zombie time (but all is good)

I was planning this post to be amount my jungle of a garden.  That is why there is a picture of my beautiful flowers and a turnip.  What I harvested from the garden Saturday as I was weeding the jungle.  The jungle due to all the heat and rain we have had lately.

But notice that one word:  rain.  It has rained everyday since I got back from gallivanting.  It rained almost everyday while I was gallivanting.  Last night we got six to ten inches of rain dumped on us in the form of a string of thunderstorms.  Slow moving thunderstorms.  Houston was underwater this morning.

I am okay.  I live on a natural levee here.  Yes, I am two blocks from a bayou but one of the higher points in Houston.  The biggest problem I had was sleeping.  Between the storm, sirens, and helicopters, it was not a peaceful night and I did not sleep.  This morning you could hear frogs because roads were flooded and people were not out.

Tomorrow may be better.  It may not be because is looks like rain again.  I walked to the store to buy a russet potato because I want gnocchi for dinner.  Yes, I am the crazy person who would rather make it from scratch then use store bought even at 7:30 pm.  I am waiting for the potatoes to be cool enough to handle, doing laundry, and drinking a glass of wine.  I have been such a zombie today, I have not gotten much done.

Laundry.  Camping and surfing seem to produce a lot but I am almost there.

YESSSSS!

Today has been a quiet day for me.  No one around.  Bread to bake and surf.  So, after the wonderful loaf of cinnamon cardamon swirl bread and two small loafs of cinnamon swirl bread were finished, I went off to the beach.

Me, my board, and the surf.  The wind was blowing so hard that I did not get my windscreen up.  I was planning a bit of reading too but the setup failed with just me.  I actually lost one of my tent stakes.  Not a huge frustration. 

I was thinking about it on the way home.  All the little frustrations of the day:  traffic, not getting out of the house as soon as I would have liked, losing a tent stake, were nothing to the joy of standing up today. 

YESSSS!  I stood up and rode my board all the way in.  Me and my spoon.  The damage I have done to my body in the last eighteen months means that I have not had enough shoulder strength to actually paddle hard enough and get up fast enough to ride.  Now, there were some things that helped:  fresh wax, more powerful surf, almost sets in Galveston.

But you know what?  I stood!  I stood!  I stood!  The smile on my face was so big that I thought my face was going to split!  Such joy. 

I wanted to be in the water longer, but between the wind being so much it was very hard to carry my board, weather coming in, and being hurt from the Oregon coast, I did the wise thing and did not push it.  I may still be taking ibuprofen before bed but I got home safe and sound.  That is always a good end to the day.

I stood!  I stood!  I stood!

my first zinnias this year

Before I left for gallivanting, my first zinnias bloomed.  They are so pretty.  There are more now and I will cut another bouquet soon.

I need to spend time in the garden because it has become a jungle.  It rained so much while I was gone that the mint stands waist high.  I ate salad from the garden tonight and it was a bit leggy due to the heat and amount of water.  It did taste good.  I like a simple salad. 

I need to spend morning this weekend pulling weeds.  But I am actually hoping for surf.  Or if not surf, time at the beach.  It is not like the Oregon coast.  The Gulf is just not but it soothes similarly. 

Coming back to work was interesting.  I had people wait for me to come back to make requests.  I am not imagining because I was told this was the path taken.  So after dealing with a interestingly busy day.  Fun in some ways. 

I have spent the evening spinning and crocheting, watching Call of the Midwife.  Hoping a bit for good sleep and surf.  Should have taken my boards, surf and skateboard, all long boards.  There were many people at the campground, dirt bags, with both.  I would have been even more relaxed.  But that is life.

gallivanted to the coast

I went gallivanting to the coast.  I was supposed to stop and see my best friend but her movie set went crazy.  It seems like the production is one of those where anything that could go wrong did.  I have no idea how she is going to be credited either for this short.  She has done about everything on this set but be the director and producer.  It did mean that I could not stop and see her.  It also meant I missed Durango, Colorado which I was looking forward to.  I think I have been there but it was when I was a short person.

I headed on to the coast, seeing parts of the country I know I have never seen before.  I drove through southern Utah.  It is gorgeous.  I came back supposedly the same way but missed a turn.  So a different road and it was just as gorgeous.  Me and my little old truck like travelling.

I walked a lot when i got to the coast.  From one end of the beach,

to the other.  I am not really sure how far it was but it was miles.  In the morning, with a thermos of tea.  Other times of the day still with a thermos of tea!  It was cold.  Beautiful and sunny at times but then it was so windy it cut right through you.  When it was still, it was foggy.  It rained too. 

The surf was just the right size for me.  But I did not bring my board or wet suit.  It was probably a good thing because I overdid by just walking!  Yes, I may be laughed at.

The Tall Short Person and Koda Bear came down and spent Mother's Day with me.  They even spent the night.  Lovely. 

I drove up and saw my parents and then to the mountain.  The boyos are working hard.  There is now less trees, an outhouse, and a bath house.  I refused to sleep in the trailer.  I set up my little tent again.  The trailer  smelled and was very boy messy.  But it was good to see what they were doing and it was nice to my Beloved. 

On the way back, during part of that beautiful drive through Utah, where I could not do anything about it, I got called and texted that our hot water heater was leaking.  I came home to no water and an appointment for the plumber today.  The hot water heater ruptured.  It has been an interesting day.  But spinning and crocheting has been done.  Not as nice as crocheting on the beach or spinning in front of my camp fire, but I will not complain.  Especially since my best friend needed me and I could be here.

testing

I am very excited about my gallivanting.  And I am still creating but I have been sucked into a sweater that I really want to wear while I am traveling.  I may actually need to make more yarn for it and find buttons on my travels but I should be wear it otherwise.  I finished a sleeve tonight and got well on the way with the last.  The extra yarn is for the collar.

I tested out my tent today.  I never again wish to put a tent up for the first time by myself at 3:00 am without a light.  I did that at a Pensacola camp site.  Never again.  I am really glad I tested this setup here because the lighting is unique.  At 3:00 am, I would have thought it was broken.  But now.  I have a tent that glows.

My ripped up hands are making everything a bit slower today.  I had hoped to write about hot cross buns but my nails are so short that typing hurts.  I hope my hands are farther along the healing process tomorrow.  I might even make another batch for the road!