elainegrey

Christine is overwhelmed by care concerns for Greycie, a stack of triggers from Edward finding a copperhead snake yesterday while she was home alone, carrying out an execution (snake), and the so called elephant in the room. Caring for her early morning overwhelm had me running late to work, and it carried well into the workday.

If you are curious about the snake, it's documented at iNaturalist in its dead state. I now have motivation to get the shovels sharpened. And possibly buy a wide hoe (maybe from https://roguehoe.com/large-hoe/). Christine didn't choose the hoe because it would require too much precision.

Which reminds me that i was lawn mower shopping, some time of which was wasted due to me thinking i should be able to find max mowing heights of 6 inches. Frittered time on that.

Saturday i dug up about ten feet of potatoes. It's hard to decided how productive types were because of the wet, cold spring and my too-deep potato trenches. As i dug, i mixed in biochar from one layer of covering spuds, not seeing any evidence of the stilt grass straw i buried. Both earthworms and the predatory worm snakes (Carphophis amoenus) turned up: i don't think i injured any (especially as i was being careful not to injure the russets and purple potatoes).

Sunday evening, while Christine was stiff with coping with snake trauma, we hosted my brothers family at a Durham Bulls game. We indulged in great seats, and the home team provided drama with a come-from-behind win at the end. I made an attempt at scoring the game, partly to demonstrate the fading art to the kids. ( kids and family )

This morning i'm feeling a little more balanced. It's the last week of taking any Sertraline in my very long taper started in April.( Read more... )

Elephants.

Much elephants yesterday. I think that on the whole elephant issues are improving, but in the throes of stampedes Christine despairs.

Dear Universe,

I would very much appreciate it if we could have a month of courteous, competent, and polite interactions with other human beings. For instance, if nurses would not phrase their requests as "If you don't come in for a physical, we won't renew your prescription," which has a tone of blackmail to it, and would instead be a bit more gracious. And if the car shop would not give an appointment for 9 am when they can't look at the vehicle until 4 pm. And if the fencing contractor would look at the dimensions they wrote down for their estimate and reflect that if one side is about equal in distance to the three other sides that the shape of the enclosed area might be a bit odd.

Thanks,

me

Greycie's health condition is still concerning. I so hope that they find something obvious and acute that can be treated and that this isn't some chronic condition. It's come on so fast, it seems. Her blood work is good, so that was good news.

I've been smitten by her since we brought her home from the rescue. So dear.

Due to a stack of things going on yesterday, i took the day off. Not on the to do list was getting a soaker hose, but i did, as well as a few quick release hose couplers and a sprinkler. I've stretched out the soaker hose on the berm where i have planted the rescue plants. With the current dampness, is should probably get the flower seed in. I was delighted to see little white radicals extending out from the buckwheat yesterday. We've another few days with lots of cloud cover, so i can hope that those questing roots can find some way down into the clay before being baked. I fear many will not make it, but i hope enough to actually get cover.

Saturday i was out of the house a good bit. After a quiet morning that included some potato digging, i picked up my nephew and we went to the Durham Comic Fest at a library in Durham as a very early birthday gift. That went well, except for the hot drive home (blasting air conditioner, but still, i think the time while i had the engine off to gas up the car may have been problematic for W). I had a nice visit with my sister, then home. Back out we went so i Christine could take care of a friend's plants and i walked Carrie along a creek trail in the friend's neighborhood. Then we picked up dinner out. Elephants came and went.


Spent much of my time yesterday smoothing out the path between the berms and dealing with the grade there. Small retaining wall around the tulip poplar. Planted rescued ferns, partridge berry, and some some small plants that look like they were not-a-weed* in the shady northish side of the south berm. Planted sale plants from Lowes on the near end of the north berm. (*Might be Smilacina sp -- Solomon's plume?)

So. Tired. (Although not as stiff as i was last night after dinner and Poirot.)

The clay is like gravel and stone right now, depending on the clod size. I hope rain will glue together the large clods with which i lined the banks, and stabilize the areas that are inches deep with the gravel sized clods. The tractor treads are smoothed out. I'm delighted while i'm doing the work, and then i look up and survey the 10000 sq ft and realize i still have tons to do.

And so hot. 97°F.

Greycie Loo continues to seem unhappy (hissing and growling and moving slowly). Perhaps even smaller and lighter, poor wisp of a dear thing. She's cuddling this morning.

Christine was side swiped on the road by an aggressive driver. I didn't notice the damage to the car -- she says just paint scrape -- but it is distressing. She got the guy's plates.

Elephants came and went.

Somewhat overwhelmed at the prospect of having company Wednesday night.

Hoping that the prediction of almost an inch of rain tonight is on target -- but then i need to get seed out there....

