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Garden things, and a quiet school week (I hope)

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We spent most of yesterday outdoors-- G doing most of my self-appointed tasks, as well as a few he wanted to get done. After church (and pancake breakfast!), we went to buy another phlox and a rose bush. Well, I got a couple of petunias, but restrained myself-- it's too early for vegetable sets. The lovely weather is misleading. We will not plant garden crops until the first of June (there's a second full moon in May this year--colder nights are a likelihood). G did the pruning for me (my ankle is in full revolt lately), and went on to prune back forsythias, dig holes, plant phlox, move solar lights...I'm sure there's something else, too, but it was a lovely outdoor day, getting things done. I got to hang out with Meg and Holly for a bit, too, and I made a nice Sunday dinner for us all. Fresh blueberry-rhubarb pie! Roast chicken and veggies! And all the windows were open.  Achoo. Pollen everywhere, too. The apple trees are blooming. The pears are still blooming like cra...
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short note-- got called up to read this morning!

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Ooo I got drafted to read this morning-- so, short note. I need to read over the passages.  I hope your Sunday is glorious.  It's sunny and warm. We'll be outside for a good part of today, I think! Ciao for now, blessings for everyone. C
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on aging, yard work, and trying to navigate limitations... it ain't easy

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I should not ever start my day by reading the news feed. I'm carrying around a whole lot of angst, and that does not help in any way. What does today look like? I know there's errands and folding laundry involved. I want to do some outdoor stuff, but I don't feel confident getting into the roses when there's no one around-- if I topple, I will not be able to right myself easily. And no, taking a cell phone out into the rose bushes is not a good plan, either-- if it should drop, I won't be able to navigate safely to pick it up. So, that pressing project is likely moved to tomorrow. No matter. It'll get done.  Confronting limitations is never an easy thing to do, and I'm really having a hard time with the new level of "be safe" and "pace yourself" that physical limitations are putting on me. I used to do so much, so quickly, and solo. It's damned depressing. And there's not a lot of help to be had; people are busy with their own to-...
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Women's contributions in The Odyssey... clothing as worthy gifts

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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...
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Rain, warmer, and my garden plans needed revising...

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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...
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Last day of AP angst... woo!

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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...
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Mother Nature is a cold woman...

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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...
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