13 April 2024
Another beautiful day! It was 65°F when I started out on my walk this morning. However, it’s like being bipolar (I should know). You know after the high the low is coming. Summer is on its way and it’ll be humid and hot on walks. I managed to walk 1.48 miles today albeit with a little foot drop. I attribute that to the workout at physical therapy yesterday – or the two mixed drinks at Olive and Sea.
I really was tired last night. I went to bed at 9:30 and was probably asleep by 9:35. I didn’t even get up once to pee. I hopped out of bed at 6 after doing some exercises in bed that Shannon said were OK to do in bed. It helps to do this set of exercises because I’m not as stiff when I first set foot out of bed.
On the walk, I passed my favorite natural looking yard and was surprised to see they had planted zinnias.
I must have been in the fourth grade in Morton when I first planted zinnias. We were at the gray house we rented on Pulaski Road. Dad made a flower bed under the picture window and I planted zinnias and nasturtiums. I apparently had a green thumb because I think every seed germinated. I’ve had a thing for zinnias ever since. I think they are often overlooked in the scheme of gardens. Wherever I moved over the years, when in the correct growth zone, I would plant a bed of these. I haven’t planted any since I’ve been here but maybe I need to add a bed in the yard somewhere. They can be stunning.
My green thumb had other uses. Dad planted a garden in the back of the house where the hill the house was sitting on dropped off. To humor me, he plowed an area on the side of the house at my urging even though he told me it was too steep. I planted butter beans. Dad used to laugh and tell people that my one short row of butter beans produced more than his three, much longer rows in his garden. I’m sure he was embellishing a little there but my single row did produce a pretty good crop – which I proceeded to eat raw.
I have a thing for raw vegetables. I used to eat onions, tomatoes, corn, English peas, butter beans raw. I’ve even been known to eat potatoes (Irish and sweet) raw. It was fun to pull up carrots from the garden, wipe most of the dirt off and start gnawing. A little dirt never hurt anyone. Maybe that’s why Mother kept checking Archie and me for worms every year. Then again, maybe it was the mud pies that Jimmie and I used to make and eat.
Today is wash day and change the sheets day. I won’t be doing much cleaning today since I did a little during the week. Sometime today I need to add water to the pool. I’ve been lucky so far and haven’t had to add water in quite a while. Our rainy season normally starts mid-May so maybe I won’t have to add water too often.
Tonight is dinner at Secret Garden at the Pillars Hotel. That’s always fun, relaxing, and tasty!
Stay tuned!