I have a few raggy looking peonies on my bushes, but they were very nice.
There are even a few "pretty" blooms let, those that haven't faded or started to dry up.
The hot pink are my favorite!
Hydrangeas are beginning to bud. Those are always so splashy with their huge white flowers.
And then there's this. This is about the full load of my strawberry crop. There should be more. There are two problems. The first is that the black-eyed Susans and sweet peas have spread (which is a good thing) but they block out the sun (a bad thing). The second is that Skippy the Chipmunk (or birds) pull them off the vine, take a bite, decide that's enough and leave the partially eaten berry on the ground. If they're going to pick berries, they should eat them!
I read my grandmother's journals. They lived on a farm and grew tons of berries (which I picked often as a kid). One entry mentions they picked 55 quarts that day. I'm lucky if I get two.
I can't seem to get enthused about much of anything these days. Malaise? Melancholy? A big sinkhole? The house is a mess, piles are out of control and I just look at it and think "someday." This is not a good thing. I still get very tired and wonder if it's leftovers from my infection or the meds or just ... tired. At least I'm not the only one. (Or maybe that as I write this, it's 95 degrees out.)
I did get out to see our Summer Circle Free Theatre production of "Pippin." It was wonderful to see so many people out enjoying the show on a beautiful June evening.
Pippin's creed. And of course, trying to live the extraordinary life doesn't always go well!
I'm having a love-hate relationship with my phone. I love having it. But I am having a continual issue with butt-dialing (though to be specific, it's less butt-dialing than hip-dialing, as it goes in the front pocket when I'm outside.) The other day my friend Carol drove up, a surprise visit. (We go back quite a ways!)
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Apparently I had called her -- twice -- with the phone in the pocket as I was watering the flowers and all she heard was water (which sounded to her like gasping) and no reply from me. She came rushing over to see if I was all right. Now, that's a good friend!
Six days after his symptoms started, Rick is still testing positive for Covid, but feeling much better, mostly just tiring easily. I'm told that positive can hang around a bit, even after he's better. We canceled baby sitting for the toddlers this weekend -- a good thing. He naps (and often). They don't nap much at all. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't be up for it, much as he wanted to be. And I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be, either.
Meanwhile, I'm itchy to get north -- and not. I see the infectious disease doc next week so we'll see how that goes. And I get my crown placed and a filling the same day. Bad planning. Meanwhile, I think I'll grab my cat...
...and take another nap!
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56 comments:
Be gentle with yourself, dear lady ~
That cat looks so much like Lacey, but we can't grab her. 😎
I am also feeling a bit of ennui at the moment.
The poppies are such a wonderful flower, I want a field of them - for other reasons...I am in the club of house mess as well. As long as I can make sense out of it, it is fine. It does need a deep scrub though.Take it easy- stressing over anything as mundane as house cleaning is not going to help our mood, is it. Hug your cat and take a nap- sounds good to me. Your friend is wonderful!
I love seeing your peonies, Jeanie and I also love the hot pink ones. It is so hot here, I don’t want to venture outside. I hope you can get to the lake soon because I know it will lift your spirits. I am glad Rick is feeling better. Take care of yourself!
Jeanie -- you and Rick have been through so much lately, seems to me that you're entitled to a little bit of ennui and lack of enthusiasm. You do have some beautiful flowers in your life.... and one totally adorable cat. Here's hoping you are soon back at the cottage and in your happy place once again. Hugs...
I had harvested sooo many wood strawberries and there are still some to pick - crazy, bees were busy.
Sad you´re down a bit, but that phone-water story sure made me laugh!!!
Sweet pic of you two, too!
Best wishes to you and Rick. Sweet pic, oh, I could lie down, too!
Hugs from here, to happy times soon.
Hello Jeanie,
I love the pretty poppies and peonies. I hope Rick feels better and back to his normal soon. I am sure you are excited about going to the lake. Cute photo of Lizzie and a great photo of you and your friend. Take care, have a happy weekend!
