When real life takes over

Late at night today, I heard a single frog singing out loud very close,
I heard a dog's distant barking,
I heard some hauling,
and the occasional distant noise of a motor.
The stars were were listening too.

Night awakening

Sometimes at night when it's bedtime for most people I awaken. Tonight as I stepped out on the porch overlooking my backyard, I awoke to the poplar across the street with its theatrical shape and magnificence, dancing under the summer like breeze, looking like a giant sponge absorbing the water. That was tonight's regenerating comfort.

Sun and Dirt

Today I had breakfast in bed, and went back to sleep...
When I finally got up I decided against having a shower and went wild,- No grooming today, just the gypsy way - so instead I dived into my backyard, that needed tender love and care. Due to the pouring rain we had earlier this week, it's starting to look lush and fluffy, the way I like it. Some of the stuff I planted last year that never made it is sprouting right now, many surprises. I wanted it fluffy so I went crazy sowing and planting all over the place, so it's heading for being even more crowded than last summer. I like THIS way of capitalizing: Planting stuff that may show up some time later. As the day was moving forward, the sun got warmer and warmer and I peeled off layers till I found myself in shorts and tank top in my garden. In the veggie lot, the mustard greens are out. I gave them as neighbors lettuce, salad mix, arugula, spinach, radish, and Swiss chard. As I was digging in, I didn't see the hours pass, engrossed in the pleasure of handling the seeds and the dirt. I also put in plenty of lemon Balm, and more nasturtiums, cosmos, marigold. The red nasturtiums I sowed earlier are out, all over the place. I took my seedlings that I started a few weeks ago on my kitchen window sill out on my porch. There I have thyme, Chinese forget-me-not, Papaver, garlic chives, Salvia. I bought a grown Asian eggplant at the Food Coop for which I'm still looking for the right spot, probably upstairs on my porch where it's very sunny. I also started a vine from seed that I hope to place at different locations upstairs as well as in the backyard. By mid afternoon the apotheosis came with the watering, which took me about half an hour. I love it, it's so refreshing and relaxing, and you can almost hear the plants sighing "thank you, thank you!". A day like this one is better than any therapy or fancy relaxation class you'll ever take. I finally stopped mid afternoon, as it was time for a coffee break. Muddy and happy and all mellowed out, I slipped into a pair of jeans and went next door to Troy's for a good coffee and a cigarette in the Japanese garden. I played lizard there for a long moment, baking in the sun. So mellowed that even the hords of the Vroum-vroum tribe - understand the Harleys - passing by didn't disturb me:)

Reclaiming time...

... Well that's a project... Since I am bound to once more take a drastic turn in my professional life, a few weeks from now, it s also a great opportunity to reclaim my time. I had a foretaste of it today. Having worked like a maniac all week I found myself relatively light this friday evening, and actually "entitled" to have fun without feeling guilty about it :)
Went to an Art opening, met friends and unknown people, live music, good food and good wine, saw a few pieces of nice Art... made my day.
Countdown on reclaiming my time started...

To the light

Today it was gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous on my way to Mount Vernon where I was to attend an Art opening. Ahead of me were the hills behind Mt Vernon, crowned with all shades of purple, blues, greys and whites, huge cloud formations looking like they were trying hard to fake the winter's last show. But the Light was there, obliquely peering through, staging a magnificent light gently stroking the fields. The accumulated moisture of the last few days, married to the streaks of golden light, produced this strangest, exhilarating shower of golden nuggets.
Coming back from the Art opening this evening I took my favorite way back, the slow way, through Skagit valley's country roads. No yahoo in a hurry to bug you, plenty of potholes to slow you down,Oh I LOVE those potholes on Calhoun! No radio hammering bad news, a good CD on,and nothing but the horizon and the tulip fields, now whacked off, leaving behind only the bulbs leaves,what a beautiful texture of a bluish green, and iris fields soon to bloom - I can't wait to see those and pastel them - and the immensity of the farmland, only interrupted here and there by what I call "the islands": The sea must have been here some time, it's obvious, geology coming up to the surface. For who knows how to look, there for you is the history of this valley. I sometimes fancy those fields were the sea, and those islands would look down at orcas - or their ancestors - swimming down below. No wonder farmers and fishermen are so associated with this valley.
Each time I drive through, coming back from work, I think of how fortunate I am to live here, and of how glad I am I left my used-to-be hometown of Paris...