we refuse to run, we've only just begun

I got up early (for me) that so that I could go into town for allergy shots, and I was back and ready to work before I am accustomed to working these days, which was good for my productivity. I then slogged all day, with a break for a ten minute nap in deference to the fact that I didn't sleep well last night. But I did the last couple of hours of work from my balcony in anticipation of being stuck inside tomorrow, and the sun helped me as much as it always does.

Then I checked on my gardens and ended up adding a couple of lines to my Florida weave to help hold my tomatoes up before it rains. And then I sat on my balcony and worked on personal stuff until it was basically dark. Then I had a v late sandwich, intended to get back to work, and instead mostly procrastinated. But I'm going to try the strange strategy of going to bed before midnight, so let's see how that treats me. Goodnight!

beat it

I'm v tired but I had a pretty productive day today. I did not write as much this morning as I intended to, but that's okay; I spent the afternoon cleaning and made some real improvements to my living room, kitchen, guest room, bedroom, and bathroom. I didn't quite get through the whole list of cleaning chores, but things feel fresher than they did, so I'll take it.

Of course, I feel like a total sloth in comparison to [censored], who planted [censored] all afternoon - but for a Sunday, I got a lot done. I also listened to a couple of episodes of Trevor Noah's podcast, which I quite enjoyed. And I threw together some chicken and rice to bake for dinner, which turned out v. well.

And now, I need to sleep (in fresh sheets, which is always a delight). Goodnight!

replicator

I had a reasonably good day - the sun was out, which always helps. I got up, made coffee, and started working immediately, which was probably a good thing since it kept me from wallowing. And I ate fancy cheese for lunch because I actually remembered that it was in the garage fridge... It was delish even though I had no crackers and so basically ate it + some salami + jam with a knife like a (bougie) peasant. 

Around three I decided to be done, so I took my mom to the greenhouse at Lucas to see what they still had for sale. They had some decent plants left, so we each bought a few, and also got a couple of new pots. Then we came home, talked to [censored], etc. I also talked to John and Jess, who were a delight. And then I made a chicken quesadilla for dinner and got sucked into watching Stargate with [censored], which wasn't what I intended to do tonight but wasn't bad.

And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

from olalla to the city lights

I have not blogged because I had nothing interesting to report - I spent the last couple of days working in an attempt to start really getting caught up on everything I've missed. I got some good stuff done today, and then promptly felt overwhelmed because I realized that it was still just the tip of the iceberg of what I need to get done. But at least I *did* get something done, so I'll take it.

Anyway, as I said, there is little to report from the last couple of days. [Censored] and I have been subsisting on various Mexican-adjacent foods - I made taco salads on Sunday night, which turned into making extra taco meat on Tuesday night to use up the other fillings, and then I thawed out some chicken taco meat that I'd prepped last month so that we could continue eating without me needing to cook. Last night was also watched the latest Mike Birbiglia comedy special, which was pretty great until we realized it was mostly about his dad having a stroke, which was really not the direction that either of us wanted our entertainment to go in. So we palate cleansed with some Stargate, and I went to bed a little sad.

Today, as I said, was somewhat productive, although it tapered off at the end. But I spent some quality time this evening journaling + brainstorming some writing stuff, so I'll take it. And now I need to sleep so that I can be in it to win it in the morning - goodnight!

rest your eyes and stay in the shade

I'm v tired and I suppose I should go to bed if I have any hope of getting work done tomorrow. I was pretty productive today, though. I woke up and spent some quality time writing this morning, which felt good. Then I showered, ate a sandwich, went to the grocery store, and embarked on my afternoon activities. This involved planting tings for several hours - [censored] had set up my raised garden beds yesterday, and I got the north one fully planted (three tomatoes, a tomatillo, five kinds of pepper, way more eggplant than I should have planted, and some basil and cilantro). We are also testing the 'Florida weave' method of supporting the tomatoes and peppers, which involves putting fence posts on either end of the garden and then holding the plants up with a figure-eights of twine weaving around them. We'll see how this goes, but I'm excited so far.

We'll also see how well AI does in planning a garden - I trained a Gemini agent by telling it I wanted it to act like a 'retired Extension director with extensive personal gardening experience', and also told it my zone, soil type, etc. It suggested what plants to put in each bed, and also told me I have too much zucchini, which I realized myself a little too late. It's been helpful so far in figuring out how to lay things out, so we'll see how it goes this summer.

In more earthy, less AI news, I also killed my first tomato worm of the season - it was just casually hanging out on one of my tomato plants before I even planted it. I assume it hitched a ride from the greenhouse, but its migration was for naught because I crushed it. This is perhaps the first of many, but I hope not.