Our peonies have done really well this year, and we have a huge vase of them on the kitchen table. Such a wonderful burst of colour. Miriam has been on jury duty all this week so she has barely had a chance to enjoy the flowers. We are really hoping that her case will wrap up today, otherwise she will be sequestered and have to stay in a hotel overnight. Give my very best to Rick. Hope he gets well soon. Hugs from Ontario - David
I've been reading an increasing number of articles about the emotional and psychological toll of isolation, including a move among many to move back to the office and dump the work-at-home routine. I recently had the experience of being without my car for nearly three weeks, and that was enough of a taste of isolation for me. I managed to get to work, thanks to a friend, but other than two trips to the grocery store, I was completely grounded. (It was a supply chain problem -- couldn't get the part to fix the car. All better now.) In any event, I thought about you, and how flat depressed, exhausted, and bored I could be in real isolation. I know you have health concerns, but my prescription is to find every way you can to socialize. You're a more social creature by nature than I am, so if three weeks got to me, I can only imagine how hard the past months have been!
I am so sorry that you are feeling this way. It sounds like you need to be kind to yourself and not worry about the house or the gardens for now.
Cathy
Cat naps are a good idea.
Take care..lots going on..very normal this malaise feeling.Joie de vivre will return and you will be ever so grateful.
I only have my phone when we go out.
For emerg or what not.
So not a phone person.Land line or not:)
I am happy with an ordinary life.
When you are fighting a virus, you have to take it easy!
Take care!
(ツ) from Cottage Country Ontario , ON, Canada!
Napping is nice, gives the body time to heal. Cats have naps perfected. Would one of those rubber like cell phone jackets help?
In many ways it's been that kind of June for me too.Not with anyone having covid (although the woman I work with has been suffering from long term covid effects since March which has put a lot of dampers on our walking. I hope Rick heals 100%!), just feeling like I should be doing more fun outings than I have. Your strawberries look fantastic. As do your flowers. And your play and visit. Hopefully the tiredness is just the transition to summer and dealing with Rick being sick and in recovery. Enjoy a good book and put your feet up and relax. And good luck with your drs appointment too. Have a great weekend. Hugs-Erika
The good thing about feeling low is that you will bounce back. The peaks and valleys of life! Gigi hawaii
I've never had peonies but am enjoying my purple hydrangea. I'm going to try to help it spread :) I've tried growing strawberries, but the chipmunks make sure I don't get any of them lol
That tired feeling could well be left over from the infection. That lasts longer than people realize, I think. That pretty kitty! I'd want to nap with that kitty, too :)
I love the show Pippin! I have that soundtrack memorized, and it always makes me smile :) An outdoor show would make my smile even bigger.
What a good friend! Sweet!
I hope Rick recovers completely, and that he's soon feeling his old self. It's frustrating when these things drag out :(
Take it easy! Between the heat, your infection, and a sick hubby--napping is just the ticket. You need to be extra kind to yourself. Joining in with a cat nap is a grand idea. :)
*sigh* It's too damn hot! (both in Michigan and in Florida) All your piles of stuff will wait; Piles of stuff to be dealt with are, at least, very patient. Don't push yourself. Sip icy beverages with your feet up.
I hope you feel better AND get a good report from the doc so that you can go up north where you are so much happier!
best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Hugs
Hope you feel better, it's so easy to get in to a funk. All I have to do is read and before I know it, I'm napping. :) Love seeing those delicious strawberries, they look so deliciou. Good that Rick is still improving. Take care and enjoy the weekend.
Funny you should mention feeling "Malaise or Melancholy." I had a bout of the same feelings last week when we got so much rain and my post tomorrow is about mental health (and art) in the seniors.
Does the name Karin Orr mean anything to you? She did a cooking show on PBS in the '90s. She lives here.
Hi Jeanie! I'm with you about the strawberry thieves! I have a bed of strawberries, a few are green but I'm not sure if I'll catch them in time lol...the peonies are beautifully delicate flowers, I love them! I'm so sorry about your malaise...it could be drained energy from the meds. I hope you feel better soon! And I hope Rick feels better soon too! Oh that was sweet of Carol, I love that photo you posted of you two back in the day!! I "pocket-dialed" a neighbour once when I was walking the dogs...she said all she heard was panting and thought maybe I was in trouble...omgosh...I was embarrassed, but nice of her to follow up with me!!
