Saturday - 120th

Welcome to three catch-up and reset days in a row! This is the time when I get to the most odious and the most wholesome and the most creative tasks, ones that I have neglected since winter, ones for which, arguably, I now have time.

I promised myself this: once the grandkids take their little vacation with their parents and I am no longer hosting them daily at the farmhouse, I will rethink the way I spend my free time. If I can reset myself in some fashion, perhaps I'll carry some good habits back with me to the days I am with the kids. Ever since the shutdown began (for me that would be 120 days ago), I have basically handed all my free non-babysitting hours to the following: hurried random garden maintenance tasks, a lot (and I mean a lot) of reading of news sources, some online shopping for books and clothes for the kids (this is what any freed up moneys go to), grocery washing, and blog work. There was a real danger that with three free days in a row, I will merely expand on online book browsing and online reading of even more news sources. Time to get more deliberate! I would very much like to add back some more creative stuff. Like more serious writing (and reading for that matter). And more careful management of my gardens. And I'd like to add in some better movement options. Biking comes to mind. And return to my French classes! And while we're at it, why not bake something delicious?

So pile it on! I've got stuff to do!

First, the gardens. The bugs are still fierce, but I equip myself with a paddle zapper and head out to methodically fill the bucket with spent lilies. We're at the beginning of their season and still I snip off 335 wilted flower heads. Alright! Garden looks pretty good. Still rough around the edges, but much better! At least for this one day, because of course, tomorrow there will be more than 335 new spent flowers to snip.



 


(double trouble: the froggies we adore)






(double trouble: the dragonflies we love)






Breakfast is on the late side.

(view from porch)





(meal on the porch)






(the big bed)






Next comes the bike ride. There is a new bike path that begins at the development that's sprouting to the west of us, connecting nicely to the rather famous  Capital City State Trail. I'm very happy with this addition because it allows us to bypass three hills that you otherwise have to bike over each time you leave and return to the farmette via the rural roads.

We do a lovely little loop -- maybe half hour, maybe more. I do have a slight trepidation when we cut into the State Trail. There are other bikers on it and we are not used to passing other people, that's how isolated we are! Still, the ride feels good. Something to repeat when you just want to do a fast paced activity for a handful of minutes.

(Capital City State Trail)






(the prairie to the north)






(back on the rural roads)






(approaching home: the front flower bed -- a lot more symmetrical than the rest of the gardens)






I'd like to say that, once inside, I practiced my French, baked a cake, and dug back into my writing project, but the afternoon did not go that way. Instead, I did what we all must do by July 15th: I worked on my taxes.

There is no reason why this should be such a chore. I have an easy tax situation: an unchanging retirement pension, some social security, a small IRA emergency fund that mostly stays where it is since thankfully I have had no emergencies. I mean, classic simplicity! And yet, it takes three hours to complete the damn thing.

Ed tells me -- stop grousing and get to it. He nudges me forward because I insist that he sit right next to me on the couch until I'm done, so that I can run any new complexity by him. I'm the lawyer, he's the engineer and yet I ask him on how to interpret IRS stuff! He is anxious for me to be done with it. I am anxious for me to be done with it. By late afternoon, I click "e-file" and throw the whole folder under the table. Wisconsin will have to wait. My mother's forms will have to wait. You can only devote so much of your day to forms and schedules. Besides, I have a CSA box of veggies to pick up. There's cauliflower in it today! And broccoli and beans and beets... So many veggies, so little time to cook up a storm...

And there we have it: one day behind me and I can't really brag about plunging into new and creative endeavors. Maybe I should do a little French before midnight? Maybe not. Goodnight dear Ocean friends! Let's put our ambitions to rest until tomorrow.