May 16, 2014 A Working Girl

A small patch of sweet peas on the east ridge.

A prairie star which is about 1/3" wide,
one bloom per stem.

Wednesday 5/14. I brewed my coffee then went out to water everything.  So there I am, in my pajamas and holey, straw Stetson, watering the garden and my irises that are just outside the garden fence to the west, when I realize that I have a photo of my Grandmother taken in the mid 1950's in her housecoat out watering her irises.  And here I am, a grandmother myself.  And around it goes. . .

So then I sat on the porch and contemplated that thought as I sipped my coffee and listened to the birds.  It is going to be hot again today.  On days like this, I open all the windows, and now all the winter stuffiness has aired out.

I brought another load down from the now not-so-big pile of wood on the east slope.  It was fine as long as I could stay in the shade, but it was just too hot to work in the sun, especially since there was barely any air movement.

As I drove Miss Kitty back down to the wood shed, the odometer turned to 2000 miles.  The first owners had her for almost eight years and put about 1870 miles on her.  We have had her for about three months and have already driven her 130 miles.  All these little trips really add up.

Elsie called to ask if I could come in to the shop tomorrow afternoon to help, as their friend had another appointment.  So I will go Down There about noon to run some errands and have lunch, then I can be at the shop at about 2:00 pm.

Randy from SoCal called after dinner and we had a nice, long talk.  Turns out he had been looking for property in Idaho for several years after realizing that Hoover Dam is soon going to be in deep trouble with very shallow water.  Unless there is rain of biblical proportions (to quote Randy), the water level will fall too low to produce any electricity.  And there goes Las Vegas and southern California.  I read that the water from the Colorado River has not reached the ocean in more than 50 years.  It seems that no one is really doing anything about this situation.  Hmmm. . .

There was no bright blue sky today, rather a light hazy overcast, but it was already 67 by 11:00 am.  Our high for the day was 72.  Would have been much more enjoyable with a breeze.

Got to bed early for the big day tomorrow.

Thursday 5/15.  The dogs got me up at 5:30 am and it was already 59 outside.  So nice, that Jesse decided to stay out for an hour.  I tried to snooze on the couch but not very successfully.  Back to bed when he finally decided to come home, and completely overslept til 9:00 am.  So no coffee, just out to water the garden, peppers and hanging basket - in my pajamas again.

I was actually ready to leave at noon as planned.  Three hours may seem like a long time, but not for me when there simply is no rushing in the morning.  I tried to dress lightly, knowing it was going to be very hot Down There, but it doesn't really matter what I am wearing, I just don't do well in the heat.  And the air conditioning in my Jeep quit about eight years ago.  

I got my errands done and had lunch, but arrived quite wilted at Elsie's shop as it was 90 Down There!  Fortunately, she does have air conditioning.  It was a very pleasant afternoon with her, as business was slow and we had plenty of time to chat.  I brought a package I had received into the shop with me.  It was from my Mom's best friend and she always sends me Frangos (chocolate) for my birthday.  Didn't want to leave them in the car in that heat.  

I think that was the longest I have left the dogs, but everything was just fine when I arrived home at about 6:15 pm.  I'm sure they just slept the whole time.  JB called just after I fed them to say that his Mother is doing better and the Blackhawks are in the divisional play offs.  Hopefully it will be Chicago against Montreal in the Stanley Cup.  I spent a few hours reading newspapers and mail, then watched one episode of Downton Abby.  Our high Up Here for the day was 76.

Friday 5/16. It is 56 with a light overcast this morning and a breeze.  Cooler temps are forecast for today and rain for tonight.  I will leave for Down There at about noon again today.

Thought for the day: In all affairs it's a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted. Bertrand Russell