Getting There in Everyday Ramblings

Happy Easter. This is from yesterday. And yes, in the middle of that yard is a giant edible chocolate bunny. A person can do this, if so inclined, when it is not raining. And it is not raining. This is at “my” beloved Castle house up in the West Hills. It was on the market last time we were up there but didn’t sell and so they decided to stay for now. They had a bunny like this about 8 years ago for those of you with long long memories. What a delight it was to come across this cheerful display.

Mrs. Sherlock, Freida, and I were up there walking. It was clear and all the mountains were visible. A beautiful beautiful day. Good for the winter weary soul.

Spring just barrels through in what seems like an eyeblink. The cherry blossoms are gone and the red buds with their beautiful purple (almost blue) pink blossoms coming on. The first tulips are up. Very appropriate.

We walked down “The Elevator Steps”. A set of narrow wooden steps, one of the tallest public staircases in town. I can feel the effort in my thighs. It was good to get out in it as I have been intently focused on the budget all week.

It is in its final proposed form and after class tomorrow night we are having a long board meeting, and it is up for approval. Most Honorable Zoomed with me on it yesterday. It is so helpful to have an extra pair of eyes on things. Little things like formatting.

I have learned a lot about myself in this process 4 years retired from work. I am way better at procrastinating than I used to be. It is so annoying as it would be infinitely easier if I just sat down and did the thing. I have been spoiled by being more in charge of my time than I ever was during my working life.

And to be honest, having heart disease changed the landscape a bit. I need to manage stress better, and doing something where folks have expectations when I don’t fully understand what I am doing… not easy. I have learned a lot about the organization as well. And that will be helpful as I move into a board position.

We had our discussion unit meeting on Tuesday at the local League office on housing solutions and it was an excellent discussion. Everyone was relaxed and so felt comfortable participating and sharing what we know in our own worlds on the subject and that was fascinating.

The Coffee Guys were good this week as well. I didn’t want to go. It was wet, and cold and I was dragging my tail feathers, but I went anyway. With Walt back and sated with all the attention from his book launch he was in good form. Our professional storyteller was there, he only comes occasionally. He is doing a deep dive on Irish history and loving it and just finished a round of St. Patrick’s Day shows.

Mr. Pedantic was not there. Hmm, do you think that is has something to do with why I enjoyed the conversation so much? Sadly, and I do mean this, he has Covid, first time. You would think he was the only person in the world that ever had the virus, but we won’t go there, okay? He was apparently sick at the book launch but didn’t know it. I am getting the latest booster shot on Tuesday. I was so worried I had brought it to my League meeting.

The general consensus now is that my series of bites was from a venomous spider. They are healing well, and I stopped having to use the steroid cream a few days ago but oh boy, don’t want to have to go through that again.

Speaking of stressful, the doctor I saw last week thought they might be bed bugs and a week ago I went down a deep dark rabbit hole about all this that included doing hours of laundry, reading, infusing the bedroom with lavender, and checking surfaces for any indication. They can come through the walls in apartments. Now I know what all the fuss is about.

In the good news department, my tomato seedlings are coming up even though it has been cold until a few days ago. I don’t have a heat mat. Maybe I will ask for one for my birthday. Kes and Most Honorable and I just had an engaged discussion about the different use cases for vermiculite vs. perlite.

I got a stiff gardener’s apron for Christmas. It has been hanging on the back of my bedroom door since then. I can’t wait until it is warm enough to wear it. I wanted it for those days when I felt the urge to bop down to the plot with my secateurs and not much else for a water and a weed. We’ll get there. Yes we will.

Last updated April 01, 2024