Whoever Dances is One with the Universe

This has really been an almost perfect summer day. I don't have work, for what feels like the first time in ages, so I got up late this morning and got to wear whatever clothes I like -- which in this case is my new jean skirt and my blue shirt with the bicycle on it -- and eat breakfast slowly and do the crossword.

Then I drove down to Whispering Pines, and the first cling-stone peaches are in there, so I bought a basket of those as well as the things I actually went to get. I took the scenic route home by the sawmill and over Clark's Hill. I fed my fish; Tash is getting braver and braver. I haven't seen the new ones yet, but they always take a while to warm up. I fed and checked on my babies. I got the mail.

I finally finished all the artwork on my summer project, so I need to start doing the layout and text parts now, which I'll begin in a moment. The only nuisance is that my room is so hot, being upstairs, that I don't really feel like going up there. :P On that note, I do need to call the photographer.

I brought my favourite client blueberries yesterday, since they're in at the store, and since peaches are in now I think I'll bring her those next week. She was not doing super well yesterday -- she has trouble with anxiety and depression -- so I am kind of in a fuss-over-her mood right now. I made her shortcake yesterday to go with her blueberries, which I really hope she likes.

Pretty much the only downside to to-day is that I do get lonely when I'm home alone all day; and I'm still feeling a bit sick. --oh, except Mama just came home. So that's all right, I'll go bother her.

I'm pretty sure it's going to rain.

I:

got to start watching the Illbleed Let's Play; finally got my paycheque; am not working until Wednesday; had ice cream and black raspberries; got my toenails painted rainbow by a lady at church; had a nap to-day; had a bicycle ride to-day; am planning to make cupcakes to-morrow with the fresh cherries we didn't can; got to ride in Maria's Miata; have the cutest fishies in the world; DON'T WORK UNTIL WEDNESDAY; found out strawberries can prevent/cure cancer; got a Tom Waits album from Maria's boyfriend; will sleep in to-morrow.

And it wasn't a million degrees outside, either.

Mmm, summer.

DUDE. So I was checking out books for a lady at the library, and discovered that there is a series of Arthurian romance novels called Knights of the Round Table.

I put the Geraint/Enid one on hold for me. Because LOL. They can't be worse than Rosalind Miles.

p.s. Cheyenne gave me a CATFISH. He is awesome and needs a good whiskery name.

The good: we got the bees in just right. We picked them up in their nuke box from Andy, drove them home, waited until dusk, and then put them into their new hive. They seem to have settled right in, and we're going to check them to-morrow to see how they're doing, as far as the queen and such.

My fish remember me; I went and sat by the pond yesterday and the day before and they sucked on my toes, which is the weirdest and nicest feeling. One of them has a super long tail. He's really beautiful.

I am in charge of monitoring the broody hens, since Maria will be away about the time their clutches are due! I'm so excited. I have to go in and check them every day and see if they have chicks or poults, and take them away right away if they do. Then I whisk them upstairs to the brooder shed that we have slapdash put together in the laundry room.

Maria and I finally saw Iron Man 2, which was awesome, and then spent the afternoon at Michael's spending the gift card I got for my birthday--we bought all this cake decorating stuff we've been coveting for ages, a beautiful set of dyes and cake glitter in two colours and shimmer in one. We're making cookies to-morrow so we can use it all. We're super excited. To-day we cleaned the house while Mama was at work so she wouldn't be in such a bad mood when she got home (she and Dad are arguing about horse fencing again).

the bad: Perci died while I was away at mhari's. Mama thinks she didn't keep him moist enough, which I don't know if that's true or not but I don't want to say that it is because I know she'll just feel worse. I haven't buried him just yet, but I will to-morrow. Dad says he lived a really long time for a hermit crab, but since all the websites say you can keep them alive for ages I feel like I just screwed up somehow.

One of the barn kittens died, but I didn't notice in time, so the barn cat moved all the rest of them somewhere else and I didn't see where. I am going to look for them to-morrow--I think they're still in the barn because she's still lurking around in that area and there's plenty of warm, dry hay that's gone loose. I have to bring a flashlight, though, since I tried a cursory look around yesterday and couldn't actually seen in most places.

So--that's all the news.

PICSPAM.

Of a lot of things, actually, including our cats, our farm, my jellyfish collection, and Hallowe'en. To name but a few!

( To boldly go-- )

I swear I have cleaned the kitchen at least six times since Maria's friends came to visit. What is it about teenage girls that makes them so awfully messy?

Worked at the church yard sale to-day, very tedious, but I got some nice tins and an Emu Crossing sign for Maria, so that worked out. I need to bake cake for Maria's graduation party--I got her present and card and everything's wrapped, it's not until next weekend, so that's all right. Mostly my life is fairly mundane, although I saved the lives of three poults last week--the other three were crushed to death by their mama. The survivors are named Porthos, Athos, and Aramis, but we won't be able to tell them apart soon.

