't get finished before I left for the winter with mum. Of course things went awry and I was late returning. The side lawn and garden bed had become an overgrown mass of weeds. I was able took clear the area of weeds but the weather was too hot for me to prepare the area to plant grass seed. Fortunately I was able to borrow a small tiller and today set about prepping the soil. I've managed to work up two-thirds of the area before quitting. The machine has a noisy two stroke engine and I decided both I and my neighbors deserved a peacefully quiet afternoon. Plus my head is beginning to ache. I feel good about what I've accomplished. My plan is to finish tilling the ground on Monday and rake everything smooth and scatter the seed. We are forecast for a thorough drenching from the hurricane on Tuesday. That will provide a good soaking to get the seed settled. With luck I'll have a new lawn before I head back to mum in October. I don't plan on planting any thing in the garden this year. It's too late for summer crops and autumn crops will not be ready for harvest before I leave. Instead I'll mulch it to control weeds then in the fall I'll cover it with a heavy mulch of chopped leaves and grass clippings to hold it over winter. That my dear diary ... er, I mean friends is the looooonng explanation of my morning. Please note there was also the standard morning walk in the park with Thistle to start the day. Blessed be y'all.

I can envision it enlarged and hanging on the wall of a garden center or farm market.

I like it. First, because we rarely take time to actually look at such mundane things as onions growing in the garden ... the detail. The crumbly texture of the soil complete with small pebbles. The smooth surface of the of the onion greens, the papery skin of the bulb. The leaves of the tiny weeds, the delicate fronds of the grasses, the veining of the bean leaves. There is so much here to see. Also, the varying intensity of light and dark, it's almost stark, yet so alive.

Aaarrrf Page 🐶

I know who that's about.

But those tests will help determine your current health status and any necessary changes to your care.

The battery in my tablet is draining more rapidly than normal. I need to put it on the charger so I'm away for a bit.

Thank you Albert. I am for now well enough.

Actually, no. Though I do tease Jami that she's the only woman I get naked for on a regular basis.

Mornin'

Store this away as a memory for this winter when it snows.

G'day y'all. We're forecast to have another warm day today before a front passes through. It's currently 82/28° but with the humidity it feels a bit warmer at 84/29°. I'd like to say I was doing something productive/useful with my time but I'm not. I'm simply lazing under the tree. My head doesn't actually ache but feels swollen. That's often a precursor to a migraine. I haven't been entirely lazy today. Thistle and I went for our usual morning walk. Together we walked a bit over 2.25 miles then he had a cool drink and rested in the car while I walked another 1.75 miles. The last bit I did in 25 minutes, that would be a pace of just under 15 minutes a mile. From there we went through the automatic carwash, stopped for a few items at the grocery store and stopped by Starbuck's for a latte. While that sounds like a lot it isn't really. The carwash is next to the grocery and Starbuck's is less than .25 mile away. Oh, and I put the wheelie bin and recycling out as it's trash day. All sounds positively exhausting, guess I'll go see what Val's herd is doing.

Yeah, but I never tried rustlin'. I just bring 'em cookies. Oh and I always make certain the gate is closed when I leave.

Oh, you've visited too.

In the past she seemed terrified of the possibility folks would try pilfering from her herd so she kept them enclosed. She even emphasized her belief that I couldn't sneak in and out just to hang out with the boys. It was all platonic I assure you.

It's a good thing they're wolves and not bovine ...

It's turned out to be a rather pleasant summer afternoon. Warm, 91/33° but the relative humidity has dropped remarkably. There's also a light breeze. Of course we're sitting in the shade, feels considerably hotter in the sun.

Wow! When did that happen? Guess you finally finished the microchipping.

Apparently it's also "National Lasagna Day". Carrabba's is my source for that bit of trivia.

It was.