Life at Chez Smiffy

I did it again!

I just managed to walk 1.5 miles again! I feel hot, but refreshed. I think I may be able to maintain this all week -- what a wonderful thought!

Building my hermitage

Things have been strange for me recently. I''m not sure how long it's been going on, maybe as much as a year and a half, but it has become very hard to resist.

As much as I love and miss my friends, as much as I enjoy their company when we're together, I increasingly find that my "perfect" evening or weekend seems to involve spending my time in semi-solitude. Washing dishes and laundry isn't as much fun as socializing -- but when I stay home with Rod and Jack and cook and clean and craft, I end up feeling much happier, more relaxed and less stressed. When we go out to socialize, I generally enjoy myself--and then I get home and the day ends and I feel like I've lost something precious. I think I may be turning into a hermit. It's not terminal. After I have had several quiet weeks, I genuinely enjoy getting together with one or two friends.

Menopause? Just too intense a year? I don't know. But it is wierd.

On the bright side, I managed to get four birthday cards made and three Mothers Day cards ready to be cut and assembled this weekend and I headed out to work this morning satisfied and rested.

Gardening

OK, well it's official.

The crop from my first planting of the year was a flop. Not only have I managed to keep very little alive, but the friends with whom I shared plants are *also* not getting much germination. One friend even reported massive amounts of mold, so that may be the problem. Our house is pretty damp.

Now that it's warm enough to leave the plants outdoors, I am going to run the tubs throuigh the dishwasher and bake the dirt as one friend suggested and then try again. This time, I think I'll wait until I have germination to offer to share. How embarrassing.