Post-Holiday Weekend

Good bye, sweet rose, I'll miss you.

And having a Monday holiday really throws me out of synch.  I'll be confused the whole rest of the week.

Since Friday and Saturday were busy days for all of us, but mostly for The Husband, we set aside yesterday just for relaxing.  So, yup, The Husband was out working in the yard in the morning.  We'd pulled out an old under-its-potential rosebush on Saturday, then picked up some other plants (actually for other places) at Home Depot that needed planting.  For planting, the old also under-potential-reaching plant must first be removed.  Which means some more dirt must be added which means trips back and forth with the wheelbarrow whose tire must first be re-inflated and the list goes on.  It was a process.

But the new clematis replacing the old mostlydeadhardlyalive honeysuckle will be pretty there on the corner of the garage.  The boxwood shrubs will have to wait for another Saturday for planting, but they're ok in their pots for now.

Drinks and sinful cinnabon.

My daily garden inspection revealed pumpkins! We planted the second wave of corn and peas and carrots on Saturday.  Since the pumpkin hill showed not a hint of promise, I also stuck a whole bunch of pumpkin seeds in the mound.  Only to go out two days later to find several of the previous seeds had sprouted.  It's been so cool, and the garden in so much shade from the untrimmed cottonwood trees that I think that ground hadn't been warmed enough for the seeds to grow.  It looks like I'll be thinning out quite a few of the pumpkins.  These are a giant variety, we haven't room for more than one plant.

I had a (rare, really rare) hankering for a root beer.  I'm not a soda fan at all.  But nothing would satisfy except to indulge.  The Husband had a coupon he's been saving to use at our newly opened Maverick up the hill. Buy one XL drink and get a second one free.  So up we went.  I won't be able to finish the last half of my drink, but it was free.  It was kind of a fun micro-adventure - I never-ever-rarely-ever go to convenience stores.

Last week we excitedly supervised as the mama robin build her nest.  It's in a fairly visible spot from several windows.  Then she disappeared.  For days.  Just this morning we agreed that she must have perished and that we'll miss having some baby robins around again this year.  Not an hour later The Husband calls me come quick, the robin is on her nest!  YAY!

Loved seeing this cow-let on my walk, it was cute.

And I'm still puzzling over this: a couple weeks ago, deep in conversation with a friend in the hall between Sunday School and R. S. I was abruptly instructed by a sister in the ward.  "You have to make so and so do this and this. She's causing me issues."  What??  I try really hard not to try to make anyone do anything.  It isn't my place.  The most baffling thing in all of this is that this woman has a PhD in marriage and family counseling.  She makes her living helping people.  She goes around the world doing presentations about lots of aspects of the Gospel.  Does she not understand the concept of agency?  Why on earth would I ever make someone do what she wants?    There's lots of things in this life that don't go the way we think is right.  Lots of behaviors of other people we don't necessarily agree with or condone.

But...none of us has the right to force our will on another regardless of how well-intentioned, well-motivated or just plain right we think we are.  And frankly, I think most of us are no more "right" about stuff than most of the others.  We're all trying.  Our best might be someone else's worst.   And vice-versa.

Anyway, the upshot is that I won't be telling so and so to do this and this.  Ever.  I prefer peace to confrontation.

We didn't have as much "fun" as I hoped over the weekend.  And it's going to be hard for both of us to get back into the routine of work.  But our daughter will be in town this weekend.  It'll be so good to see her, it's been since September!  Hopefully the dinner with all our chilluns and some of the grandchilluns will be a happy occasion.  I'm praying for that.

I'm grateful for an occasional long weekend that helps us step back and do different things. To recognize that while our routine is wonderful and productive, there's other fun things in life.  I'm grateful for friends that invite us out to dinner once in a while.  I'm grateful for the ability to have cars that are reliable and comfortable.  For a rare root beer.  And for tomorrow's installment of the new garage door.  And for hope for more fun next time.  This world is beautiful.