I’ve been trying to stay inside and not go anywhere for a long time because, the two times I did go anywhere, I got so depressed and anxious that I cried. Thanks, COVID-19…

Besides, it’s been on the warm side and either raining or just sticky humid. I don’t do well with humidity… Hot is fine, but add humidity and I literally get sick for how hot it feels. Well, Sunday was actually a beautiful day! It was sunny, on the cooler side and it wasn’t humid! Plus, where I live, they had finally put us in the yellow zone (yeah, other places were free way before that) and I figured that might mean that, holy shit, there may be people! Seriously, whenever I went somewhere, it was like the movie I Am Legend where a virus turns people into these weird vampire people and he thinks he’s the only one left until he meets up with two others. So, since it was so nice, I decided to do some shopping for a few things…

Off to Home Depot! Because, through all this isolation bullshit, the home improvement stores remained open, thank god… I mean, yeah, what if you had to replace something vital in your home? But most people were taking the this time to make minor home improvements because they were bored. I suddenly felt this overwhelming desire to try and jazz up my rotting old deck until I can get a new one built because it looks fucking awful… I decided to slap a few Band-Aids on it for the time being.

Yeah… a few… Let me tell you something. I went berserk in Home Depot. I think it’s because, holy fuck, there were people there! Yeah we were all wearing masks, but it seemed no one was listening to the 6 foot bullshit. And it is bullshit… A sneeze travels at 200mph. You think it can’t travel over 6 feet?! Anyway, aside from not being able to breathe well in a mask (I have asthma) and feeling like I was going to pass out at one point, I went a little crazy. I looked at every plant, flower and tree, outdoor lights and screen doors (of which I need mine replaced). I shopped until I almost dropped!

Of course, I wasn’t thinking… but it’s amazing what you can fit in a Chevy Spark! As you can see…

The sad part is that I didn’t get very much, really. I got 2 bags of potting soil, 2 Asiatic lilies, a small lavender plant, 2 small plants (no idea what they’re called), a succulent planter, a hanging plant, a wooden planter, a big plastic planter, a set of lights, a string of rope lights, an outdoor pillow (I thought it would be nice for meditation) and a rose tree. The latter being the most expensive thing I got. So it seemed I wasn’t really spending much, right? Yeah… I nearly fell over when I was told my bill was a little over $285! How in the fuck did that happen?!

Well… it doesn’t matter. It’s not like I spend like this a lot and I really wanted to plant. It was like I was compelled to.

Ever since I can remember, I was always helping my mom and my great aunt plant this huge garden (my aunt grew it all) and she would plant flowers I would help with as well. I was always digging in the dirt. It made me happy. My mom is the same. She feels good when she’s digging in dirt and planting things. Maybe I was getting back to my roots, so to speak…

Okay, no more bad puns… I hate to admit it, but I had to ask for help with some things. I didn’t stop to think that these bags of potting soil weighed a ton and I had to drag all this stuff through my house and out the back door to the deck. I also needed help planting the rose tree so I could keep it stable while someone poured the soil in. Anyway… I got help. I planted the lilies (sadly, the yellow one lost a lot of petals through the trip in the car and repotting) and those little ones I don’t know the name of in the small wood planter. Doesn’t that look nice…? And I made sure to get perennials so they should all come back next year!

I loved this rose tree… I actually have a rose bush in the back that, at one time, was as crazy as the ones in the front of my house. Sadly, it began dying, strangled by these fucking wild grapes that keep growing. Imagine my surprise to find that it’s still growing and had roses! I didn’t ever have more than that before because my late dog, Nobu, was allergic to roses. I found that out after I planted the one in the yard. That poor dog…

Since he’s no longer with me, I wanted this rose tree. Especially when I learned you can keep it in a planter! Sweet! This was the one I needed a lot of help with. It was a little wobbly in the soil it came in, so I needed someone to pour the heavy bag of soil while I held the tree straight and dug out some of the soil from the bag, spreading it around. What a project! But I felt so great because I was doing the one thing I haven’t done in forever. I was digging in dirt and planting things. I was positively manic!

The lavender gets little flair in this whole thing…

I had a plant I bought last year that I set on the table. it was supposed to be a perennial, but it just died and nothing came back. What the fuck… So I put my little plant here on that table I had the other one on. Nothing very jazzy, but I really like lavender.

The red hanging plant I bought (it was a bit pricey) is an annual, sadly… However, I spoke to the girl who worked for the nursery all these plants came from and she said that, maybe if I brought it inside during the cold months, it might be okay and I can keep it going. Hey, what the hell… I might as well give it a try. I was thinking of doing the same thing and trying to grow patchouli. It needs a tropical climate so, technically, I could keep it out during those hot, humid months and bring it in when it gets cold and I should be able to grow my own. Right…?

While I was out back, I saw a male and female mallard fly overhead towards the creek in the backyard! Now, the same couple (mallards mate for life) had been visiting the creek every year for most of the time I lived here. But the last several years, I hadn’t seen them. I was so happy to see they returned!

