Wednesday

 …. the sirens song was too much for me.

I’ve been suffering with cabin fever lately.  Our weather, for the last many weeks has been abysmal.  Overcast and/or raining, foggy, wet, cold.  And, most days it was all those things.  Then suddenly the sirens song.

Come out, come out and play in the yard.

I tried to be strong and ignore pull of the outdoor music.  Yes, it was sort of warm but it was very overcast and wet (our humidity has been averaging about, oh, 204% lately). But, while walking around the front yard, I suddenly found myself cutting back all the dead katie ruellia.  Then the Datura – Devils Trumpet.  All drown and/or frozen.  Now cut back to the ground.  Then I brought out more potted plants from the garage – ones that will eventually be planted in a small bed close to the house.  And two hours from the time I walked out, I went back inside covered with dirt.  (I am not one of those people that can work in the yard and stay clean and fresh. 

Used to look like this

and this

Well, fine.  At least the front yard looked a bit better.

Then Thursday, the song was even louder and I was out by 9am.  I started moving all the plants that have been living in the garage since November out to the yard.  All the big, heavy plants.  When I finally reached the point of “I’m not sure I can drag myself into the house ohmigod”, I came in.  Every muscle hurt.  I think my hair hurt!

and 

and

and L O T S more

Today, I had planned to (1) go to the library and (2) go to the grocery store.  Not very exciting but necessary.  However, at 8am I found myself dressed in yard-working-clothes, heading out the back door.  I finally came in about 1pm.  That’s my limit anymore – 4 to 5 hours per day of heavy lifting, pulling weeds, planting seeds/seedlings, moving big pots, digging up and moving plants from here to over there, mowing, cutting back all the dead stuff and hauling everything to the trash pile outside the fence.  I burned up my mower.  While trying to cut back some of the MULTITUDE of weeds, I noticed smoke coming off the plug (my mower is/was electric).  Stopped and unplugged the extension cord from the mower (burned my fingers in the process) and there was smoke coming out of the plug.  This is bad.  It is never good to see smoke coming out of something electric. 

doesn't look as bad here
but you can't see the
SMOKE!

poor baby mower

Sigh

Tomorrow I HAVE to go to the store!