SO, i'll try to write until it is
( Muddled mumblings )

On the weighing heavily on me list: elephants, humidity, overcast skies. Less heavy, but in mind: therapy and the discussion regarding the word "lazy." Procrastination on filing receipts at work. And a need to schedule travel.

In the lightness column: blister is much less uncomfortable and less weepy.

In the greatest entertainment news: bunnies! I noticed rabbits racing around at 2:30 in the afternoon yesterday and they continued until after 5 pm. I think i would have noticed them before this if this is usual behavior. I did notice herbivory on the lettuce when i returned from Baltimore so perhaps they were around last week. It still seems like a sudden invasion. The deer are out in the late afternoon as well.

My cell phone has been cranky about charging, probably due to me being not gentle enough with the micro USB plugs. I know that i could get a new phone, but i'd rather wait until the next release to upgrade. I've made it this far with the screen damage from Carrie teething on it: i'd like to make it longer.

So yesterday's distraction was purchasing a wireless Qi charger for the phone. And, because of the additional annoyances i have with charging i bought the wirecutter-recommended 4-outlet USB charge adapter and some appropriate cables. This should slightly ease travel in mid June. In Baltimore i found myself trying different adapters in different outlets looking for a combination that would reliably charge the iPad. I'm hoping this adapter will cope with phone (USB A to micro to Qi), laptop (USB A to USB C), iPad (USB A to lightning), and watch (USB A to micro to Qi, but NOT the same Qi that the phone uses because that would be too simple).

My favorite shopping discovery was a four USB port adapter with a built in watch charger and the warning to only charge three things at a time or risk overheating. I'm assuming this was discovered AFTER going to market....

Last Thursday i found we needed to be tracking our time completely, not just projects that need financial tracking. I am now wise to the way of this company and see this as a bit of a pendulum swing back to a place we've been before. I even had the memo with all the details on how to charge almost every minute from 2011.

So, i've invested in a few things. First, and most effectively, is the $5 for ATracker PRO Time Tracker for iPad. (There's an Android version.) I would heartily recommend this to anyone who wants to track how time is spent.. It looks like i can export data in cvs format, and the data stays on my iPad otherwise. So, private and fairly intuitive to use.

I tried out the paid version of rescuetime which tracks every moment on one's computer. I don't think it works as there's little distinction between time categories and the tools i am using. If i wasn't clicking "break" when i switch to reading non-work things on the internet, it might be useful, but it'd can't distinguish emails on the European privacy law vs emails about implementing logout.

--== ∞ ==--

Today we had lovely fluffy snow for an hour or so in the morning, accumulation on the deck, and just as quickly it melted away.

The elephant is weighing heavily on me today, to the point where i want to complain more pointedly. Being around someone who is struggling with a problem valiantly, diligently but still struggling takes spoons from the companion, too. I know she's operating without reserves, but i'm also getting low. I'm not sure what to do about it, other than hope that we'll both have a chance to recover a little -- unfortunately, i think my travel in early April plays into the situation in a negative way, so recovery may not be on the schedule until i return. (Oh look, in my last post i said it would be in early February. Brain??)

Weather doesn't look like it will be mild and soothing for the next ten days, either. Nonetheless, spring refuses to be held off. A sheltered dogwood is blooming, and the brilliantly blue red azalea has one flower open -- shortly to become a blaze.

I give up, i'm going to go get a box of cookies.

Friday: took the day off, tromping around in the yard a good bit. Small rocks lining the entrance to the new roof water drain*, some raking, some scouting the fence line. In the late afternoon i joined my sister's family to see The Last Jedi which we all thought was well done. (And likely to spawn another ninety films.)

Saturday: Christine and i tried to translate our Yuletide tradition of visiting the San Francisco Flower Mart to North Carolina. The restaurant was a satisfactory replacement, the nursery less so. It's possible we missed more yuletide bounty from earlier in the month. Just because it was less Christmassy didn't mean it was a disappointment: we hauled home three cat sculptures that now reside in the little courtyard area, two flats of pansies, miscellaneous phlox, and two spiderworts. I planted half the pansies, discovering that the soil (clay) was pretty solidly packed and mixed with gravel. Fie. As i dug to loosen it, i was worried i would cut the phone line again.

Sunday: As Meeting ended i felt a pressure to return home asap. I assumed it was my shyness kicking in. I just felt awkward. At home though, i found Christine in distress with the elephants. I'm glad i got home quickly. I don't think i was able to offer much solace; she did something new to cope.

While she coped, i worked in the yard, most successfully inscribing a 20' diameter circle within the driveway island and turning soil for the pansies and phlox in the area between the circle and the house. (The island is a blunted tear drop shape, with the fat end extending towards the house a few feet further than the inscribed circle.) Loosening the soil means finding more rocks: small chunks of quartz (walnut sized) and larger slate bits. One good sized rock turned up: maybe the volume of two coffee mugs? I do wonder if i am inefficient in messing around with such small rocks, but fitting them together to line the area around the drain intake gives me pleasure.

