A Quiet Morning

It is so beautiful in the early morning and late evening in the desert, even though the days have warmed into triple digits. Today, I took my fresh oranges tossed with a vanilla yogurt outside to enjoy as the gentle breezes ruffled the leaves on all the plants I've included in the landscaping.

The butterfly bushes are popping with colorful purple blooms, but nary a butterfly in sight. The salvia is also showing little bursts of color, and even the hedge plants along the driveway are showing little dots of yellow here and there. It seems as though what I've accomplished may be firmly in place and ready to weather the extreme desert summer ahead. I am going to purchase a hummingbird feeder for the backyard as a friend who has one enjoys the energetic darting of the tiny birds most of the year.

Mike is supposed to come today to secure the doggie door, and I'm truly hoping he does. Mia sleeps in front of the opening most of the night, but she does come in and claim her couch, usually around 2 am, at which time I lock her in for the duration. I don't want to leave town knowing that my home is not ready to deter potential intruders, even though Mia makes quite a racket when/if anyone/thing comes to her perimeter.

I tried to glue together the craft project and it won't square up, lay flat, and make the frame I need before I do the painting. I'm irritated, but may have to find a Plan B. I wanted to take the finished frames with me cross-country, but that isn't going to happen on this trip.

Son and I worked a few hours yesterday, moving out the larger pieces of furniture that aren't going to move with him. He has many, many boxes left to fill, but is shredding and donating and dumping that which he no longer needs. We're going to tow a trailer, but the size of the trailer depends on the amount of household goods that are moving, so he's trying to pare down what he can, a difficult task at best.

I'm going to make a batch of cookies for the freezer and will take those along with us as we drive from the Pacific to the Atlantic. There are few things in life that aren't improved with a home-baked cookie or three.