Fred Causes Panic

Fred got outside this morning and I feared I was watching my soul die as he skulked away toward the forest. 

As happened when he escaped before, he got nervous after a while with me stalking him and calling his name, so he returned to the back door to get inside. (I have to leave the door open, risking losing Ethel as well, so he can return; I never have time to secure her in a bedroom.) The experience was truly dreadful. 

I panicked, of course, but I tried not to transmit it to Fred. I tried to stay calm and herd him toward the door, and he did come back—and thank God! My pets are my primary source of emotional lift; to lose a pet, especially one as personable as Fred, would traumatize me—and Ethel, his constant companion and cot mate. 

I dodged the bullet this time. Now he is using his considerable muscles to try to open the door. I’m going to have to be especially diligent at the door until his memory of freedom is gone. 

•

Thank God the New York Times got at Trump’s tax records. Their detailed deflation of the Trump myth made for delightful reading (and diminished the presence of royal baby non-news). The Emperor has no clothes.

Lost in all the royal bunk was news of the death of Jean Vanier, a true Emperor of a man who led by example. The world’s L’Arche communities are his remarkable legacy.

•

Caleb, the wood deliveryman, is ill so the second load of two cords is not arriving today. I’m okay with that; I’m happy not to stack wood today. There’s years of work that I can do in the backyard. Today I’m going to spend the day removing more Salal from the yard. It surrounds the base of my trees.

It’s impossible to eliminate it; I just want to keep it in check and let little shoots of it mingle with flowers I establish in little meadows of wildflowers. Plus, I’ve decided to see if I can grow some lawn on soil I create by sifting the minimal natural soil and mixing it with compost, soil I steal from next door and seaweed. I’ll mix it all through the summer and plant in the fall. 

My plan is to landscape sections of the yard, one at a time until the entire yard is landscaped. I hope to mix “meadow” areas with a working area, a few paths and to seed the rest to lawn.