I've read another good speculative fiction work: A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers. It's book two in a series. Book one has holds that will keep it out of my hand for a small forever. I'm glad i went ahead and read book two. I didn't feel like i was missing out: the character whose back story might have been outlined in the first book couldn't recall that back story. The story of survival that makes up the back story thread of another character in this novel resonated when the speaker at Meeting on Sunday shared his interactions with a street boy of Nairobi. The second story was one of identity and embodiment. I was quite pleased to find a second very engaging book in a row.

I also read Daytripper by by Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon. Too quickly: i need to go back and look at the art and give it the time it deserves. I am appreciating the graphical novel selection my library system has made in Overdrive.

Am i still happy, despite the elephant visit? It certainly created an ache but i think i also continue to carry the openness and lightness i've become aware of. The ache for Christine is not that different from the irritations and discomforts and physical aches that punctuate my physical being.

I suppose i do have an awareness that one particular discomfort is one i hope will fade before i need any assistance dressing it. Maybe better medications will come about. I can hope.

Back to work!


* About 30% of the roof water drains into a small area outside the kitchen window in the tiny "courtyard" at the front door. There's not much room for water barrels even if it was a place i'd want them visible. We've managed to adjust drainage so it's not pooling near the foundation, but in a heavy rain i've watched it wash down the driveway. Part of the driveway re-work was to address this drainage issue, so there's a pipe to drain the roof runoff into the east yard. I'll probably design a rain garden near the outlet.

93.5 °F - Feels Like 106 °F

Just spent a half hour outside, and came in dripping. Ugh.

I was picking the grape tomatoes, squash, collards, and some of the popcorn. The popcorn is a mixture of strains, so every cob is a surprise. Some are much like this "glass gem" corn. Regrettably, pollination wasn't ideal, so there are lots of half populated cobs. Still, given everyone's dismissal of growing corn without a fortress around it, i'm delighted.

I ordered a dehydrator, so the large number of squash doesn't intimidate me. And now i kinda wish for exponential tomatoes, but they don't seem to be coming -- unless i want to pick green and let them ripen in the house. Which is very tempting.

Yesterday i spend outside 10 to noon doing a burn. Most of the time i spent running the hose over myself to keep cool while watching the fire. Usually i keep gathering debris, but not yesterday. I did do some weeding in the shade.

--== ∞ ==--

Christine had what seems like an elephant event last night. But maybe it was just life.

Carrie continues to negotiate bed space with the cats. Turning her back to them is the best thing she's learned so far. They know how to stand up to her when she confronts them, but a big dog back?

Is there a graphic novel of a team of superheroic ex-presidents swooping in to the White House to save the country? Reading that George W Bush has lectured the President on the importance of freedom of the press.... Eight years and one month and a week sure puts GWB's tenure in a new light.

"Now, I have to tell you, it's an unbelievably complex subject. Nobody knew health care could be so complicated." -- President Donald Trump to governors

It's so hard for me to not find this a poorly written comi-drama. Would Pence have had the sister of a transgender woman perform at his inauguration? Yesterday we have singer Jackie Evancho’s sister Juliet winning an injunction against a stirred up school board so that she and two other students can continue going about their education without (additional) stigma -- three days after Trump drops the order that all schools behave in a similar way. The Evancho sisters want to meet with Trump to explain.

I suppose my brain sorts this into "entertainment" because it's a way to cope. Christine was devastated last week by the headlines. Me? I'm here wondering about the next twist in the storyline: will we hear about the chaperones the Evancho parents insist on being in the room, because what sane parent would allow their daughters near that man? Creating a depressingly crude tweet storm about the girls' attractiveness and peppered with slurs against transgender women? Or is it Pence and the evil manipulators invoking The Base? Tune in tomorrow morning when the headlines read.....

It's a distraction.

--== ∞ ==--

Christine's elephant herding skills are so much better than ... well, probably a year ago. Her capacity has expanded. But there are still stampedes. I wish i was able to show her how much "better" she is now. As for me, i felt very worn down, but i also have self care available to me.

Last night i stood on the front walk, quickly shifting out of my own sense of weariness to a sense of wonder as i listened to sounds in the woods. The crashing came closer and closer, the night lit by reflected lights on the overcast clouds - not pitch dark. I wondered if i would see deer or ... and then something dark scurried against the light of the gravel just six feet away and -- as i startled -- disappeared. What was it? It was where we saw the fox tracks in the snow, but i don't think the dark shape was long enough or large enough to be a fox.

I want a game camera.