Sleep is Important

As the days get longer I want to wake up earlier.  I believe that last night was the first time I got into bed before eleven since January.  The only way that happened is by writing this blog earlier in the evening.  I'm not sure if I can make that happen always, but I think I should work towards it.  I'm fairly certain I have come to this realization multiple times.  People tell me that sleep is important.  The ice cream place opened today.  Writing this I can hear people talking while waiting in line for their orders.  They close at nine, at least this time of year, so that doesn't keep me up.  I'm glad that they are carrying peppermint stick ice cream again.  It's my favorite. 

Yes, we got ice cream after dinner tonight.  We were also their first big order at lunch time today.  Other happy things for today:

• Thursday was Bel's night to make dinner.  They are leaving on Sunday to go back to Texas and I requested that they make beet burgers.  I really enjoy the beet burgers and the bean burgers that they make and I was curious which I like better.  Turns out the burgers are different enough that I have no favorite.  They are each delicious in their own way.
• Zed and I are editing the downsizing footage we have so far tonight.  We crack each other up.  Hopefully this will mean less edits on Sunday.  It does mean I won't be in bed by eleven tonight.
• After dinner Zed, Gideon, and I went for a walk that ended at the ice cream stand.  We only spent a few minutes out on the property because it was wet, muddy, and sprinkling.  I wanted to show Zed a tree that had fallen sometime over the winter.  The tree actually landed on another tree that we may be able to save.  I took some pictures of the brook and some trees.

The brook could definitely use some clearing.

It looks like the downed tree was right over the brook.

Paper over rock.

• Along the walk Zed noticed some droplets on a branch and Gideon asked me to take a picture.

Some of my favorite people.

☮

Currently reading: The Burgess Book of Nature Lore, by Thornton W. Burgess.

AND
The Backyard Homestead, by Carleen Madigan.

Stay safe.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

 There are things that I don't say anything about when I am filming the downsizing videos.  The last few days I feel like I need to express some of the meaning behind that sign.  Yesterday I wrote about how Gideon came up with the idea of having flying letters 'I' as pictures.  For St. Patrick's Day I looked through the internet for Irish symbols other than the shamrock and leprechaun.  What I found that struck a chord with me was the Green Man.  He is a Celtic symbol of rebirth.  As I go through all my things to downsize I feel that in the end, I will come out a slightly different person and thus reborn.  I don't expect some huge change.  I do hope to be lighter in a metaphysical sort of way.  Keziah was kind enough to draw a Green Man on today's sign.  Other happy things from today:

• Oddly enough the box I went through today had in it a fake gold coin.  It was a token from an attraction we went to years ago.  I thought that was kind of a cool thing to find on St. Patrick's Day.  Obviously, real gold would have been better.  😊
• Generally speaking I think it is getting easier to sort and get rid of some things.  Books are still hard to get rid of, but I am saying, "goodbye," to some of those too.
• There is a house down the road a little way that I walk by sometimes that has a brook running near it.  It is very picturesque.  Walking out back today and hearing the water in our little brook ripple down the hill I tried to imagine it looking as lovely as the other.  It won't, it is different and is beautiful in its own way.  I hope to find time to clear out around it more and make it more accessible.  Perhaps all it needs is the ability to see more of it.  
• Walking around the garden today I noticed that the peach tree and cherry tree are starting to form some buds.  

Peach tree, Marjorie.

Pretty sure this picture is of the cherry tree, Tucker.

• Since it is St. Patrick's Day I decided it was time to try the Bells of Ireland seeds I found that are dated for 1967.  Instead of planting them, I put some into a wet paper towel to see if they might germinate that way before putting them into soil.  After doing that, I saw a YouTube video about soaking seeds in a bowl of water overnight to test them.  I'm learning so much!

• I just learned that my aunt got vaccinated today against the Covid-19 virus.  YAY!!!

☮

Today I read from a small book I unpacked: Town Pounds of New England, by Elizabeth Banks MacRury.  The author researched and visited some New England Town Pounds and included a bit of history for them in the book.  

Stay safe.

The Eyes Don't Have It.

 Thinking back on my day I believe I took most of it off.  The box I went through to downsize/organize/unpack was full of things to sort.  It took a while to go through it all.  After, I did a few little things here and there but mostly rested and played games on my phone.  One thing I did was to label the video recordings to make editing later in the week a bit easier.  Zed and I set up a time to get the first part of the week's editing done on Thursday.  Other things I am happy for are:

• For the videos that Zed and I are making I make a title sign for each day.  I try to include some tidbit of information like a holiday or something from history.  Today is Freedom of Information Day.  When Gideon saw the sign he offered a suggestion that Zed and I heard as, "You can draw some eyes with wings flying around on the sign."  Zed and I both did our best to politely say that although eyes flying around being able to see things on Freedom of Information Day seems cool it might look kind of creepy (it would take an artist, not me, for them to not look creepy).  To which Gideon laughed and said, "Not eyes, I's!"  If you are a person who will watch the video next week, you now have the inside scoop of why there are I's flying around on the sign for today.  
• I am happy to say that I marked more things to get rid from today's box than I did to keep.  😊
• Keziah recently made a pipe for the cats to play in that suspends from the ceiling.  She plans to make sort of a perch that the cats can use to transition from the pipe to the stairs.  That has yet to be made though and Winston, the orange tabby, still needed to come down. 

