Next Round of Details

Inspirational song: Martini Time (Rev. Horton Heat)

I predicted how today would turn out several days ago. I checked the weather forecast when I turned off the heat in my house, and I warned that I'd have multiple cats clinging to me all day when it was supposed to be cold and rainy. I'm not sure I expected that they would stack themselves literally, but I was pleased to be surprised. Cranky old lady Rabbit stayed exactly where she was, layered between two blankets on my belly, purring, while Alfred came over, kneaded, and settled in on top of the top blanket. There is a game all cats play (ALL of them) which we call "On something on something." It's the reasoning behind the inevitability that if you put a stack of clothes on your bed, a cat will lie on top of them, when the rest of the bed is open and available. (And if you put those clothes on a pillow, it's a higher degree of difficulty and more attractive to the cat. Put a piece of paper on top of that, especially one you don't want wrinkled or chewed on, and it's a cat bullseye. A 99 yard touchdown. That would be on-something-fragile-on-something-on-something-on-something. The highest score a cat can achieve.) Alfred stuck the landing today, being able to snuggle against both of us at the same time, with Rabbit not only tolerating it and not growling and leaving, but purring contentedly.

I've been watching the next round of flowers form buds that are swelling, on the verge of blowing open. My older, more established peony bush has more than a dozen buds, and will be covered in light pink ruffles by the end of the month. The newer bush has only two buds, but I'm happy that it survived its first year here and is coming back healthy. I had a hydrangea that I planted in a pot last year, that accidentally stayed out past the first hard freeze last fall. It was among the plants brought into the garage for the winter, set on the window shelves with the geraniums. Not only did it survive against the odds, it actually has a few tight, pale green buds on it. I'm so pleased.

I bought my tomato variety choices this evening. We had some errands to run, and I popped down to the danger zone in the big box store. I bought a hybrid early girl, and two heirlooms, Cherokee purple and pink brandywine (I think it was). They'll stay in pots until it gets a little warmer and dryer outside. This weekend is Mother's Day, so I'm right on schedule this year. In small ways and ways much larger, all sorts of things are springing into motion. It feels like a very exciting time is beginning.