Signs Everywhere in Everyday Ramblings

So many of the flowers I have been looking up lately are in the sunflower family. Our garden doesn’t get enough full sun with the two giant oaks for sunflowers yet but the huge community garden I go by on the bus on the way back from the grocery has them up. They have no trees in the main garden, though there are apple trees off to the side.

This one is from a not official land trust community garden that Mrs. Sherlock and I visited last weekend. It had intense sun exposure. A lot of the plots needed weeding, but some were in good shape. I find this community aspect fascinating. It is like visiting people’s homes. Everyone’s plot is different.

I potted on the columbine seedlings. It is a nerve-wracking process as the seedlings are so fragile. My goal is to get better at it because it is so exciting to grow things and plants are a great gift source.

A few weeks ago, I was watching Gardeners’ World and Monty was talking about the annual appearance of cow parsnip. He wasn’t just talking about it; he was rhapsodizing about it. Yesterday when walking and listening to his new book he goes into more detail about it. He has it all over his garden at Longmeadow.

I am going, hmmm, that looks a lot like Queen Anne’s Lace. And here is some on this verge next to the path I am walking on. Then I looked up and saw Charity walking towards me. She waved and I turned off the book and said hello and told her how much I enjoyed the Bechdel book and that I had used a lighted magnifying glass to read it.

Charity was scheduled to have her cataracts done just as the pandemic was starting and still hasn’t rescheduled.

Then I asked her, what was going on, is there a problem, are you mad at me…

She said no, she is clearly struggling, she mentioned feeling like she needs to make some decisions about her relationship and the heat is bothering her and she needs time to work stuff out. I told her that I was enjoying solitary walks as well, which I am (no negotiation about how and where and when) and that I would be wishing her well as she goes through whatever it is she is going through.

When I said that I sensed a softening. That sharp slicing edge I was sensing must be a kind of defensiveness. She has a troubled past and has told me enough stories that I know she has been hard on her friends at various times but now at least the inconsistent and bizarre behavior is making a little more sense.

I am relieved and sad she is going through this but also thinking now I know I need to bolster my defenses a little. And make those Molasses Orange Spice cookies I have been planning on the last few days.

Talk about an aching heart, a couple of my students had to put down their dog, Tommy, yesterday. Ugh.

Kes and I just had a nice long Zoom. Their Internet is down, and the local provider is being a typical we could care less about customer service non provider. They are using their generous neighbor’s connection as a stop gap.

Can I just say, this coming out of lockdown and the pandemic in this kind of sort of things are back to normal but they aren’t thing is just plain weird?

No matter how hard we pretend otherwise, we have all been affected by this and the signs are everywhere.

Including right across the breezeway.