Happiness is Not Moving

~ Jenny

I’ve spent some time vegging this past week (sore muscles) and I’m finally starting to feel like me again. It’s odd being in a new place, but it makes me happy that I’ll never have to move again. At least I’ll never have to move me again. Somebody else can do it.

How did moving or not moving make you happy this week?

149 thoughts on “Happiness is Not Moving”

  1. I didn’t move, but I did some volunteer work at MusikFest in Bethlehem (the largest free music series in the country, I believe?). It’s a lot of fun, a lot of different music and food – almost ALL the kind that’s not good for you. 😉

  2. We decided on the fly to spend three nights in Maine visiting friends on an island. Lots of seafood, boat ride, shopping with personal shopper (my friend), and tons of great company. I read The Road to Roswell aloud to my husband while driving home in the rain and traffic. All is perfect.

  3. Moved my sister’s sewing cabinets into my sewing/laundry room. Organized everything.
    Made me very happy. I will be making a pale pink faux leather jacket for granddaughter’s 10th birthday. They are in Italy now. Lucky, lucky family. Pasta and gelato.

  4. Happiness is that we went to Barbenheimer last night with another family, three of us going to one film and three to the other. OMG! What a movie. It is going to win the Oscar for sure.

    Plus I got three pairs of shoes on a flash sale for under $150 all total.

        1. The oppressive pinkness is why I am resisting the Barbie movie. It hurts my eyes.

          1. I’m not that fond of Barbie pink myself — it’s the dialogue and the insight of Greta et al. that I am longing to experience. The pink I can put up with.

      1. All similar styles – and all practical/comfortable – but joyful colours! And a flash sale where I got all three for a combined $150 – Canadian which is like $10 US. Okay I exaggerate slightly. Anyway, here they are (middle ones my faves):

        https://www.vivaia.com/item/square-toe-block-heel-slide-p_10011763.html?gid=10011763

        https://www.vivaia.com/item/square-toe-block-heel-slide-p_10011731.html?gid=10011891

        https://www.vivaia.com/item/square-toe-block-heel-slide-p_10011891.html?gid=10011731

  5. I moved myself up and down a 20-step flight of stairs for 40 minutes (hiking training) and was happy with the gain over last week!

    Spent some time not moving watching the Witcher with my oldest and Supernatural with my youngest.

  6. Good for you, Jenny, vegging. Moving is stressful, in so many ways. Lots of new connections to make, and lots of decisions, small and large. That’s exhausting, to me.

    My happiness is that I’m recovering from that horrible sinus infection, finally. I’m steeling myself to mow the tall grass. It just kept raining, a little each day, and that was nice, because things are green, but it will be hard going cutting that down.

    I have lettuce!! That grow light works great!

    NPR had an article about a new exhibit of Edward Hopper paintings in Cape Ann, and there is a book to go with it, which I ordered. I love the spareness of his paintings and the way he captures the light. The exhibit also highlights the influence of his wife, Josephine Nivison Hopper, who was also a painter in watercolor and oils, on his career. It will be good to learn more about that special woman.

    1. My daughter is here from London.
      Lupe and Tammy got to me. I bought shoes from American Duchess (will post link separately in case it goes into moderation). What is the other shoe brand you guys like so much?
      I finally planted most of the flowers I didn’t get to before my surgery stopped my gardening. The garden should look pretty good when we have 50 people for brunch. Although the deer do keep eating my lilies. I love the daylilies in one of my flower catalogues but I would never get to enjoy them.
      I found 3 dresses I can wear to next weekend’s events (I think I last bought a dress a decade or more ago).
      My sister still may come next weekend even though she had a bike accident and required surgery for breaking her ankle in three places with chips.
      There is still lots to do to get ready but aside from finding one more thank you present everything is found and decided. It all should happen.
      I’ve been rereading the books I used to write in when the kids were little and they were objectively brilliant funny and highly entertaining. I really should reread them more often.

        1. Very nice. They look stable enough for someone like me to wear them. I tend toward Merrell’s, now.

        2. Now that you mention shoes when PBS does previews of coming new shows, I zeroed in on the actress’s shoes from a series taking place in the twenties or thirties. Pretty much a replica of what I’ve seen from all of you shoe people. Costuming from another era must be so much fun.

