Best Things Today:
July 5, 2024
1. We went out to lunch at the fish place in town, something we tend to only do when youngest isn’t here (she’s off adventuring with friends in NYC) because she doesn’t eat fish. We were greeted so warmly by the staff, it was a bit surprising and a bit of a reminder that even if you think you’re just one of the masses that goes to a certain place, the people who have worked there all along likely remember your face, remember little details about you. They’re like little bookmarks, keeping your place in the universe for you. 🔖 How amazing is that?
2. Had one of those Chandler Bing afternoons. Could it BE any more Perfect out there? It was warmer than Karen Perfect™ (which is 72 with light breezes) but then there were CLOUDS, lots of them, and a kind of strong breeze. So 78 and breezy with clouds was *really excellent* weather for doing all the things in the vegetable garden - tying up more tomatoes into their supports, pruning more growth off because all the rain has meant exceptional green floofery out there, burying the potatoes because of course they also like the rain (and the way you manage potatoes is you bury them in more dirt, which causes the greenery to make potatoes), and spouse helped me rescue one of the new last year elderberry shrubs that had started growing sideways. We’ll see if some additional dirt, two new stakes, some pruned off lower growth, and tying up to the supporting stakes does the trick. The shrub is growing great, loads of big blooms a few weeks ago and now it’s setting fruit, but the tilt had us worried so we’re hoping it feels better now.
It is a lot of work, growing things to eat. I thought of that as I was tying up yet another tomato plant, dealing with the bits I had pruned off, checking for chipmunk inventory shrinkage (curses all the wee critters! I try to leave offerings on the lower parts of the plant for them but they’re getting on my last nerve in that regard…) But it’s the best kind of work - it feels good to do this kind of work. Very rewarding, at least on days like today. I do this work on 90 degree days, too, but I spend a lot more time being salty about it.
Oh and the BEST part of doing a lot of sunny garden work late into the day is that glorious, beautiful shower afterwards. NOTHING is better than a shower after being coated in plant material and dirt for hours. I strongly dislike the smell of tomato plant on my skin, too, so I am even more pleased at getting clean after having any of that brush across my forearm or having my fingers go green from tomato vines.
3. Eldest spend the rest of today with friends (so grateful for our kids’ friends. So so grateful. Youngest texted a pic with a bonus friend who happened to be in NYC this weekend, lucky that she got to connect with another person beyond the few she was expecting to spend time with. Eldest spent hours and hours playing a tabletop RPG with half a dozen guys he went to high school with. So great that they were all in town for the holiday and could spend time together.) and so his kitties were ALL MINE for the day, lol.
I came in from the garden to get a drink of water and was greeted by a countertop Merlin, picture taken at .5 perspective which only makes Merlin look Even More Merlin. 🐈⬛🖤 He’s an epic cat, and I caught an epic picture of an epic cat.
Later, after I’d rehydrated and washed some of the tomato goo off my arms I had a glorious 20 mins in the very late afternoon (7+pm) sunshine on the patio with the hummingbirds. It was lovely.
#BestThingsToday
I love the blue of your kitchen cabinets! So very lovely!