Sycamore of Leave

[ismo]

I guess I'll call this a better day, though I'm not 100 % sure. I slept a big 7 hours total, with small wakeups interspersed throughout. I had my usual call with Queenie, and then was finally able to get outside with my Root Slayer and dig up a mulberry tree that has been bothering me by growing where it shouldn't. Then I dug up some more shoots that were trying to wedge themselves in where they were not wanted. I may have overstressed some body parts, but hopefully not too badly. I then brought out the four lily bulbs that I've been keeping alive in pots indoors, and planted them outside. I hope they'll come up in the spring. It was necessary to clear the area where the trees were coming up before I had room to plant the bulbs, which is why they've been languishing indoors. Earlier in the year, I took two pots of cyclamen that were looking very tired and ratty, and just put them outside. I was at my wits' end as to how to help them. Then the leaves all disappeared, and I thought "Oh dear, I've killed them." Today I went to have a look at them, and the leaves have come up again and are looking very healthy! They got the rest cure! Send them on a little camping trip for plenty of fresh air, and they'll be fine! I hope I can keep them happy when they come back inside.

Having removed the scraggly pots of bulbs, I wanted to move on to the next step of the project, which was cleaning up my plant shelves in the dining room. They look terrible and are a disgrace. I need to move everything so I can sweep and clean behind them and clean the windowsills and everything. And trim off the dead foliage. And put the succulents into some kind of terrarium thing where they'll look nice. I had to climb up on the footstool and get the glass bowl down off the top of the cupboards--a dangerous enterprise--and wash it clean and fill it with potting soil. I was in the midst of trimming the dead leaves when I broke out in a sweat and started feeling bad. And then the Sparrowhawk came home, so I quit in the middle of the job, and it looks worse than it did before. Persevere . . . .

I think this was the last day of the false summer. It has started to rain, with some thunder, and I think it will be cooler tomorrow. Tomorrow will be a difficult day to get through. I have another child protection meeting at 11, and then we're supposed to spend some time hosting a visitor from New Zealand. He's a friend of friends. We've never met him before. I feel unprepared for guests, although I'm sure he'll be interesting. Mainly I just don't have confidence in my own body. "Please overlook my drooping foliage. I'm not a good house plant."

Comments

wow

[siriosa]

that is a *lot* of plant maintenance. just the outdoors stuff made me twinge, and then to start feeling terrible in the middle of trimming dead leaves? that's just cranky. poor lamb.

you did things! with your body! i salute you.

[oracne]

That sounds like a lot for one day.