one domestic eveninggg

Long day at the office on top of a slow day at the store, home a bit after 5. Husband working late. Pet dogs, sit on porch, breath. Deadhead baskets and pots of porch flowers. Rub belly, smile. Pet dogs again, sit on porch again, breath. Strip bed, throw blankets and pillowcases in the wash, start washing breakfast dishes. Put eggs on to boil, cut up potatoes, put those on to boil. Bring chickens kitchen scraps, clean water, collect eggs. Feed dogs. Pick chives, make potato salad for my hard-working husband and put in fridge. Eat a pickle. Eat some hummus. Eat crackers, drink water. Take butter out of fridge and find a cookie recipe with hopes it'll turn out and be a gift for neighbour's birthday, and excuse to visit. Hang laundry on the line, breath. Make cookies (chewy oatmeal choc chip), bake cookies, smell cookies. Smell lilacs in vase on kitchen table. Call, bribe, chain Luna who seems to wander to the road in the evenings to chase neighbourhood walkers, joggers, rabbits. Wash potato salad and cookie dishes. Yell at barking dogs. Eat cookie... not bad. Drink water, take vitamin, enjoy breeze through windows, singing frogs. Three hours of barefoot, pregnant, domestic bliss. Blog.

gardening begins again

It's been too long since I've written - have to not do that because I so enjoy reading back years later on the happenings of each month. Above is a photo of our deck in action: garden stuff, chairs, leftover wood, dogs. I came home the other day and Luna was chewing on Whisk's electric collar, so now we're tying it to him till we fix it - the sound of the thing warning him of the parameter is enough to keep him in. He's a timid dude. Lune's generally always chewing/destroying something... looks like a hunk of wood in pic, leaving a trail of wood shards throughout the front lawn. Messy but cute.

We split on a tiller rental with the neighbours this weekend, and D tilled up our big garden this morning, while the rain let up. So nice to have a huge spot of soil ready and waiting. Last week I planted greens, peas, beets, radishes, dill, cilantro. The garlic is up and mulched with chicken straw (the rest of the coop to be cleaned out soon and also dumped on the garden).

The flower beds are in full swing, with spring bulbs in bloom and a few other earlies brightening up the place. I went nutty at the local greenhouse yesterday and bought a flat of pansies, a flat of imaptiens, a flat of petunias... and a few other odds and ends (geraniums, potato vine, creeping charley, fushcia, million bells). I told the town flower-planning guy I'd be creating the hanging baskets for the store myself this year instead of buying from him... and the theme is "hot pink" - we'll see how I do.

Other things are growing too but more on that later...!

egg shells

Just kissed my love goodbye for the day - he's en route to roof. This boss is tight on safety tho (phew) so he'll have a harness on and I will not worry. He probably won't be home by the time I leave for the city. I've been driving in in the evenings lately, now that the evenings are brighter, and I feel more awake then. Gives me a nice start in the morning - a walk through the city's sidewalk commuters and store openers. I like that buzz time. I also arrive to the office less frazzled... less chance of my clothes being inside out and hair unbrushed.

I need to lay off the donuts. They taste so good in my mouth, but it's getting out of hand! Tho I did start up the "30 day shred" again yesterday. I'm still a thin-ish person but now that I'm 31 it's less of a given, takes some attention. I took a break from exercising but there was no need, so now I'm back on the work out train, a good thing.

Been reading lots of Buddhist-y books. The ones where they tell you to smile at the dinner table, wash the dishes joyfully, walk with intention and feeling. I like these easy reminders to be mindful. That living in the moment is right here: the coziness of my bathrobe, the satisfying click of my fingers pressing keys, the sound of my cat eating breakfast and the birds outside. Life is with you every minute.

I've always liked this quote by Dan Quisenberry, whoever he is: The future is much like the present, only longer.

Update: I wikipedia'd Dan and he's an old baseball pitcher, then poet. RIP. Apparently he pitched "submarine style" which I then proceeded to watch videos of on YouTube. Ah, 2011.

winding down and up

Been feeling more inspired to make music than write, but not doing much of either. This extendo winter/fake out spring is sort of exhausting. Like, right down into the bones. The sun makes me want to bloom but the cold keeps me frosty and am sorta left feeling fragile. More sensitive to the cold, more sleepy, more impatient and sore. HOWEVER, spring is around the corner so just holding out, staying by the fire, snuggling. Watching the sun set at 8pm, starting seeds, ogling summer dresses, spending a few moments on the porch to hear the birds, opening the window a crack for 10 minutes of fresh, beautiful air.

march monday

Weeks matter now. They feel like flags of victory, each Friday sounding the horn. A slow steady trot on Monday becomes a canter mid-week, and a full running gallop by the end. Appearance groomed, hoops jumped, ribbons won and lost. Then a weekend to sit and wonder, in awe of the coming spring and so much more.

Photo by my husband, capturing the nice light last night after yet another dump of snow. March, what's up? You flood us then you freeze us! I see warmer temps in the coming forecast tho...