Major Day of Work

Saturday was, at times, a challenge. Sheba has one very painful foot, and I don’t think it’s the autoimmune problem. I’m afraid that she’s sprained or broken her foot. Her clear discomfort triggers me. I feel helpless and desperate, and then there’s my feet as well. I felt overwhelmed at one point yesterday and so I went to bed to escape into sleep.

When I woke up, I felt better. I got some yard work and lots of watering done. Late in the afternoon, I invited Sarah, David’s daughter, Sarah, who’s visiting from Costa Rica where she lives, to come over and pick some raspberries. She and her hubby, Grey, and Dave and Ursula all came over and they picked a nice big batch of berries.

This week, the blueberries will start to need harvesting, and there are still more blossoms on the raspberries. So, productivity is high at Pinecone Park right now. Come August, it’ll be tomatoes and apples that I’ll be enjoying from the garden. Sadly, there were no plumbs. The tree is too young, but maybe next year.

Yesterday was a glorious day. I did a lot more yard work, and I finished the watering I didn’t do yesterday. We didn’t walk, of course, so I got a fair amount of work done. Work right now being raking and toting as I continue to try to tidy up the weed fields before Steve’s arrival in three weeks.

We’re now in that time of year where I am obligated to water all the beds every day. It’s tedious work, but the rewards are worth every minute of it. All I must. do is look at the magnificence of my gorgeous pale blue hydrangea, or the stunning pink or shocking pink ones, or the fuchsias that are exploding with colour.

I finished working at 3:30. I had a more productive day yesterday than I’ve had since last year. I was out watering before 7:30, and I kept at it with only a few short breaks until I quit. I had a full eight-hour working day, and I expect to do more work today. However, I must go to the vet as soon as it opens, and this afternoon, I go to Sandi’s to tour her garden at 2:00 pm. She comes here on Thursday.

I’m chuffed by all I did today. My evening walkabout was a tremendous source of pride and pleasure. Now, the weed fields look clean and tidy. I’ve still got the courtyard, the driveway, the edible garden and the front yard to go. I’ll be busy when I’m not doing essential errands or on my dates with Sandi.

I’m going to the clinic today about my feet. I just want to ensure that the incredible swelling of my feet is not a sign of some kind of problem, and I’d like to know if compression socks are the answer.

I’m hoping to hear from Julie about Tezspire this week. It’s been almost two months since it was prescribed for me by Dr. Dorscheid. 

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For Beth: I really liked the movie Past Lives. It’s on Netflix.

The storyline is very simple.  Lifelong childhood friends in Seoul, Korea are forced apart by circumstances when the girl's family emigrates to Canada.  About 12 years later they re-connect via the internet, but he is stuck in Korea, and she has career commitments in Canada and the U.S.  So, they agree to stop corresponding and Zooming online and pay attention to their real lives.  Another 12 years pass, and he is invited to meet her and her husband in New York City.  They meet, talk, and ponder.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.  The three actors are excellent, and the dialogue with its hesitations and pauses is utterly realistic - which I value highly in movies that are dialogue-driven.  Regarding the overall tone of the movie, one of the reviews I read used the term "pitch-perfect", which is exactly what I thought.  This movie is not overly sentimental or overly analytical - and it's not a "rom com" because there is no comedy.  It is a serious contemplation of destinies, alternative possibilities and stark choices that echo Frost's The Road Not Taken.