Thursday's Putterings
Topics contained herein:
Critters, gardening and a disappointed but tough little boy.
Weather / Phenology:
We put the hummingbird feeders up yesterday, in the early evening. The first bird I saw this morning was a beautiful little hummer. It actually made me feel bad … apparently he was just waiting around for me to get my act together. He drank from both nectar feeders and then checked out the seed feeders. He didn’t seem to think much of them :)
I have a new pet. (Everyone I actually talk to in a day already knows this story and should skip ahead.) I was sitting at the dining table, minding my own business, when a spider came to the table to join me … again. (This happened with another spider of the same species several days ago.) Emboldened by my earlier success with trapping this type of spider, I fetched a glass and a plate and isolated it inside a glass cage. I set it aside so that I could release it outside later. Coincidentally, a small beetle-like bug landed near me a bit later. It looked to be just about the right size for a meal for my new friend so I slipped it onto the plate and moved the glass so it covered the little bug too. Sure enough Spidey crawled half-way down the side of the glass and paused, apparently observing its prey. I was just about to return to my writing when it POUNCED in a flash. It grabbed the bug up in its mouth and carried it around for a while. Later, the husk-like remains of the beetle lay scattered on the plate. If I feed it, that makes it a pet. Right? I’m going to observe it for a few days before letting it go. If anyone is interested, I think it’s a Daring Jumping Spider, as seen here:
enature.com
We had a short but fun thunderstorm after R-got home from work. While we sat outside talking, we heard a few distant rumbles. (Well, he heard them … I wasn’t sure.) When I returned to planting, the day got significantly darker and the thunder became loud enough for me to notice. I hurried up and tucked all the herbs in before the first few drops of rain fell. By the time I finished putting all my tools away, the rain was falling steadily and the sky was lighting up with reddish bolts of lightening. Ch- and I were standing inside the chain link chicken tractor when a particularly bright flash, followed immediately by a loud crack, sent us scurrying for the patio. I stripped off most of my muddy clothes and allowed the rain to cascade over my skin. It was wonderful.
Mood Summary:
I had a fantastic day. My “cold” seems to have dissipated. I enjoyed my house and writing a lengthy entry about my ideal life for much of the day. After Ch-got home from school, we went out to work on the gardens. I must remember to NOT wait until the day appears nice through the windows. At 4:30, after a semi-gray, semi-wet day, the sun was out … and everything was steaming. A few hours later, it was lovely for gardening but it sucked for a bit.
Accomplishments:
Wrote My Ideal Life (1,770 words btw)
Kept my routines
Amended and planted a bed
Started sheet-mulching the bed the chickens just left
Cleared another (rested) bed
Planted all the herbs except the chocolate mint … which will go into a pot
Took a great bath and fussed with my grooming
Five Gratitudes:
1) R- did last night’s dinner dishes this morning before going to work
2) the hummingbird and, weirdly, the spider
3) the thunderstorm and my first real rain-shower of the year
4) being in a great mood
5) Ch-‘s grace upon hearing that he did not get the part in The Music Man. He was disappointed but he sounded fine as he talked to the director who called to tell him he hadn’t been chosen. My heart broke for him a little but I told him that he did amazingly well, considering that he’s never done anything like this before. I hope he’s proud of what he accomplished. And I hope he’ll try again.
I have to admit this makes the summer easier than it would have been. I’m not happy, exactly, but I’m a little relieved.
Exercise / Step Count:
Yoga (good) and gardening … I didn’t count it as aerobic exercise tho. (I think I was only sweating due to the sultry heat.)
Next Tasks
(tasks = 4 per day / focuses = 4 per week / W = writing goals / Z = this week’s zone)
*Use timer to control current obsession: Use timer for routines.
1) continue sheet mulching bare beds
2) continue planting all veggies & seeds
3) spend some extra time on the outdoor animals
4) take Gmom to he shrink appointment and back
5) Writing: #1 putterings #2 ideal life #3 crisis cleaning article draft
6) Zone: clear sewing table/ make R-list of tasks / general cleaning
F: Outdoors (gardens, garbage, lawn, patio, etc.)
F: Ch-‘s room (hang stuff, organize, repair blanket, etc)
F: Attitude toward Ch- (set up keyboard, music, camera, other projects)
F: Animals: chickens (cut nails, clean out coops, etc.)
W: re-establish putterings, update womanly_arts, TAI, etc.
Zone #4 -- Master Bedroom / Bedroom Closet / Ch--'s Room
Goal Level Behaviors
2006 Next Little Bit List
Routines
Cleaning: zones & weekly schedule
Critters, gardening and a disappointed but tough little boy.
