Hermit Time

No, the blacksnake did not return to swallow me whole. I did not fall down the stairs, break an ankle on a trail, or perish from heatstroke. I've just been holed up, being solitary.

The tyranny of the blog is that if I don't feel like writing (or there's simply nothing to write home about), people start calling, worrying that I've fallen down and can't get up. Or something similarly dire.

The truth is that the summer days just melt into each other. I get up and do my little routines--coffee, computer, then the huff-and-puff on the elliptical, rewarded with a shower and brunch. Then it's time for dog-walking, weeding, watering the thirsty container garden, knitting while watching a few NCIS episodes, household chores (dishes & laundry--it never ends), then reading, followed by an hour-long nap on the couch. When I awake, it's time to start thinking about dinner, and while it's cooking, I usually go out again with the dog and work on digging up the raised bed, getting ready to plant another crop of something.

But today it's raining, so my routine is a little disrupted. Echo got her Frontline this morning, so she's racked out, not feeling like going anywhere. I'm gleefully contemplating the corn I planted this week, hoping that it will sprout after this precipitation.

Consumer news: I tried the new OFF! clip-on insect repellent device. Don't waste your money. I suffered through another rash of bites, all in the name of research. Also, I'm not so thrilled with the idea that I'm inhaling a chemical fog, which doesn't seem any less toxic than applying it to my skin. And the point is moot--the darn thing doesn't work at keeping the bugs at bay.

Family news: Mom is off galavanting with the cousins on the Russian River in California. Alex is now officially a homeowner--the last time we spoke, someone was power-sanding the hardwood floors in the background, and he had just come in from weed-wacking his lawn (he doesn't have a mower, so this will have to do for the time being). Juli has a new job at an upscale Kimpton hotel called The Monaco.

Wildlife news: I found another snakeskin in the other lettuce tub. Do these things come in threes? Bunnies abound. A big buck tried to commit suicide in front of my car in my own driveway a few days ago. There is something in the woods that makes a strange distress call at sunset, that I haven't figured out yet.

You see? I told you there wasn't anything momentous going on...