Working Vacation

Can one day without a planned structure qualify as a vacation? Today feels like a vacation for me. Last night when I retired I sighed with relief because I had no appointments scheduled nor any pressing business to take care of the following day, Friday, October 23, 2009. Nice feeling. Very relaxing. Nevertheless I was awake at 0500 hours as usual. What to do? Get up, wash, have breakfast. The sky was gray but that did not dampen my attitude toward the day. When the typical soft rain began to fall I was really pleased. My Douglas fir can use a gentle wash any time, which does not happen all too often in my desert. The spruce that Ashton called Charlie Brown when it was less than her thirty-six inches tall flourishes in the precipitation as well. I suppose I could have been happier if I had pleasant company. Oh well.
The day before I bought myself a fleece vest, pretty blue with happy colorful flower embroidery, some unmentionables, and bright woolly socks with florescent stripes to wear in my knee-high boots. Doubly happy because to board the train I will not have to go sock foot into the terminal. Other necessities I found in the shed, like warm long pants for wear in the damp weather in Bellingham and a London Fog raincoat just perfect for rainy days. I must dig out a long sweater because the coat is very thin.
I picked up the last of my sprinkler hoses and drained them, hanging them high on a tree for the winter. Sadly the ground is covered with leaves, big yellow ones from English walnuts that will have to be bagged in the next day or two. A job, of course, but the walnut leaves have a wonderful scent that makes the work pleasant no matter how muscles complain. That is not so bad either considering I will sleep on the new mattress I bought the day I stopped to pick up money owed from sale of seven books – Sagesong – at the nearby Bookworm. Life just seems to get better and better.
That is as may be. Looks like I will have neighbors again. Rolls of old worn carpet were thrown out and new rolls were hauled in by the family that will be moving in. Lorraine had to go into an assisted-living home and her son (although I have not seen him) and Philippino wife and kids are apparently moving in. Nothing ominous there. Just very obese people moving slowly and looking quite uncomfortable. But they did haul the new carpet rolls in themselves.
And true to the weather pattern in Richland, the rain stops, the sun shines and the wind comes up. Now the clothes I hung out are dry. Temperature will not get above 65 so a walk in the back yard will do. I skyjacked some plants from the Refuge yesterday because they had been abandoned and were dying of thirst. I may have to return them but they are in better health now than if I ignored them in the plant rack. Anyway they are now planted and will be watered this weekend and are better off than root-bound in plastic prisons. If I am lucky (or they are) they will stay rooted by my west fence and grow tall and pretty.
I disconnected hoses in the front yard and hung them off the ground. I will put the sprinklers in the shed later. Only the hose by Douglas is left on to water those stolen goods newly planted. Too windy just now to turn them on but it will get done soon. That was a working vacation but a very nice change from days before and after. I will go now and cuddle in my chair with Clive Cussler and The Lost City.
Naomi Sherer