Four months on

It's funny, I was going to finally try to write a new post, and started looking at some old ones.  There's a post from late November 2013 where I was afraid of violence with my scene partner, six months later, we did our final class presentation together, and the scene we chose to do was a marital fight that got physical.  Of course, it's one thing to worry about someone you don't know well's reaction vs. a planned and choreographed fight.  The final scene was actually a lot of fun to do, though a friend later told me she thought it was scary. (So, I guess that means it worked?)

I spend most of my days in my room, months on end.  Go for a long walk every day, and today, I did two, because I wanted to see if I could get quarters for laundry, and I needed to check my mail.  As far as quarters go, they aren't circulating like they were before the pandemic, so change is hard to come by.  The bank was rationing one roll per person, and everyone in line seemed to need them (laundry.)  The teller said they happened to have some today because someone brought some in.  I brought in some dimes and pennies, and a check I've had for months (a refund for a performance that was cancelled back in March.)  Guess I'll skip using the dryer.

Everything's been irritating me, and I feel scratchy and like my skin is burning.  I was thinking as I walked home again, that I needed to really sit with it and see what that's all about, when suddenly, a northern flicker landed on a nearby chimney and made the sound like a squeaky toy.  It's cute.  It totally helped lift my mood.

It was so quiet out on the walk this morning.  The sky was gray, and the world felt like it was holding it's breath for a rain that never quite came, only in a slight dampness of air.  Everything felt crisp: the plants, each unique color in the landscape, the air, the grass, that while green, felt dry and crunchy...alert.  Aware.  And then nothing happened.  The sounds returned; it's quite loud out right now: low-flying airplanes, and the wind is carrying the sound of the freeway through the window.  Baby crows begging to be fed.

My garden isn't germinating.  Perhaps I need to water more regularly.  I finally harvested and ate the unknown artichokes: they are smallish, and very armored with spikes.  I bought them several years ago, and I think they might've been mislabeled.  It says to harvest artichokes when the buds/petals are closed, but these appear from the stem with the petals open.  Anyway, they tasted fine.  I was hoping to have lettuce, but it's not germinating.  (Or the rabbits got to it before I covered it, though I can't imagine they'd bother at that stage.)

And we have bees living in our walls.  Both my housemate and I have asked the landlord to take care of it (as we are not allowed to) and he finally got back to me today saying he'd bring over some wasp spray. They are honey bees, or something of that nature.  They are in the walls.  And apparently wasp spray just kinda' pisses them off and makes them aggressive.  (Yay for us, and for the neighbors' kids who play in adjacent yards.) There are professionals to take care of this.  Safely.  Plus people who would like to have the honey bees.  I just hope we don't all get stung.  (We can't really go anywhere to avoid it.)