I almost had a post up the other day, but Blogger wouldn't cooperate and I gave up and moved to something else.
Today felt a little bit like fall down here in the Tropics. Since Hurricane Earl is about 500 miles to the east of us, it is pleasantly windy here and all the moisture and humidity is being sucked up by Earl, leaving us feeling more refreshed than we've felt in months.
Because of the beautiful, breezy and sunny afternoon, I decided I'd read outside - something that just wasn't possible for the last 2 months at least. The only problem with that idea is that, as soon as I'm outside, I can't help but notice all the overgrown bushes that need to be trimmed, the weeds to be pulled, the raised bed to be set in place for fall veggie planting, etc. etc. etc. ad nauseum. Do any of you out there have the same problem? You think to yourself, "I'll relax for a while. I just got home from working 7 hours at my day job, and I'll just kick back and read for a while in this nice fresh air." Plus, for some reason, I absolutely could not sleep more than half an hour at a time last night. I woke up constantly, couldn't get comfortable, then the cat would jump on the bed and want to cuddle, every noise was like nails on a blackboard - so I got very little sleep. Even so, just "taking it easy" never works for me. I just cannot sit there and do nothing when the entire yard is screaming, "Hey I'm your favorite flower and there's no sun getting to me - Help!!" "Don't you want ME to grow big and strong and bring in lots of butterflies?" says another plant that is prone to blocking the sun from smaller, more diminutive, less extravagant growers. I look around and think maybe the Long Winged Zebra butterflies aren't as numerous as they were - perhaps there aren't enough places for them to sleep at night. I positively can hear the bluejays, who, upon seeing me in the yard, set up a racket begging for peanuts because I've spoiled them so. They practically hop right up to me and yell at me.
I read a few paragraphs and then hear skittering in the grass. I look up and it's the final straw. A teenage squirrel has approached me carefully with the sweetest look on his little face, just as cute as can be - and I give up. I get up to bring out the peanuts.
Once I give in to the peanuts, it's downhill from there. Next, I grab the gardening gloves and the bush cutting tool. I'm gearing up to something I've wanted to do for ages, but am always scared. There is a carrotbush, a.k.a. weed, tree in our back yard against the fence. I haven't cut it down because I love trees, but trying to keep a balance between all the bushes, vines and trees, attempting to keep them from invading each other's space, is an endless battle in a tropical climate where there is never frost.
My husband usually does these jobs, but he hates working outdoors, he works over 10 hours a day and can only do things on the weekends, it's been crazy at his job lately so weekends are for rest for him......so I who LOVE to work outside have been dying to get the chain saw out by myself - carefully, mind you - and take care of what needs to be done. If I asked him beforehand he would not want me to do this, but it needs to be done, I'm home, it's a lovely afternoon - and so......
I opened the garage, and got out the chain saw and the long extension cords. Next, I carried the nice steel ladder to the tree in question and made sure it was anchored firmly against the trunk. I kept the safety on the chain saw and climbed the ladder very cafefully. Don't worry - this story ends just fine. I was able to climb up pretty far and trim a few big branches that have been blocking the sun from butterfly vines. There were some higher up, but I could not reach them and I'm not crazy. No matter how badly I wanted to cut them, I didn't want to fall off a 10 foot ladder holding a chain saw.
That job completed, I carefully climbed down, feeling quite a sense of accomplishment. Next I trimmed some more bushes and branches that were just too encroaching.
The love/hate relationship I have with my purple morning glory is continuing as usual. I cut it all the way back, pull the billion runners that cross the entire back yard (invariably hurting my back), pull up the roots, pull the Stephen King-ish vines off the bougainvillea before it gets completely buried, etc. etc. etc. Within a month, it's back. In the rainy season, it is absolutely creepy the way it takes over. It's so hard to work outside here in the summer because the heat and humidity are unbearable and I'm no spring chicken. So I let it go for a month or so - and I'm back at square one. I was yanking 50 foot long runners today, ripping them up from the fence edges, pulling with all my might - making lassos of the pulled up "ropes". I have to get between the bougainvillea and the fence (I have to cut branches to get back there), which never happens without lots of deep scratches and bruises, and pull up the morning glory that has rooted among the bougainvillea branches. Bougainvillea has huge thorns all over it - so you can see why this is such a "fun" job. That is one job that is ahead of me in the near future.
This same thing happens to me inside my home. I can no more sit down in a messy room and read a book in a relaxed fashion than the man in the moon. All the while I'm trying to read, I'm conscious of the cat litter bits on the dark carpet, the fact that no one has scooped the cat litter this morning, there's dishes in the sink from the morning - and there is always the laundry piling up. So I put the book down, get up and spend the next hour washing dishes, vacuuming the floors and rugs, scooping kittie poop, freshening their food and water - and throwing laundry in the washer.
Maybe - just maybe - I can sit down and read now. I swear there's always something to be done - and, unless it is late in the evening and dark outside, I hear all the little jobs calling to me to get done.
I wonder if Martha had this problem........