The Very Last Week of Spring in Everyday Ramblings

Alright, it is already passionflower on the flower clock. This is the vine that covers the northwest fence of the community garden. It has heavy competition from some raspberry vines though.

The nasturtiums are big and blooming now, such pretty variegated colors. I have another marigold bud, no flowers yet. The zinnias are going to need to be thinned I can tell already as they are up from seed. Today I took the tiny little columbine seeds from the fridge and put them in the seed tray. Wish us luck. Based on the weather report there will be plenty of heat to get them going in the next week.

On Saturday after a nice walk around a neighborhood out on the east side with (freshly shorn) Frieda and Mrs. Sherlock we went to the biggest nursery in town near where we were walking, and I found a bottle of the organic Spinosad I needed to control the leaf miners in my veggies. This nursery has the most amazing woman in the information booth. She is brilliant.

Because we were expecting a much-needed rain day, all day Sunday, I went down to the garden after I got home, cut off all the affected leaves I could find and sprayed. Today is the first time since they first appeared that I have not found newly infected leaves. Other things are eating the leaves but if I get to them in time and wash them well, I can eat those myself.

There are still a lot of bugs and there will be more as we head into a hot dry spell. I am going to try to get the netting up later this week with Most Honorable’s help.

Like everywhere here in the U.S. recycling has become much harder. We have this local outfit called Ridwell, where you get a box about the size of a small dog kennel and every two weeks they come and pick up stuff that the local recyclers can’t handle anymore, and they make sure the stuff gets properly recycled. They are partnering with all sorts of nonprofits and innovators.

They take things like batteries, plastic bags, food bags and film and bubble wrap, light bulbs and clean cloth as in clothes and find a good home for them. I signed up for it and Kes, Charity, and Mrs. Sherlock are all going to contribute stuff. I have made a commitment to getting rid of two pieces of clothing per week that I don’t wear or doesn’t fit anymore.

Right now, part of my living room looks like a combo garden recycling center.

This is all a piece of accepting that unless I get sick, (something I hope does not happen), I will never be thin again. Healthy, robust, strong, oh yeah, but not thin.

Everything, as you know, that involves the processes of the body takes longer as we age, and tomorrow is the last live session of Handstand Club.

I can do all sorts of things I could not do seven weeks ago. I am stronger, more flexible, more agile and more confident but I cannot nail a handstand yet. I am close but I need to keep working at it. I am not giving up. I have the recordings of all the sessions and a written program with tutorial links.

My wrists and hands and forearms have always been weak. I figured this out playing volleyball in middle school. I have never been able to do the fancy yoga arm balances you see all over Instagram. But I can work on grip strength, forearm strength and force distribution in my hands.

The whole time I have been practicing yoga in the back of my mind there has always been this knowledge that to balance out the strength in my legs I was going to need to work on my upper body, but you know there was poetry and work and relationships that took priority.

Charity is right when she says that when I do nail a handstand first at the wall and then in the center of the room it is going to be so very sweet. The people that have the skill make it look so easy, but for us mere mortals…

This is a gift of a healthy retirement. The opportunity to choose where to put your attention. I do work I enjoy and someday I hope to make space for the writing again. I miss it.

It sure would be a lot easier if I didn’t live with a cat that thinks his whole purpose in life is to sit on me.