Erm, this was for Monday

Monday Morning

Christine's blueness is fading, and we talked a bit more about it once it wasn't as triggering for her. It's always better to listen than to guess at others' stories.

My Saturday was spent mostly on my nomination responsibility for Meeting. I've been nominated to Assistant Clerk of meeting, expecting to be Clerk the following year. I hope the demands will be no more than this year with three separate committees.

There was a Friday night install (should have taken 20 min for the full process) that didn't happen because the preceding install was running late. I mind that less than the fact that i had to call to find out why we hadn't started, a half hour after the start time. So i was back up in the middle of the night Saturday night for the rescheduled install. Interrupted sleep is not my favorite.

The next three work days look rather intense, and then i'm in the car, headed to visit the seaweeds. I've someone riding with me, and i have worries of nonstop getting to know you chatter for hours. Mixed feelings, really, because it is delightful to connect with folks. It's just i need some time at the well of quiet. My asteraceae weekend was interrupted by a multihour software install, with issues (this weekend we were installing a bug fix), this weekend was filled with Quaker responsibilities plus installs: i don't know whether the Asteraceae weekend will be intense or paced well enough that i have some down time.

In other "couldn't this have been timed better" news, a heat wave starts today and peaks strongly on Wednesday. It leaves as i head up the coast. So Wednesday is a projected high of 98° here, and Thursday, when we are scheduled to arrive in Point Arena, the high will be 65° -- and that will be the warmest we'll be. We will be out collecting at dawn at 50° with highs of 60°....

(no subject)

Thank you, journaling software for your "do you want to post from the auto-saved draft." I had forgotten how my journaling was interrupted by Monday's early meeting.

Christine and i are on the deck. She's just made stew in the pressure cooker, testing the theory that it won't heat up the kitchen. A hummingbird seems to have finally connected with the feeder, after weeks of watching them feed at the scented geraniums and sage. The Bolander's Phacelia is blooming and i ought to get good boraginaceae images -- but ... Well, i hope it's still blooming when i get back. The flowers are slightly velvety and finally look like the coils are apparent.

Like others in the borage family, the flowers bloom on a long coiling stem. I've spent time understanding that it's actually not one stem but structurally branching off of branching off of branching. I may sacrifice a branch and try to slice some for a viewing with my cheap microscope.

I've planted borage again this year, as well, and ... i think i'll try a taste of the phacelia to see if it has the same cucumber taste ... or maybe not: "Toxicity: DERMATITIS."

Christine is working on sketches in thread. It's wonderfully pleasant to sit in the evening light with her as she stitches. She's also been sketching, and my begonia (where did it come from?) is sitting in front of her with its tall stalk of delicate pink flowers. There's something about that tall stem (formally called a scape) that lifts the flowers up so much higher than the begonia leaves that makes me think of forest flowers. I wonder.

Bumbles have been visiting around, too, and those get Greycie Loo's attention.

Off to eat stew on this hot day! (Yeah, i raised an eyebrow a couple of times as well.)