Wednesday Iris & Contemplation

The UPS man just delivered the new, pre programmed new TiVo. I did my exercises with music and it was very nice. I have had my lunch and Riley is going outside while I wash up and get dressed for the day.  I also found a low carb Texas chili recipe for my "try out" of a low carb diet.  The EXACT opposite of what I naturally eat (and gain weight eating).  Adding a portion of grilled meat to a big salad will do the trick.  I can do this for a few weeks.  It can be my diet for May.

I was up early, thinking about how to schedule the few hours before work.  And then remembered.  Today is my day off.  I am doing two loads of laundry, then ironing and finally making Easter Dinner.  I have my liter of Classic Coke for the ham and the ingredients for the Brown Sugar Crust.  Since ham is still on sale at 89 cents a pound, I may go and buy another one if this one tastes wonderful.  The ham is good until June stored in the fridge in the original wrap.

I finally returned to my Pilates yesterday and feel better.  I have been reading emails and letting Riley in and out the back door but as soon as I finish here I will go up to work out.  I will take my little CD player and have some soothing music.  Each time I go upstairs to exercise, I add something to the routine.  A few yoga stretches last week.  I need to have a timer or some music to get me through the minutes needed to do the lower back stretch.  It isn't painful but it also isn't pleasant.  But, my back feels 100% better throughout the work day and even overnight.  Hard to describe the sensation during the stretch.  And it's just where I have had trouble for years.  I am supposed to do the lower back stretch for as long as I can stand it. The stretch involves a rolled towel and my towel is very thin.  So, I am not over doing here at the beginning.

I have started doing "Downward Facing Dog".  I can't put the heels of my feet flat on the floor (yet) but just having my feet and hands on the floor with my hips up in the air is like winning the lottery.

I need to do some gardening.  I have transplants that need to go into the perennial bed, shrubs to plant, onion sets to plant and seeds to start.  It was supposed to be "sunny" today but still is wet and dark outside.  Will the sun and warmth ever come to Maine?  It has been warm.  Just not sunny.

Everything has changed at work as we switch into high gear.  The greenhouse is now full of petunias. With Mother's Day so close, I am hoping the fuschias start showing blossom color.  We haven't had enough sunshine in the greenhouse to get the blossoms open.  Last year they never grew properly.  This year they are big, healthy plants but no color.  Yet.  And my herb tables got moved outdoors.  The herbs will enjoy a nice damp, overcast day or two outdoors before the sun shines.  Everything looks so fresh and green.  New beginning.  Fresh opportunity.

The cold crops are outdoors, also.  Cabbage etc. and all the wild lettuces and regular lettuces.  And we have flats of spicy Arugula.  I pinch off a few leaves every afternoon.  Peppery.  Quality control.  I have grown cabbage every year but 12 cabbages are way too many.  I would like 6.  I can manage to eat 6.

I met and chatted with an older gardener yesterday.  She is 80.  15 years older than I am and limited in what she can do.  This was a momentous thought for me.  Fifteen years.  If this is what I have left--how do I best spend the time?  I feel, in my heart, that I can actually make it to 90 and perhaps a bit farther. But how much of those years will be productive?  I don't want to spend my days sleeping as my husband does.  I think this is why I stay at work.  I want to be "doing".  G wants to vacation.  And on vacation he reads and naps.  And while he reads and naps, I am bored out of my mind.  Even going to visit people involves so much sitting around doing nothing.  Which is why I end up doing laundry, ironing and cooking while on vacation.  I also work on collages in my journal, read (without falling asleep) and do hand sewing.  On the rare occasions when I spend an entire day doing nothing I feel terrible.

The new TiVo still hasn't arrived and the old one has now slipped into Advanced TiVo Alzheimers.  It can't remember how to do anything and can't identify even the simple commands without it's connection to the router.  Poor little machine and it's damaged little router switch.  Last night it kept forgetting how to record.  I had to keep pressing the record button in order to get TiVo to record the full one hour program.  Makes me appreciate all the years of faithful service even more.  This is what I have to look forward to with G when his router connection fails. LOL

Now to exercise while Riley controls the animal population in the back yard.  The imaginary/illusive squirrels. The ducks in the wetland.  The deer (possible).  The wild turkey (likely).  He is growling softly and barking occasionally.  Not sleeping