Quaker got a puncture wound in his shoulder that is over eight inches deep, and we have no idea how, so that's pretty exciting, and by exciting I mean terrible.

Maria was given a bible for her graduation by our priest, which is frustrating because we have explained to the priest on numerous occasions that she is spiritual rather than religious. On the other hand, it's one of those awful "modern translations", and Leviticus and Exodus turn out to be even funnier rendered into faux-modernity. That goes double for the psalms and proverbs.

And I'm fat and I sleep a lot, but I also clean a lot and take care of my fish and the kitten (whose name has gone back to Kirk, Maria MAKE UP YOUR MIND) and make cards and things like that, and I'll get a job when I go back to school if I can, and we're going to Tennessee and I'll visit mhari, so I guess things are worth it in their own way. Still haven't got an appt. with the psych, still very tired. But life goes on because it has to.

Well, my workplace called. They'd never sent the check, which was why it hasn't arrived. I said, oh, that okay, even though it's not really, and my manager said, I'll give it to you when you come in Friday.

...I don't work Fridays, I said.

I need you Friday, she said.

I have another job on Friday, I said.

It ends at four-thirty, doesn't it? she said. You can come in at five-thirty.

NO, I did not say. I AM TIRED AFTER THAT. I WANT TO HANG OUT WITH MY FAMILY.

Okay, I said.

God, I'm useless. And I let her make me work a ten-hour shift on Sunday. Instead of taking Maria to the pool party, like she wanted. And you know what, I was so close to just saying, NO, I QUIT, I do not WANT to work whatever hours you choose to give me because you tell me that you NEED me and cannot COPE without me. Which is so many kinds of not true it's not even funny.

But here is the thing. Daddy would be disappointed. Mama said as much. He had to work much worse shifts much longer when he was a boy, and working in the canning factory. He thinks that my job is easy, and he thinks I am utterly pathetic for getting so upset over this, and I know he will be disappointed if I cop out.

So I am not going to. It's two weeks. I am a good strong girl. I will make it through and I will be bright and useful and competent and capable and if I need a reference, by God they will give me a good reference, because I will be a good worker. I love people. I like feeding people. I will do my job for my customers, and not for my management. And when it's done I will have more money than I did before, so I'll be able to buy schoolbooks, and Daddy will maybe not be proud of me, but he will not think I am a useless wimp.

And that's what.

To-day I helped Mama wire up the garden with chicken wire to keep the turkeys out! The turkeys are ravenous, and they have been eating her bee balm. Also I went out and admired Maria's garden--she planted basil to-day, nestled between the artichokes and the moonsandstars watermelons, which are HUGE. LORD. I fed my fishes and worked on their surprise for when I go away (recorded eight more stories!) and cut out a lot of stuff to sticker. ^__^

Yesterday! Oh, yesterday, I went on a bike ride that turned out to be much too long. I was out for two hours. I went to the Amish Market, which only takes me half an hour, and then when I got there, I though, well, heck, I could bike to work from here! So I did. And that took another half an hour, and was less pleasant because it was along the highway, as opposed to back country roads. And then I just went on down the highway to Route 104, and turned there to go along Klinger Hollow back to Oriental, sort an enormous uphill hypotenuse. I thought I was going to die. XD About halfway through Klinger Hollow I just got off my bike and went up to the first house I saw that had cows (you can always trust people who have about five cows) and rang the doorbell, and said, "Can I please borrow a glass of water?"

And they gave it to me! They were really nice. They gave me the water, and said they liked to bike on hot days, too, and saw me off. I should make them a pie or something, or maybe give them one of the watermelons. I need to think about what would be right.

So anyway from there I got home all right, and realised that I was sunburned all over, and Lord it hurts. My back looks like boiled lobster. Owwwwww. And I also had a minor case of sunstroke and had to lie down the rest of the day. I am not the brightest egg in the box.

But Maria's turkey toms all display now. :D They look so pretty it's great. And her guinea chickens come to-morrow! I am excited. She says guinea keets are smaller than chicks.

Ooh, and yesterday we also washed the dogs in the yard. They both look so tiny once their fur is all flat and wet.

And Levin, my koi, is enormous. He's doubled, as far as I can tell. Also he has either fathered or borne a gigantic number of baby kois. There are at least thirty, all swimming around in there fighting the big goldfish for food. Mama says we should catch them and sell them to the pet store. Maybe we will.

I think this balances out work, somehow.

It is--a long-awaited picspam. Massively old, as evidenced by photographs of Soujin's birthday; but also fresh and new, as shown by octopus cake photographs. Warning: Most of these are horrendously blurry, as they were taken with Mum's old camera (mine is broken).

( We bid your worships enjoy )