Day Off??? What??? Where???

QUESTION:

If one is told they have the day off, commence the Giant Spring Cleansing of the Estate (inside this time) then are forced halfway through the day to drive 45 minutes to the satellite office, sit and listen to a pharmaceutical rep discuss products you sell to the public every single day you are working, then hear two topics regarding record keeping and communication issues, then be told you can eat some chicken, oh wait, watch non-vegan CARNIVOROUS co-workers eat chicken while you suck down a piece of wilted lettuce, then get back in your car and drive smack-dab into rush-hour traffic to return home and finish the giant spring clean....is this, in the end, really and truly a day off? If not, can I be reimbursed for one, Ms. Supervisor? Thanks!

Forest Magick!

I love spring! Can I shout it loud enough from the rooftops? I love flowers and leaves, grass and trees. I love the warmth of the sun and the smell of soil. Throwing wide the windows and doors. I worked for four hours today on the Knitsburgh grounds and I loved every second of the hard, dirty work!


I was lucky enough to fully immerse myself in a woodland bliss this past weekend. Some wonderful souls accompanied me and I had so much fun! I love the city but there is just plain magick out there in the forest.




Speaking of magick in the forest...we hiked 10 miles, but did not fully intend to. More on that tale later...point is, we had hiked maybe 8.5 or 9 of those miles and we were very tired and by then, completely out of water. The kindest man in the world, an experienced hiker (by this, I mean he had hiked this trail before, seemed to know every turn, and had two metal walking sticks and a water system hooked up to his backpack), showed up with cold, pure, bottled water. A large bottle for each of us! He also thought he had chocolate bars but gave all of them away to the rest of our group who were ahead of us. Just like that, just being very kind and not expecting anything in return, walked right out of the trees, then right back into them. Amazing!

It's this stuff that makes me feel good about being human. The past week I had again doubted this horrible animal, this human creature that seeks to hurt and belittle and demean others, thinks only of his or her self and wants to make others sad in order for them to feel better. Not all the humans are like this! I will sock this little glimmer of hope away for use later when despair slinks up to my doorstep again. Some people are worth letting in, are worth counting on and trusting.

Speaking of trusting. Madison Penelope has executed two, count them two, escapes from the Knitsburgh estate. Not to be outdone, Isabella Maria has also made one escape. But you all knew, after the recent crimewave in Knitsburgh, that the Iz could not be trusted. Hmmm...maybe Madison has been her accomplice after all?

I also want to say a very sad farewell to my friend. He was much too young to have met an untimely death, a cruel horrible Hitchcock-ian death at that. He was known in Knitsburgh as Lil' Garden Snake. He was found on the walkway, having been found sunning his small cute striped-y body and accosted by...birds. The rumors were true; he was indeed found naked but there is no evidence of any illegal substances playing a role in his demise. Lil' Garden Snake, in his lifetime, kept the garden at Knitsburgh clear of even smaller snakes and possibly an assortment of varmints. He will be sadly missed. Please send all monetary donations to the "Snakes: We are not very tasty" national ad campaign and/or to Ralph Nader's election fund. He did love the Green Party, Lil' Garden Snake did.

Done!

Wow, these past weeks have been crazy with a capital C! Nature Boy and I have been quite busy, painting up the estate. We still have more to do. We ran into one snag. The dining room, we painted a lovely shade of cranberry red. Then we began painting our livingroom a shade of golden yellow...and realized we had ketchup and mustard. After one coat late Saturday night in the living room, we slept on it, then headed back to Home Depot in the AM for some new livingroom paint. We picked a gray/green color that looks more gray than green on the walls, but it beats mustard, right? Here's a look:

Here are the 'maters. We then transplanted them into individual cups-they are growing so fast!

Here is my knitting--it's been hanging about mostly:

Here are my daffodils and periwinkle from the flower beds:

So, we still have to paint the upstairs hallway and three bedrooms. I wanted to do it this past weekend, but Nature Boy insisted on a break.

Over the past two weeks, I've endured a lot of physical pain (from painting ceilings, no doubt!) and emotional pain. I've had a lot on my plate and wouldn't you know, that's the time when people decide to stick the ole' knife in your back. I'm not getting into that here or now but want to say I think things will be ok and are looking up. Speaking of looking up...Nature Boy and I have planned a fantastical trip at the end of June and I can't wait to get out of dodge! Now to see what the airlines think of knitting needles these days...