Sunday, June 28, 2020

A self contained and self sustaining ecosystem

It's not what I do but how I think and talk about myself that is my definition. Perhaps I'm just the person behind the curtain. Or not.

I lose track of time easily; when and where it happened can get murky. Especially since, as Ellen pointed out, it seems as if everything is happening again, except cards with the Methodists. My major orientation remains missing.

Sometimes I have a bad leg night, with too much pain and too little sleep. I must say, those mizerble water pills sure do a job, even at the substantially reduced dose of 10 mg twice a day. I've lost three pounds, and it's not because I cut out the crostata. I even have two more at the ready, in the freezer. It occurred to me that raspberries on sale could easily wait for me in a puddle of sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice, in the freezer.

Anyway, there was a night with no sleep recently, and this morning I turned off the alarm and slept until past ten. I found and cleaned up another cat upchuck of excess hair. I know he won't miss the hair.


Lately his "end of the bed" routine has been the complete extreme:


After brunch this morning, I wandered out to the car. My plan for the day was a "dry run" to 224 West Exchange Street, where the vascular test will be conducted in mid July. Downtown Akron is undergoing the Big Dig these last couple of years.

Downtown Akron is consumed by several hospitals, a couple of universities and county government, all of whom maintain their version of complex and confusing campuses. Periodically county steps up and broadcasts money and rearranges the streets and roads. It was beginning to happen at the end of the time Laura was seeing Children's Hospital folks, and I could always drive out of any mess they threw at me, but two years later, better go look.

I've paid close attention to my pots and baskets this past week. It has rained so much my major obligation has been to cull blossoms. My yard of weeds is in great form, too, and I looked over the deck and took some shots of them:





I've kept close track of the "lettuce" accompaniment to the zinnia. Several days ago it showed the promise of a blossom, and today it has produced.



Who knows what this is? Its leaves are thin and flimsy. It looks like a ditch weed, except apparently its seeds were included with zinnia seeds by a dear and trusted seed collecting friend.


So, back to the self contained and self sustaining system of the title, I started the car and headed for 224 West Exchange. I found it, and found I can park there, conveniently. On the way down I admired the fine art put on old buildings by new and young coffee, beer and film entrepreneurs. I'd forgotten this fine stuff since the days of travelling several times a week with Laura. Parking is easy and so are pictures, that some day I may go park by the Sojurner Truth building and take pictures.

On the way home I filled the gas tank, and taking care to touch only the soon to be sterilized ecosystem of the car interior, I finished driving home. To my surprise, a man I did not know was mowing my weeds. I started across the street to ask Larry who is this man, but good old Larry was already on my side, and flagging down a new Dan, for introductions. 


This Dan said he was already hot and sweaty from two other yards and so he tackled mine, too. I thanked him and shook his hand. I must tell you, it's been so long, it felt just fine. Isn't it a lovely day!

And then I came in and washed my hands.

The End





44 comments:

  1. The end of every outside experience should be: And then I came in and washed my hands. :D

    How nice that your yard was being tended to! By the looks of it, some grazing animal would have had a tasty treat were they to have stopped by before Dan did.

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  2. Always nice when someone cuts your weeds for you. Ever thought about getting a sheep?

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  3. I'm relieved that you washed your hands right away. Thank you for mowing, Dan! I love those little paws sticking out from under the bed. What are the water pills for (if it's not TMI)?

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. Vascular insufficiency and water retention in my right leg. Apparently it was carrying at least three pounds of water.

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  4. The water pills do wonders....
    have been reading Damon Runyon's short storis recently and Akron features frequently....but can this be the same Akron as his stories cntre on New York?

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    1. There is an Akron in upstate. I visited once, forty years ago. Very bucolic.

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  5. Smiling here. The hand washing was a great touch and so necessary!

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  6. Those little paws sticking out under the bed are so cute. We are all washing our hands a lot. I have not had a handshake since early March.

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  7. I am sure that shaking a hand felt good. Just imagine what a kiss on the cheek would be like!

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  8. I'm growing the same crop of weeds in my yard. The grass seems to have given up for good.

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  9. "A weed is but an unloved flower."
    - Ella Wilcox
    We have loads of unloved flowers in our yard, they grow quickly after a mow. I say "good for you, misplaced little plant, carry on" But then i am not a gardener.

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  10. Good for you, doing a "dry run" to find the spot. I'm glad that the water pills are helping the pain in your leg (do they?). We are down to one cat and my son and I were discussing how he never throws up his food. We had two cats in the past that we described as "pukey" and neither one of them was long-haired. Your Toby should look interesting after he is shorn! -Jenn

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    1. Yes, the water pills have helped a lot. As the size of my leg decreased, so did night time pain. But I cannot make out any relationship as to what is affecting what. Frustrating.

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  11. I am sorry to hear you suffer with your legs. A restless pain night for me has me up for breakfast and rolling back into bed when the eyelids close, sometimes at 10 a.m.

    Lovely to see your grass being mowed on your return and that flower is like a large buttercup.