        4. Those look like a lot of fun and fairly easy on the feet. However, I noticed that although they come in many lengths, they only come in one width.I guess that most of the women in my family are safe from temptation.

        5. Oh, excellent!

          I really like Miss L. Fire for 1950s and 40s style shoes, but the company went out of business a year or so back. Now I ghost resale sites for styles that I missed. I wore their fuchsia ankle strap heels for my wedding.

          And I am eyeing up Julia Bo for work shoes. Waiting for a pair to pop up gently used in my price range so that I can gauge comfort for work shoes.

          Otherwise I swear by Born, Taos and B.O.C. for good quality leather shoes with good support and retro vibes. Bonus, these pop up on resale sites a lot, so I don’t break the bank.

          Oh! and I have some really cute short boots from Oak Tree Farms. I bought them years ago and still love them dearly. I apologize to your budget 😉

          1. These are probably the first dress shoes I bought in 5 years. So my budget has room for a few more. I’m trying in general to be able to be able to dress a little better than jeans or black slacks and sweater tops.

            I will report back on my investigations.

          2. For me, shoes are so much fun. You can completely change your entire outfit by just switching out shoes.

      2. I’m cheap AF so I’m not buying any new shoes for the Steamy Lit Con ‘Queen’s Ball’ (LOL). But I *am* planning to paint a pair of black ones next weekend. If they turn out, I’ll post on Instagram. 🙂

      4. Charleston Shoe Company work really well in Southern California, sandals and booties both, and are the ultimate in comfort (for me). Highly recommend, although YMMV.

  7. Not moving, but still having to move things around the house as we finish flooring projects and so on. BUT we didn’t have to do any of that in the past week and that does make me happy. Also it’s raining so I don’t have to spend half an hour dragging a hose around, hooray.

    Hope you’re getting settled in, hope your new home is good to you, and I hope Emily can join you.

  8. Yesterday the whole fam damily got together to work out a glitch on the computer. Everyone had an opinion. I could get it to print any stupid thing except the one important document. Not to mention none of us is computer literate. Five people working in sync, imagine that and not even an argument broke out. I’m beginning to think it is not the computer but the printer. I’ll have to give it a think.

    One of my boys brought over a box of blueberries. I have not had good luck with blueberries all summer. Maybe my taste buds have changed, they all taste sour. No matter what state they came from. Anyway, these were exceptional. Go Canada! my new favorite country for blueberries. Now the state of Maine has one chance to redeem itself in the blueberry world and August is a good month for Maine berries.

    Happiness will also include that I was able to get on the list for Lavender’s Blue from the BPL. What’s going to happen is that where I do not have a card from the BPL as part of the network, I can put in for it, but any Boston patron will jump ahead of me in line. But not to worry I also have asked my library to buy the book. Hopefully my name is on the top of the list.

      1. No, still a work in progress. Although I did run a maintenance on it this morning and discovered WI-FI is disconnected.

        1. A trick I’ve tried when I can’t get something to print out is to PDF it and then print that.

    2. If you could print from that computer to that printer others things but not the important document, I would wonder…
      1) Is the important document a format type that the printer prints? For example, is the important document a X.doc file and other Y.doc files printed? Or is it X.fgh which the printer doesn’t recognize?
      2) Is the document “locked” in some way? Some pdfs, can be locked and deny being printed.
      3) Other things to try…
      A) does it print on a different printer?
      B) can you send the doc to a different device and try printing it from that device, like your phone

      Good luck and I hope you figured it out!

      1. Still a work in progress. The “document” is just a list of medications my husband takes and also the appx. dates of his hospitalizations. Tomorrow he sees about getting cataract surgery and I know they will need information on his health history. So I try to keep in updated.

  9. Two productive work days on the flower farm made me happy. We’re into deadheading and harvesting these days. The farm kittens are keeping us entertained with their antics during breaks and lunch. My allergies mean I don’t get too close to them but they’re so fun to watch.

    Visiting DH’s sister and her husband for a long weekend. Relaxing and a nice break. My SIL took me to a cute scrapbooking store – I do not need more supplies but hard to resist the new products.

    I harvested my garlic this week – 34 of 40 cloves produced heads. It’s all hung up and drying. Already planning to plant more this fall.

