Why was today a great day? First of all, it was so warm that on the way back from getting the title transferred on my new truck, I had to roll down my car windows. But wait, it gets better! Got back to Stoneline and discovered the power was out in the entire complex. Had just enough time to get hours from all the guys and calculate their paychecks before the power ran out on the battery backup. Then discovered that the power wouldn't be back on until after 5, so there was no point in my staying.
I thought I ought to go to the DMV and get the new tag & so forth for the truck, but the phones were out at Stoneline too, so I couldn't call the insurance company to get the truck insured. And you can't go to DMV until you get the insurance, so what do you know, I had to put off the DMV! Dang!
It was still insanely warm when I got home at 3:30, so I went outside with the dogs and did yardwork for about an hour and a half, digging up those blasted yuccas from the bank along the driveway. This year the yuccas are definitely my nemesis. They're invasive and have big tuberous roots that go really deep, and if you don't get the whole thing, they just multiply. I found that out last year when I dug one out but left a few bits of root, and ended up with four new ones in the same space.
Well, last year my nemesis was the wild brambles, and after a focused attack on my part, they seem to have been vanquished pretty well. (They still pop up occasionally but they're nowhere near the problem I thought they would be.) And so it will be, I hope, with the yuccas! I had started on them before, and in ninety minutes today I was able to get an entire plant out, plus about half the root of another I had been working on before. It's really hard work: solid clay, except for all the rocks. But on the bright side, because of all the rain lately the clay is soft and relatively easy to break up. And it's much more satisfying if you say "Take that, you bastard!" or "I got you, motherfucker!" every time you unearth a big section of root.
It felt so good to get back out into the yard, even if only for an hour and a half. I didn't get an enormous amount done or anything, but I got enough done to convince myself that I'll be able to get the rest of the bed done before spring.
Speaking of spring, the new daffodils are starting to sprout! It's a bit early, I guess because it's been so warm lately, but I'm still excited about it. Daffodils grow in really cold climates too so I think they'll be fine when/if it gets cold again here.
The only bad thing that happened this afternoon was when I got poked in the eye by a yucca leaf. Yes, this nemesis fights back! I think it must have scratched my eye a bit because the eye still hurts a little and has been watering on and off since it happened. But I can see just fine so I don't think it's anything to worry about.
Now I should be cooking, but I really don't feel like it. On the other hand, I don't feel like going out either. What to do.
1 Comments
Enjoy the warm winters while you can. I think these and the number and intensity of last year's hurricanes indicate that we are seeing the effects of global warming. Unfortunately, the neocons (a meaningful title if you are familiar with French vulgarities) take as a article of faith that the laws of physics are a liberal plot, so don't be optimistic about any increased rationality. In any case, The Rhapture is going to happen really soon, so why worry?