The Power of Schmutz

These two photos were taken of signs in a dry cleaner's window, but I wasn't thinking of dirty clothes when i saw them. I was thinking of my mind and body and all these awful doctor's appointments,





















and the drugs and the surgeries and the exams and the general messiness of aging. Not for sissies, it's said! So friends and family, take care of your bodies, and hope you don't get sideswiped by genetics.

The more power someone has, the more they fear losing it. That's a paraphrase from a line in Star Wars: Return of the Sith, which I watched about 15 minutes of last night.

Big gardening day yesterday and other stuff. Took Bindi to get her nails clipped at ABC and she was less nervous this time cause I just let the cutters do their thing and did not try to hold and comfort Bindi while she was having her nailed clipped. So it was done with no drama in about 20 seconds. And there was no line! Usually, there is a long line out the door and we have to wait and wait, but for some reason yesterday was a very slow clipping day for ABC. Then I took the other stained glass window to the woodworker. They should both be framed by the end of next week. What a wonderful mother's day gift to myself.

Then I went to the coffee shop and got a latte and bagel, and sat outside the shop with Bindi for a few minutes. I had her leash tied around the arm of the chair, but a big dog came along and Bindi bolted for him, untying the leash, and after a couple of seconds of sniffing him quietly, she launched into barking and jumping on him aggressively, something she has done way too many times now. That big dog was freaked out, as was his owner, and I was deeply embarrassed and apologized profusely. Bindi doesn't bite, just goes nuts sometimes, but not with all dogs. She loved Momo upon first meeting and they played politely together.

Then I went to the garden center looking for wave petunias. R. gave me four big planting boxes which I have put by the driveway, and since I know I won't get around to painting them anytime soon (the currrent paint on them in peeling) I'm going to plant those vining petunias which will hopefully cover the whole box with bloom and last all summer. Stopped somewhere else and bought straw hay, thinking it was salt hay, but put it in my community garden plot anyway. Salt hay is the one without seeds, and staw hay is just the regular hay stuff that will sprout weeds, which one does not want from a mulch. Then to the community garden where I did some more weeding, without my gloves and proper weeding tool so got a blister on the palm of my hand, and chatted with P. She has doctor horror stories too and various conditions she's trying to manage. Ah well, misery loves company.