    1. I harvested my garlic too, Susan. Some surprisingly large head (our weather has been psychotic) and some very small. All trying on a drying table in the barn.

      1. Garlic is a big reward for little effort crop. Plus It’s so satisfying to grow and eat your own garlic all year.

  10. I moved twice in the last twelve months, after staying in the same house for fourteen years.

    I didn’t do it deliberately – when my ex died (he shared the house – horrible situation, but he wouldn’t leave), the landlord issued me with an eviction notice two weeks later. Charming Anglican minister 🙄.

    I couldn’t find anything at such short notice in this appallingly tight rental market, so I rented a place short term. I found something else – expensive but lovely – just as that lease was about to expire, so now I’m slowly trying to downsize. I know I won’t be here long-term, as the owners live overseas and bought it for when they finally return to Australia.

    In between poking at the mound of boxes in the front room that I’m still not sure what to do with, I’ve managed to knit a jumper (=sweater) and finish a lavender speckled shawl. It’s the first time in many months that I’ve had a chance to do something that makes me feel happy, without the guilt that I must empty yet another box.

    Self-care is so important.

    1. Eviction two weeks later. That’s just wrong on every level! For shame on him.
      Keep knitting, Anne. Lovely colour, lavender.

        1. Thanks ☺️

          The rental market in Australia assumes that tenants are young people who haven’t yet bought a house, and aren’t looking for a long-term home. The reality now is very different – if indeed it was ever true. I’m a few years off retirement, when I will no longer need to be near a train line to get to work. Then I’ll look for something cheaper, further out and – hopefully – stable. Until then, I need to be within commuting distance of the city 🤷‍♀️

  11. DH and I celebrated 44 years of marriage this Friday! Went to our favorite (very high quality/very expensive) restaurant for dinner – the kind of place where you make reservations two months in advance if you want to get your preferred time on a summer weekend. Food was exceptional, as always. And though my husband does not recall saying anything about it being a special occasion when he made the reservations, our deserts came out with “Happy Anniversary” written in gorgeous chocolate script on the plates. (We’ve celebrated this occasion there before…I’m guessing they have a database?)

    Wishing you the best with making your new place into your home without over-tiring yourself, Jenny!

    4. We go high-end for anniversaries too, so indulgent and fun. I remember why I married him. Restaurant is high up, two stories, for this beach town, and the outdoor bar features lavish sunsets.

      Happy anniversary to you! Congratulations for knowing how to celebrate for you…

  12. I am conflicted. I am happy that we had SIL and spouse over for her birthday dinner – we do this annually. But I am happier that it is over with, all that cooking and too much food. I am going to have to rethink my menus. Something where I don’t end up feeling like the dog’s’ dinner the next day. The next company arrives this afternoon. My guy suggests we go see a movie and have pizza. Sounds good to me.

    1. Jenny – Have fun with the slower part of recovery from your move. Gentle puttering around with placement of your goods to best effect.
      I forgot about the sore muscles from moving (I used gentle exercise and lots of water to flush out the excess chemicals in my muscles). I had borrowed a 1956 pickup from a friend to relay my items from a mile away, shifting a lot and no power steering (6 turns lock to lock) also contributed to my soreness.

      Jan – Glad to hear the sinus infection is gone-that is quite the pain!
      You may have to set your mower on the highest setting and make one pass over the lawn like that, then re-set to normal height for the second pass. (Failing that strategy, find a friend with a scythe and take turns lowering the level of the grass, good exercise for both of you.)

      Mary – Did you re-connect the printer cable at both ends? I have had trouble with flaky connections before. If you have spare cables, substituting one at a time can isolate whether a specific cable is the problem. Congratulations on five people troubleshooting and staying good-natured!

      Mama_Abbie – Congratulations on your anniversary and celebrating it in a great way. Some restaurants really take extra effort for good customers-yay!

      1. Theresa, thanks for the advice. I don’t shave my lawn down to the roots, anyway. I may have to raise it, though. That is a good idea. I’m not over this, yet, but getting close. We’re not to the scythe stage, yet, thank goodness!!

          1. That would be great. There’s an ordinance about grass height in this town. I haven’t transgressed, yet, but it’s getting close. I really would like to just plant wildflowers. I already have a rain garden on a significant part of the front yard. It’s a work in progress.