Anyway, I eventually took a break and visited my favorite diner (which is a 10 minute walk from my house) because they had reopened. Sort of… The menu is limited and the owner set up picnic benches (that he built himself!) and a few tables in the parking lot. It was nice to dine al fresco! While I was sitting there, doesn’t a female mallard fly in and just stood there in the parking lot! Thank goodness phone cameras have a good zoom. I was far from her, but I got a nice shot! Well, she just kept standing there like nothing was going on and I was incredibly curious as to why. Was she hoping someone would throw her some fries or something…? I had no idea.

Nope… I was told she had a nest with eggs in the flower bed in front of the diner! Again, I didn’t get too close, but close enough to zoom in and get this picture. Look very closely through the grass… See the nest with the eggs in it? Turns out mother mallard was waiting for the humans to leave to return to her eggs. And, eventually, waited very impatiently…

Someone had mentioned to me once that the Earth was starting to heal itself while we were in isolation. This kind of proves that, doesn’t it…? Before everything was shut down, a mallard would have never laid her eggs in such a place. Actually, it’s still kind of weird because there’s no body of water close to here… But it’s the point… Humans are the most dangerous things on the planet. When we can’t go out and pollute the air, create huge warehouses in rural areas that god knows why they’re necessary… When we stop doing the things that humans do every single day, look at the lovely results!

After grabbing a coffee at 7-11, I made my way home and decided to enjoy the fruits of my labor.

I sat out on my deck, something I haven’t done for a long time. I mean, look at the poor thing! Most of the lattice work is gone, now, some from age and some from my former neighbor’s dog (on the side you’re looking towards) who was more than a little touched in the head. He had a cleft pallet, was ugly as fuck and absolutely hated other dogs. Before him, I used to let my late dog and my current senior dog go out without a leash (the yard is completely fenced and was once holding together) and the crazy fuck next door used to also be let out without a leash. He literally ripped and bit off the lattice on one side to try and attack my dogs. I used to carry a bat out with me when I took them out.

I have nice neighbors, now, but the ones on that same side have one nasty dog. However, we kind of time when our dogs go so that we don’t get the nasty one fired up.

Anyway, I decided that, since my other neighbors were out and the ones with the crazy dogs were out a little while, that I would hang out myself. We chatted a bit, but, most of the time, I just lounged in my cheap plastic chair (I got a set for free) with my squishy pillow, bare feet resting up on my table, leaning back, relaxing while I played some Donovan tunes on my iPhone. It was so nice… There was a cool breeze blowing and I actually had to get a lightweight poncho to cover my arms against the breeze. I was loving it so much! I got to dig in dirt, plant things, string up lights and make my deck look as nice as possible despite the rot. I communicated with neighbors! Normally, I’m an antisocial butterfly. Conversation and interaction happen on my terms. When I’m done, I’m done. I can only tolerate so much. I think it’s that bipolar trait at work…

So, as I was enjoying all this wonderful nature time, it began…

I had told my one neighbor I’d be paying for everything I’d done the next day. My timing was a bit off, though, it seemed. All of a sudden, I began sneezing and thought, “Nope…” So I told everyone it had started already and went inside. I knew I was going to pay yesterday for all I did and, man, did I… I spent the entire day congested with headaches, feeling so blah and tired. I ended up falling asleep before lunch and woke at 3:30 in the afternoon, not feeling any better. And my knees were screaming at me for all the abuse I put them through. I was a mess yesterday from all that fresh air and ungodly pollen. I knew it would happen. Always does…

The point is, it was worth the $285 I spent. I was happy all day Sunday.

Then yesterday… I was already feeling like complete ass and just wanted to be left alone. Plus I wanted to keep hold of that happy, hippie dippy connecting with the Earth feeling. But don’t you know, Morticia called to bitch and whine about everything (what else is new) and, like the other day, I woke to 5 long texts, each from that die-hard Republican cousin, rambling on and on about the same things. Mind you, they’re not things he has control over and they’re things that are so far in the past. Not only that, he’s getting outraged over the stupid things going on in the world today and works himself up into a frenzy. I woke to this Saturday morning and yesterday morning. Literally bitching about the same exact things. And they’re not short texts. They’re short novels, each one of them. And all mention at some point that I should care about this shit, too. You know what, ‘cuz? Go hop on your soap box somewhere else and preach to someone who gives a flying figging fuck… Why can’t people let me keep my happy…?

But, dear readers, I’ll end this on a happy note…

Back in the beginning of January, I took my mood ring (that I loved) and was supposed to have no copper (that’s why it turned copper and made my finger look gangrenous) to a jeweler to get it in a new setting. Well, the guy who makes the jewelry said it could only be done in gold, which was over $700! Nope… Took me months to get it back from them and took it to my normal jeweler. They put it in a silver setting for less than half the price. I finally got it back this weekend! I was skeptical… It’s a pretty setting, but the glass stone sets up too high and I wasn’t sure I liked it… The jeweler tried it and said it still worked. It does, but, because the glass is so open on the sides, it’s just not the same. However, it’s grown on me the past few days and I’m coming around. It’s just nice to finally have my mood ring back after six months. And it’s pretty! Hippie dippy!