On the road

Well, here I go. I'm sore this morning but not as bad as I was afraid of. Mostly my right wrist from fighting with clippers for as much as I did (and I clipped some stems I probably should have sawed). I'm covered with hives but that's to be expected from being outdoors for more than 30 minutes.

I did NOT sleep as well as I hoped. It took me FOREVER to fall asleep, I think it's a combo platter of too much activity late in the day, being upset about the whole thing, and worrying about the drive (I will be doing the first part of it in the dark, and it's on a road that I suspect has deer).

I think I figured out why I keep getting hit by the city - I am the only person on my block who does not have a "privacy fence" backing up to the alley - it's an old (and now, damaged, from that branch falling on it) chain-link fence. I need to replace it (that will probably be the city's NEW complaint). Well, I'm replacing it with privacy fence this time. Yes, it will be expensive. (My share of the shared fence with my north neighbor - which is about twice the length of this fence - was $750).

But yeah. Unless they pull the "historic district so you cannot CHANGE anything" card, I am going to make it so no one can see in my yard. (Also a bonus: that means if I wind up with a creepy across-the-alley neighbor like I once had*, I don't get catcalled while working on my garden)

(*Nearly all the houses around me are rental houses now, which is unfortunate. Some renters are great but others are not, and often the good neighbors are people trying to save up to buy a house, and they do, and then move away).

So whatever. I'm hoping a day out calms down my upset. I know, I know - the mantra of my youth, "Get over your hurt feelings" but grah, it does seem like I am doing my best here and just can't get ahead, the best I can hope for is keeping my nose above water.

And tomorrow afternoon after church I am doing nothing EXCEPT things for myself. I am making that spaghetti Bolognese (and anyway, the meat will go bad soon if I don't) and then I am knitting.

(Though I probably need to start the Christmas knitting I am planning, sigh)