michikatinski | Reading

Happiness yesterday -

Christine and i took my brother N, his son D, my dad, my sister L and her daughter E out for lunch. It was pleasant and cheery. D goes to Florida on Monday to see his brother Z.

L & E had joined us after L had initially waved off doing anything because the air conditioning is out on the second floor of L's house. She wanted E to stay at my Dad's. Her son W is working at a fried chicken restaurant in Chapel Hill: he will have spent the night at Dad's, too. L wrote in the evening that positive progress has been made on her distressing situation, and she feels hopeful. My delight at this news is tempered by a suspicion that this is going to be a long road with layers of issues being exposed and (hopefully) resolved.

Christine and i talked about kittens, but have resolved no kittens until we repair the fence and replace our temporary-now-year-old installation with a permanent solution that includes the angled inward fence. It stopped Marlowe from climbing out when she was young: it needs to be there for new young cats.

We also talked about the barn we need to build, a budget, and a first step discussion. Getting the barn built has been a goal for years, and in late May i was almost ready to start (after realizing the significant concern i had around finding someone i might trust) and then Carrie was bit. So next step is talking to a potential builder.

For dinner we had a caprese meal with home-grown Early Girl tomatoes, pesto with basil and walking onion topsets. Satisfying.

Friday night i had stripped dried elderberries off stems. (I'm going to buy some sifting screens because that took too long.) The dried elderberries have a remarkable sweet aroma. The audio book i was listening to had a long description about harvesting and indulging in honey so i don't know if the honey-like notes to the scent were from listening or accurate. I have a pint and that was just a few of the clusters that had ripened early. I'll reconstitute syrup from them.

I've a quart of dried mulberries and took this week off collecting them. I guess i will start again. I have a hard time imagining shaking the tree to harvest. It seems too solid.

elainegrey

Yesterday storm cells passed around us. I picked elderberries to the sound of much rumbling thunder, and while driving to the grocery i saw a faint double rainbow over the Fearrington farm and inn. After groceries i put the elderberries on the dehydrator and ran them over night. I dried them on the stem: i think separating the dried berries from the stems will be less messy - and has less of a time pressure.

--== ∞ ==--

The challenges continue, but at least not with me going to emergency rooms.

Dad was experiencing some intense fatigue on Tuesday, and was advised to go to the emergency room. He was there until late and was found to be in great shape other than the heart issue, which hadn't progressed to an emergency. (There's a blood test for heart failure.) He was en route to leaving before i had to go to bed -- i was planning on joining him early in the morning. So, some adrenaline and cortisol there.

And yesterday sister L-- texted my brother and i letting us know her distressing situation has progressed to stage S . That had me experiencing a rare challenge in falling asleep, but turning on a sleep meditation seemed to help (i don't recall anything after the first instruction).

Dad's health and L's situation are longer haul issues. I need to teach myself to not hold myself in ready mode for months and months. I still need to recover from everything else.

elainegrey

Written Sunday midday

So humid. Yesterday i was soaked by sweat picking mulberries. That's in the shade and hardly moving. Admittedly, late morning, but still.

After showering, we went to the Mexican restaurant my Dad favors for a family lunch. My sister joined us. My brother is in the states and arrived Friday to study for the California Bar at my Dad's - fewer distractions. He complains frequently that what he specializes in is not covered.

Home, to prep for a dinner visit from Christine's sister D. We took a break to watch Clarkson's Farm, which was about stressful preparations by a deadline. I will admit to spoiling things for myself by using google maps. Christine was not relaxed by the episode. I did not manage time well, so my dream of making blueberry bread did not come to pass. However, we had plenty of food and didn't get to desert. I did have a couple glasses of sparkling wine, as D enjoys her wine. This bottle has been in the fridge ... since the pandemic? It did not want to come uncorked.

D also brought her dog Lula who is somewhat bigger than Carrie. 55 to Carrie's 40 pounds? I hope that Christine and D see each other more often, and i think that will happen if Carrie and Lula can get along. The dogs were somewhat distracting as we tried to watch a Jaws documentary, but it was a good first visit.

I had a text from sister asking for a call that i had missed during D's visit; sent a message apologizing and noting where i would be in the morning.

I woke early to ferry my dad and brother to the airport. They head to the Chicago area to watch nephew D graduate from the Navy ROTC New Student Indoctrination course. To get them there i needed to leave at 6:15. It was a beautiful morning with the humidity in the air -- and fog, and low clouds -- creating lovely atmospheric effects.

On the way back my sister calls, distressed about REDACTED. I join her, and we have tea, and she cries and i hold her. It is reasonable distress, and i affirmed her. I also recognize an tendency i have in myself, which is if X is a possible outcome, wanting to just get X over with. Instead there is messy, uncertain work to get where she needs to be, which may or may not involve X. Instead, we talked about step B. I suspect (because it's what i would do) that she wants to rush through and be done with the distressing things, and we talk through the steps of just starting step B and how that will take a while.

oxymoron67

Me1: What is going on here?

Me2: It’s “The Adoration” by Fra Angelico.