After I planted the veggies, I took a break from the raised beds because I need more soil for the second one. Instead, I planted a couple of pots of petunias for the front, a dahlia for my balcony, and also the big railing planter that I keep on my balcony every summer. I still have more to plant this week, but I felt good about what I got done today. And I did it all while listening to a couple of audiobooks - first I started a book on consciousness, but I was having trouble focusing on it. So I switched to "Braiding Sweetgrass", which I've been meaning to read for ages, and so far it's excellent - it's by a botanist who is a member of the Potawatomi, and it's part memoir, part history, part plant/environment discussion.

When I was done planting, I cleaned up, took a shower, and then made dinner (somewhat reluctantly; if I were in Denver, I would have ordered thai takeout instead). Luckily it turned out v. well - I made pasta with sausage and swiss chard (and parmesan and lemon zest, no tomatoes), which is one of my faves. The chard came from the farmers' market yesterday, and it was pretty tasty, and [censored] and I both enjoyed it.

And now, I need to sleep - goodnight!

dream on

I had a decent last couple of days. Yesterday I got up early and packed up before heading to the garmers market in downtown Des Moines. I was really surprised by how many vendors they had -- over 200, which meant there were a lot of people crammed into the city. But I got some plans for my garden and really enjoyed wandering around, so it was a good way to spend the morning.

Then I went to whole foods to stock up on stuff. I also went to Home Depot to get various things for my garden, and I stopped at Ellis Greenhouse for the same reason. I probably have more garden stuff than I need or want, but that's a problem for Future Sara.

After I got home yesterday, I spent the afternoon roasting tomatoes and then grilling steak for dinner with Mom and [censored]. I went to bed last night and intended to get up early today so that I could be productive, and I was partially successful. Surprisingly, I did get up pretty early for a weekend, but the productivity was marginal at best.

That said, I had an okay day. Since it was drizzling a bit this morning, I ended up going to Centerville so that I could pick up a few last things that I didn't have for my garden as well as get a few groceries. When I got back, [censored] and I ended up putting together two raised garden beds that he had picked up for me in Des Moines. And by "we" I mean [censored] did all of the work and I mostly stood around and supervised.

I ended the day by taking a shower, and then [censored] and I took a quick trip to the cemetery to see the way it looked with all the flags out for Memorial Day. When we got back I threw together the accoutrements for taco salad - I browned some hamburger and then chopped up romaine that I bought at the farmers market yesterday to go with some onion, tomato, a salsa/sour cream dressing, and various other tings. This went a long way toward restoring my energy. 

And now I need to go to bed - goodnight!

i can't wait 'til tomorrow while these thoughts they all leech from my head

I am ensconced in a bougie hotel room in Des Moines, because I desperately needed both alone time and fanciness and a change of scene. I had been planning to come to Des Moines for the afternoon for awhile, since I booked a haircut for today directly after my last haircut several months ago. But last night I decided to make it an overnight - coming up in the afternoon always rushes me to run errands and buy groceries, and I never have time to chill and explore. 

So I got up pretty early, did an interview for a candidate at work at the ungodly hour of 8am (I am v spoiled and believe starting meetings before ten -- or better, eleven -- is a violation of my human rights), and then sped to Des Moines. I then took another meeting from Starbucks before taking the rest of the day off (partially on my own volition, partially at the direction of my friend/HR boss lady, who actually texted me today on my personal phone to make sure I was following through on taking today off).

After that, I got a long overdue pedicure, then grabbed a salad and went to the salon to get my haircut (which turned out great). Then I washed my car, ran to Rrader Joe's, and drove downtown to check into my hotel. I also checked out a salvage store that I've wanted to explore, and it was awesome - four stories of incredible junk that was both v appealing and gave me PTSD flashbacks to all the other junk my family already has. It's a good thing I don't have room for a gigantic spinning wheel (unless I turn the place next door into a textile studio, which is not the dumbest idea I've had). But the store was well worth a visit. 

Then I went to the hotel, unpacked, and walked down the street to Centro, where I had a bougie early dinner with an Aperol spritz, scallops, and a glass of wine. Then I came back to the hotel and dozed, which might have been the end of me - but Katie called, so we talked for an hour, which was a delight.

After Katie woke me up, I rallied and went downstairs for another glass of wine, some fries, and some v quality time with my journal. I came up with some story topics, which made the price of the hotel room worth it, and it was v nice to have a solo hotel bar experience like I used to have when I traveled more. 

But now, I need to sleep so I can run all the errands tomorrow - goodnight!