Daily Adventures

The latter part was a bit more grueling than I had quite anticipated, but we're now home.

The boys had a great time playing in the morning with Grampa George, and Jet really knew it was the last morning for a while, so he had a blast and really tried hard to enjoy his time with George. That was very cool. John and I were then able to pack quite thoroughly. It was very odd to leave an immense amount of Stuff with the Eurovan and in our room at their house, but we managed to fill just one roll away bag that we'd bring back with the stuff we had to bring back.

A bit before noon, we went to the local Pho place for noodles and soup. I also had a Vietnamese iced coffee with plenty of sweetened, condensed milk. I need to do that at home, too, as I have a little Italian pressure pot that would be *great* over ice with plenty of the creamy canned stuff.

George was then quite nice and took us to the SeaTac airport in plenty of time. I was able to raid the Dilettante's stand and get some of their dark chocolate sauce for my mochas and ice cream. *happy sigh* I love things that are that *Seattle* to me, as the Dilettante which is an absolutely fabulous source for chocolates and desserts to die for.

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Here's all the plants at once, basking in what little sun there is as the thunderheads build in the not too distance. *grin* I'll probably have to move them all back in in a little bit, but thanks to dunfalach I may be able to use Jet's abandoned wagon to do at least part of the shuttling. Whew.

Each of the gallon pots is about ten pounds, so getting them in and out all by myself is a bit of a workout. John's good about helping when he's around, but he isn't always around.

They are definitely doing better with a bit of time and more room to grow their roots. Also, two of the cherry plants have already gone on to another home, and about nine others are spoken for from folks that want to put them into their garden and take the surplus. Two other ladies have asked for plants, so I'm likely to be able to give them all homes. Whew.

We rode hard, yesterday, making the 500 mile trip from the heart of Yellowstone to home amid thunderstorms and overcast skies. It was actually better with the overcast than in the full sun, but we still stuck with the AC from the park boundaries on as they were having a heat wave, too.

We got home late and stayed up even later getting thing unpacked, getting the house cooled off enough to sleep. It was a good 85 degrees in the house when we got home, and one of my plants was just a goner. It actually makes some room in my bathroom, and I'd gotten it as a gift more than ten years ago, so I'm okay with finally saying good-bye to it. Though, more likely than not, I'll just keep it and nurse it back to health or something.

( Far too much detail on the garden problems I'm having. )

Thought I'd actually show a picture of my upside down tomato with me. We already moved it up from the beam that I'm hanging onto so that it wouldn't brush the railing. It's now a good foot out from the railing, so less worry on my part when the wind picks up. The thing is just covered with flowers now, and there's actually fruit on a lot of the branches. They're getting lots bigger, and while they're still deep green, it's easy to see that the thing is really, really happy.

And, yes, that's Jet's new monster climber in the background. We're having a party next weekend to really break it in, a Jetapalooza with probably a dozen families with kids invited. Not all of them will make it, but it'll be fun trying.

My hands are changing. They're hardening, darkening and the ridges are roughing, the skin thickening where I've damaged the skin on shovels, knitting needles, and yarn. The nails aren't always coming entirely clean after digging in the compost and dirt of the garden, and one is split where I hit a rock.

I'm watching my hands in fascination as they take on their new identities. Becoming something different and noteworthy when I grasp the hand of a stranger in greeting. I can feel how soft most hands are, now, how they contrast with mine.

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I have to admit that with all the things at work and things happening to my friends, my personal ambitions have shrunk to nearly nothing more than surviving the summer, seeing a few movies, drinking a little coffee and tea, and ( perfecting roast corn. )