no rain, mouse, feral yard, rain, fancy desserts

Today is overcast, dark, and windy with the feeling of impending rain except there’s no rain. At least it’s keeping the temperature down. Last night during my hour or so of wakefulness I planned to do the second round of fertilizing the azaleas and the camellia today. I usually wake up around 2 AM drifting back to sleep an hour or two later. Last night I slept til about 4 before waking and when I was still awake an hour later I thought of my sister who often complained about waking at 5 and not being able to go back to sleep. I thought at a little past 5 AM I probably wouldn’t get back to sleep either and then my pill alarm woke me at 8:30.

I won’t be getting out in the yard today I guess, haven’t even stepped outside yet. When I finally got up to fix breakfast and was emptying the dishwasher I opened the bottom drawer I keep the glass storage dishes in and everything was covered in mouse poop and pee. Dammit. Fucking mouse, damn cat that isn’t catching the mouse. Now that drawer has to be emptied and cleaned and everything in it washed as if I didn’t already have enough dishes to do (my turn) and also my turn to cook dinner tonight. I had thought we had another mouse because my line of bird skulls keeps getting disturbed. Well, the little rodent must have had a party in the drawer last night because the last time I took something out of there it was fine.

It’s Sunday and I wrote the above on Friday. I keep forgetting to set out a trap before I go to bed and this morning my row of bird skulls looked like this, flipped over and askew.

We’re having lightning and thunder and rain! right now which we really need, raining rather hard. Of course I spent yesterday fertilizing all the potted plants and as many of the azaleas I had enough fertilizer for and then watering over at Pam’s house which really needed it. In the past two weeks that yard has gone feral even with the little bit I do over there every day when I go feed the wildlings. I was going to make a concerted effort over there today but now that’s not happening. And of course the dog is in complete panic mode. And wants in my lap, wants down, wants in my lap, wants down ad infinitum. Cat seems a little concerned about her doggy sister and has just come over to nose and sniff at her.

The couple, Joe and Mary, who mow and trim the shop yard and Pam’s yard and who are old like me didn’t come this week. They drove by to see how bad it was and I happened to be walking back to my house when they did. Joe went to his heart doctor the previous week who promptly put him in the hospital to put in a stent and sent him home with an exterior pacemaker while he arranges for the real one. Maybe next week, Joe says, depending on if he’s getting the pacemaker. I don’t know what we’re going to do if he retires. He only charges us $100 to do that acre and a half. It’s getting pretty rough over there and that’s with no rain to speak of for the last few weeks. Now with this rain the weeds and weedy grasses are going to double in the next few days.

My neighbor, the one who cut that horrendous ditch for me, who works for a farmer came by Friday evening with a big bag of freshly dug up red potatoes still encrusted with dirt, way more than we can eat especially since we already had plenty of potatoes and I have yet to dig up my two big containers so I took some to Robin and will share with another neighbor.

Oh, and now the rain has stopped, thunder still rumbling in the distance. Minnie is starting to calm down. The ground is too wet now to do anything outside today so I guess I’ll read more in my book, Stephen King’s The Institute. I know, I swore to never read another of his books even though I used to be a big fan. I did read Fairy Tale which was OK but a little contrived with all the references. Anyway, I thought I’d try this one.

Report on the fancy desserts…left to right:  berry tart with custard, lemon basil mousse kind of thing, and blackberry lavender cheesecake. 

They were all good. The berry tart would have been better if growers hadn’t hybridized all the flavor and juice out of them for size and firmness. Strawberries particularly which used to be small, soft, juicy, and bursting with flavor. Now they’re big, red on the outside and white inside, no juice or flavor, and impossible to bruise. But, hey, they look good. My favorite though was the lemon basil mousse thing, so creamy and flavorful.

And thank you everyone for all the lovely birthday wishes.