the mellow tigger's musings

It was 7C/45F outside when I woke up this morning. It seems unusual for it to be this cool so early in the fall season in Minneapolis. It was 17C/63F indoors downstairs, so I turned on the central heater for a bit to compensate. I mean, last year, I put the air conditioner back in my bedroom window in late September because I was tired of sweating from the heat. Instead, this year, I used my electric blanket for the last 2 nights.

On Monday, during the Labor Day holiday from work, I spent some time in the front yard doing much-needed work pulling unintended plants that had grown tall. I filled 2 big paper yard trash bags after stomping them for maximum compression. When I was just getting started, some kid (6 years old maybe?) on an electric-assisted kid bicycle started a brief conversation that went something like this:

kid: "Hey, mister?"
me: *looking up from pulling plants* "Yes?"
kid: "Can you get rid of these plants? *pointing at stuff leaning into the sidewalk and brushing against passersby*
me: "Yes, I'll be sure to get those." *getting back to the plants where I started by my front door*
kid: "And these too? *pointing on the other side of the sidewalk with plants leaning over the concrete*
me: *surveying the admitted mess* "Absolutely."

*laugh* I did eventually get to all of those plants that day, so the sidewalk is unimpeded again. I had to take a few breaks on the front porch between the digging and pulling. When 2 bags were full and my body was very tired, I gave up for the day. I still need a few more hours to finish the front yard. As I described it to a coworker online, "Now, at least it looks merely unkempt instead of abandoned."

I was intending to do that now during my "weekend", but it has been unusually cold and also wet. Bad combination. And my body... my back and legs have been sore all week from Monday's exertions.

Excuses, excuses for procrastination. I know.

Today was the first day at work that I felt "normal" again, after the recent arthritis adventure. After work, I went outside to the front yard to do some more pulling of invasive grass. The back yard needs even more work. I was supposed to get a lot of it done last week, but the weather and my health didn't cooperate.

Some tulips and daffodils are blooming right now. They look nice, when I get the tall grass out of the way. The strawberries and raspberries are putting on leaves again. The juneberries and cherry tree are blooming.

A car stopped in front of my house, still in the middle of the road. The lady driving the car explained to me through the side window that they lived just a few houses away on my block. They said they enjoyed my yard. I explained that I started this process for the pollinators. I said in the summer they should take a stroll up and down the block and just "listen" around here too, since obviously nature likes it here.

So I know the name of a new neighbor. They have chickens too. That makes 3 chicken owners that I know of within a 1-block radius.

After work today, I walked into my back yard intending to water some plants that I put in the ground earlier this year. The drought here is strong.

I accidentally startled a small rabbit. I turned around and went back into the house. Here's the view from my kitchen door on the back patio.

Moody Monday is cancelled for today.