My Day was a Blessing

 Sunday, My Day, began with a spa, and then Her Highness and I went for a long, wonderful, very leisurely walk through the 707 Park. We were out very early, so we saw no one on the trails until the very end when we came upon two bicyclists. 

When we got home, I got busy and toted the final five barrow loads of kindling and what I call ‘turds.’ Turds are very short, thick, irregular pieces of wood that cannot be stacked. I put them on end in the shed to dry out, and they will be the first wood I burn, along with some of the kindling pieces.

I had a bit of a euphoric feeling as I unloaded the last barrow. The tarps are still down on the driveway. They must be swept clean and then folded before going back into the shed until next year when I order more wood. I had no time for them yesterday, as I had to go to Pete and Ali’s when the toting and stacking was done. I had to water several of their garden beds for them while they are away.

When that was done, I cleaned and folded one of the tarpaulins and then I had a wee chill in the recliner in the sunshine (15 minutes) and then another indoors. At 14:15, we headed off to Eoin and François’ place to see their new ducks. I always enjoy visiting their place and seeing all the work that they have done on their place. The big change was their new duck pond. It’s amazing. It has a huge filtering system, aerators, and François is the skimmer (he uses a net to collect leaves off the pond surface).

After a brief visit chez eux, we went for a walk with our dogs (Eoin and François have two adorable Whippets). We walked the Elder Cedar trail and had a nice chat as we walked and then Her Highness and I came home to assume our positions for evening rituals.

It was a great day, and the evening was stunning. It was so bright and sunny, and it lasted so late in the day, it’s a magical time of the year. I love the comfortable temperatures provided by the cool wind. I earned my place on the chaise now that all the wood is stacked and drying.

The yard is a mess. All over the island there are billions and billions of growth caps. They’re little brown things that are the size of bees. There are piles of them in Nester’s lot. And there are lots of cones. We had a serious windstorm late yesterday afternoon, so there’s been a big dump of mother natures on the yard. So, I’m thinking, yard clean-up is next now that the wood is stacked.

I’m in constant motion. I realize what’s happening. I get addicted to activity. It happens every year, but it’s still shocking to feel it settle in each warm season. I remember vividly one September as the weather was turning, I worried about how I would possibly survive the indoor season. I get hooked on being active. Pinecone Park is my playpen.

Today, the tarps get put away and I start on the yard. I will be raking all the growth caps and cones up all over the yard and then toting the detritus to the dumping ground. We’ll walk with our friends, and I’ll enjoy a brief rest in the sunshine. There’s cloudy weather coming on Wednesday, according to the forecast, and maybe rain (ha!) on Saturday.

François (left) and Eoin and their new duck pond. The edges and landscaping
have yet to be completed. These boys can do anything. I admire them!

They have Indian Runners and Pekins. They are full of personality.

The new babies.

Pete is a gardener with relentless energy. Their entire yard
is a massive garden. I'm in awe!

Behind that big Gunera in the background is a Paulownia. 

The front of their home.

Their little lawn. Everywhere you look is beautiful.

Their driveway into their property.

A Chill Day

I fed the brood at 4:30 and then posted and tidied up a bit. By 5:00, I was in the spa hoping to heal my aching body a bit before walking Her Highness and then attending to watering all the garden beds and fruit and flowering trees and shrubs. It’s a big job, watering, but at least it doesn’t make anything hurt.

We walked early. We were on the trail by 7:30 in chilly air. It was only 10°, but it felt good to be back to walking for a decent distance on one of our regular trails after two days of short walks while I focused on stacking wood. When we got home, I started watering the beds. My hands were freezing when I came in for a break and to warm up.

When I finished watering everywhere, it was lunch time, and once that was done, I got started on stacking the last few barrow loads of wood, and then I started on the kindling. My aching body rebelled; I did a couple of barrow loads of kindling, but my heart wasn’t in it, and neither were my arms and hands. We chilled, we went shopping, I did a couple more loads and then we went walking.

I chose to ease up yesterday because I have lots of time to tote the remaining few loads of kindling. If I overdue things, my symptoms flare up. It was a terrific day yesterday knowing that toting and stacking was largely behind me for another year. I am chuffed by my capacity for work—thank you Tezspire—and happy to have only light garden and yard work ahead of me for the balance of the Summer and Fall.

Sheba had no interest in walking in the afternoon. I took her to a favourite trail, but she would not get out of the car. She is one strong willed dog! So, we came back home, I had a spa and she slept. Our evening was the usual.

Today is another sunny and bright day. I must water Pete and Alis’s plants, I must tote the last of the kindling sized wood, and this afternoon Sheba and I will go to Eoin and François’ place to meet their new ducks and to walk out dogs together. 

A Huge Job Done!

