end of May

How to summarize -- the month, the day, the season! On balance, it has been grand. And I'm not just saying that. It really has been fabulous. In the gardens, the soil, loosened by rains, heated by sunshine, and enriched by compost has really boosted the perennials. Last year, they struggled. This year? They are strong! Pushing out new growth! (So are the weeds, but I'm --mostly-- on top of it.)

I've been busy -- my mother's issues have filled morning hours (and the afternoons and evenings have not been unaffected), but despite what she will tell you, she is in a good place right now. Much of her well-being depends on her. Not on her caretakers, not on me. You have to prove to yourself that you're able to do more than you do each day. This is as much true for her as it is for a young child or you and me. If you only see, feel, talk about the slide, well, chances are that slide will accelerate. (I visited her today. She is as she was. Convinced that no one is properly attending to her. That her once miracle child is a miracle no more.) 

I've been busy with the grandkids too, and busy with outdoor work, and busy sitting on the couch in the evenings with Ed. It all has a place in my day, my life, this month. Such a beautiful May...

 

And now, my morning -- a promising one with a hint of sunshine and lots of warm air...

((Can you even see the sheep shed behind all that new growth??)

Breakfast is deliciously leisurely...

And after the visit with my mother, I shop for groceries, admiring the incredible wealth of produce that is available and wishing most everyone could just reach over and grab containers of berries and California cherries and lettuces and veggies and all the rest of it.

In the early afternoon, I weed, of course, and I'm reaching into the more distant beds -- a sure sign of my confidence that things are thriving and that I can expand my field work. 

And the kids come to the farmette, all dressed up, because it was  "fancy day" at school...

And we have plenty of time to play, read, the usual happy stuff.

(still purple...)

We always end our farmhouse time with a Bluey episode on TV. If you dont have kids around you then you may not know this Australian cartoon. There are a million episodes (well, maybe a hundred) and the kids have seen them all, probably several times. It's way below their age, except that it isn't really, because the show is funny and delightfully real, even if the characters are.... dogs. Importantly, from my perspective, the episodes are very short: eight minutes each, so we can do one, or two and the kids feel so privileged that they get to watch something that is so... sweet and inconsequential (though with good life's lessons!).

 

In the evening, I finish weeding and chipping the distant bed. It's so satisfying to finish something that may well have suffered neglect for the rest of the season (and few would have noticed)! I didn't have to do it. But it's done and that's so wonderful.

I come in to cook Fish and roasted cauliflower for dinner. (The cats are excited!) And chocolate. My last bite in May will have been a square of chocolate. With thanks for a truly beautiful month!

with love...