    XO
    WWW

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  12. You had a marvelous day. Good for you.

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  13. I love your blog. Toby looks like he may be a little suspicious in that first picture. He is a handsome cat. Has he had the "military cut" before? I'm not sure how my cats would take to a cut like that! I'm glad the water pills are helping but they can sure keep you up at night running to the bathroom. You are smart to do a dry run to where you will have the vascular test. I've never been crazy about driving in busy downtown areas.

    We've all spent so much time away from people it's nice to see and talk to them again. What's one handshake since you washed your hands right away! I admit to breaking down and giving my two grandchildren a quick hug yesterday. I know it's not recommended but I won't see them for awhile again now. Take care Joanne.

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    1. Never a "military", but he has been shorn. The story is, the owner came in one day he was being clipped and asked if he was tranquilized. He's just that OK with it.

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  14. Can this flower be a kind of cinquefoil or Potentilla? Still, the leaves do not look quite right...I am having an ultrasound july 14th for a possible vascular problem in my right leg. The symptom is a strange rash. I will know in a few weeks. I would love it to be a problem that can be fixed......

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    1. Another symptom is that the leg is quite swollen. Only the right leg.

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    2. Yes, only the right leg. Mine is the 9th.

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  15. We need that human contact with shaking hands or hugging. Good thing though that you washed your hands.

    betty

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  16. It's clearly not a pumpkin or zucchini vine, but that flower does look the same as those two vegetables.
    I hope the vascular visit helps with the leg pain, I hated nights where I had to get up and down a lot just to ease the aching. These days I just rub in some pain relieving cream and it works well enough that I can get back to sleep.

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  17. Hari OM
    THAT IS EVENING PRIMROSE!!! - yes it does resemble lettuce in early stages, then the leaves form the pinate elongated quality and large 'loose' blooms proliferate. This can become rampant bit it is a truly gorgeous plant to have around!

    Well done on the dry run. YAM xx

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    1. It doesn't look anything like the evening primrose I grew in a previous home.

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  18. Self sufficiency it invokes a wonderful world. I am always totally impressed by how you are able to understand all the medical terminology and keep on top of it all, and in a courageous fashion as well. I am glad Dan mowed the lawn, it just makes things look tidy.

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  19. They’re not ‘weeds’ they are just plants in the wrong position.

    A busy day, made me tired just reading it.

    LX

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  20. I like those paws under the bed too.

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  21. That's a nice neighbour to mow your weeds!

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  22. Everything is so strange now. So very different.
    I wish you did not have pain.
    At least you have flowers, a lovely day, a guy who mows your grass.

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  23. We have an odd cat who has only had 1 very minor spit-up in ~16 months. I don't understand as she is very good about grooming herself.

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  24. It did end up a busy day. Good to do a recce before the day.
    Love those paws. You can see me but I am Not Here?

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  25. Glad to hear there is parking. I used to take my brother in to the University of Washington hospital and parking was just horrible. It was good to put that place in the past.

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  26. I think that plant is one of the family of Oenothera, specifically, triloba. Google Oenothera triloba and see if you think it is the same...

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  27. I have no idea what that flower/plant is. and woman, you do not need to lose ANY weight, water or otherwise.

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  28. Weeds grow well in rain and well in drought. You have to admire their tenacity. I have accepted them and we live in harmony as long as they stay green and blend in.

    I am so happy that you ended your post with Dan. It is always good to read of kindness and a story like that leaves us all with a feeling of hope.

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  29. Sorry about the trouble with your leg. Very nice of that man to mow your lawn... kindness rules!

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  30. Thoroughly successful day... you'll sleep like a log tonight!
    I liked your carpet of weeds; bees love clover and it's such a lovely colour, so I'd have been tempted to save it, but then I'm always pathetically grateful that anything grows for me at all!

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  31. Prayers your leg is better
    Cat extreme is funny the way they lke to sort of hide.

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  32. I'm sorry you are having such pain and that it's affecting your sleep, Joanne. I hope your specialist visit is productive and helps put things to rights.

    Toby is such a handsome fellow. Keep an eye on his hairball frequency. We've only had one cat who brought up hairballs with regularity. It turned out (eventually) that he had a mass in his intestines. Normally hairballs should pass through, not come back up. If Toby still has hairballs when his fur is shorter it could be something more serious.

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  33. The little yellow flower is a mystery to me, Joanne.
    Yesterday I made the acquaintance of a nice older woman while I was taking flower photos, and we chatted and will meet again - and when we parted she offered me her hand - and I gulped (inside, symbolical) - and took it, I hadn't the heart (it wasn't lack of courage) to say no. Well, I live two streets further - there I washed my hands too, I have to confess. It is a shame to have to act like this!

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  34. Looks like Mr Cat has the right idea for riding out the pandemic. Just stay sprawled on the carpet!

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  35. My drive is full of weeds but I won't be getting any weedkiller.

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  36. How nice to have someone just help out. Don't suppose next time this dan gets hot and sweaty from mowing, he'd come down the road a bit and mow at my house too!

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