it was like this

A chilly morning, as expected. But a blue sky changes our feelings about everything. It doesn't seem cold if there's sunshine on the porch. Come on Millie, let's listen to the birds in the lilac tree! (Over breakfast.)

I almost don't believe it, but Millie is actually settling into a walking schedule. Two days without accidents! (Update: make that one day without accidents!) And the new fresh food from Farmer's Dog disappears from her bowl every time. My fussy eater loves her new meal plan. So far, the age of six months seems to have been a turning point.

(time to brush you, little one...)

 

Wednesdays are typically chore days for me. I do not have kid duty, so my time is mostly unscheduled. Today, I crate Millie and head out to the farmette. I have three goals: to weed some of the flower beds, to dig up some day lilies that have been hidden from view by unruly, spreading neighbors, and to help Ed repot the gigantic orchids that I have handed over to him because they're so big that they do not fit into a normal residence. (We keep them outside in the summer and in the sheep shed, where they bloom profusely all winter long.)

As I work on the weeding and digging, I get that feeling of enormous pleasure, knowing that the flower fields will benefit from my efforts. It's vigorous work and I haven't done much of that this spring. And I am surrounded by nature. Suburban gardens are lovely and I'm looking forward to planting the yard at Steffi's House, but working in them doesn't feel the same as working at the farmette, where you are not fully in control -- the land, the seeds, the saplings, the roots and weeds are all powerful players, and their word must be reckoned with. My friend in Australia used to tell me -- don't try to tame the landscape. That's not the point. She was right of course. In the new development, on the other hand, things are mightily tamed. Us humans have bulldozed, dug in it, transformed the place into something suited for our needs. Whatever I do in a garden there will be a small trifle. Nature has already lost the battle to the humanization of the land.

So again I feels rather sad to turn my back now on the farmette fields. But am I really turning my back? I tell Ed I will return later in the week to weed some more.

With Millie still in her crate, I can head out to my next item on the list: a haircut. It's a fun one today. Lyndsy, my very long time hair trimmer, has just gotten a puppy of a doodle variety and we are full of dog stories as we relay months of dog and puppy issues. It's great to talk about dogs with a person equally immersed in the process of rearing a puppy. I am not actually a chatty customer in settings like these -- it's an enormous effort for me not to groan when I'm asked -- "Got any plans for the rest of the day?"  I do not want to be rude, but nor do I like to be engaged in what has to be the most superficial form of discourse. But with Lyndsy, time flies. And when she shows her doodle pics and I show her mine, I feel a kinship that is born of being with a person who understands strong attachments to these animals.

(At home, with Millie)

Eventually I take Millie to the small dog park. It's a brilliant day for it. The slight chill gives a zest to the air that's lost on us on hot summer days. A perfect moment to take in the beauty of the plant life all around us.

 

 

 

Millie has learned to stay close to me, liking to trot by my side or run to me after sniffing out an enticing something or other, even more than playing with the other dogs.

And we stop over at the farmette after our park visit. It's on the way!

 

 

("Mildred, do you see that animal coming up the walk? We better hide!" "You're darn right, Martha. Can't trust those furry beasts!")

 

 

I had forgotten to drop off some stuff of Ed's and, too, I had some printing to do. Millie rests.

 My evening is one of returns: a tree I purchased on line? Sick. Another plant? Half dead. A pair of pants for travel? Too thick. A barefoot rose for the garden? Never sprouted. This is where working with reliable vendors helps. It's horrible to save up for something and then to have it be a dud. So I call, I write, I print labels. In the meantime, Millie cavorts from one room to the next, feeling more confident now in her explorations. She is still quite the velcro pup. I haven't used the bathroom once since she came without her lying down besides me there. But she also tests stepping into spaces without me. So long as she knows I am on the couch, she feels free to poke around. My girl is growing up!

Tomorrow, the warm up begins. Slowly at first, and then boom! We will be in the thick of summer weather.

with so much love...