Owls

I'm pretty sure I've been hearing owls in my backyard. And this morning when I walked outside around 8am, something big flew overhead and landed in a nearby treee, which I'm *pretty sure* was an owl. Of course, since I've unpacked my binoculars, I have misplaced them.

The photos are from the St. John's County Agricultural Center community garden. There's another community garden in the city center, an area called Lincolnville, which I'm going to try to find. All that rich dark soil came from a county compost pile. I wondered why they had such great dirt and all I have is sand. The Home & Garden show was very sweet, and I bought a few plants (Mona Lavender, peppermint, "false" gardenia, coneflower, and something with a red flower the name of which has escaped me) and had good conversations with vendors. It began to rain early on and didn't stop, so Bindi and I got drenched, but we had a good time anyway. I found a brand new smoothie blender at their tag sale for $5. Saw my landscape design instructor there, and ate a hotdog.

Was exhausted when I got home and took a long nap. Then watched "Wilby Wonderful," a film on Hulu, the wonderful free online movie/tv site. What a good movie.

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Monday, Oct. 4

Went to Elkton yesterday for the St. Ambrose church fair. One of the reasons I go to these things is the treasures I often find (like the green ceramic shell mandala plate for 50 cents), and also to take me down roads and parts of the county that I would otherwise not traverse. (Underused word, traverse is.) On the way to the fair, I stopped at the weekly flea market on Rt. 207, bought some vegetables, and a sturdy wood drying rack of $2. There was a pet supplies vendor who took Bindi's and my photo to put in her rotating photo display frame; she says she takes photos of all her customers.

Then back to StA to attend the opening of a transit dispatch center, a joint venture between the city and the county, combining the small public bus company and the para-transit vans sponsored by the city Council on Aging. Lovely new building, and they kept the two very old oak trees in the front; usually developers just bulldoze those things down. I went at the behest (another underused word) of my friends who were protesting the presence of a politician at the opening who had claimed credit for making this center happen, even tho he voted against the stimulus package that eventually paid for the place. These friends are very active and involved Democrats, so I never have to read the articles in the paper to get my political updates.

Went back over to their house after, read the NY Times, S. and I took Bindi and Jasper for a walk, but I left before dinner because I was very tired, and slightly annoyed/hurt/sensitive to the fact that some of my newer friends here don't ask me how I am, or how my week went, or how I'm feeling about being here, or anything about myself. I have more of those conversations with strangers. I don't get it. Is everyone a narcissist? So many people are able to blab on and on about themselves, without being asked. Is that what I'm supposed to do? I don't assume anyone wants to know anything about me unless they ask. S. said, when I complained about this, she would never ask me a personal question in a group. I think I have to just do one on ones. I end up feeling so alienated in groups.

On Saturday morning I went to a big garage sale (that's what they call them here mostly) at a retirement community and found a very nice small table, unfinished wood, clean lines, for $15, and a modern chrome table lamp for $5. Still no bed, microwave, toaster, sofa, or dining set.