 Quel surprise! It’s cloudy this morning, and there has been angel piss falling with droplets just slightly bigger than fog. But stacking wood will be a lot more comfortable this morning, and I can stack and do the watering later today instead of having to start watering at 5:30.

It’s uncomfortable having so much work to do. Needing to both water the beds and do the stacking and toting puts a lot of pressure on me. And pressure is not great because my symptoms get severe. But hey, it’s Friday and I will get this wood stacked if I work hard today and tomorrow.

I had, of course, an accident when I was working on Thursday. It was inevitable. A large section of wood fell against my leg, and my hopelessly weak skin split and I got a large nasty wound right below a wound I got from fucking Charlie who insists on jumping up against me when we go on dog walks with our friends.

Charlie’s wound was a week old, so when I bandaged the new wound, I decided to change the bandage on the old one. I’m glad I did because it was mildly infected. I’ll spare you the details. I cleaned the old wound and rebandaged it, and I bandaged the new wound. My shower yesterday morning was extremely short. I stopped right away because the soap was making my wounds sting like mad. I opted for a sponge bath.

During the very early morning hours, as I did my chores and posted, I kept checking for rain. If it came, I had another tarp ready in the shed to cover the pile of wood yet to stack. I took Sheba for our morning walk at 6:30! We’d never walked that early before, but I wanted to get started on stacking as soon as I could. I worked quietly for fear of disturbing Sarah and Grey who are sleeping in Dave and Ursula’s bunkie about fifteen meters from my wood pile.

My plan was to take a break after every ten barrows full of wood stacked. My first break came at 9:00. I felt that I could keep going, but the work is very hard on my back, even with my brace, so I came inside to drink and rest, then I was back at it, committed to doing another ten or fifteen before lunch. If I keep it up until mid or late afternoon, I figured that I’d be able to finish the rest today.

By 10:15, the sky was clearing, the sun was out and I’d stacked twenty barrow loads. It was time for a break, and because our day began at 4:40, we had lunch at 10:30. My back was hurting, but the brace helped a lot. As I ate lunch, I felt confident that I could to twenty more loads in the afternoon. Then, my plan was to water everywhere that I felt needed it, so that this morning, I could get right to work stacking.

By noon, my right arm was extremely painful. I needed a long break, but I’d earned it because I had toted thirty barrow loads and stacked all their wood in the shed. I decided to have a good long rest, and then go for ten more loads, thereby breaking my previous one-day record by ten loads. Also, by noon I’d already done 10,300 steps! I’m getting good exercise, that’s for certain.

I was moving much more slowly. I’d stop to stretch my back after loading every barrow, and I’d stretch again once it was unloaded, and after every five loads, I was taking a short break on the outdoor recliner. Although the pain in my back and my arm was irksome, I was chuffed by how much work I’d accomplished. It gave me ambition to do more.

After my noon break, I did not want to go back to toting and stacking. The sun had come out making it hotter to work and increasing the likelihood that I would not be able to rest after the final ten loads. Instead, I would have to water beds, and I did not want to do it. I wanted to soak in the spa, walk Sheba on a nice long gentle walk, and then thoroughly enjoy out usual evening routine.

I stumbled out at 12:30 to begin the final ten. My plan was to do as much work as I could using my left arm for everything except toting the barrow. Another aspect of my plan for doing the final ten, was to take a break in the recliner whenever I felt like it. After all, I had the entire afternoon ahead of me and no deadline.

I did five at a slow pace and felt like walking death when I was done, but perseverance was in order. I was committed to doing forty loads. So, I had a good rest and a gallon of cold Diet Coke. Yum. I had a short visit with Colleen, next door, and a rest on the chaise. My arm was dying!

At 14:45, I finished the fortieth load. Dave brought me a piece of Apple cake, and he offered to help me finish up, but I said no. I was too tired and sore to carry on. But I was chuffed to the max over all I had accomplished (see below). I had a short rest, and then Her Highness and I went for a good walk on aching feet. I owed it to her to go on a good walk. 

And then … and then … Oh, happy day …. a spa. Oh, the pleasure of the heat and the buoyancy. It felt so, so good. I’ve more to do today, all the kindling pieces need to be stacked, but first I will water all the garden beds thoroughly, then the kindling will get stacked, and the job will be done. Oh, happy day! Oh, day of 15,000 steps!

•

When I got up this morning at 4:30, every part of my body hurt. Once I started moving around, however, it started to feel better.

I’ve a big watering job to do this morning. I am going to enjoy bringing water to all my thirsty plant friends, and then I will stack the last of the wood and the kindling, but I shall also have a brief nap in the sunshine.

This was the mountain of wood that needing stackinmg that I faced
yesteray morning. It was daunting. The small pile in the lower right
are very small pieces of wood that I use for kinding. I toss them aside
to stack last.

This is what's left of that pile. It's just two or three barrow loads.

