It's been some time since my last post because it's summer and the garden beckons. As the weather improved, I moved my centre outside. Aside from the normal garden stuff, I've also been painting, adding yet another art work to my growing stockpile of useless stuff to leave for Maya to sort out later. If some paintings would sell, I'd feel better because at least I would be increasing my income. Instead this ever growing inventory is costing me money, because paint, brushes and boards cost money. Framing to show is a costly process and renting a gallery costs too. Why do we do it?
Sculpture is worse and the rewards even less. Fewer people buy sculpture than paintings. There must be attics, basements, closets and sheds, all over our fair land, that are filled with people's unsold art. It's a subject worthy of a documentary.
This has been Canada Day long weekend and I had absolutely no plans made with anyone. At first I felt sad at the prospect of a long holiday weekend with nowhere to go and no one to see. Some friends went camping, others went to Ottawa for the July 1 party, or had a BBQ with friends. I, on the other hand, stayed home and worked in my garden. Poor me - nobody likes me - everyone forgot me etc. Hey just a minute, I never called anyone, or had them over for a BBQ, or went to the fireworks at Little Lake. In fact I realized I enjoyed the quiet and chose to stay right where I was.
Three glorious days of puttering around, pruning, weeding, pond watching outside with my jolly little Willy by my side. Yesterday I painted another landscape of the garden. Today I read and snoozed in my Zero Gravity chair. I enjoyed a cool one, watched the Koi's antics and fell asleep with the sound of the water soothing me. Willy slept on, beside, and under my recliner until we were interrupted when Michael came to haul away a couple of huge sections from a recently felled maple tree.
He is a wood worker and has visions of beautiful creations from my maple. He'll take them home cut and shape them into manageable pieces, and seal them for drying. It's wonderful to see none of my storm damaged tree being wasted. The rest is drying for fireplace use. I use every bit of my wood. I've lived here for 16 years and have never bought winter wood yet and I burn my fireplace every evening all winter long. It's a gift.
Another development in my chipmunk story. For several weeks Munkey lived in my den. He ate the food I left out for him and settled in quite comfortably. Willy left him alone because he went outside during the day and was shut out of the room at night. My rapidly domesticating chipmunk was enjoying the best that I had to offer, drinking water, sunflower and other seeds, peanuts and raw almonds. I quickly discovered that he had a special fondness for the almonds. If I was sitting here reading or watching TV, Munkey would emerge and sit right in front of me, eating, grooming and chittering. I left the door to the outside open all day and he could exit whenever he chose. For nearly six weeks he didn't choose to leave.
It was a bit worrisome because I will be gone to the cottage for nearly a month in August and leaving a chipmunk in my house just is not an option. I was considering the need to call pest control for a humane removal. Maya came last weekend. We had a garage sale and went to a baby shower. Munkey showed himself to Maya but was uneasy with another person talking, laughing loudly etc. She left for London on Sunday evening and Munkey left too. He took the door because all the commotion was just too much even for a sociable chipmunk. It's very quiet without him. No more spontaneous chirping and darting about. But he will sure have some interesting tales to tell to his folks in the nest.
Finally, a new cat has been added to my outdoor cat diner. A poor little long-haired Russian Blue with intense and feral eyes is feeding here. Willy used to holler with rage at this cat, until he found himself outside staring her in the eye. Both cats decided to call a truce and go their separate ways. So Smoke dines undisturbed when I feed Willy inside. All is peaceful and Smoke is filling out a bit. Her fur is terribly matted, but she is way too timid for me to even consider grooming her.
Freddy has moved on and Buddy aka Timbit stays indoors most of the time now. So Smoke doesn't have to fight over food these days. Feral cats get a bad rap. They are generally harmless and totally shy. Most are almost never seen. I worry about them because they lead such a harsh existence, so anything I can do to make their lives a little less difficult, I consider a mitzva.
I'm glad that I enjoy my own company, because it's clear now that I'll be on my own till the end. Trent declined Maya's application for the PhD program and she won't be coming home in any foreseeable future. It sadly, frees me to make decisions about my life without her in the equation. She and Glenn will go wherever suits them and since there are no grandchildren in my foreseeable future, I must consider downsizing. It breaks my heart to leave this house, but if I wait too long it will be much more difficult. Things will be as they must be. Aging is inevitable and I've never been one not to face reality.
