Forever In Blue Jeans

It's another beautiful day in the Valley when I get moving this morning, warm soft breezes, azure skies and bright sunshine. Richard has been to fill the water tank for me to give the boat and all of my many plants a drink. Supposed to be nearly +30 today. September has been a gorgeous month, with the best weather so far this summer. Mother Nature must be over her PMS. One can only hope.

We wander the yard, the dogs and I, starting with the pots by the fence, closest to the house and then wander over to the mini pea patch. It is now the mini Scarlet Runner Bean patch, as the beans are finally climbing and blooming. I notice some of the store bought hybrid tomato plants have tomatoes developing and one is even turning red... despite my neglect. A funny noise distracts me from my musings. I turn towards the house and discover Emily has gotten into the hops-vine choked rose bush and is caught tight. Silly puppy! I extricate her with an admonishment not to go in there again. She'll gives me a tail-wagged thanks.

I move off towards the garden boat and the kids follow leisurely, sniffing at this, pawing at that, rolling in something I don't think I want to know about. There are more windfall apples on the ground, even though Richard has been out early and filled my bucket with them. These are such tasty apples, with a wonderful scent. I have to get them peeled and chopped, into a slow cooker and then into the freezer.

I start watering the boat and the plants and pretty soon an hour has gone by. It is getting warmer outside, the thermometer on the deck already says +25. Love it. Time to go in for cappuccino.

Back outside in the warmth, and walking towards the garden boat, something moves beside my foot. My eyes focus on it and I grin. It's a cute little Island Garter Snake, slithering it's way towards the shade of the big old Wild Rose bush, just outside the fence. He stops and looks at me, then wends his way onward. The dogs can't see him, but they smell him and follow his scent through the grass. Up by the garden boat is another one, which quickly slides under the boat. I am struck by a thought...I haven't seen any slugs for several weeks. I bet the snakes are the reason for that.

I hear the phone ringing and hurry - as fast as I am able to hurry - to answer it. I hear a sweet voice singing:
"Money talks, it don't sing and dance and it don't walk. As long as I can have you here with me, I'd much rather be, Forever In Blue Jeans, Babe."

"Hey Momma, guess who I am going to see tonight in concert!!!?"

It's Gina, and she is really excited. Neil Diamond is in Edmonton for a concert. She had wanted to go, but wasn't keen about the price of the tickets. One of her co-workers had purchased tickets and wasn't able to use them so gave them to Gina. She knows how much I love Neil Diamond, and has told her fellow employees about how she was born and raised on his music. Well, I DID have all his albums, and I DID play them a lot, this is true.

I am energized after talking to Gina, you can't help but be. I decide to use some of my Spelt flour and make some orange zest and maple syrup flavored Spelt bread. Soon I have 3 loaves baking in the oven. The fragrance of baking bread fills the air. I wait impatiently for it to cool, after removing it from the oven, so that I can try it. Ohhhh, it is divine! Crisp on the outside, tasty and moist, slathered in butter.

Each night before going to bed I always peel and slice up an apple, then sit on the bed and watch the news while munching it. Tonight is no different, except it is one of my own apples, not a cold storage store bought one. These apples are sweet and delicious - I peel two. After the news is over, I remember I had to take meat out of the fridge freezer for tomorrows dinner. It's dark in the kitchen, the only light coming through the windows from the deck, but I have lived there for 19 years, it's my kitchen, and I know where everything is, who needs lights on. Perhaps that is a good thing. Perhaps that is what kept me from letting loose a blood curdling scream and giving Richard a coronary.

Walking back to the bedroom, I rounded the corner and in the dark, I saw, dimly, something scurrying towards me on the floor. I gave a choked sound, then stomped it, 3 times in rapid succession with my good leg.

Damn, now I have to hobble back across the room, without putting that foot down completely on the floor, and turn on the light. Then I have to open the front door and scrape whatever it was - oh come on, we know it was a spider, now don't we, hmmmmm? GAK. I wipe my shoe off on the rug on the deck, then closing the door, and taking a wad of paper towel, and the jug of vinegar, go and remove the evidence from the floor where I crushed it. That will teach it to run at me in the dark, yelling about revenge.

Now I am wound up from the adrenalin surge. Guess I will be watching that Numb3rs rerun at midnight after all.

With one eye watching the corners of the room and the ceiling of course. You can't be too careful.