Kick 'em when they're up but especially kick 'em when they're down

Rachel has a gift for clarifying things without dumbing them down.



Heartless bastards.

--the BB

Rambling on

Il cinghiale - the wild boar.

Italian class is fun and I find that returning to beginning Italian about twenty years after the first attempt I can retain it better. Odd, given that I am not getting younger. Perhaps I have more focus than I did then. My life is simpler.

The closest I ever came to a boar was eating pasta with boar meat as we celebrated our twentieth anniversary. It was quite a meal as that was one of many dishes we sampled.

The photo above is from two states away and seven years ago. I am just touring through older photos for summery ones.

Italian class is also sufficient for this evening. No chores tonight. The weekend will be busy.

I continue to read plenty of news and politics but don't feel like ranting about it (or lack the energy), so this has not been a very au courant spot of late.

Saturday, inshallah, I will begin harvesting and drying herbs.

Sweet dreams.

--the BB

This and that

Clever readers! You noticed that this is not a photo of my back yard. It is, instead, a photo I took in summer of 2004 at the Rosicrucian digs in San Jose, California. There are blooming roses in the background, so I deem it summery.

In the grand scheme of things minor steps recorded here are inconsequential. Even so, recording them so very publicly gives me a nudge. It is not about accountability to a community but having a community to encourage me to be accountable to myself.

Tonight I shopped a bit on the way home and waited for the day to cool off before going out into the yard. As I was descending from the east mesa area by the airport toward the Rio Grande I could see plumes of dust rising in the air. It was very windy tonight. When I finally went out into the yard, after 7:30, it had cooled considerably and the temperature was pleasant. The gusts of wind, however, were rather robust. I gave everything a good watering and gladly returned indoors.

At the point where I could have gone to bed my feet turned, instead, to the sewing room. There I ironed half the stack of napkins. This could have been put off another night as I am not entertaining in the next few days. Truth be told, some of those napkins have been clean and sitting in the "iron me" pile for a year. In order to chip away at overdue tasks I fired up the iron. Since the ironing board is directly below the ceiling fan, this is not unpleasant. Halfway through, however, my shoulders began to ache. Ironing boards, like sinks and counters, are just not built high enough for me. So with some headway made, I am now retiring.

Overdue laundry still waits. It, and I, will survive. Saturday is mostly unbooked.

A busy weekend lies ahead. Tomorrow night is Italian class, Friday night is Much Ado About Nothing at the Vortex Theatre, Saturday the Rt Rev Gene Robinson, Bishop of New Hampshire, will be speaking in Albuquerque and I will be attending that event, sponsored by Equality New Mexico (aka EQNM). Sunday morning I will attend my "mother" church, St Michael and All Angels, where Bp Robinson will preach. That evening I will attend the bilingual Mass at St Mike's to see how they do it. (My turn to preside at it the following Sunday.)

I don't feel tired from chores but I think that schedule just wore me out a bit. Sweet dreams, y'all.

--the BB

Catching up

Not a lot to report. Yesterday was a hellacious day at work. I came home and watered everything thoroughly. Had something to eat and shortly thereafter realized I was falling asleep at the computer and had the option of doing something more rational. So I hauled my butt across the room to bed and slept for an hour. Then I got back up and resumed reading, commenting on Facebook, and generally chilling.

For the ongoing checklist I did my Italian homework and I fired up the sewing machine to repair some pants. They had split open at the butt seam (lardo getting into the car and suddenly having to go back upstairs and change before going to work). The fabric was fine, the seam thread had simply yielded. Well, that is now sewn back up and I could wear the pants again today. Hooray. Got to bed at midnight.

Today was even more grueling than yesterday on the work front. The calls were non-stop all day long. After work I drove over to the school where my Italian class is held and ate the salami and cheese sandwich I packed in my briefcase this morning. Then I went inside for another wild two hours of Italian. As we went over our homework my suspicions were confirmed: if you set the language to Italian in a Word document spell check is very useful. I guessed a few answers wrong and had noted that Spell check preferred another answer. It was always right, as I suspected it would be. I will take credit for guessing the forms it wanted.

By the time I got home after class this evening I did not have tons of energy, so there is really nothing else to report. Quel dull! (Don't bother spell checking the franglais there.)

We shall see if tomorrow I finally tackle some more of the laundry or the pile of napkins waiting to be ironed.

Shakespeare this weekend. Much Ado about Nothing this Friday evening at the Vortex. They are doing three comedies in repertory. Should be fun. Saturday evening I finally get to meet the Bishop of New Hampshire (and worship with him preaching on Sunday).

Who said life slows down in the summer?

Buona notte, amici.

--the BB

So, how DID the checklist go?

I got to church (barely on time) and presided and preached this morning. Lovely time with the folks at San Gabriel. Prior to that I loaded the potato salad in the ice chest with some sodas and filled it with ice. I vacuumed the passenger side of the car in case I had in-law pick-up duty, which I did not, as things turned out. I attached the bicycle rack and the bicycle. I packed a spare shirt so I would not be in clericals all day long.

I got a nap this afternoon and took a very short bike ride. My knees complained and it was hot, but the chief thing is the I DID ride it and got reacquainted with the brakes and gears. I halved boiled eggs and popped out their yolks so the chef could make deviled eggs. Oh, I got to enjoy a lovely brunch of sausage (rest in peace, Jimmie Dean) and buttermilk pancakes with butter and maple syrup. Yum. Tonight, in the moonlight, I watered half the yard.

We all partied for Fathers' Day. Nephew gave his dad a plant. My ex gave his dad a small DVD collection. We all ate and drank and visited.

What did not get done this weekend? Two or three additional loads of laundry, vacuuming, dusting, and complete watering of the yard today.

I can live with it. Still far and away the most productive weekend in I cannot tell you when.

Blessings on Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and her new hubby Prince Daniel. Long may she reign, when her turn comes. (A little ethnic solidarity there.) I am not resuming Friday Prince Blogging but I must say that the Prince of Asturias is aging very well.

OK, you now know way too much of my life. My body is tired and aches in numerous spots, so it is time to retire.

Sweet dreams, my little muskrats.

--the BB