Jeans

 It was a day full of chores and I even got many of them done.  A few things I forgot to do until it was already dark, they will have to wait.  One of the hardest things to get used to every year is the darkness after the clocks fall back.  The mistake I think I am making is waiting for noon to be here-so it will be warmer outside-and then I am outside, busy, and it will start to get dark.  Here are some things I am happy for today:

• The ground isn't frozen and I worked in the garden area today.  
• At the end of October I planted some cereal rye seeds as a cover crop in the garden.  I have been checking and not noticing any growth.  Cereal rye is supposed to make a good cover crop and grow even when it is really cold, and we can either till it back in in the spring or let it grow and harvest the grain in the fall.  I had given up on it growing, until today, there are sprouts!

• Back in August I went to Pennsylvania to check on the storage unit.  Everything was fine and we had lots of extra time so we wandered around a plaza.  I tried on some jeans at a Levi's store but decided to wait and buy them online.  I took pictures of the tags and a month and a half later I ordered them.  When I tried them on, the pants were too big.  This didn't make any sense until I stepped on the scale and realized I had lost fifteen pounds.  I finally went to exchange them at the outlet stores with Zed, who wanted to visit a different store in the same plaza.  I had no problems with the exchange except that the jeans were on sale.  I returned one pair and came home with two.  I really hope I like these jeans as much as I think I will.
• A friend of Keziah and Zed's made dinner for us tonight.  He is a professional chef somewhere in England.  It was pasta with a homemade ragu.  I was skeptical about liking it because I am not a big meat eater.  It was delicious!
• 
  

  

  The moon behind a ripple of clouds.

  
  

☮

Currently reading: The Backyard Homestead Seasonal Planner, by Ann Larkin Hansen.

Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Winds

 On days that I work it is harder to come up with multiple happy things.  There might be occasional things that I am happy about at work, but it is a rather mechanical job.  Since I didn't sleep well last night, I didn't feel well for most of the shift.  Thankfully I got a second wind after lunch and made it through.  Other things I am happy about:

• There must have been a third wind for me too-or maybe I am just pushing through.  After eating and watching some Netflix I did laundry, washed dishes, and watered some plants.  
• It is official, there will be an event over Labor Day Weekend.  Our first in-Barony SCA event since the pandemic.  Happy, yes.  Also some anxiety and general concern about having the event.
• Nanni is curled up on my bed.  We shall sleep well this afternoon!  

Nanni the cat.

☮

Currently reading: Backpacking A Hedonist’s Guide, by Rick Greenspan and Hal Kahn.


Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe. 

Pretty Weeds

 For my first day of work off, I slept in.  Isn't that what one is 'supposed' to do on a day off?  I spent part of the morning either being mildly productive or avoiding being productive.  Another classic day off strategy.  After lunch I made my way out to the garden.  Here I was very productive doing things that I wanted to do, but that weren't the high parts of my priority list.  It was a good day.  Here are other happy things from today:

• I planted something.  There is a small section of the garden that I pulled roots from, strained dirt back into, and needed to finish putting dirt back into.  I found even more roots that I missed the first time through, but got the dirt back in.  I had a zinnia that looked close to gone that is now planted there.  Maybe tomorrow I will get some more into that area.  

Poor lonely zinnia.
I hope it makes it.

• Some of the tiger daylilies that are by the common milkweed have opened.

Tiger daylilies with common milkweed behind.

• Yesterday I weed whacked in the garden and today I pulled weeds.  A few weeks ago I had noticed that the woodchucks, or some other critter, had eaten the greens off the radish plants.  While pulling weeds I found that some of the radish bottoms were still okay and I pulled them to eat.  Yay! A small harvest.

Radishes.

Midway into weeding.
The garden needs more of my attention.

• There is a trip that I am planning with some friends at the end of August.  I sent out an email this morning in preparation.  This trip is to check the contents of our SCA trailer in Pennsylvania and I am more excited to go than I probably should be for this task.
• It was just Zed and I for dinner and Zed had errands.  He picked up dinner at Subway-I am very full and it is good.
• Here are some pictures that I took today of some plants on the property.

The butterfly weeds.

Butterfly weed up close.
No butterflies on it when I looked.

Common milkweed up close.
It is so pretty.
I can see the relationship between this and the butterfly weed.

Yarrow.

Black-eyed Susan.

Raspberry, it may be a black raspberry
not yet ripe.

☮

Currently reading: The Backyard Homestead Seasonal Planner, by Ann Larkin Hansen.

Thanks for reading, stay safe.