Sunday, July 27, 2025

a goose in an otherwise flawless plan

The title is a typo, but I like it. 

I have been awake almost 24hrs, with a couple of naps interspersed. My plan to fly out early today to avoid storms hit an immediate setback because it was thundering when I woke up at 2:30am, but the drive to the airport wasn't the worst I've done, so I'll take it.

I want to finish this post with full details of everything I did, but I'm already v tired, so I think the run down will have to also wait. Goodnight!

Thursday, July 24, 2025

the panamanian child

Claude left today, and I am going to have to scramble tomorrow to follow her toward the west coast. We had an excellent time together, though. Yesterday we got up early enough to (sort of) beat the heat and take a walk at Bob White, where they've done a v. nice job maintaining the various prairie trails on the south side. We also drove to see the two murals in the southernmost portion of the county before coming home to shower off the remnants of our sweaty walk. Then we went to the next town over to have lunch at Lucile's, since we knew that we would not feel like leaving the house again later in the day as the heat index went over 100.

So we spent the rest of the afternoon doing a variety of indoor tings, eating cheese and other snacks, and drinking aperol spritzes. And we hung out with [censored] when he got back, which was v. nice. And then Claudia packed up, and I accidentally stayed up way too late...

...but I was still able to wake up in time to take Claudia to the airport for her flight. After we said our farewells, I ran some errands, got my nails done, and got my hair cut in preparation for my trip. Then I drove home (with a quick stop to buy the first sweet corn of the season), chatted with [censored], made some pasta with mushrooms/chicken/jarred alfredo sauce, and generally messed around.

And now I need to go to bed - goodnight!

Tuesday, July 22, 2025

there's a time for meditation in cathedrals of our own

Claudia and I have had an excellent couple of days in ye olde Iowa. On Sunday, we took a walk around town to see various things + my dad's shop, and the most impressive thing was probably seeing some kids play in a ditch that had become a pond. That afternoon, Claudia made an excellent mango cheesecake (with gf crust!) and I made tater tot casserole, which we shared with Mom and [censored] because we're not monsters. 

Yesterday, we chilled and I did some work in the morning, and then we saw a couple of murals and went to the museum (which I always love). I made eggplant tricolore and roasted chicken breasts for dinner, which was tasty, and we spent the rest of the evening hanging out on the balcony and watching the fireflies.

Today, I worked for an hour before Claude woke up, and then Claudia and I met my mom for a tour of the world famous Round Barn. It is still round, in case you're wondering. Then we drove to Pella, where we had an excellent late lunch and then walked around until the heat got us, which did not take long. 

And now I need to sleep because I've been falling asleep for an hour trying to write this - goodnight!

Saturday, July 19, 2025

what does the fox say

I'm v sleepy but I had an excellent day - I woke up, did some final cleaning tasks around the house, thought about watering my garden, and was glad I didn't because it suddenly dumped over an inch of rain in the last hour that I was home. So instead I took a shower of my own, then drove to Des Moines, where I stocked up on wine and groceries via a quick whole foods run.

Then I drove back to the airport, where I arrived just in time to pick up Claudia (aka Santy Claude), who came to town! She is visiting for the next few days, and I am showing her all the many and varied tings that I've told her about over the last few decades. We grabbed a quick lunch near the airport (v tasty Mediterranean), and then we drove south.

When we got to my house, we hung out with [censored] for a bit, and then we went outside for a v brief tour of our various holdings before deciding it was too hot and muggy to be outside. Eventually we picked up Mom and took her out for prime rib at our usual prime rib place, where we saw the usual suspects.

Then, [censored] abandoned us but Mom, Claudia and I grabbed ice cream at the soda fountain (where Claudia met Gloria and also another Claude whom we happen to know). And then we all unwound, which would have been relaxing except for all the thunder (which encouraged me and [censored] to get our vehicles under cover at 10:30pm) and the severe thunderstorm warning that just went off on my weather radio and woke me up. I needed to wake back up anyway since I had dozed off while trying to write this, but it was a v unwelcome alarm.

So now I'm going to sleep and hope I don't get woken up again - goodnight!

Friday, July 18, 2025

do I make you cringe

I have had to slog excessively the last couple of days, which does not make me happy (although perhaps it's better than having too much free the with which to dwell on things). Today was more of the same, and then when I was done I went on a mad dash to clean the house in anticipation of a special guest this weekend. And now I need to sleep so that I can continue this all in the morning - goodnight!