        2. The dotter hates cutting the grass, but she’s the one that doesn’t live in the basement so it’s her job. Her solution? She laid the cardboard from the move over the grass to kill it, then planted either wildflowers or [especially] clover over huge parts of the yard. There will be darned little mowing next year.

  13. Happy to have a restful day, with rain to excuse me from various outside activities.

    I had some leftover strawberry buttercream frosting in the fridge, and got the bright idea of combining it with some leftover chocolate buttercream from the freezer. It made an entertaining confection. I wouldn’t make it again, and no regrets that there wasn’t more of it, but it did fill a yen for sugar quite nicely.

    Loved reading all the “Lavenders Blue” comments. So fun to have a new book to discuss.

    1. You could also try putting the frosting in layers and then freezing it. Voila! Two flavor fudge.

    1. No, but everybody is looking for him. He had several people in the neighborhood feeding him before I trapped him inside, so he has a route he makes.
      I haven’t given up hope yet.

  15. I’m not sure if I’m happy or not about seeing this article in the Washington (DC) Post this morning about the sudden popularity of Hockey Romances. https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2023/08/06/alex-wennberg-hockey-romance/. Still, there was a burst of interest in me, which is kind of the next thing to happiness, right?

    I’m about to read it to figure what all of you love about these books, but I figured I should mention it here, since I probably will have forgotten the article when Thursday meanders around….

    And along with many of the Argher cat people, I’m hoping there is word about Emily William. (fingers-crossed emoji here)

    1. What the F is wrong with people? Hockey romances have been around forever with no problems. Now suddenly NHL players are being sexually harrassed and their wifes and kids bothered.
      I am so tired of society.

    2. I love this article so much! It gives a major shoutout to Heated Rivalry! Thank you, Jinx. I am engorged with venom and triumph.

    3. Still no word. The neighbors are looking out for him. I have a feeling he’s hiding in the house, so the next clean-out crew might find him. Catching him is another story.

  16. We’re in the process of trying to buy a house and I’ve been trying -gradually in fits and starts- to downsize 20 years of stuff.

    We already had one house fall through because it was going to need 50k+ of work done to it and the owner thought she’d factored that into the price and we did not. We put an offer on another house yesterday that’s bigger, slightly cheaper, but less beautiful.

    I am not looking forward to packing and moving!

    1. Oh, good luck. My move was six kinds of hell, and Mollie’s cleaning up the rest of it. I owe her big.

  17. Much Ado opened! Had a few people forget lines on Friday (alas, in front of the “new critic,” whoever that is, I’ve heard two different names and rumors), but Saturday went swimmingly. I’m really doing a tour de force in acting here, which a few people actually appreciated. I hope they film this one–they plan to do it next weekend, we’ll see.

  19. I’m not moving as much as I’d like because I’m still exhausted (even more than my usual fibro tired) from having Covid in early April. I was just starting to get my energy back when I flew out to California in early July to spend a week with family, and I got slammed with fatigue when I got back. It’s not showing any signs of abating. So I guess my long Covid has long Covid. Yay. But I’m still making myself take a walk every day when the weather is okay, so that’s something.

    I also had a visit from a good friend who came for a night on her way from Connecticut to Buffalo, then four days later on her way back. It was lovely to see her, and we had an indulgent charcuterie plate I put together on Monday night and a delicious steak I grilled between major storms on Friday, and drank a lot of very good wine. She’s someone I don’t find tiring, so that was lovely.

    I’m still trying to get rid of things to make room for a new housemate, but since I have been searching for the right person for three months with no luck, I’m not pushing myself too hard right now.

    The good thing is I’m moving along pretty well with the new Llewellyn book, now that I have my 366 topics locked down, so it will probably be done by my deadline. Whew.

    1. In the midst of all your troubles, you still manage to be prolific! I received my 2024 Llewellyn Witches Datebook recently, and was pleased to see an article in the front written by you. I use that datebook for all my weekly and daily chore lists, and any appointments I might have. It’s backup for my phone calendar lists. I look forward to your new book coming out.

      1. I’m going to look for that datebook. Thanks for the recommendation. I haven’t been a practicing witch for years but my ancestry is almost entirely celtic so lots of things are in my cell memories.

