The Week Ahead: Nobody's April Fool

I know full well that I work best with a list of goals and a series of projects.  I finished my March list up rather quickly since I couldn't get outdoors.  The pollen has not decreased any but apparently the particular pollen producer that really hits me has stopped producing so I'm finding I can spend some time outdoors without feeling my head is packed with cotton and my ears are imploded.  I'm planning to be outdoors at least a little this week, weather permitting.  I have one more flower bed to finish weeding and a lot of digging and pruning and clearing to be done.

The Week Behind: One Day At A Time

Saturday:  John off to work.  I barely kissed him.  Truth told, this lady was dead tired, slapped off the alarm and went back to sleep so hard I never heard John shower or leave the room, nor did I make him breakfast, etc.   Bless the man he meant for me not to wake but it isn't in him to NOT say goodbye.  It was his whispered "See you later" that shook me awake and I got up long enough to inspect the lunch bag he'd packed.  The lunch basket in the fridge is such a blessing to us!  I used to have his lunch scattered all over, a bit here and a bit there, wherever it would fit.  Designating a basket for John's lunch items and nothing but his lunch items means he can pack his bag as easily as I can.  I kissed him goodbye and was sent promptly back to bed.  I doubt I was awake long enough for him to make it to the end of the first drive.

Up about 10am and on a fast run.  I'd planned and meant  to have Taylor this weekend.  Katie had meant to pick her up but under the circumstances it wasn't happening, so I got ready to go pick her up and together we drove to meet up with M and get Taylor.

The Week Ahead: One Day Only

Just arrived to discover that not only am I behind times posting this post, but I apparently never sent out last Friday's post.  And what a lot went on from Friday through today!

So literally this week, I am not really planning anything except to take each day as it comes.  Here's what I know to be facts this week:

The Week Behind: In Which I Wait

Saturday:  John must work tomorrow so I put a corned beef into the crockpot last night before we went to bed and turned it off this morning when I got up.  I let it cook all night long from about 11p until 7a on low.  It turned out so tender and lovely!  I seldom cook meat that long even though that is what the crock pot/slow cooker is meant to do. I'm certainly going to consider doing more of this low and slow cooking in the future.  I was able to cut it by simply pressing the knife against the grain of the meat.  I steamed cabbage wedges atop the potatoes I was cooking.  And that was our  Irish dinner today.  I kept it very simple.  It was delicious.

Coffee Chat: Almost Spring

Hello all.  We shall not sit outdoors with our coffee.  It's a little cool yet, though I dare say you northern girls would feel it was downright balmy.  Never mind, the pollen is thick yet outdoors and John's mowing will only make me sneeze twice as hard.  Grass smells so very good to me but...ACHOO!  

I was outdoors this morning, very early, well before 9am because John had called to say he was running later than usual in coming home.  I figured while the air was heavy with dew I'd just go right on outdoors to pull some weeds.  I got the bulk of the ones from the back flower bed and pots pulled up.  I'm calling myself done with those though you can see a few very tiny weeds here and there.  I need to put out fresh mulch.  It is looking rather thin.  And so the list of outdoors jobs for the coming months is growing and growing.  Just so is it each Spring.

The Week Ahead : It's All Up Hill From Here

There is so much to do outdoors that I am itching to get at it.  Mind you, if I did, I'd be itching for sure!  The pollen counts have been in the HIGH range for the past few days.  But oh how my spirit says "Get outdoors and get things painted, planted, spruced up..."  Well I might do the weeding and the planting but painting is futile until pollen is done.  And I can only do what I say I might if I shower immediately after.  

Mama and I were out the other day and drove through a great cloud of yellow pollen that stretched across the roadway.   Shortly after, Mama complained that her eyes and nose itched.  I got rather snuffly myself and had a slight headache.  

The Week Behind: Blooms!

Saturday:  I rolled out of bed this morning at 6:45.  It was daylight enough to clearly see that morning had broken.  I don't typically get up quite that early but I knew that this was my last daylit morning for a few weeks to come, so I got up and enjoyed it.   I tell you truly that my most favorite hour of the day is the early hours of daylight, sitting near the window in the kitchen with my Bible and first cup of coffee.   It's not half so appealing when it's dark out the window and that's fact.