Doings

Jennie at Codlins and Cream 2 posed the query today, "What Are YOU Doing?"
I was out of bed before 7 and have just finished my 'doings' of the day, so will publish an account.
I never get through the daily 'to do' list---which can at times be disheartening. Once in a while, to cheer myself, I make a list of what I've actually accomplished.

The day began, as usual, with cats to be fed, coffee to be perked, litter boxes to clean.

Those tasks done, I nearly always head outdoors, camera in my pocket.

Pebbles, the old horse, is quick to note that I'm out and about, so I trudge up to the barn to dish out her very scanty helping of grain and push some hay down from the loft.

The torrents of rain which fell on Monday night were much needed, but my peonies took a beating.

You can see that some have been dashed into the mud.

Willis and Sally waiting for me to make my daily assessment of the garden.

The peony blossoms are smaller this year--I think due to the drought when they were forming.

Although this early variety was only in bud when the frosts came, the edges of the petals are

marred with brown.

The white peony which I moved to live with the two heirloom pink ones.

I have not really wanted to look at the frost damage to the blackberries.

The brambles were in full bloom when freezing temperatures sought us out for three nights running.

Although we covered the vines with a variety of old quilts, tarps and lengths of landscape fabric, it is evident that our berry crop was 'nipped in the bud.'

The peach trees were laden with thumbnail sized fruits.

Most were seared with the cold and have fallen from the branches.

Emerging leaves on the grapvine were also frosted.

Since Monday's rain, new leaves have formed.

Blossoms on rosa Therese Bugnet--also smaller than normal.

Achillia "moonshine" opening cheerful yellow heads.

The later of the vintage pink peonies is coming into bloom.

My garden tour over, I rentered the house to find J. up and dressed in anticipation of an appointment with the dentist--for the extraction of a tooth which has been abcessed.

The first Wednesday of each month is "Senior Citizens' Discount Day" at the Krogers supermarket in the next county.  J. was sure he would feel up to making the grocery run after his ordeal with the dentist.

I gathered up a book, planning to wait out his appointment at Cafe on the Square.

Photo of the Old Adair County Courthouse from Flickr

I had forgotten that the Cafe recently changed opening hours til 10 AM.

Shops on the Square don't open til 10.

I parked myself on a convenient bench, opened my book.

All traffic coming into town is routed around the square.

The occasional big truck lumbered around, cars entered or exited on the quadrants.

I could smell exhaust fumes, flowers, frying onions.

A cleaners van pulled in and parked in front of my bench, disgorging workers and their tools, blocking my view of the 300 quadrant where J, had disappeared into the dentist's office on the alley.

I left the 200 quadrant and strolled around to perch on a brick planter near where our car was parked.

Several women gathered in a conversational group on the sidewalk--all of them smoking, the smoke drifting unpleasantly in my direction.

Sighing I retreated to the car to pass the time in people watching and reading.

It occurred to me that J. had been in the dentist's lair for nearly an hour.

The cafe was now open, but I reasoned that if I headed back in that direction J. would immediately emerge.

He appeared at last [1 hour and 15 minutes in the dentist's torture chamber] startling me, as I was engrossed in my book.

His jaw was packed with gauze wadding and our drive to Campbellsville was unusually silent!

I whisked through the grocery store aisles while J. went for supplies at Lowes.

Home to put away groceries and make myself a plate of lunch while J. recouperated in his recliner.

Neighbors stopped by.

J. out in yard to visit.

The phone rang: Gina with a dramatic tale of killing a 6 ft snake which she encountered in her back yard.

More kitchen tidying.

G. arrived to regale J. with the snake saga and share my lunch.

Into old clothes and out to the garden.

Transplanted three pots of dianthus to the new peony bed behind the clothesline.

After some deliberation set out the precious yellow peonies.

They have spent a month in pots on the porch and have developed respectable roots.

Set out achillia behind peonies.

Rescued self-sown seedlings of nigella from lower perennial strip, transplanted them to peony bed.

Grubbed weeds and moved plants until nightfall.

Inside for a shower.

Conveyed scraps and peelings out to my 'dump' beyond the clothline, surprising an

opossum who was rootling there in the dark.

Took a snack of cold chicken and cottage cheese out to eat on front porch.

June bugs bumbled around the porch light, frogs and such chirred and chortled from the creek banks.

Willis and Co prowled the edges of the porch, dashing into the grass to leap at fireflies.

Somewhere across the creek in the depths of the trees a whip-poor-will calls, a mournful,

monotenous chant.

Doing--doing--DONE--for the day!