        1. It’s great and spiral bound, so easy to keep open, flat on my kitchen counter.

    2. All my sympathies on the fatigue, Deb. I’ve found myself flopping down in the afternoon and sleeping for hours instead of the catnaps I used to take. It’s making me crazy, but sleep’s gonna get me eventually, so I just give in.

      1. I take a nap most afternoons (45 minutes to an hour) and it definitely gives me a second wind. I’ve been doing it for many, many years. The days I don’t get my nap, I’m pretty useless in the evening.

        Moving is exhausting. Definitely take naps.

  20. No more moving! I closed on this house last December and we spent a week moving in. Since then I have dealt with “Home Moanership” problems not one of which meant moving again.

    Not moving sometimes means having the time to look around. Looking around sometimes means observing things you ought to have noticed before. For example, expiration dates on dry boxed or bagged foods. If a bag is properly sealed, one might ignore the best by date by as much as a year, if, when you break the seal, the contents still taste good and haven’t changed color or texture. In my case, it was a dozen bags of Fresh Gourmet Crispy Onions, Crispy Jalapeños, Crispy Garlic. Crispy Red Peppers, and French’s fried onions and jalapeños. And crispy Hatch Chilis. All of them 13 months past “best by.”

    That still leaves me with crispy stuff still fresh, so no worries. The old stuff joined catsup, mustard, and mayo in a trash bag. I need to avoid over-stocking condiments. The dotter has borrowed eggs, cheese, vinegar, butter, flour and even sausage, but never crispy stuff. I had way more than a year’s supply of each. The crispy stuff was all stuff that I moved here hast year from the old house…

  21. I moved a cat into the house.

    After getting home from our vacation in May, I started feeding an appealing stray that’s been hanging around our backyard for years. This week, for Reasons, I caught her, got her vetted, then moved her in.

    Refusing to feel guilty for not redomesticating her earlier (she’s been a pet before), because Life was fairly crappy and I just couldn’t cope with added complexities. She has spent most of the past two days napping on a chair within sight of my computer station. No doubt she has years of sleep deficit (homelessness does not conduce to sleeping soundly) to go with years of malnutrition. Will be interesting to see what she is like after a month or so of rest. So far: a nice little cat.

    Aside from that, happiness is writer productivity, plus decluttering (to accommodate incoming cat clutter). Also, the threatened 87 degree high did not arrive. Happy to not be miserably sweltering.

    1. Good luck with the cat. I saw the darlingest tiny Chihuahua when I was returning the bad recliner chair, and really wanted one. I had a little guy when I lived in Tucson. He was so cute and funny, and small enough as a puppy, that the cat used him as hockey puck on the kitchen linoleum. That was hilarious, and he just slid along as if he liked it. I am resisting. Another animal would be a lot.

      1. I’ve been calling her Scruffian for ages and, since she’s a cat, she doesn’t actually care what her name is. DH is already calling her Shmoo and the third most common mode of address is Miss Kitters. But, for vetting purposes, Scruffian she will remain. 🙂

  22. I’m happy we made it safely to Vegas. I’m even happier we’re going back home tomorrow, even if I don’t look forward to the actual traveling. I feel homesick and miss my cats. My prio 1-goal right now is to avoid everything calle dan airplane for the overseeable future.
    I am happy for Sven that this weekend has made his Twitter, YouTube-channel and Twitch-channel boom with followers. We’re at this gaming convent/tournament for fighting games here and he got to play his first match on stage and won it. The whole place cheered as if he’d won the finals. He’s very happy and everyone wants to talk to, interview and/or play matches with him. Might mean good times ahead for his internet-things!
    I’m happy if I can forget my own miserable performance in said tournament. Bleh.
    Happy we got to meet a previous voice-actor of the game we play, and his wife! They turned out to be lovely people, and we spent a great evening out with them just eating good foods and having good talks and me getting great hugs from the wife. They also stayed the day after to watch the tournament, even staying to also cheer *me* on when I played. That was very sweet of them.
    Even though I have to admit that I’d expected more of them, I am happy we got the chance to try out Krispy Kreme doughnuts! Ever since reading Bet Me for the first time back in 2009, I’ve wanted to try them because of course I would want to. I think I’d like them more if they were freshly made and hot, but you can’t have everything. So far the original glace has been the best one, but I’ve also tried a raspberry glace & filling, which was also very good, and the chocolate-glaced one. I have a choco-glace with custard, a choco-glace with cream, a glaced blueberry cake and a cinnamon roll to try for later this afternoon. I’ll die of sugar overload. 🙂 Good thing there’s 4 other people to share ’em with.
    Right now though, I just wanna go home. Home home home.

