Into the Wild Wood and Home Again

Hey, how about that? The Red Sox won two in a row. The Knicks did their job and all of NYC is excited and pleased. It's good to see a couple of good things in the news feed.  This morning, there were two huge spiders in the bathroom. I did not save them. Squished and flushed, they will not be stalking the toothbrushes or the shower any more. And as the old wives' tale goes, it'll likely rain. Which, truth be told, would be okay, if it washed off the pollen that has coated everything solid. I'm not necessarily allergic to flower pollen (it's probably my roses anyhow), but it does make everything yellow, gritty, and a little itchy. It's tree pollen that gets me going in the spring.  Today, with a little help, we'll get the pool up (I hope it's still okay), and move the damaged glider off the deck. A huge ice chunk fell on it this winter, and it's dented pretty badly. It's also seen better days in the general sense, so it'll be moved down by the...

I'm taking the morning a little slower today-- it's Saturday, the robins are warbling, the cardinals are speaking up ( chit chit chit ), and it's going to be a hot/humid day. But right now, the air is cool, the coffee is hot, and I'm not thinking about school at all. Well, one thing, but that is settled: I negotiated a more convenient start time for when the traveling theatre troupe is coming to our school to do a production of Much Ado About Nothing in September. I put that project to bed for now, and yes...it's summer break. I won't say vacation, because for me, it's a shift in responsibilities and must-do lists. But it's mostly MY lists, not one externally mandated, so that's the "break" part of things.  Today is a long day that stretches before me, and it's primarily populated with checking on my garden boxes and going to the grocery store. I'll likely putter about, but yeah-- flexible time. It's also Pollyanna Day in Little...

 We've hit summer temps-- 66 when I got up at 5am, and foggy/humid. I don't really mind all that much, since the A/C units are in. This 1890 house stays pretty cool downstairs until about noon, but then it gets sauna-like rather quickly. And the upstairs is wretched without A/C. We tried window fans when we first moved in, and that was iffy at best. And ceiling fans just blow dust around, which brings up other issues like dry eyes and throat. So, A/C it is.  I have to go to work today to help clean things up and turn in my paperwork. I'll see if my colleague in the English Dept needs any help counting books. Mine are done. In fact, my everything is all done. That's the blessing/curse of having seniors graduate a week before school is out-- I have had ample time to do the chores.  That all said, I hope you stay as cool as you wish to be. Heaven willing, we'll put up the pool on Sunday, and yes, temps are expected to moderate, but it'll be there for the hot days. ...

So, I called the ophthalmologist from work yesterday morning, right after students left. I had started with eye floaters right before bed the night before, didn't think a lot about it (dust? pollen? eye strain?), but at 3:30 am, the bright light flashes when I got up to use the potty. O damn. And my eyes were super dry. Have been for days. (Again, dust, pollen, dirt, computer screens, grading exams...) So I, of course, went to a reputable medical site (Mayo Clinic), looked up the what it could be, and panicked. I mean, full heart-racing panic. Possible retinal detachment or tear. Get help immediately.  So, I called. I got squeezed in at noon, and after an hour, it was determined that I did, in fact, have a condition.  I'm old.  What the actual hell.   Who knew that as one ages, starting around age 60, the vitreous of the eye starts getting all liquidy, and send out occasional protein strands like freaking New Year's eve streamers. And the flashes are also attributed ...

It's Wednesday, and as per usual, school stuff is still being sorted out. One down side of being connected to the local community college is that their process for managing student enrollment is unwieldy, and I have a student who has been caught in the digital paperwork (is that even a thing?) snarl. He says he's got proof he registered and paid, but yet he's not on my roster. I chased that down weeks ago, and they said he was not a paid student. But he says he's got the proof. I can't fix this mess, and he's trying to register for his college classes for fall.  So, another bumpy landing. I hope that the family and the community college can sort this out. I can't.  Three more days.  I hope yours is a good one. Hug your favorites. Keep the faith. C

Yesterday after work I went outside and, in my slightly plodding way, I got the rest of the garden planted. It's all in the dirt now, and it's up to the garden sprites to keep marauders out of the plants. How I ended up with thirteen tomato plants again, I'll never know. Well, I do know. I want to try this one, then that one, and o, that looks good, too. And G "rescued" a couple of yellow tomato plants... well, if it goes like last year, I'll have more than enough tomatoes to go around. The beans are starting to nose their way through the dirt, and the peas, and omg, I have tiny little beet greens! The lettuce and spinach in the deck box are going well, too. When G got home yesterday, he helped me immensely by laying out the soaker hose, and then the boxes --all of them-- got a good, long drink. Yes, we had a lot of rain this past weekend, but the dirt dries out pretty quickly in boxes.  Next up, the new strawberry bed. It is scheduled to arrive next Wednesday...