Fenced in, fish, powerhouse soup and mystery wildflowers

Today contractor friend Mike comes to see what's what with the fence. The uprights were put in exactly where the old posts had been, but they're bigger and take up more surface. He'll have to cut the walkway a bit to fit it in again. And cut and move the supports under the deck to secure the walkway, because the gate's a good 18" over from the old gate.  He designed the deck so I expect he'll know how to proceed.

Not that I'm anxious to sit out yet, temps in the fifties and a brisk wind. 

Yesterday I made stock and a powerhouse green soup with macaroni. Broccoli, spinach and scallions. You've seen this before, so no pix. Very welcome on cold spring days.  

And I broke out the salmon, and proved again that good ingredients need very little help from the cook. 

Just salt, pepper, fresh thyme, baked, that's it. With a green salad, very cheering spring lunch. With enough left for today, too.

The jaw pain is easing up a bit, after I've been trying not to clench. Bet dollars to donuts it will be resolved before I see the doctor.  

She gets this patient, unintended pun,  look when I tell her about awful symptoms that have all gone away now! I'm betting she's seeing a lot of anxiety symptoms of all kinds these days. 

Before I leave Twitter to sort itself out, after my morning rounds of storytellers, historians, artists and other cheering people, let me tell you a recent dialogue with an older lady on another website.

She brags about having no smartphone, though she's on the computer daily checking in to interactive websites. On  the subject of Twitter she claimed "I can't tweet, I don't have a smartphone".  

Someone else tried to explain tweeting was exactly like what she was currently doing, only with fewer characters. But she insisted. 

We finally realized she had it confused with texting. Evidently thought the whole site was about texting. Oh. Can't imagine how that could work.  But I wonder how often people form positions based on a faulty grasp of the facts. I expect I do too.

Speaking of which, is this a bed of henbit?

It has different colored leaves from the henbit growing at my door.  But I'm open to suggestions.

Putin has now cut off Russian natural gas supplies to a couple of neighboring countries, further uniting Europe and strengthening support for Ukraine.  I wouldn't say he's much of a tactician. More like a human blunt instrument.

Happy day everyone, at least as happy as you can manage. Some of us are struggling, I know.