Beautiful pionies in your garden your cat is so sweet sleeping…it take a long time to recover from covid..did you also have had covid ?…I am glad I don’t have had covid till now…but you never no …here they say that the pandemic is comming back …I hope not!!!….have a nice weekend love from me Ria and Leaf 🍀🐾💗🍀
Hope you and Rick are feeling perky soon.
The flowers are beautiful, as is Lizzie.
Carol is definitely a good friend.
Bad Skippy. Bad. I saw a small brown hinnie, about the size of a chipmunk disappear into the hostas. I'm wondering if I have a Skippy too.
Take special care. Hope you feel peppy soon.
Jeanie, I'm so sorry Rick is still feeling poorly. I do hope he has a quick recovery. What a good friend to come right over and check up on you. That's funny that you called her and didn't even know it. It's nice you got to see a production at the theatre. You were the cutest little girl growing up with your curls and smiles. I love this one of you eating berries. Good that you have strawberries growing right now. They used to be my favorite fruit, until I changed to cherries. Your peonies are so pretty. My mini rose bush survived the cold Winter and snow and one rose bud came out this week. I was excited to see it.
Have a relaxing weekend, Jeanie, and it seems that many of us are just trying to keep up these days. You're not alone. : )
~Sheri
Goodness, your temperatures are very hot! That cannot help when you are feeing tired and perhaps a little down. I thought that was so good of Carol to come over and check up on you.
Take things easy, I'm sure you will find things will improve.
Sending lots of good vibes and hugs across the miles.
All the best Jan
Too bad the animals grabbed your strawberries. Those that you did get look very yummy! Hope you get to go North soon. Janice
Hi Jeanie. You flowers are just amazing. I know that days can be difficult. The world has changed so much and we are all struggling to keep our heads up. The main things is to be kind to yourself and create a circle that makes you happy. Breath and take in the goodness.
You have the P's covered. Beautiful flowers.
Beautiful flowers. I find the older I get the more often I'm tired. The heat will really suck my energy too so I don't do heat well. I never have. I'm glad to hear Rick is feeling much better and that you got out a bit. I bet your friend was very concerned and it was so nice of her to go over and check on you. Thankfully my current phone doesn't seem to dial people like my previous one did.
Be easy on yourself, and ignore the piles. "Someday" will come, and you'll feel energized to tackle whatever is you don't feel like doing now.
It's such a quick season for peonies, but they are gorgeous while they last. My hydrangeas are also blooming now, and they always make me happy.
Hoping Rick tests negative soon!
Sending you healing hugs.
That IS a good friend, to come checking on you! Don't pressure yourself too much about those piles of stuff. There's always tomorrow! I'd be proud of that strawberry haul if I were you. We had a strawberry plant several years ago and didn't get a single berry. (I think they got eaten by something.)
Hang in there, Jeanie, glad Rick is recovering. It took my husband two weeks to test negative again, even though his symptoms only lasted three days. Thank heaven for our vaccines keeping the illness very mild!! Love your flowers!
So glad that you got out and enjoyed the Summer Circle Free Theater. Wishing you good health and happiness with each new day.
I love your peonies and poppies - they are so pretty!
Cute photo of Lizzie.
Take care, my dear friend.
i know what you mean about a general feeling of malaise these days. post covid (or is it?) world is a worrying place. i need a crown on a tooth but i just can't afford it right now. eek! hope you feel marvellous soon.
You have peonies and hydrangea - 2 flowers I'd love to grow. The tiredness from COVID is very typical and hangs on a while. Praying you both get back to your healthy selves. I wish I could sleep as easily as cats do. If wishes were horses as my mother used to say. Have a great week!
I miss my peonies that were cut down by my ruthless neighbor so he could put his fence there. Yours are stunning. I know how you feel with the high temps. Yesterday was 104 F (~40 C) here. No one wants to do anything, especially me. Hope this feeling subsides soon for both of us, dear Jeanie. AND, feel better soon.
