Walking, bee spotting, roses and Cluny Brown

Today's unassisted walk got me closer to the pond, the current stretch goal.  And a long nap when I got home, so I'm still working on stamina. I'm starting Week Five, and all's well.

A new item in This Adaptive Life -- sweeping. I've been able to sweep floors, but not to pick up the debris on a shovel,  too far to stoop yet. 

Today I figured out how to use the ever vital grabber stick to hold the shovel still, then transport the contents to the garbage. Since I sweep the kitchen floor daily, don't like bits of food underfoot, this is a nice advance. 

Soon I won't need to be so careful with hip restrictions, by which time I'll be really expert at an obsolete skill.

This afternoon on the deck brought aerial combat among crows, three of them, probably two males, fighting it out over a female who probably wishes they'd get it over with.

And the first bee of the year, a  shiny-butt carpenter, too big to fit into the trumpet -shaped sage blossoms, but he spent a while working them over anyway.

He's near the rim of the pot.

I notice no insects are interested in the roses

Empty calories. What variety are they? Birds plant them all over. This one's not unwelcome, but it's not earning its keep in pollination.

Yesterday I made some sort of nicoise-like egg salad. It involved capers, bit of vegan mayo, olives, red raw onions, scallions smoked paprika, black pepper. 

I'm not vegan, but I sometimes use recipes that are. This one I basically invented. With toasted red lentil crackers, it was good. 

Then today I added in to the leftovers those black beans you're tired of hearing about,  with tomato paste, and declared it salsa. No picture, you can guess how it looked. 

Gary came flying in this morning to give me an update on the, great, graduation party of his granddaughter, and to give me this party favor, popcorn.

Note the Legally Blonde reference! Joy, we have another wonderful Black woman lawyer starting her career in criminal defense. 

Happy day everyone, I'm into Cluny Brown again, light and funny, just right for where I am.

I hope you have your match in reading. Also everything else.

Billie has yet to meet her match.

Meanwhile prayers and good thoughts for dear Joe. He never let us down. Stand by him now. And Jill.

Chop wood, carry water, finish yarn

Natural art happened early this morning. It's that time of year when early sun reflects off east facing windows across the street then back across to my west facing kitchen window and through to the living room.

So I get morning sun from the west, which amuses me every year. Here it's lighting up, among other things, some hand stitched ornaments Handsome Partner used to put on his little tree. A colleague of his made them. 

Today was chop wood, meaning peel and steam that big haul of carrots, carry water meaning realize I needed clean clothes and doing a load of laundry, also wash a sinkful of  dishes,  start engine, meaning run car a few minutes, she started lovely, and take out garbage. 

Also walk a bit, sniffing lovely cold wake you up air.  

Then home to a pot of tea with bread sticks and havarti cheese, courtesy of Handsome Son.

I caught up on podcasts while I finished that yarn, I think. I believe it was one skein.

But I think I'll continue the giant granny square a bit, because it's fun to do and I have colors that will work with it. 

I also have a stack of granny squares and pinloom woven squares which will work. 

I had a dream that one of my sisters gave birth to quintuplets. All dressed differently, she told me their names, and seemingly already toddlers! I was very worried in case I had to take over their care. Quite glad to wake up. Dreams are brain circuits criss -crossing I suppose.  

And I had a hilarious online exchange about avian reproduction, and what people don't understand about it. Which I'll expand on if you would like. It's pretty funny to anyone who's bred birds, as I have, though inadvertently. That's also funny. Lemme know if it's something you'd like to read, rather than tldr.

Happy day everyone, don't count your chickens..

And look who sent me Christmas greetings, the last of a wonderful presidency