Sonnystone Acres

back in late january, i soberly planned to have all of the spring-break-week to myself at home.  this is the first spell of days i’ve had where i didn’t have work or family commanding my time.  it’s been a long haul to get to these perfectly springish days and i’m soaking up the relaxing sun and warming wind, moving rosebushes and holly, breaking ground for the new full-sun border garden. 

i got so excited at rural king yesterday that i had to laugh at myself.  i was like a kid in a toystore, wide-eyed and lustful for the various tomato cages, swings, fountains, seeds, trees, plants—if my mustang were bigger i would have done some serious impulse (oxymoron) shopping.  i started some seeds back in january and have ended up with 30 impatiens, 9 morning glories, 3 sweet peas, 4 basil, a cilantro and a thyme that i’ve got on the back porch ready to plant.   i feel like i gave birth to them and am nurturing them into strength—–i’m a very proud mama.  i’ve priced and shopped for magnolias and have made a decision to buy a “betty” and it will look beautiful out back. 

i’m reading a book that is very good: “the double bind”.  i’m brewing a large pot of green tea every morning and use it for ice tea in the afternoons; still addicted to sudoku; headed out to nb country store to check out what they’ve got in; staying under 1200 calories/day, but eating lots of fruit and greens.

end of spring break…..

i wrote the above on tuesday. it’s now saturday.  due to a conflict la and her daughters were unable to attend the egg-hunt, but we soldiered on with ben and noah.  they were such a lot a fun and i’d love to show you some pictures, but for some obscure reason i can’t upload any pictures.

i managed to buy and plant 3 lavendar. i “found” 2 purple coneflower that i’d dug up and replanted them behind the lavendar, next to the daisies.  i planted 9 spinach plants, about 15 canna bulbs, an aster, 3 hostas.  my gluteus maximus is screaming with pain every time i move.  also my something-or-other-lateralis either side of my thighs.  ewoohff.  at least it’s symmetrical pain. 

as i’ve been working i’ve found that i’m rather concerned about symmetry in garden design.  symmetry in the garden is darn near impossible and yet….i try.  it is so monk-ish that i constantly mock myself for my efforts and obsession.  still….

i finished ”the double bind” and it’s really good.  very tricky ending.

i cleaned the entire house and its 2600sqft of dusty toys and miscellaneous junk.  i moved around a lot of my memorabilia, still have to get up in the attic and either recycle or put in the rummage sale pile.  we want to have a rummage sale in about may and clear out the extraneous flotsam.  the jetsam stays. 

i’m going to call several people tomorrow to arrange coverage at the lutheran school while i babysit emma 4/8-4/15.  i can hardly wait to see the little gal.  we’re going to have so much fun.

boychild and his lovely wife jessica are visiting and it’s so cozy to have them here.  it’s finally raining, a loud steady springish rain…just what we need.   

we’ve got a beauty of a day going here and i’m so very close to being “free” that i’m giddy….or is that woozey from the ongoing calorie-counting?   it’s tempting to play hookey, but i can make it one more day–if only because i get to read to the 3-year-olds tomorrow!  really, i’ve enjoyed the temp job and will miss it, just won’t miss getting up so early.   

that daylight savings time switch just about killed me….melissa set her alarm for 3am after turning the clock from 1am to 2am; i ended up with about an hour and a half of sleep, then grabbed a cab to laguardia for the 6am flight.  all of the lights were out on the plane except for mine and i finished reading “the year of magical thinking” just as we were descending into nashville.  i took a nap when i got back to sonnystone at about 10am until 1 or so, then went over to barnes&noble and used my 15% off coupon to buy the new son volt album.  grade b-plus; not upbeat, though. 

monday i was back at the relentless job-to-job routine.  tuesday after the jobs i went to a mastergardener meeting and signed up to work at a lot of fun gardens and events.  after leaving there i went to the grocery store and stocked up on snacks for the darmstadt job.  exhausted, i fell into bed, but woke up about 3am with stomach churning, ended up aching and puking for about 7 hours resulting in my absence at the temp job.  i went on to the lutheran school because by then i wasn’t puking and instead was aching all over so it was impossible to lie down comfortably.  besides, i had their food.  another fall-into-bed-with-exhaustion night. 

thursday i spent my lunch hour at the grand opening of dillards at the mall and bought enough make-up and lotion to either stop or cover my wrinkles, puffs, and redness.  friday i was actually feeling pretty good.  

this morning i played a funeral and went over to h&h to get my fiddle repaired.  also bought a “fiddle primer”  and will no doubt be playing reels and jigs to celebrate the irish in me before the day’s out. 

four more days of the temp job, 5 of the afterschool job, then spring break!!  i am living for it.  

in the meantime, i leave you with this irish blessing: 

may neighbors respect you; trouble neglect you; angels protect you; and heaven accept you.   happy st. paddy’s day! 

i’m not in nyc to enjoy the weather, that’s for sure.  leaving 60 degrees on wednesday evening, i arrived at laguardia around 11pm.  i knew it was more wintry here, but was a little put-out when i saw the ice on the tarmack.  my cabbie told me “in the morning you can’t be outside for more than 2 minutes or your face will freeze”.  i’m not sure what tropic he’s from, but it’s not really that bad.  emma’s been sick (stomach bug) so we’ve stayed in while her mama works and that’s okay with me.  i would have risked the face-freeze for the kiss she gave me yesterday and i’m really here just to check out what she’s up to these days.  tomorrow is supposed to be in the 40’s and that will feel very warm, so we’ll probably venture out.  i’ll leave very early sunday and be back at sonnystone before i’m missed. 

the big tree was euthanized yesterday.  husband supervised and reports all went well.  i’m sad, of course, but will have a magnolia planted there as soon as the weather is appropriate.  the temps are very moderate in eville, so i should be able to get a lot of work done in the yard—and from what i hear there is a lot of work to be done.  

i spent a considerable amount of time spending money this weekend.  jcp was having a great sale, so i started out saturday morning stalking the aisles for bargains. remember, i never buy anything without walking away, so i got some ideas and went on to the antique&collectibles show downtown.  there, too, i just got ideas and planned to return. 

that evening i went back to jcp and bought a new bed ensemble, towels, mattress pad, and bathroom rug.  i used my $20 coupon and felt quite smug. 

sunday after church i replanted my peat pellets into peat pots, then proceeded back down to the flea market to see if my wish list was still available.  actually, 2 of the 3 items were not there, but i quickly bartered and bought a german accordion, complete with book and box, then went looking for the others.  while wandering, i came across some fiddles and one was quite decently priced.  the seller was from grayville and knows my uncle junior.  it got me a little discount, but not much. 

i came home and played around with my new toys, but while trying to tune the violin i broke a string…..

i’m kind of liking working so much. it’s not really that difficult to get up in the mornings and hop into my scrubs.  the day job is easy enough, just a few pukers and bruises.  the afternoon job has its usual monotony.   the reason i’ve not posted in a few is not that i’m tired, but that i’m sad….

you see, alan quartermaine, (of general hospital) died two days ago.  i had read months ago that the actor who plays him had not had his contract renewed, but during the entire hostage ordeal i couldn’t tell if he was really going to kick or not.  he had a heart attack, then monica (his wife) did an angioplasty, then it looked like he might make it, then he arrested and died.   i cried.  i really did.  my mom had a crush on the genial doctor years ago, before he porked up, but i never did think he was that good-looking.  it’s just….he died.  i haven’t been able to watch for two days, since my cry. 

i don’t want to talk about it.