He stepped out onto the banister and stayed there,
 trying to decide the right way to get down from that point.
Eventually he figured it out and just jumped onto the stairs.

• Before dinner I went for a quick walk around the property.  There are places where the ground is still frozen and places where it is muddy.  The sky was a bright blue with some wispy clouds.

• I took some pictures where I saw signs of spring.  

These are on a birch tree.

Most likely this is a maple tree.
There is some new growth and the tiny little buds are starting to form.

I believe this is from a lilac bush.

These little buds are on the Forsythia plant.

• There was one non human footprint in some mud.  To this untrained eye it seemed like a racoon print, I imagine it was probably a squirrel or chipmunk though.  

My finger is there for size comparison.

☮

Currently reading: The Backyard Homestead, by Carleen Madigan.

Stay safe.

Food

 After being up way too late last night Zed and I finished the editing on our YouTube downsizing video.  We both agree that we are waiting too long to work on the edits but haven't come up with a good time to work mid-week yet.  I'm happy to say that I at least went through my recordings for today and narrowed down which takes I plan to use.  Yes, I sometimes record parts multiple times to get something right or attempt at clearer words and not stuttering.  Other happy things for today:

• Monday is my night to make dinner.  I decided to make something that I have made in the past and Googled for the recipe.  I found something that I thought was the right thing, it wasn't.  Thankfully it was still good and came out close enough.  The others couldn't really tell the difference, when I looked up the original recipe I used it had lime, something this one did not.  That made a huge difference in flavor.  Glad it was still a good recipe though.
• I had apple pie for breakfast.
• More geraniums have sprouted.  I am hopeful that there may be enough to plant for Memorial Day.  I am also hopeful that more will grow if I plant them.  😊

☮

Currently reading: The Backyard Homestead, by Carleen Madigan.

Stay safe.

Happy Pi Day

 Anxiety was my word for today.  Not a bad anxiety, more an I-have-too-much-to-do-and-not-enough-time anxiety.  I keep meaning to do more editing during the week and fail at this endeavor.  Most of today has been spent either downloading and watching the videos and multiple takes for the YouTube channel or doing exchequer tasks that I am also behind on.  In between these I have been pacing the floor to get my steps in.  Zed and I are still greatly enjoying these edit sessions, until we start getting tired.  He does most of the editing and I still have a bunch of learning to do.  Other happy things for today:

• Folke made quiche for dinner because today is Pi Day.  They all came out really well.

• Last fall we had some forethought and froze apples ready to go into a pie shell.  That pie made it into the oven but too late to eat tonight.  It will make a sweet and delicious breakfast instead.
• Another pretty sunset.

☮☮

Currently reading: The Backyard Homestead, by Carleen Madigan.

Stay Safe.

Happy Earmuff Day

 That's right, there is a day to honor the invention of earmuffs.  Zed and I took a nice walk this afternoon.  We went down the street and up a side street, then turned around and came back.  It was about three miles round trip.  On the walk back I started to notice that the people driving by were staring at us, well, probably me and the earmuffs.  I don't wear earmuffs often, but when I do I go big.

With the sun in my eyes.

With the phone shade.

It was hard not to laugh at myself and the looks I got.  Other happy things for today:

• Not only did the earmuffs provide comedic value to passersby, my shadow presented a bit like Princess Leia.

• I planted more Johnny Jump Ups today and look how big some of the other plants are getting!

Zucchini.

Indian Blanket Sunflower.

☮

Currently reading: The Burgess Book of Nature Lore, by Thornton W. Burgess.

AND

The Backyard Homestead, by Carleen Madigan.

Stay Safe.

Plant a Flower Day

 Bel and I hiked up to but not up the fire tower nearby.  The trail was busy enough that we didn't stick around to take our turn on the tower itself.  Instead we walked over by the abandoned RV trailer that is up there.  I have seen it, but I don't think walked over to it before.  It has obviously been there for many years.  Not only is it falling apart, but the ways for it to get out are pretty much grown in.  

Getting some time with Bel before they leave in a week or two is just what I needed.  Other happy things from today:

• Among the many shoe, dog, and horse footprints, we think we saw raccoon footprints in the mud on the trail.  

Raccoon?

• The sun setting did not light up the sky with many colors but it was beautiful going through the trees and shining on the hills beyond.

• I still love the turret house (what I call it) at the base of the trail to the fire tower.  It is a welcome sight even when the hike hasn't been long and arduous.

• Some of the geranium seeds have sprouted!  I am so happy that there is at least some sign of life from the seeds.  I just need to keep them alive and growing now.

Someday they will grow up to be geraniums!

• It is Plant a Flower Day so I decided to try a new method I heard about with some Johnny Jump Up seeds.  This new-to-me method is using a plastic milk jug as a mini greenhouse.  Here is a link to how it works.  I chose the Johnny Jump Ups because they seem to be a hardy plant and should overwinter well.

☮

Currently reading:Currently reading: The Burgess Book of Nature Lore, by Thornton W. Burgess.

Wash your hands.