Tuesday, July 15, 2025

breaking your neck for no reason

I had a reasonably good day - I watered my gardens (which was perhaps unnecessary since it may rain tomorrow), killed some bugs, did some work, and then went into town for an economic development board meeting. They're in the process of reforming with a new mission, and I probably could have used this as an opportunity to get off it - but instead I ended up staying on as treasurer, lolol. But I think the new group has some good energy, so we'll see whether I regret this decision.

Then I came home and promptly had meetings the rest of the day. I should have done more work tonight, but I got unexpected calls from both Kelly and Terry (who calls people unexpectedly anymore these days? no one in my generation), which was nice. And I had some quality me-time on the balcony, ate some leftover chili, and did a tiny bit of work before deciding it's probably time to throw in the towel.

So now it's time for bed - goodnight!

Monday, July 14, 2025

sonny move out to the country

I had a long but fairly productive day - I woke up a little later than intended, checked on my plants, and then slogged all day. I should have slogged all night too, but instead I checked my plants again (so far so good on what I attached to [censored]'s trellis) and then wrote my own stuff for a couple of hours. Then I ate a late bowl of chili, talked to [censored] for awhile, and decided I should go to bed so that I can get up and work early tomorrow. Goodnight!

Sunday, July 13, 2025

the tiniest moves you make

I had a v low-key day - I should have done more than I did, but that's the way it goes. I did some laundry, cleaned out my pantry, and spent a couple of hours journaling, so at least there's that. And [censored] and I finished the trellising activity in my squash bed - the trellis won't save the zucchini from the dreaded squash vine borer, but it should make my cucumbers much happier. 

And now, I need to sleep so I can slog tomorrow - goodnight!

Saturday, July 12, 2025

try to see it once my way

I did a lot of things today and very little of it was what I intended, but that's okay. When I woke up I decided I wanted to go to the greenhouse to see what they had at the end of the season, and I took Mom with me. They still had some tomatoes that looked more promising than the ones I planted six weeks ago, and some pepper varieties that I decided to try. I also bought some seeds for fall lettuces - I think most of my zucchini is about to give up the ghost, so I'm already mentally prepared to replace them. 

When I got home I started to do other things, but then [censored] came home and we decided to finally do the trellis on the squash bed. While the zucchini are dying, the cucumbers and the butternut squash are going gangbusters, and they need support. This turned into a three hour project involving three trips to the lumber yard and more PVC glue than I expected, but so far so good (thanks entirely to [censored]'s knowledge and to a lesser extent my charge account at the lumber yard).

After that, I relaxed a bit, ran to the grocery store, and did various small tasks. Then I went out to Mom's for dinner - she made fried potatoes and baked beans, and I grilled brats, and it was all v tasty. She still has five kittens as of tonight and they're quite cute - the full litter doesn't usually last this long, so I expect tragedy at any moment, but so far so good. 

And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

Friday, July 11, 2025

I just had a falling asleep spasm and entered gibberish into a tab on a spreadsheet, so I think it's nearing time for bed. But I had a mostly good week despite the fact that I have been working too much and doing v. little for my own purposes or goals. Wednesday I slogged, but I took a break to talk to Tanya, and I had a library board meeting, and I also talked to my mom, so it's not like I was totally isolated. I also tried making a new-to-me recipe that was an unusual fail - I seared/baked some chicken thighs and also roasted some potatoes, and those things turned out great, but the sauce I made for the chicken (cream, sundried tomatoes, etc.) broke and became inedible. At least I like plain chicken thighs and potatoes, so my night was salvaged.

Thursday was more boring than Wednesday, and I ended it by making past for me and [censored] (using jarred pasta sauce + sausage + mushrooms + some gf fusilli noodles that were perfect. Today was also boring, but there were thunderstorms in the middle to add some interest, andI made chili to get me and [censored] through the weekend.

But now, I need to go to bed - I have a million things to do this weekend and much fewer than a million hours to get it all done, so sleep is imperative. Goodnight!

Tuesday, July 08, 2025

time keeps on slipping slipping slipping

I have nothing new to report - I've been slogging more than I like to slog, and while there is an end in sight, it doesn't really feel like it. Today was exceedingly boring from that perspective - but I have figured out how to recreate my beloved Philz iced mint mojito coffee at home (no rum, just lots of brown sugar and cream and fresh mint from my garden). So at least I had a nice treat while I slogged.

And now I'm going to go to bed early in hopes that my brain will be refreshed tomorrow morning - goodnight!