    1. They are much better fresh and hot. They are a bit fluffy for me, but entirely edible.

    2. Hot, Fresh, Now is the absolute best way to eat a Krispy Kreme. I like the original and with chocolate glaze.

    3. When Krispy Kreme arrived in the UK, original glazed came fresh off the conveyor belt at Harrods, delicious

  23. Doing things that require moving-mowing the lawn which I really didn’t feel like doing. And not moving-working on an election board project that had stalled -out. So happy I’m back on that last one.

    Other than walking Pixie, I’ve been sitting around reading and doing chores.

  24. Not much happiness around here; my dad died a few weeks ago (I could elaborate, but, Happiness Sunday). However, a bright spot is this community. I’ve always loved how supportive everyone is and how we all rally around each other, but I was even more impressed with the civility and even compassion that was shown in response to that extremely jarring and mean-spirited comment recently. Congratulations, Jenny, on creating this warm, caring environment (and inspiring such loyalty), especially in an online forum, and congratulations us for being such a great group. The only other group I’ve ever belonged to that even came close was a Weight Watchers group about 20 years ago. That group also had a great leader, but I suspect that both groups being predominantly women (sorry, Gary J, Gary H, Michael M, and other guys out there!) is a huge factor. Argh people are the best, and I’m proud to be one.

    3. I’m very sorry about your dad. May you find little bits of comfort wherever you find yourself.

      Although I think women are socialized more to rely on each other than men are, I think that the personality of the leader has a bigger impact. The first time I tried Weight Watchers we had a terrific leader who was very creative and related to the attendees on a very personal basis. After I was more than halfway to my goal, she and her family moved out of town and we got a different leader, also female. The new leader was very competent, but far more by the book than the previous one had been. Although I did continue to attend until I came close to my goal weight, I no longer felt the sense of support and connection that I felt with the original leader and gradually stopped attending. The group took a different tone with the new leader.

    6. I am so sorry you’ve lost your dad. But I’m glad you’ve found a safe space here.

    8. Sorry to hear that you lost your dad. I hope you have many great memories of life with him.
      My dad has been my support and best friend and reading buddy for so many years and I dread the alone feeling that lies ahead some day.

    9. I am so sorry for your loss. Losing a parent, at any age, can leave you feeling a bit like an orphan.

      This is my happy place too and I am glad you can find comfort here.

  25. I agree, Jen. this group is so healing and affirming. I love it. It’s a wonderful antidote to all the hate, anger, and prejudice out there in the world. I’m sorry about our dad.

  27. I am having trouble finding Rest in Pink in paperback on Amazon. And One in Vermillion. Why is this so hard? Nothing I enter brings up anything but Kindle editions. Sigh!

    1. There aren’t any paper versions of Pink or Vermillion yet, but they have been promised.

    2. I think the plan is to offer them in trade paper about a week ahead of the kindle release date.

      1. Oh, good. Then I can still get it. I thought there was a preorder option. But maybe not.

  28. I was able to attend my favorite conference (Global Leadership Summit) last week in person, which meant I could connect with friends I haven’t seen in years and have known for over 2 decades. It was the first time I met their daughter, who’s now 12! I also was able to spend time with family and my teenage niece even talked with me!

    Saturday was a delightful day of no agenda but still got things accomplished.

    Today, I’ve spent a lot of time worrying about my ancient cat (21+ years old) who is so stuffed up that she’s not eating. The vet is coming tomorrow, but I’m not sure she’ll have any useful options.

    1. Oh gosh, Kelly — good luck to you and the ancient one. It’s a hard age for cats and cat owners. Much sympathy for your worries!

    3. Oh, thinking of you with your elderly cat.
      A touch of prednisone might do the trick to get her eating again.

      My Jaymie (half of the Bartles and Jaymes sibling kittens I adopted in 1985) lived healthily for 20 years. And Bart lived to be 18 and a half.

