view from a chaise

Mox keeping a sharp eye on ground-level activity.

While I tilt back.

(Note: in case of interest, roofline at bottom provides scale.)

I hope you are having a lovely Tuesday.

Almost said "weekend."

Right on top of things, me.

~~~~~

didn't see this coming

Had a long-awaited/dreaded dental appointment on Tuesday morning which turned out to be only a detailed consultation. A friend gave me a ride home, dropping me at the mailbox, and I walked up the driveway, mail in hand, coat folded over arm, thinking about all the afternoon tasks I could now tackle without the expected complication of a sore mouth. Got to my door and fumbled for the keys in my trouser pocket, but they weren't there. Had that awful "oh no, there isn't even an unlocked window to climb through" feeling before realizing with relief that the keys must be in my coat pocket. Whew. Awkwardly crossed my arms and twisted around to the left to reach the pocket in my coat without dropping the mail. You can picture this, right? All perfectly normal. Then the edge of my right foot slipped off the doorstep, and I fell, hard, on my right side, slamming into the edge of a concrete platform and dislocating my right shoulder.

After several highly memorable hours in the ER, the shoulder was back in place, and now I'm wearing a sling when I'm up and about, and trying not to use that arm At All until an appointment with an orthopedic person next Thursday. Apparently once a shoulder has been dislocated, it has more of a tendency to dislocate again - something I fervently wish to avoid - so I'm doing my very best to follow instructions.

I have had lots to think about since Tuesday and ordinary life is slightly more challenging right now but I just wanted to take a moment and thank you for your responses to my previous post. Some losses hit harder than others, and Betula is a very hard loss. Your kind thoughts are much appreciated.

~~~~~

Betula

I lost Betula, my Birch Boy, at the end of August.

I still don't know how to write about it.

~~~~~

between the rains

For weeks, it seems plants have been waiting for the sun.

The jewelweed, usually knee-high or maybe waist-high, is over my head in places - 

but has barely bloomed at all.

Even the stalwart anise hyssop has not been creating its usual sea

of bee-dizzying purple flowers.

And so many blueberries are still green or a bit red,

hanging on, waiting to ripen.

But now...

we've had a bit of sun, and the purple of anise hyssop

and the orange of jewelweed are beginning to appear.

The first few Chelone buds are opening:

Today is the third day in a row that we've had little or no rain, just a light rainfall during the night, or a passing shower in the afternoon.

It's been glorious, and I have been spending the entire day outside, including hours each day spent lounging around in the little screentent that is temporarily set up on the deck of the barn. Listening to audiobooks, markmaking, spending quality time with Moxie and Della, enjoying visits from the goats and the hens, and watching the clouds pass slowly over the treetops in a rare blue sky.

Of course there have been the usual chores throughout the day, plus the "extras" of shifting goats around in various groups so everyone can have peaceful access to the Pocket Paddock - inaccessible during wet weather - where a bittersweet and forsythia browsing opportunity awaits. But I've certainly not been knocking myself out with labor the past few days.

And - full disclosure - I'm alright with that.

~~~~~

update

Future rafters and roof sheathing on Aug 12th:

Same stack today:

(By the way, this is what $420-worth of roughcut pine looks like.)

I was hoping my next post - that is, this one - would include pictures of a barn with a roof. Unfortunately, we've had many, many rainy days and AM has injured his back - not while working here, I'm relieved to say - so there's been zero progress on the barn repair.

AM is not the kind of person who needs to be called and nudged. He's the kind of person who likes to get stuck right into a job at the earliest opportunity. So if I don't see him on a wonderful day of Not Raining, I know he's either still having a tough time with his back - which I very much hope is not the case - or else he's feeling better but trying to catch up on the backlog of work that piled because of his injury.

Either way, there's nothing I can do but wait. Fingers crossed.

Meanwhile, we all know better than to waste the precious days when the sun is shining.

(l-r) Sambucus, Campion, and Violet, in front of one of three 2nd-hand calf hutches purchased as emergency shelters on 6 April)

The forecast here is for a rainless weekend, so I expect to spend most of it outside. I hope your weekend is just as sunny or rainy as you need it to be.

~~~~~