Jeanie, I sure hope Rick is feeling better and that you haven't caught it. Love the glimmer of sunshine and humor through your storytelling and photos in this post. Hange in there.
How lovely to have peonies and strawberries in your garden, even though you didn't have a bumper crop! Glad Rick is slowly on the mend, and you've been sick too, so don't be hard on yourself~cats are smart, they know how to relax!
Now that really is a great friend. It's wonderful to know you have a friend like that.
Hope you feel better soon, and that Rick manages to get rid of the Covid soon. In the meantime, enjoy your naps when you can.
I've come to prefer written text( What's up, email messages) to phone calls. The phone makes me tired.
You're very photogenic both as a child and as an adult!
We were completely knocked out by three big days of mineral and fossil hunting. We keep reminding ourselves that we are not youngsters anymore! Be gentle with yourself, my friend.
Those poppies are such a striking colour!
I had to go to the dentist on Friday after breaking a tooth in half during the week/ :(
I hope you will be feeling better soon Jeanie :) The important thing is not to be hard on yourself, it will all be okay soon. I keep telling myself that all the time. And in the meantime you are sharing the beauty around you – including that dear photo of you as a little girl and the other photos from another day? How adorable you were and are I might add. You have certainly brightened my day and for that I thank you. You have a wonderful friend to be so concerned to come right over like that. So sorry to hear about Rick’s Covid. We have had two relatives who tested positive and both thankfully are okay now, though were quite poorly at the time. My son was very sick but it turned out to be regular old flu and he’s over that too now. Good to look forward to your trip up north. I’m hoping we will be heading out some time and I also am itching to get on the road, but hoping for more energy. We will have to wait and see. Take good care of yourself xo Denise
Sorry to hear Rick got covid. Hope he feels like himself soon.
Love that picture of baby you eating berries. So sweet.
Good call to cancel the babysitting. You need as much energy as possible for those 2! I tested positive at day 12, but only slightly. I was still strongly positive on day 10. I would say my energy was zapped for 3 weeks at least. I hope he is taking it as easy as he can and napping as much as possible. Had I been able to rest more, I think my case would have been more mild?
I have memories of picking raspberries at my grandparents. We would bring gallon pails to pick them - that's how many there were to pick. Boy would I whine about having to pick them. now I would give anything to have a raspberry patch close to me since they are sooo expensive in the grocery store and not as good as they were fresh off the vine!
Hoping you are feeling rejuvenated and Rick is now testing negative.
Have a great time at the lake.
What a good friend to come over to check on you! The hydrangea are in bloom here too. Hope Rick is feeling better.
I envy you for the beautiful peonies. My friend said that mine were gorgeous as well, but hey, I was in Germany at that time and couldn't enjoy them (instead I saw beautiful ones there, so that was good). I'm sorry that Rick still tests positive - this seems to be often the case from what I am hearing. What a drag! I hope that he will test negative soon and also feel much better. Maybe it's the heat that makes you tired - lately I have felt the loss of energy as well and just want to sit and read or knit - or nap, which I do. Going up to the lake will do you good, I imagine.
Jeanie, this post was on June 17 - Mike's birthday. I've been in catch-up mode. Certainly don't whirl and twirl like I once did. I believe you will feel better once you get to your lake. My good friend and I were discussing this issue just yesterday. We both seem to tire easily, she and her husband have both had COVID and the issue seems to be worse since then. Mike nor I have had COVID but the heat seems to kick us way more than usual. Just dream of your beautiful England and what you will paint next and enjoy the moments when you arrive at the lake.
Hi Jeanie: I am working my way backwards to your older posts. I don't know which ones you will read first so they might not make sense to you. My BIL had covid and the tiredness hung on for quite awhile afterwards. If that is the only price to be paid since having all the shots, I guess that isn't too bad unless it is happening to you. I know that wouldn't be fun. It has been so hot here that I am dragging around like a sick cat. Summer has so much to like about it except that. It just zaps all my energy and with the back issue thrown in, it is miserable..But, happy summer anyway..xxoJudy
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