  29. Alas, I am remiss in not paying TOTAL attention to chat re: Lavender’s Blue, but I’ve failed to see this phenomenon mentioned: the lovely enveloping cloud of powdery lavender that issues from the hardback edition of the book. I emphasize *lovely enveloping cloud.* I love lavender, am a connoisseur, grow over a dozen types. Heaven.

    And now I start to read…

      1. The traditional Grosso because it grows so well. Spanish is *so* purple and thus lovely. Anything really fragrant; they are not all.

        Thank you for asking.

      2. The traditional Grosso because it grows so well. Spanish is *so* purple and thus lovely. Anything really fragrant; they are not all.

        Thank you for asking.

    2. I tried my daughter’s lavender lemonade. It tasted like air freshener. Another herb to add to cilantro. Smells great, but not for oral use.

      1. Cilantro is a genetic thing —they’ve shown that sone people have a gene that make it taste awful. I wonder if that’s true for lavender.

        1. I wonder if that’s the same gene that makes asparagus stink up your pee? I thought cilantro tasted like soap, at one time, but now I like it. Odd.

  30. Beginning the family visit for the next two weeks, topped off by a wedding on the lawn on the 19th. This stupid sciatica has decided to show up again, I don’t know why, but I’m not feeling very peppy and ready for visitors.

    The garden is beautiful, I may have part time job coming up, but I wish I could get comfortable.

    2. There is a simple exercise that several friends have used to combat sciatica that has worked a miracle. Perhaps it will help you: Scrunch your toes repeatedly as though you were picking up a piece of cheesecloth (thin and pliable).

  31. I went to Germany on Friday and got back on Sunday (I did it by train too). I live in the UK so it wasn’t too bad. It’s an amazing feat in a way to know that there is a tunnel that you can travel under to be in Europe. It was a long journey but I did it. Still overall I prefer that to Airports.

    1. That is “inconceivable” to me, an American. I’ve made the trip to Mexico and to Canada, but it’s just amazing for you to be able to go to Europe in a few hours.

      1. Well, we are in Europe; Chloe just travelled to the mainland. It’s only twenty mikes away. But the tunnel is brilliant: I’d love to go on another continental train trip.

  32. Just popping in to say how great it is to see Jenny awake and NOT moving any more. Seeing her comment here is very reassuring, since I think a lot of us have been worried about how she would overcome all the hassles that were dumping down on her head. It’s a treat and a half to find her commenting here and there. Long may she wave!

  33. There is this to be said about moving: it takes your mind off the more mundane aspects.

    I mentioned going through the larder and disposing of the seriously out-of-date foods. Then I looked at medicines. Prescriptions are up-to-date except… the cardiologist switched me from 10mg Lipitor to 40mg Lipitor, so there’s this bottle of leftover 10mg tablets. Should I use them up by taking four every night, or should I toss them? The only non-prescription med in my cabinet is acetaminophen, and it’s good until ’24.

    That left the computer. Yes, I weeded out the email last year. Yes, I weeded the Kindle, Mobipocket, and the HTML story files, too. (Not enough – work in progress.) What caught my eye was my blog. Jenny has reinvented her blog from time to time – shouldn’t I follow her excellent example?

    Yes. I should. Somewhere around 380 posts when I started, it now contains closer to 200. A huge chunk of the weeding was “Official Weigh-In Day” posts. Now there’s only one. Then meals went into the dumpster. Food and meals are interesting as they occur, but then it turns into crap. Literally. There were exceptions. (Does that mean I was constipated?)

    Then there were all the posts about living in the dotter’s garage, and rearranging it, and “Plan 9 from Inner Space.” A post about making plans.

    I don’t know where this will end.

    1. But it’s always interesting.
      Personally I’d use them (4 a night), but perhaps you should check with your pharmacist.

      1. Yes, it’s always interesting. I don’t want to eat Gary’s cooking (I prefer my own, plus my dietary restrictions are different) but it’s always interesting and sometimes inspiring.

  34. @JaneB yep I did travel to the mainland, though since the whole mess of Brexit happened, passport check in and ticket stuff takes way more time. I went to Ireland for this first time this year too, that was for a longer period and really fun. I went in March so it wasn’t high tourist season.

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