Weather / Phenology:
We put the hummingbird feeders up yesterday, in the early evening. The first bird I saw this morning was a beautiful little hummer. It actually made me feel bad … apparently he was just waiting around for me to get my act together. He drank from both nectar feeders and then checked out the seed feeders. He didn’t seem to think much of them :)
I have a new pet. (Everyone I actually talk to in a day already knows this story and should skip ahead.) I was sitting at the dining table, minding my own business, when a spider came to the table to join me … again. (This happened with another spider of the same species several days ago.) Emboldened by my earlier success with trapping this type of spider, I fetched a glass and a plate and isolated it inside a glass cage. I set it aside so that I could release it outside later. Coincidentally, a small beetle-like bug landed near me a bit later. It looked to be just about the right size for a meal for my new friend so I slipped it onto the plate and moved the glass so it covered the little bug too. Sure enough Spidey crawled half-way down the side of the glass and paused, apparently observing its prey. I was just about to return to my writing when it POUNCED in a flash. It grabbed the bug up in its mouth and carried it around for a while. Later, the husk-like remains of the beetle lay scattered on the plate. If I feed it, that makes it a pet. Right? I’m going to observe it for a few days before letting it go. If anyone is interested, I think it’s a Daring Jumping Spider, as seen here:
enature.com
We had a short but fun thunderstorm after R-got home from work. While we sat outside talking, we heard a few distant rumbles. (Well, he heard them … I wasn’t sure.) When I returned to planting, the day got significantly darker and the thunder became loud enough for me to notice. I hurried up and tucked all the herbs in before the first few drops of rain fell. By the time I finished putting all my tools away, the rain was falling steadily and the sky was lighting up with reddish bolts of lightening. Ch- and I were standing inside the chain link chicken tractor when a particularly bright flash, followed immediately by a loud crack, sent us scurrying for the patio. I stripped off most of my muddy clothes and allowed the rain to cascade over my skin. It was wonderful.
Mood Summary:
I had a fantastic day. My “cold” seems to have dissipated. I enjoyed my house and writing a lengthy entry about my ideal life for much of the day. After Ch-got home from school, we went out to work on the gardens. I must remember to NOT wait until the day appears nice through the windows. At 4:30, after a semi-gray, semi-wet day, the sun was out … and everything was steaming. A few hours later, it was lovely for gardening but it sucked for a bit.
Accomplishments:
Wrote My Ideal Life (1,770 words btw)
Kept my routines
Amended and planted a bed
Started sheet-mulching the bed the chickens just left
Cleared another (rested) bed
Planted all the herbs except the chocolate mint … which will go into a pot
Took a great bath and fussed with my grooming
Five Gratitudes:
1) R- did last night’s dinner dishes this morning before going to work
2) the hummingbird and, weirdly, the spider
3) the thunderstorm and my first real rain-shower of the year
4) being in a great mood
5) Ch-‘s grace upon hearing that he did not get the part in The Music Man. He was disappointed but he sounded fine as he talked to the director who called to tell him he hadn’t been chosen. My heart broke for him a little but I told him that he did amazingly well, considering that he’s never done anything like this before. I hope he’s proud of what he accomplished. And I hope he’ll try again.
I have to admit this makes the summer easier than it would have been. I’m not happy, exactly, but I’m a little relieved.
Exercise / Step Count:
Yoga (good) and gardening … I didn’t count it as aerobic exercise tho. (I think I was only sweating due to the sultry heat.)
Next Tasks
(tasks = 4 per day / focuses = 4 per week / W = writing goals / Z = this week’s zone)
*Use timer to control current obsession: Use timer for routines.
1) continue sheet mulching bare beds
2) continue planting all veggies & seeds
3) spend some extra time on the outdoor animals
4) take Gmom to he shrink appointment and back
5) Writing: #1 putterings #2 ideal life #3 crisis cleaning article draft
6) Zone: clear sewing table/ make R-list of tasks / general cleaning
F: Outdoors (gardens, garbage, lawn, patio, etc.)
F: Ch-‘s room (hang stuff, organize, repair blanket, etc)
F: Attitude toward Ch- (set up keyboard, music, camera, other projects)
F: Animals: chickens (cut nails, clean out coops, etc.)
W: re-establish putterings, update womanly_arts, TAI, etc.
Zone #4 -- Master Bedroom / Bedroom Closet / Ch--'s Room
Goal Level Behaviors
2006 Next Little Bit List
Routines
Cleaning: zones & weekly schedule