Friday, March 1, 2024

Friday, March 1, 2024 

 

 

   Wow! As I typed the date, I realized the fifth anniversary of Mike's death was only two days away. Grief continues to get worse. I'm not debilitated. I enjoy much of what is going on in my life. Most things are generally in a positive trajectory. Some are just stuck.

   Yesterday, Elaine invited me to join her on her walk. We had a great conversation. Today, as she came down the street in the opposite direction, she announced that Dean and Nina were on their way toward me. Dan passed us in his truck as we walked. He yelled that he hadn't forgotten he had to call me. We were making arrangements to cut down a tree ripping up the driveway.

    I spent most of the day preparing the antique linens for the church silent auction. Everything had to be washed, ironed, organized, and priced.

     I stopped at Goodwill to drop off some donations from Yvette and me before I went to Kia to return the loaner and pick up my car. I pointed out the dents in the loaner car. Tyler said not to worry. I mentioned I might be interested in buying the loaner. He said it would be retired in a few months. When I got in my car, I was relieved to be rid of the loaner car with all those bells and whistles. They were distracting. I anticipated having a car accident as I focused on them. I discovered that Kia didn't fill up my tank while I added fuel to theirs.

    Jean, my friend, and I hooked up at three p.m. We speak every day to share in a meditation/affirmation. We do this because we know if we don't do it with someone else, we won't do it.  

    I mowed the lower lawn area yesterday with that amazing battery-powered lawn mower Patrick and Darby lent me. They have two. The battery died on the one they gave me. They bought a second one and eventually got a new battery for the first one. I offered to buy it, but Patrick wanted to feel he could have access to it. I assured him he could even if I bought it. No, this arrangement suited him. It suits me. I like having him sharpen the blade when needed instead of taking it to a shop.

    At 5:30 Darby came over for our evening walk with Patrick in tow. He had a hand trowel in his back pocket. When mowing the lawn, I concluded there was just a shallow mulch cover in the area where the Ficus trees had been uprooted. Patrick said I had to lay nine to twelve inches of mulch down to kill off the remaining roots. Patrick was there to check the depth. He walked to the middle of the area, took out his handy trowel, and started digging. He pronounced the condition as favorable. There was at least six inches of mulch. While it was not as much as he had said I needed, he said it was hot under the mulch. The heat was needed to cook the roots to death. What a way to go!

   Patrick and Darby moved the plastic border trimmers off the lawn and onto the mulched area so I could finish mowing the lawn.

   I can only plant new shrubs in six to eight months. If I do it sooner, the heat will kill the new plants and the old roots. I was concerned about the roots running through the lawn area, but Dan assured me they would die on their own.

   I finally took a good look at my sore left foot. My 'this little pig who had none' was swollen. I need to have a doctor look at it. In the meantime, I applied MakesNoClaims (Intrasound Gel).