Catching up

My "work" self was in charge most of this week as I focused on freelance projects, book reviewing, and preparing a talk I gave Thursday night. The Thursday night event, a Friday lunch meeting, plus a gathering of local writers I attended this evening, were all social outings -- but for my professional persona. It was not the same as having dinner with friends, or spending an evening at a comedy club or the movies.

I've been tired, as a result!

Zorg was home most of the week suffering from back pain that, fortunately, turned out to be muscle spasms rather than a herniated disk. Still painful, but with a better prognosis. He is doing considerably better as of this evening.

Friday I dropped everything I'd been doing to get out and enjoy the extraordinary weather --- 75 degrees! -- in the garden. I conducted the annual digging up of the red tulips (an apparently hopeless attempt to have a garden with only pink tulips) and transitioned them to someone else's garden. Got a new (faux stone) fountain installed on the back patio for the cats. Thus far it has not attracted the raccoons who destroyed the pottery fountain, but, unfortunately, the cats seem wary of it. Perhaps it's a little too "splashy" for them; I'll try adjusting it. The garden is shaping up well this year. My friend Laura gave me some strawberry plants for the herb & vegetable raised bed, and the wisteria appears to be willing to let me shape it into a tree rather than a vine.

Today my errands around town included a visit to Ballard Bookcase to order a custom fir bookcase with adjustable shelves that I'm going to use to store all my shoes. I got sick of the four (four!) small shoe storage devices I current employ, particularly after the cats tipped one of them over and scattered shoes all over the closet.

Next week looks to be busy but is focused on friends and dancing rather than work; Nina is coming to visit me mid-week, and we're going to the Lake City dance to hear L'Orage play Thursday night. Saturday I'll be at the World Rhythm Festival at Seattle Center taking African dance classes.

I hope that this year I don't run into my neighbors at the Festival. I did last year, and the next day their five-year-old yelled out his window when he saw me in the front yard "I saw you shaking your butt!"

Nice kid.