Before the Rain

I knew it was going to rain today and I still needed to finish filling the flower bed with topsoil. 
I needed two more trailer loads (about 2/3 cubic yd) and then to spread it all out.
It's just started raining, but I finished with plenty of time. I even managed to fix and eat a nice breakfast after my mini morning workout.

It comes out to 108' x 8' x 5" or just over 13 cubic yards of dirt.
Next is to repair some of the timbers that have warped or were knocked loose when filling with dirt. Then I'll put up the fence panels and then I'll plant some bulbs and add mulch.
I am looking forward to spring/summer when all of the flowers are in bloom!

John

Weekend Recharge

What a privilege to meet with some of the people that will be volunteering at the overnight shelter this cold weather season. Our shelter had an orientation evening to familiarize us with our new location and some of the new procedures that will be in place this year. It was good to see some familiar faces and especially exciting to see some new faces. 

It looks like we'll be open a night or two this coming week and then open for several nights in a row beginning next weekend. I'm not sure if I'm ready for this, but the cold weather and the need for the open shelters isn't going to wait for me to be ready. There is going to be a lot of people-ing in the coming months.

Here is a link to our Facebook page. From here you can sign up to volunteer, purchase supplies from our Amazon wish list, or make a contribution. If you are not a part of our local community, consider finding a shelter near you to serve. 
It's that time!

John

Paybacks vs Paying Forward

I'm kind of excited about something I get to do today.
First the back story --

Over the years, so many people have helped Mom and Dad with rides to doctor's appointments or treatments. Even now, Mom still gets rides from friends or relatives as she has surrendered her driver's license and sold the van. There really is no way to payback all of the folks that have helped them by providing transportation when I couldn't.

A week or so ago I saw a post about a resident of Eden Village that had an appointment for medical treatment and thought -- It's time for payback, or more correctly -- time to pay it forward. 
I contacted the director and offered to be available to provide transportation for residents that might need a lift to doctor's appointments or something like that. 
Yesterday I got a late request for today.
I'm pretty stoked about this.
The appointment is in the middle of the day and I won't get much else done today, but damn, I am really more excited about this than I probably should be.

It's grey, overcast, and cool
...and I am really looking forward to this day!
I hope you are, too.

John

Late post

 

Wednesday Wisdom

 

Twofer Tuesday

Ave Maria Immaculate

Kirkland's spiced rum eggnog 

NaBloPoMo Blues

I can tell it's about halfway through the month of November because I'm starting to ask myself -- Why did I start this NaBloPoMo thing again this year?
And I don't have a new pic to post this morning, either!
Maybe I'll take one later and have a twofer Tuesday post!
Maybe not.

I am so grateful for the nice weather we've been having -- both for the ability to get out and work and for each nice day that brings us closer to spring and seems to shorten the coming winter. It's too bad I am not very motivated to start working earlier on the daylight shortened days. At least any deadlines I have are pretty much self-imposed and easily shifted.

Today's journal prompt asks -- "What time of day are you most productive?"
It then encourages tracking activity and production for a week and learning to maximize that productive time.

I'd have to say that my best time is early afternoon -- sometime between noon and around 4 PM.
That isn't always ideal when it's summer time, but fortunately, I don't mind working in the midday sun. I'll need to start a little earlier than that today if I am to successfully move a couple of tons of dirt. I only managed a little more than one ton yesterday and am hoping to double that today. It's days like these that I really notice the effects of aging.

I am looking forward to a good day of work and then an evening cigar and perhaps, the first spiked eggnog of this holiday season.
What are your plans for the day and when is your most productive time?

John

Fall Gardening

Cleaning up garden spots in the fall isn't as enjoyable as planting in the spring. Honestly, it's a lot more like work than the labor of love it feels like in the spring.
I've already harvested some seeds and yesterday I was cutting back the stems and dead leaves from some of the hosta plants. I'll probably be thinning them in the spring so let me know if you want some.

I thought it was interesting that the few post-frost warmer days that we've had have encouraged some new growth among the hosta varieties that are in a more protected area.

These guys will have a couple of weeks until another overnight frost kills them off for the season. Nature always amazes me with its resilience.
Still plenty of work to do.

John

Gratitude

I'm sitting here this morning and wondering...
It seems that recent Novembers have been filled with thankfulness posts on different social media platforms. I haven't seen that this year and I wonder why.

It is pretty easy for me to take this quiet and simple life of mine for granted, but I rarely do. I am daily grateful for the privilege of living this retired life in this comfortable manner. It is difficult to express that with the intensity that I feel it. 
Saying (or writing) that I am thankful for family, or thankful for friends (both of you), or even thankful for things that make life easier doesn't adequately convey the gratitude that I feel.

Maybe that's why there aren't daily gratitude posts this year.
Maybe we've figured out just how empty it sounds to say -- I'm thankful for my _____ -- day after day.
In reality, those often simple moments of gratitude are the stuff that makes for a good life.

This past week I spent a few hours with a guy that just has a life giving energy. We exchanged and smoked cigars, sipped bourbon and talked. I don't think I would use the word "fun" to describe our time together, but it was definitely enjoyable and I am truly grateful for his friendship.
Later that evening, Chris and I went out to listen to our friends' band. That's always an enjoyable evening. While I am not much of a people person, I do enjoy these nights out whether it's just Chris and me or we meet some friends for the evening.
Maybe we should find another band or musician to follow, as well.

Here's another simple and seemingly worthless experience -- watching my crow friends eat the peanuts I leave for them.

They are so skittish that it is difficult to take a picture, even from this distance. If I start moving around on the deck after they land close by and start to make their approach to the rock, they sense the nearby movement and leave.
I am hoping to be able to get closer as they get more used to feeding there.

What is something you are grateful for today?
A simple pleasure.
Maybe something as simple as a favorite coffee mug or a cozy blanket.
Care to share?

John

16 Tons

You load 16 tons,
What do you get?

I'll let you know.
That's about how much topsoil was dumped onto my yard yesterday. I'll be moving it to my flower boxes and backyard over the next few days. It's too bad I don't have a tractor with a scoop. I suppose I could have if I want to make the deeper in debt part come true. I'll definitely be more than another day older by the time I finish.

Have a grand weekend!

John