Yesterday was another of those really busy days where one minute it’s 9 am and the next it’s 1:00 and you don’t know what you’re going to have for lunch. I got the recycling taken to the recycling center, went to Publix to stock up on a few things, got home, ate breakfast, and then headed outside to get some more mowing done. Fred got all the mowing except the back yard done over the weekend, so I told him I’d do that part. I imagine it would have gone a lot faster if I’d used the riding lawnmower, but that thing annoys me, with all the backing up and going around stuff I have to do, so I used the push mower. It took me about 45 minutes to get that done, I took a break, and then headed back out. Fred did the side yard (in front of the garage) last week, but he wasn’t able to do the whole thing because it was terribly soggy. It was looking shaggy and kind of annoying me, so I wanted to get it cut. It was another pain in the ass, not as bad as the swamps in the pig yard or blue coop yard, but a pain just the same.
Once that was done, I glanced behind the garage and decided that that area was annoying me, too. It doesn’t get cut very often because it doesn’t usually need it very often, but I figured since I was out with the mower, I might as well get it done.
Let me tell you, a gum ball (from a sweet gum tree, not the kind that you chew)(though I guess you could chew it if you really wanted to) that flies out from under a lawnmower, hits the back of the garage, and then hits your calf at approximately 73 miles per hour STINGS LIKE A MOTHERFUCKER.
But I persevered and got it done.
Then I came inside to cool off, went back out to hang my laundry on the line, and then went upstairs to take a shower. I was in the shower when I was pretty sure I heard a knock at the door. I finished showering as quickly as I could, threw on some clothes, and went downstairs to find… nothing. I don’t know if someone knocked and got tired of waiting, or if I was just hearing the cats running around, or what.
I went in and hung out with the McMaos for about an hour, cleaning the room while I was in there (I’ve almost got all the litter boxes in the closet, yay!), and then had lunch. Then I made dinner (Fred likes to eat dinner at, like, 4:00 and I prefer to wait ’til a more normal hour. If I make dinner ahead, then he can eat when he wants, and so can I.) and put it in the fridge.
(Chicken and dumplings. But I didn’t have to cook the chicken first; I used chicken that I canned last Fall.)
I went out and got the hose I bought at Walmart the other day out of my car, and stretched it from the spigot to my little enclosed garden behind the back yard. Then I watered my raised beds, the herbs I planted last weekend, and the bale of straw we bought Tuesday.
(Katherine sent me this link about bale gardening, and I decided on the spur of the moment to give it a try with one bale. Why not, right?)
And then (can you contain your excitement? Is this not the most fascinating glimpse of my day? I should totally do a picture version of this thrilling step-by-step description of my day.) I went in and vacuumed the house. I brought in my laundry off the line and put it away (god knows how many wasps were in that laundry and are now angrily waiting for me to come along.), and at some point in there the air conditioner guy came.
As seems to happen about this time every year, the air conditioning unit for the upstairs went on the fritz. Luckily we haven’t hit the truly hot part of summer – not by far – so with my ceiling fan turned on high, it wasn’t too terribly hot during the night. The air conditioning repairman came, looked at it, put freon in, and left.
Fred got home and ate dinner. I got all the garbage together (Thursday being trash day), Fred took it out to the street. I planted the catnip I bought at Walmart the other day and put mulch down around the blueberry bushes in the back yard. I snuggled kittens and kissed Maggie and held Dorothy like a baby and kissed her on her nose.
Today, I tell you what, I’m laying my lazy ass on the couch and getting caught up on TV. I’ve got like 20 episodes of House on the DVR calling to me, and an episode of Sister Wives, and I have no desire to do anything but veg.
Still recovering from the tornado, I think.
A volunteer maple tree-in-the-making amongst my purslane.
A last shot of Rufus.
Rufus was fine on the drive to Petsmart the other day. I had a bit of a struggle getting him into the carrier (he fought me and got away, but all I had to do to recapture him was call to him, and he flopped right over on his side to be petted. Didn’t I feel evil, snatching him up to put him in the carrier!) He settled right down in the carrier and didn’t make a peep on the ride to Petsmart.
He was a little scared when I let him out of the carrier into the kitten room, and ran off to hide while I got his cage ready. I put some of his favorite toys in the cage, and then snuggled with him for a long while before I put him in the cage and left.
He, of course, because he wanted to break my heart, went right into the litter box to hide. They always do that at first – in fact, I don’t think Reacher ever came out of the litter box during his stay at Petsmart. Usually, though, it only takes a day or so before they adjust to their surroundings.
Adoption hours weren’t held Tuesday night because the power at Petsmart went out. I’m hoping that by the time adoption hours take place on Friday, he’ll be more relaxed.
You know I’ll let y’all know as soon as he’s adopted!
Cillian swipes! He misses! (And that’s an odd angle, so it looks like he has long ape arms.)
Practicing the song and dance for the big show!
“Hi! What? Nothin’.”
They sure do like this little cat tree. It makes me want to get a big one for them.
Maggie gets a moment to herself so she can relax. But only a moment…
“HI MAMA! HI!”
“Make room, Mama!”
“Mama, your armpit smells good. You’re so pretty! I love you.”
A loud car went by on the road outside, sending all the kittens running to the safety of the closet. Finnegan and Ciara were in charge of checking stuff out to make sure it was safe for everyone else to come out.
“Is it time to eat yet?”
“Mama is HUNGRY.”
Pretty Macushla.
No, Alice, it’s okay. Go right ahead and hang over the side like you’re going to jump to the floor from there. You won’t give me a heart attack or anything.
Previously
2010: It’s a Jakeapalooza!
2009: And when the wily snugglicious runt has determined that no smackdown is coming her way, what does she do?
2008: And… that was my weekend!
2007: No entry.
2006: Where the hell did the year GO?
2005: If my nose is cold, the rest of me is cold.
2004: I guess this is what we get for living in the Bible Belt, isn’t it?
2003: No entry.
2002: No entry.
2001: No entry.
2000: Ah well. Maybe next life.