Sittin On A Porch

Sittin On A Porch
Our little back porch

Thursday, November 4, 2010

too much nature

I can not take credit for the statement, "Too much nature"  That belongs to Ms Moon's second daughter, Lily, and it is a great story of why she said that, involving a bathroom, a bat, underwear and a roach, but you will have to go see Ms Moon to hear more.  So here is my "too much nature" story.  


I was getting ready to go to the PTscan on Wednesday with Ms Judy.  I had gone outside to feed the chickens and was coming back in when I realized that the middle step to my back porch was completely covered in dirt.  I looked down to see a very well constructed hole leading in and under my back porch.  I thought, well, I will have to deal with that later.  Something caught my eye and I looked up in time to see half a dozen or more of my "wild" rabbits grazing through the back pasture.  I thought, well, I will have to deal with that later.  So I kicked the dirt off the step and started in the house when Bob came running up and tried to run into the house with a stick.  OK, a branch.  I am not kidding, it is like 2 inch diameter and about a foot and a half long, perfect for mulching in the living room.  A pain to get picked up.  So I grabbed at the stick, missed and then jerked back as something almost smacked me right in the head.  It was a Carolina wren flying not from the outside in, but from the inside of my house out.  And then here came its mate.  I guess they are looking for a new place to build their nest.  I do not think building a bird nest in the winter in my house is a great idea.  I have cats.  I don't keep the doors open like I do in the summer because I dislike the cold, intensely dislike the cold.  But of course, I thought, well, I will have to deal with that later.  I went into the bathroom and got in the shower only to find a tree frog there.  And of course I thought, well, I will have to deal with that later.  Then I laughed and laughed at myself, there is just too much nature here!


Now my friend Bob from work, says it is not about too much nature it is about using the doors for which they were put on the house, to keep all of that nature stuff out.  He is right I suppose, but I love having my doors and windows open, well, except in the winter.  Did I mention how much I dislike the cold?   


I was telling Vicki about this and I said that I thought it was just my thing with the primordial forest.  When we lived on Pine Island three corners of the house had trees growing from the roof to the ground.  It was a stilt house closed in  to look like a two story house.  Everyone always worried about the trees growing on and around my house.  I did not, I just figured that one day people would look at the property and find that it had been swallowed by the primordial forest and there would be like an imprint of my face or arm or something in the bark of a huge tree.  That was just fine with me.  And when Hurricane Charlie hit us with 168 mph winds August 13, 2004, those trees are part of the reason that our house was still standing when so many others were not in our neighborhood.  


Just too much nature, but I like it that way.


So I survived the PTscan, and Judy took me to Longhorn's on the way home and I had trout with asparagus and a big salad and fresh baked bread.  I ate all of my salad and some of the rest of the meal then brought home dinner for tonight.  I will just add a salad, and there I go, a wonderful healthy dinner.  I choose the trout over the salmon because I thought it would be lighter, and it was a good choice.  A very good choice.  


Speaking of too much nature I have to keep stopping to remove cats from my lap as I try to write this.  Marina is the scariest and she is on my lap now, so if the screen becomes bloody you now she pulled a Marina attack.  Stella usually fights for first place on my lap, but Henry likes to have his time on Mom's lap also.  Luna does not usually hang around when the other cats are here, but she will be curled up on the bed tonight and will slip up close next to me so we can share our heat.  She is the shy one, but just as sweet as the others.


So I went in today to have more blood work drawn.  Last Thursday when I was in having lab work done the nurse had told me to hang my arms down and keep clenching my fist, that will bring up veins.  So there I sat in the waiting room with my arms hanging down.  I have exceptionally long arms, so that means that they hang to the floor in a normal chair.  I can tell you that the new Oncology building has clean floors.  No dirt in my nails as I clench and re-clench my fist as they hang just a breath above the ground.  People walked by and said, "Oh, having blood drawn today?"  I smiled and kept clenching my fists, it also helps to clench because it does raise my hands that breath above the ground instead of my fingers brushing across the floors.  And sure enough the nurse was able to stick a good vein and draw off enough blood.





Tomorrow is the doctor and I am excited, he might know something else about my little "c".  Or he will have a plan, either way, another step closer to know more.  Now to close the door, it is getting cold.  And what will I do this weekend to protect my beloved plants?   I am not sure, but I will figure it out, and I am strong enough to move some of them into my green house and get the heater set up in there.  My plants don't like the cold any better then I do.

6 comments:

  1. This just cracked me up. I think "too much nature" as the squirrels (or are they rats?) run in the spaces between my walls, chasing the nuts they've stored in their winter home. I think "too much nature" when I find a snake curled up in a nest in the hen house. I think "too much nature" when a tree frog drops down on me when I open the kitchen door.
    But like you, I love it.
    I don't think we have to worry about our plants this weekend. I hope! I have baby cucumbers! Really!
    I'll see you in the morning. I am excited to meet the beautiful Dr. M.

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  2. Too much nature indeed! This story is right up there with Ms Lily's. I wouldn't mind hearing that one again actually, it's been a while.

    Good luck tomorrow. I'm glad you finally got to eat something yummy and nutritious.
    xo

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  3. love your story! my kids would love a tree frog in the bathroom.

    hope you get something good and new from the doc.

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  4. I'm loving your 'too much nature', especially the wrens--they're nesting again in November? They must be first-time parents... And the tree frog. How did it get into your bathtub?

    Best wishes for tomorrow.

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  5. Have you ever read the book "My Family and Other Friends" by Gerald Durrell? A wonderfully funny book that crossed my mind when I read your blog.

    I must say kitties make wonderful hot bottle warmer or a corn bag substitute! In the winter I often am gently awoken by our kitties to curl up next to my belly under the covers...sweet and warm.

    You take care Kathleen and stay cuddly warm on the cold nights!

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  6. It is cold here too. I am actually glad to have it be chilly. It was a very hot summer.

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