I do so appreciate good words

In the last few weeks, I’ve received a number of “lurker” emails – people who read Ocean and just want to let me know that they do. It truly is wonderful to hear from them, especially when I know that they are in different worlds, with different lives, at different ages and stages. So thank you for writing.


Ed and I woke up to a stellar, sunny day. It had been a quiet night. What a relief! Whereas the previous night, Isis came in and out of the farmhouse no fewer than TEN times (he doesn't have a cat door, so someone -- thanks Ed! -- has to let him in and out), last night he stayed away. I thanked him profusely this morning.

Today is the day to set the parameters of out veggie garden. Ed is suggesting that we dispense with fencing for our peas – donkey or chicken, they're all wrong. String. He’s convinced it’ll be more attractive and effective to use string. Well alright, I’ll give it a try. Let the man create and design. He thrives on this in life.





There’s another Ed idea that I am less tickled with: the tomatoes we planted in flats? You know how you’re supposed to put in a few seeds and then thin them out as they sprout? That’s not Ed’s way. He wont “thin.” He’ll laboriously cut the soil and separate the seedlings so that we don’t “kill” a sprout or two.
I ask him – why don’t we just plant one seed per pod next time?
Because they’re not all supposed to sprout.

But they do sprout.

I have no answer to that.


 


I leave him to his job. My daughter and her fiancée stop by for a country walk, city (Madison) people that they are. We go the way of the Nature Conservancy trail.





The last time I did this walk, it was midnight and the snows had covered our way. That was just a month ago – February 24. Today? Well now, today was very different.


Evening comes. I have a few difficult phone calls and then a wonderful family dinner and then it is all set, over and done with. I think to myself – you can never get others to feel good about life if they’re hell bent on feeling angry at what life has dealt them. You can’t force others to take on your story line, your praise of the good stuff. You just cannot. And that’s okay. But in the process of trying, you can get knocked around a bit. Today I got knocked around a bit. It happens.

Ed?

Yes gorgeous?

People are nuts.

Yes gorgeous.

Let's watch a good movie.

Okay gorgeous.

For once, he said exactly the right thing.

And now let’s consider tomorrow. A bright day, no? I look forward to breakfast among daffodils again.