There are two rows of stacked wood here. The one you see is
the second row and that's what I stacked yesterday.

My Ckimbing Hydrangea is blooming for the first time.

I can hardly wait. Italinan plums. Not many, but a first this year.

This is one branch on my Mac Apple tree. There are seven little apples
on it. And last year, the first year the tree fruited, I got only three apples.

The kindling pile grew. I will stack it today.

My first Strawberries in my new gutter planter.

Endless Stacking

Yesterday was warm from the get-go. I was up at 4:20 and it was already 15°. It’s become my habit to start every day with a spa. It’s so quiet and still in the mornings. It’s a lovely time of day to lay back and soak in the silence.

Once I was ready to start my day, I was outside watering the beds that I didn’t water on Wednesday. When that was done, I lay 2X4s down on the shed floor on edge so that there was lots of air circulating around the wood. I also kept the first row several inches away from the back wall. And then I started stacking.

I didn’t get too far (three barrow loads) before it was time to go to Claire’s studio to pick up the third yellow cedar bowl for Ash and Alex’s wedding. And then I took Her Highness for a short walk before going to Pete’s to see where he wanted me to water while he and Ali are away. After that, it was time for lunch and then, finally, I got back to work stacking wood. I was glad to have the rest of the day to stack.

After working for about an hour, Sarah and Grey came over to help me. Sara is next door neighbours’ Dave and Ursula’s, daughter; Grey is er Costa Rican husband. That made quite a difference in our progress, but it also meant that I would not take breaks. I couldn’t have them working if I wasn’t, so I really busted my butt yesterday.

I was sun baked by 14:00. It was 21°, far too hot for lifting and toting wood. Today, I’ll focus on working in the morning when it’s cool, and I’ll water in the afternoon. That’ll be my plan for both days of the weekend as well. It’s exhausting work, but wearing my back brace belt is a godsend. It almost eliminates my back pain.

Thankfully, I’m in no hurry and the eternal sunshine means I have lots of time to get all the wood under cover. I’m not racing to get it done before rain is due to fall. It’s hard work for an old man, but I shall persevere. Working alone, I can take a rest when I feel I need it. As I worked yesterday, I kept thinking about how good it would feel to get onto the chaise at the end of the day, and rot in front of the telly.

Once I was rested after quitting stacking, Her Highness and I went for a walk. We didn’t go for a long one because it was just too hot for both of us. Plus, my bone spur foot was killing me. Now is when the coolness of the house is a blessing and not a curse. Both of us had a nice cool rest before we walked, and when we got home, I felt like the living dead.

The evening was as usual, but bedtime came early. 

This was what was accomplished yesterday. I only ad the afternoon
to work as chores kept my busy in the morning.

This is what's left to do. I shall be busy all day!

Big forgeous blood-red Poppies at Pete and Ali's place.

Found on a trail.

Tiny Daisies cover the ground. They are hard to see here,
but it is a beautiful sight in the forest.

The Wild Roses are out everywhere and they have
a lovely sweet smell.

The entrance to a trail we walk often is a bower of Roses.

Roses cover the island. They grow everywere!

Three Cords Delivered

Eternal sunshine is back. First, I will be watering and then I start stacking wood. I may do more watering late this afternoon to get a head start on tomorrow. And that’s going to be my exclusive concern for the sext several days—stacking and watering.

Yesterday was lovely and warm when I rose at 4:15. The sky was clear and bright.  We walked with our friends, and then I came home to lay down the tarpaulin for the guys to dump the wood onto so that all the bits of bark and sawdust don’t litter my driveway. And while I awaited the wood, I learned how to block people on Facebook and blocked a few posters who drive me crazy.

It was a stunningly beautiful day with ideal temperatures. I watered some thirsty beds while I waited. I was itching to build another gutter planter, this time for wild Strawberries, but that will likely have to wait until the stacking is done. 

The first cord arrived at 11:00. I stayed focused on watering. The second cord arrived at 12:45. After it was dumped, I lay down another tarp for the third cord. It arrived after Sheba and I had left for Dona’s place for our dog walkers tea party. And what a blast! I’d been watering or tying up plants all the time I wasn’t watching where the wood went when it arrived. I wanted to ensure no wood damaged the fence around my edible garden, so to relax with friends and to laugh and tell stories was wonderful on beautiful, beautiful afternoon.

When I got home, the third cord had arrived, and because Sheba had been playing with the other dogs at our tea party, we did not do a second walk. Instead, we had dinner and got settled into our normal evening routine.

This morning, I’ll be watering the beds I didn’t do yesterday, and then I’ll start stacking until it’s time to go to Claire’s to fetch my third yellow cedar bowl. Then I’m going to Pete’s to see what plants he wants me to water while he’s away. And then, finally, I’ll get back to stacking. I’m keen to get started.

It’s another beauty of a day, and it’s going to be a busy one for me.