Oops - Forgot a Title!

I'm back into my regular work schedule again, and yesterday was my first day to sleep in - my Saturday.  Of course, the dogs took it upon themselves to give me a rousing bark alarm at about the same time I had to get up those five previous days.  Grrr.  This morning, though, the bark alarm didn't come until 10:30 AM!  Ahhh, bliss!

Last night was the first in WEEKS that it was cool enough (in the 60s) that I could actually sleep with a blanket, and I slept like a log as a result.  These last few weeks have been so hot and coupled with the fact that the net canopy over the bed kind of traps the heat in . . . that I haven't been able to sleep with anything more than a sheet pulled up . . . and, more often that not, that's even been intolerable.  So, a cool and long night of sleep last night was MUCH enjoyed!

I had bizarro dreams, though:  a bunch of friends from high school and I were participating in some sort of competition, and the winners (my group) got to have a vacation on the Island of Calabasas!  Ha - there is no Island of Calabasas - it's a town in California!  It was a pretty rustic place that time had forgotten and technology not yet touched, and the locals spoke nothing but Spanish, so my (very) rudimentary Spanglish got a workout.  Ahhhh, our dreams . . . what do they mean?


* * *


As a conscious change to my usual "Sigh, I didn't get a THING done today!", I asked myself, "Okay, what DID you get done today?" when I climbed into bed last night.  And, maybe that's why I slept so solidly:  I came up with 7 things that, once they were listed, sounded like a sucessful day!  In no particular order, they were:

1. Ate healthfully and well all day (which hasn't happened much this busy summer).
2. Did an hour or two of pro bono work for the local dairy.
3. Changed out the four tires on the Yaris.
4. Got some yard work done, pulling up some of the Evening Primrose*.
5. Completed 82 minutes of billable hours for work.
6. Got some much-needed vacuuming done.
7. Got a much-needed, information-intensive letter written and sent.

So, there ya have it.  I should try to do that every night once I climb into bed.  It's certainly more beneficial than the usual "ugh, I didn't get a damn thing done today" sentiments!


*  So, why the battle against Evening Primrose?  Especially since it's such a beneficial plant (you can use just about every single part of it from seeds to roots to leaves) AND pretty?  Well, once life quiets down (hardee har har), I may just try utilizing it . . . particularly since one of its benefits is to quiet down the effects of menopause.  BUT, until then, I pull the plants that are in the walking / mowing area of the yard.  Why?  Because, I've learned the hard way that the stalks are kind of like a jagged nail sticking up out of the ground once you've mowed over the plants.  Jagged and incredible hard in the sense that, if you wear Crocs for all outside activities in the warm months (like I do!), they pierce the soles and jam right up into the tender underbelly of your foot!  Too many ouches = pulling the plants.  And, they're easy to pull, too, with great results from little effort.  Instant gratification!  ;)

A final note about this plant:  although I've found no information to back up this theory, I don't wonder if the leaves were dried and used as tobacco at one time in history?  Because, when I burn them (which I usually do because they self-sow like crazy), the smoke smells WONDERFUL!  Hmmm, organic Swamp River Ridge Tobacco . . . ?!  (And, yes, I did just Google "how to dry tobacco"!)  I'll take a picture of this pretty plant today to post.


Ha!  Get out!  I just pulled up a picture of a tobacco plant, and the flower looks much like the . . . get ready for it . . . Evening Primrose!  I'm totally gonna try drying it!


Well, that certainly got me off on a tangent, didn't it?!  Getting back to posting, here are a few pictures:

Orange Sulfur (Colias Eurytheme) Butterfly

When I got to my folks' on Sunday to drop the dogs off for the day, I found this beautiful butterfly smooshed against the car's grill.  Isn't it gorgeous?!  The body is well mashed, but how amazing that the delicate wings were in perfect shape!

For whatever reason, I haven't been in the mood to crochet lately, so this is my current handwork project:  my first braided rag rug.  This was a fitted sheet that finally gave up the ghost - only the second time in my life that I've outlived a sheet!  I have about 35 feet braided so far.  Mom, did you happen to count the feet of braid that went into that rug you made this year?  I have no idea how large a rug this will make.  Of course, the braiding is the fun part.  Sewing it all together?  Ummm, I'm thinking not so fun.  Although, maybe the instant gratification of seeing the rug take shape and size will balance out the tedium of sewing?

How green is your valley?  I took this picture out the bedroom window, facing south, this morning.  If you enlarge the picture, you can see the river - quite narrow this time of year - in the far distance.

This is a perfect example of the creativity of Mama Pea.  I asked if I could pull some onions from her garden on Sunday.  Because I ended up working late, she did it for me and had these waiting . . . all cleaned and wrapped in dampened paper toweling and tied with a bow for me.  WHAT a way to make something entirely ordinary into something extraordinary and filled with love!

But, grasshopper has learned well from her master.  I took these ordinary brownies made with white chocolate chips to a BBQ last week . . . and something very common and boring was instantly turned into (looking like, anyway!) something special!  :)

And, with that, I'll sign off for today.  Gotta get on with it . . . and it's already past 1:00!  Aaagh!