Into the Wild Wood and Home Again

Another warm/damp start to the day-- I'll take it. Yes, it'll be nice to see some warm and sunny, but warm is good.  Speaking of warm, I am wearing denim capri pants today. Not that newsworthy, I'm sure, but still-- it's not wool socks, fleece-lined leggings and a sweater.  And speaking of clothing, I never really noticed just how prominent clothing as ritual gifts is in The Odyssey. Yes, there's gold, usually bowls and tripods, lots of animals, sometimes women, but the tunics and cloaks are just as prominent. Sometimes one-fold, sometimes two-fold tunics. They are stored away just as carefully as the hardware. I got thinking, then, that it's women who created these articles of clothing. The hours needed are amazing. The threads, created from raw materials like wool and flax, all had to be processed by women. So of course, the clothing is precious. Beggars go about wrapped in untanned ox hide. Sometimes, the gift-women given are not for sexual reasons, but beca...

Raining, but warmer...it's already over 50 degrees, which beats yesterday's high. The new herb plants and flower seeds will likely be happier. I have my garden boxes figured out, I think. But G ordered this cool little sampler of seeds that can be used for saving seeds after the plants grow. So now I have a plethora of interesting things to try out. Some, I will not. I am not growing okra. But there's three types of lettuce-- I was not going to grow lettuce, but now I think I might do that in the square planter on the deck. That way I can move it to shade so the plants don't cook in the sun. I'll grow beans and peas, squashes, tomatoes, and a shared box of carrots, beets, and parsnips. I might pop in a cuke plant, but we'll see. I have terrible luck with them. But who knows?  At any rate, none of this is happening until later in the month, so we can avoid that Blue Moon possible frost. Ah, New England. Short growing season, and we want our veggies before Septemb...

Got up, and it's 31 degrees-- it'll warm quickly, I think. But rain is in the forecast, but I'm not mad about it. We planted the herbs yesterday, Holly and I. Now, we can hope that they get watered naturally-- it's still too cold at night to turn on the outside water.  I'll be at work all day today, because there's a staff meeting I must attend. So, I assume I'll get something or other done. Not sure what-- with the AP testing gutting classes, I haven't had much to teach, let alone collect to grade. I don't mind, really. I have some other things I should be looking at. I have ideas for improvement, too, for both of my "heavy hitter" classes. This year has been a real learning experience for me, and I'm glad I have had to figure it out as I go. That way, I can honestly say I've dug into the whole AP thing. I'm still not that convinced it's what we need, but we have it, and I'll do my best to make it as valuable as possibl...

Another frost. I don't think the pears, and maybe the apples and the plums, will survive this. The trees will have a year of growth with no fruit, I fear. Not great timing; the cost of groceries what it is, I was hoping that I could really zero in on filling the freezer with applesauce and pear sauce. It's in God's hands. Mother Nature is clearly giving us the cold shoulder.  I'll still put out the herbs today; they've "hardened" enough already. Holly and I put in morning glory and flower seeds yesterday, so we'll see what comes of that. I'm feeling a little downhearted about the whole frost every night thing. At least the daytime temps are nice, but that doesn't make up for the cold nights.  Another day of upended class today; this time, I might have three or four kids in APLit. This is bonkers, but at least I knew about it ahead of time. I'm already thinking about how I'll revise my timing for next year's round; I think I'll d...

Another cold morning (30 degrees). I am truly worried for the fate of the fruit trees--well, they'll still be okay, but we may not get any fruit. That would be disappointing. Yesterday, G and I bought my new herb sets, too-- they are under a table on the deck, so I hope they are okay. They're pretty hardy ones, too-- sage and thyme, one little oregano. I kept the pot of basil in the house-- it's already gorgeous, and frankly, basil is too fragile to put outdoors until it is truly time to do so. And this year, we have the Blue Moon to worry about-- still a chance of frost until May 31st. Yeehaa. I don't usually put veggies in the ground until after then anyhow, but still. I'm itching to get things done.  And I did none of it yesterday, except the purchasing. It rained again. I'm too old and unstable on my feet to fool with pruning the huge rose bush in the rain. If I slipped, I'd be done for. So, next weekend. Today, though, Holly and I are going to go get th...

I dozed through the evening, half-listening to a silly show on Netflix. I will likely not return to it, but who knows? If I weren't always so darn tired, I'd read in the evening, but I can't focus and stay awake these days. I filled my Saturday with must-do stuff, and a few glad-I-did things. That is to say, I finished chores and whatnot right about when G pulled in from work--just after 4pm. I'm glad I went to tee ball with Holly and Tim; it's a true joy to sit in the spring sunshine and watch her learn and have fun doing something Meg did for years. I miss it so much, and it's honestly amazing to think I get to do it again. That makes my heart so happy. I don't know if I'll be able to for all the years she may play, but I'll soak up every minute I can get.  I was upstairs folding laundry when the dog went bananas. I dismissed it, after a fashion, because a/ no one was due to be at my door, and b/ she stopped losing her mind. When I got downstairs a...