Me1: The Blessed Virgin Mary looks bored, like she always does in these things.

Me2: I don’t know. I think she looks irritated. I mean, she JUST gave birth to him a few days ago, and is probably looking for some peace and quiet…

Me1: And a Conga line breaks out….

Me2: Exactly. Especially since this looks like the beginnings of an ancient rave.

Me1: Were the Magi just

Me2: I mean, maybe. We’ve seen it before, though. Remember at the Cloisters?

Me1: Hmmm… oh, yeah, the statues…

Me2: Exactly, they were clearly dancing or at least posing.

Me1: Can you imagine? Like the Archangel Gabriel arrives and says “Behold the Baby Jesus! Now, VOGUE! Strike that pose!”

Me2: So.. SOME kind of party broke at the Adoration of the Magi. The dance off doesn’t seem to appear in the Gospels.

Me1: I mean, they brought gifts. It only makes sense.

Me2: I suppose.
_____

This is for LJ Idol

elainegrey

We did not wash away in the 10.35 inches of rain, but oh my was it wet yesterday. All the rivers of water up to my ankle in various places in the yard and drive -- and this morning it was all absorbed or run off.

https://vimeo.com/1099352304?share=copy#t=0

Today we went out for lunch, then into Raleigh to pick up an Edible Art fancy almond birthday cake for Christine's sister's birthday. It does not feel like it was 25 days ago that B-- died, but Christine's COVID then other infection and then my vacation certainly all created different time experiences. D--'s studio may have flooded three feet last night: hopefully a birthday party will ... be OK? Help with grief? Let her know she's loved?

Back to work and paying attention to time tomorrow. And trying to do the things that i am supposed to do instead of letting whim take the lead. Not sure i will be able to get in the yard all week except maybe sitting on the deck in the morning. Tomorrow's weather is a sauna, Wednesday is our grocery night ,and then the rest of the week is evening thunderstorms.

elainegrey

Things i've done with my vacation:

"Mowed" with Mary Jane, our wheeled string trimmer aka weed whacker. I've mowed the past week with the same line. I've never had it last so long. I guess i haven't gotten it tangled up in branches and grapevines and shrubs. I've done some of the meadow and some of the future shed site, a so-so job around the outside perimeter and a good bit of the mossy glade, as well as the remaining bit of my "the best grass ever" (Dichanthelium laxiflorum) lawn.

I also mowed a tiny bit of the "orchard" this morning with our new electric mower, up until the rain started. This mower is dedicated to doing tame areas. Our old mower, with its notched and worn blade (that i sharpen, but there are no replacement blades available) i'll keep using for less tame areas. Unfortunately i hit something metal hidden in the high grass with the new mower. I hope it wasn't too damaging.

Picked berries. Shared lots of blueberries with my sister's family. Got the tall ladder set up at the mulberry tree and ruined a pair of shorts with berry juice from a mesh bag i was wearing to collect picked berries while i was up the ladder. Dehydrated a couple trays of mulberries, and have two trays of mulberries waiting to dehydrate. They are ripening up a little more, plus we're in Chantal's rain bands today. Seems reasonable to wait a day to run the dehydrator. I've got a bag of frozen mulberries, and i am slowly collecting blueberries in the freezer.

The figs are beginning to come in and i am so pleased with my pruning job. The tree makes a room, with a clear area underneath, but the branches droop down like an umbrella. And the tallest still can be reached from the shorter ladder.

Egg rolls! I made a batch of filling with carrots and mung beans i sprouted, and then have fried up a couple batches in the air fryer. Very satisfying. I also rolled up some figs with shaved Parmesan cheese. Yums!

Quick rolls - i used a Pillsbury crescent roll sheet and dabbed with cream cheese pats, blueberries, and pecans. Rolled up and cut into "twirls" and baked. Also very yum.

There was also laundry. It's almost all caught up.

I went out with my sister on Wednesday night to a high tech restaurant (order on your phone, pull your own beer (and cider) from a wall of taps paying with a special bracelet. Karaoke was happening and was mildly entertaining. Also went to her house to hang out on the evening of the 4th of July.

I've been playing a little Balatro, a game Christine's been playing for ... a year? ... mostly to delight her. Exponentile remains very diverting, like a fidget toy, although i am not playing nearly as well as my initial games. Admittedly i am listening to novels as i play. Finished a relisten of yet another of the Mary Russell novels, Locked Rooms. Next is The Language of Bees, which leads into The God of the Hive. I listened to The God of the Hiveearlier this year, randomly picking from the list, and that prompted me to begin the relistening from the beginning. I also bought a Ilona Andrews book to finish a trilogy since the public library no longer has it, and added the list of all the Ilona Andrews books i have binged on in the past months to Zotero. And yesterday i started the Retrieval Artist series by Kristine Kathryn Rusch at OpenLibrary, as that looks like enough to keep me busy while i am in this escapist mental place.

This morning i was pondering how i could set time aside to grieve and emotionally connect with the distress of the past months. (Really, starting with Jan 20.) I think i will try to do sun salutations in the evening, using adaptions at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcJvBMYxQl0&t=294s.