Into the Wild Wood and Home Again

I read Ada Limon's farewell address as Poet Laureate of the United States yesterday; I took notes (no surprise there), and I'll be working on a short review/reflection about it soon. Suffice it to say, it is lovely, cogent, and addresses the things that hurt right now.  I binge-watched four of the six episodes of a Netflix series called The Chair last night, at the suggestion of a dear friend. The premise is good: the main character, played by Sandra Oh, is a relatively young chairperson of an English department in a small college. She is tasked with essentially herding the old faculty, while trying to keep the younger ones on a tether, while trying to raise enrollment and engagement in the humanities--the existence of her department depends on this balancing act. Her efforts are complicated by her own family issues with an elderly father and an adopted daughter who keeps running off and/or getting into her own trouble. In short, chaos on the daily. I'm particularly drawn ...

I guess watching/playing with/ herding a four year old is exhausting. Well, no guessing about it. I fell asleep watching a really insipid movie last night, so no big deal, but gee whiz! We also did a stroke of work yesterday-- G's closet is half-empty now, and that's a good thing. And the dog's vet appointment went well; she has an allergy to something, so we're in the process of ameliorating her discomfort (stop the infernal gnawing and itching) and figuring out what she's allergic to. It might be environmental, it might be food, but either way, we have things to try. Poor thing has been uncomfortable for a while. And she has an appointment at the groomer's for next week--summer hair cut! She is a very long-haired pom-doxie, and she's rocking dreads. We brush her, but there is so much hair...I swiffer often, and there's so much hair...  Anyhow, today is a little cooler in temps, it's been raining, and the world is damp and green. We'll see what ...

Okay, full disclosure, I like binge-watching shows. This week, I watched all of the second season of Running Point (delightful, not at all challenging to watch) and all of the short series Big Mistakes on Netflix. The second one, Big Mistakes , was a mind-bending dark comedy, and truly was something I couldn't not finish quickly. The eight 30-minute episode rocketed by-- the situation is insane, the casting is perfect, and the dark humor is awesome. It stars Dan Levy as a somewhat closeted gay pastor of a pretty conservative church, his school-teacher sister who is a failed actress and who is a "lost soul" type, his controlling mother (played wonderfully by Laurie Metcalf), and several other fine actors. It was surprising to see Elizabeth Perkins in a slightly jarring role; her character is manipulative, privileged, and often harsh. (I recall her best as the mom in the 90's version of Miracle on 34th Street .) This is not a show that children need to be around --lang...

Another beautiful, sunshiney start to the day? I'll take it.  I'm delaying the pruning of roses for a week. I've toured the garden boxes to see what I need to do (weeding), and I ordered a new box, too, which should be here within a few days. I've mapped out what I want to plant. Enough of that. I'm going to just enjoy the day, and do a few little chores.  One of the chores we need to do --yes, we-- is clean out G's side of the big closet. He has a lifetime of clothes crammed in there, and most of them have not seen the light of day since we moved in eleven years ago. Some will go to thrift, some will go to the "white box" collection, and some will likely have to go to the transfer station due to threadbare/holes/etc. O yes...he'll get to keep some. lol I rotate the clothes in my side of the big closet every season, so things are generally sorted out and taken care of routinely. I admit I've got far too many tee shirts (I like them for memorabi...

Well, yesterday was a beautiful weather day. And I had windows open all day. But I did not get outside to do the yard stuff I was planning on... no matter, I think I'm pretty clear on what has to be done, and Wednesday will be time enough. If then. I don't like to prune roses until I see where the growth is happening and what has died back-- there's not enough new green showing yet, anyhow. And the garden boxes will be a project for another day-- it's well too early to plant tender sets. Those will wait til probably the end of May. I saw the forecast for the weekend-- 40s and rain. Gross.  That said, I splurged and ordered a new Virgin Mary garden statue. Our concrete one that we've had forever is all pitted and getting a bit crumbly. She'll likely grace another part of the yard-- maybe the strawberry patch. And I do have a resin one, but she tips over a lot. I usually put that one and the St. Francis one in a more protected space, likely just on the deck. But w...

Ahh, vacation. I slept in until 6:36. Wow. That's unheard of. So, I am really slow getting going this morning, and honestly, I DO NOT CARE!  I have coffee. I just ate breakfast. I have a short list of things to do today, but no rush. Eventually, I'll get in the shower and get on with things. I have to take the amended ms of my book to the post, run an errand, but nothing huge. And I will try to get outside to do at least an assessment of what I should be paying attention to (pruning, etc.).  But not yet. Holly is with us, and she's working on a puzzle. I'm sure she'll keep me on my toes today.  But first, coffee.  I don't have any wisdom to share today, except this: enjoy the flexible time in your day. Soak up the sunshine. All the stuff will get done, or not, but wasting the slow, glorious time would be a pity. Take care, hold your loved ones tightly. C