Monday, July 07, 2025

can you light the fuse? think i might fall apart

I'm v tired, but I'm making some headway on my project, so I'll take it. Yesterday was more chill than I intended for it to be, which meant today was a pretty brutal slog - I got up at 5:30am and it's now 11:20pm and I'm finally shutting my laptop for the night. I didn't work that whole time - I got allergy shots this morning (such a luxury), and I took a long break in the late afternoon to say goodbye to [censored] and sit on my balcony and take a nap.

But since all I did today was work, I have nothing to report - and it's definitely time for bed. Goodnight!

Saturday, July 05, 2025

i came in from the outside, burned out from a joy ride

I've had a v. strange couple of days. Yesterday I woke up ready to seize the day (even though I had the day off), and I was going to help [censored] with a weeding and mulching project. However, just as I was getting ready, and while doing all my normal morning tings, my heart rate spiked to 200 bpm. This is great for electronic dance music, but less great when I hadn't done anything more strenuous than bending over to pick up a pair of shoes.

So I went into the living room and laid down on the floor for awhile, but my heart rate never dropped below 160. It eventually dropped a bit more, but when I decided to take a shower, it spiked to 200 again. This seemed worrisome since I have fitbit-recorded data showing my heart rate rarely goes above 135 even when I'm walking/gardening, and, usually hangs out below 90. So I had [censored] take me to the ER.

They ran some tests and everything seemed fine, so they gave me a liter of fluid and also gave me a heart monitor to wear for a week. My heart rate came down with the fluid, so it's possible I was dehydrated - that seems sus since I've been more dehydrated than that in my life, but I'll allow it. So then we came home, and I spent the rest of the day doing absolutely nothing.

Today was much better - I woke up ready to seize the day again, and my same procedures (get ready, drink iced coffee, check the garden, eat a granola bar) didn't result in any heart rate spikes. Then I went out to Mom's house - Drewbaby, Sammie, and Aunt Kathy came down for the day, which was v. nice. Kathy brought ribeyes, and so I fired up Dad's grill - and the steaks turned out quite well if I do say so myself. Mom made layered lettuce and potato salad, and Sammie brought pineapple and grapes, and it was all v. tasty. We also enjoyed watching the various escapades of the five kittens that have shown up on Mom's patio, including the escapades in which they fall off the patio and into the realm of the garden wall below.

At some point, the millennial generation absconded for a bit to go to the annual slip and slide party at Cheri and Jake's. This is rather bittersweet since they bought Gram and Granddad's house, and so the slip and slide hill is the same hill I used to sled down as a kid. The house is also no longer there, although they still have part of the barn. We took lawn chairs, and had a v. nice time hanging out, talking to people, and watching kids go down an increasingly muddy slip and slide to face plant into the giant ditch of water at the bottom. Also, my former high school guidance counselor now has a drinks trailer as a side gig, and while all the drinks were non-alcoholic, I bought a surprisingly tasty spicy lemonade and spiked it with vodka I'd brought in a thermos. My heart did not go above ninety despite the vodka and the excitement of watching kids get absolutely slathered in mud, so I'd say it all worked out.

Eventually we went back to Mom's, where we hung out for another couple of hours. Then, the Des Moines crew started to head north, and I went home with [censored] despite Drewbaby offering to pick up pizza. But then I realized the soda fountain was open tonight, so I called Drewbaby and Sammie while they were still getting pizza and offered to meet them for ice cream. This was a tasty way to end the evening, and it worked out for me because the volunteers were so slammed at the soda fountain that they didn't have time to try to pressure me into volunteering sometime, so I emerged unscathed.

And now, I need to go to bed so I can do all the tings tomorrow that I did not do this weekend - goodnight!

Thursday, July 03, 2025

waiting on the call

I'm v v v tired - I slogged excessively today, and I hit a very hard wall sometime around 6:30. So I poured a glass of wine and read a magazine on my balcony, then reheated beef and noodles for me and [censored]. And now I need to finish unwinding so I can hopefully sleep better than I did last night. Goodnight!

Wednesday, July 02, 2025

lethal industry

I am slogging relentlessly right now to finish a project, and while I'll be v happy when I'm done and my job can go back to its usual manageable level of craziness, right now things are too much.

However, I did take a break tonight to make beef and noodles for Mom and [censored], which was tasty. I have also inspected my gardens regularly and continue to be proud of my tomatillo and disappointed in my zucchini (but that's fine because I would way rather have more tomatillos anyway). And I have been able to work from my balcony for chunks of time yesterday and today, so things could be worse.

But now I need to go to bed - goodnight!