my arthritic hands
stained, and smelling of the earth
painful reminders


Yesterday, I took a mental health day and did my yard work.  I weeded, put down triple mix, watered, added mulch.  Six garden beds in all - some veggie, some flowers, some plants  - plus lunch, and breaks, and helping Bob.  We dug a new firepit, too, and added some bricks and sand for definition and safety.  Today I'm back to work, but looking out over the back yard, wondering when the new patio furniture I ordered will be here, and seeing that I need to mow and weed-wack the lawn again, already.

It was nice enough this morning to sit outside before 7 a.m. to enjoy my first coffee.  The weather that continually waivered between late winter and early spring for the first 9 weeks of Covid, is now solidly summer. 

Sadly, as I realize it's been 10 weeks since I've been at the office, I know this isn't letting up.  I laughed out loud this morning, reading a press release from the city where they will be doing "virtual camps" this summer for kids.  The tone deafness during this pandemic is hilarious.  Sure, I usually looked for camps the kids would enjoy - but the benefit of camps is the babysitting they afford.  Having one online will be about as useful as teachers being online. Why would a parent pay for a camp that has almost no value to them?  This pandemic has turned my friends into personal assistants for their children - coordinating meetings and assignments, while trying to keep them safe and entertained. 

I cannot wait for Bob's PSW to be done today - I'm looking forward to my shower this morning after all the manual labour I put in yesterday.