Dune-no spoilers

 It was till the garden day.  We finally rented a machine to turn the garden.  It is later in the season than it probably should have been, but the rotted clapboards on the house was the top priority.  I only used the machine for a few minutes, the rest was all Zed.  He claimed to enjoy the task. 

So much land to till.

Almost done.

It took most of the day.  I'm happy that he did it.  I moved things around, removed rocks, worked in the sheep manure, and stuff like that.  Other happy things for today:

• Perhaps it was a hawk that flew over?  I'm pretty sure it was a red-tailed hawk.  Whatever, it was fun watching it soar.

• Zed brought home a pick-axe and shovel from the dump today.  For anyone that plays Minecraft, they know that a pick-axe is a very important tool in the game.  For me, a person who plays Minecraft, it is the one basic Minecraft tool that we didn't already have within the household.  The others being the shovel, hoe, and a regular axe.  And so the joke around here is that we are prepared for the zombie apocalypse now.

• With a tiller in the van the back had to remain open transport.  This meant that the back-up camera was aimed at the sky.  I liked the view...

• In the evening, I stepped out of my comfort zone with Keziah and we went to the movies.  We saw the first part of the new Dune movie just released.  I would have been okay waiting to see it at home, except the rest of the family will be seeing it too.  Gideon will not, he will be introduced with a previous version.  This is partially because the current movie is just the first of a two part film series.  There were some gorgeous scenes, and I will leave it at that.

☮

Currently reading: Mount Washington A Guide and Short History, by Peter E. Randall.


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

Animals

As the week came to a close, I realized that I hadn't done anything to simplify my life yet. I was hoping to find at least one thing a week for the month of August to simplify. For me, to simplify seems to involve getting rid of things. To reach that goal I rummaged in my room and found some things to throw away. I also found things that I want to find a place for, but one thing at a time. Other happy things for today include:

• Yard work. It is never ending, but can also be rewarding.

• Tomorrow is the SCA yard sale. Keziah and I sorted through lost and found from the last few years and what isn't claimed will be auctioned tomorrow.  This is less stuff for those that were storing it and new or returned for wherever it goes.

• There were some birds overhead today that we couldn't identify. After much deliberation I reached out to Reader -K. They were able to tell that one of the birds was a turkey vulture and the other a hawk, probably red-tailed, but they weren't positive.  In reading their comment from yesterday's blog, it was probably the same turkey vulture as yesterday.  

• Winston, the orange tabby, decided to sleep on the dryer today.  It seems an odd spot, but when the dryer is off, the metal is probably cool.

• At the same time Nanni, the brown tabby, was using the landing that Keziah built for them off the stairs.

• Aesop, the dog, got a new shirt today.  Halloween should be interesting.

☮

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

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

Bird Day

 It has been a long day in which I woke up way before I wanted.  I've decided to play it like I will get the job and prepare myself for the third shift.  It will be a three day work week, about ten hours a day.  Well, night and morning.  I've wanted a three day work week for a while, let's hope I like the schedule as much as I think I will.  Thinking about this as I sat on my hammock swing today I imagined how nice it might be to sleep outside during warm summer days.  Then a helicopter flew over and motorcycles zoomed by.  I'm currently in a how-this-will-effect-my-home-life frame of mind rather than a what-will-the-job-be-like frame of mind.  Daydreaming and the following are my happy things for today:

• I've been trying to come up with names for the different yard areas we have.  I'm having a hard time coming up with anything original.  Where the pool was, the yard by the garden, aren't really names I was hoping for.  Even 'relaxation grove' doesn't quite hit the spot for me.  I'll have to discuss it with the family later.  What I am realizing though, is that ruminating seems to be a happy thing for me today.
• The blueberry and strawberry plants have netting over them finally.  It took some time and mistakes were made, but I think it will work.

Strawberry.

Strawberries and blueberries covered.

• The birds have been enjoying perching on the frame before I got the net up.  They seem to still perch there and I haven't noticed them trying to get in yet.  👍
• While observing the netting and sitting in the hammock swing I had some robins get fairly close while looking for food.

A pretty pair.

• The deer are getting into the garden.  At least I think it was deer.  We haven't finished the fence yet.  The tops of about half the peas are gone.  I did a quick covering of those with netting too.  It will become part of the fence, but for now I hope it will do.  On one of the plants that didn't get the top chomped off there is a flower.

I planted two different types
and don't remember which this is.

• Earlier this week when I was pulling up bittersweet I thought I might be near a bird nest.  Today, I might have found it.  I was getting ready to pull more of the autumn olive tree away and there it was.

Fairly sure it was built after the tree came down.

• Also pretty sure a hawk flew overhead.  

It was being chased by another bird.

☮

Currently reading: The Backyard Homestead, by Carleen Madigan.

Thanks for reading, stay safe.