Day off scribbles

I hate that I can't sit on my porch without getting eaten by mosquitoes. There's only an hour of daylight left but I think it's still worth putting on repellent. Be right back. Okay, done. It's a little after the fact because I'm already very itchy. It will have to do. A few years ago Tiger mosquitoes came to our area. I think that's what they're called. They're awful!!! It's almost impossible to sit outside without protection. I think I need to stock up on OFF!

I'm sitting out on my porch, of course. I'm on my iPad and I'm using the dictation feature. So far I've spoken this text and had it translated. How cool is that? I see I have to go back and fix a few things but it looks like only about six words are incorrect. Not bad.

Today was my day off. I started out by meeting my friend and co-worker Pattie at the Dutch Market for breakfast. I'm not sure if I've mentioned my guilty pleasure. I've been going once a week, usually on Thursday or Friday. Sometimes I meet Pattie for breakfast, which is nice. The highlight is always the desserts. Every week I buy half of a black cherry pie. Okay, I also buy an apple fritter. Sometimes I buy two slices of pumpkin roll with cream cheese filling. Yeah, I know. The pie lasts me almost a week. Or maybe 5 days. Every night I have a small slice with a scoop or two of light vanilla ice cream. The crust stays delicious the whole week. I always have the apple fritter the first day, and I'm always sorry. They make the best apple fritters I've ever had. I eat a lot of salads and healthy food for all my other meals. I have to.

I drove out to see Rob today. He was supposed to come to my house yesterday but twisted his ankle on his morning run and wound up going to the ER. He has a sprained ankle and has it wrapped in an ace bandage with a splint. Poor Rob. He lives about an hour away, and it was certainly my turn to drive to him. We stopped at one of our favorite diners, the Chesapeake Grill, for lunch. Every time I'm there I have an open-face Reuben sandwich, which I love. Rob always has a BLT. Why change a good thing? We spent the rest of the afternoon sitting outside at his house. It was so hot in the sun! In the shade, it was delightful.

I was home with plenty of time left to spend outside. I watered my garden, which takes a lot of time. I love watering...it's very relaxing. I did a little of this and that. Mango hung out in his cage outside with me. As usual, I'll stay out on my porch till the lights come on. Then shower off the bug spray.

The dictation feature is wonderful. It's my new best friend.

My time

I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't spend time outside. It saves me. Fills my time. Entertains me. My happiness increases the moment I'm able to be outdoors. If I were to look back on what I've written the last 6 Springs, they would all probably sound so similar. Like now. I'm sitting on my porch on a beautiful evening. There's a breeze and a coolness to the air. The birds are so loud! My garden is so lush. I'm waiting for the hummingbirds to make their rounds. Life is good. Really, those things are all it takes for me to be happy. Any stress or worries are out of mind. I typically stay on my porch till the lights come on at 8:30. Sometimes I stay later. I do wonder what my neighbors think. There's Cheryl again, they might say. Doesn't she have a life? Well, it's a pretty solitary life, but it's a good one, and I keep myself amused. A lot of the times, it's on the porch. Little porch at that. I'm a firm believer that life is all about simple pleasures.

I've done SO much work in my garden this year. It's looking fantastic (if I do say so myself). It's cost a lot of $$$, but the payoff will be huge. I finally got the last of my zinnia seedlings in the ground yesterday. Probably at least a hundred of them! I just got up to look and someone (maybe the baby bunny I saw 10 minutes ago) bit off the top of one. I'll be so mad if they get eaten! I planted over a hundred seedlings at my salon, and the neighbor girls planted some in their garden. It should be a riot of flowers this summer. Stay tuned!

I probably mentioned that I discovered the grounds of the Naval Academy when my sister came to town in April. All this time I've lived here and never knew how wonderful it was. I've hung out there at least 5 times since then.  I love the huge trees and shady paths and large expanses of lawn. The landscaping is beautiful. The architecture is majestic. I got off work at 3 on Saturday, and thought, OK, now what? I changed into shorts and drove the short distance to Annapolis, then walked to the Academy. Turns out it was the night of a formal dance for the second-year midshipmen. The men (boys) were in their dress whites and their dates in long gowns. They were everywhere. How fun for me to see all that! I sat on a bench and watched the midshipmen, and couples photographing their babies, and daters walking, and a photography class taking pictures, etc. Did I mention it was a perfect weather day and night? I stayed there a few hours, then walked to Main St. I got an iced Americano (my new favorite drink) from Starbucks and a salad to go from a Mexican place, then sat on the dock, people-watching and looking over the bay, and eating. I finally left when it was dark. I'm so thankful I can find things to do alone that can make me so happy. I'm so thankful that it's Spring!

It got a little cool and dark out so I'm back in he house. I'd love to add pictures, but if I start on that, I might never push publish, so I'll end now. Hope to be back soon!

My time of year

This is the first time I'm using the new Blogger template. That shows how long it's been since I've written. Part of the problem is that I hardly use my laptop anymore. I'm always on my iPad and I never use it to input more than a few lines of text. Really Cheryl, how hard is it to take out your laptop? I'm also not keeping up with blogs because I prefer to use Reader on my laptop. I'm spoiled by the ease of using my iPad, but clearly it's not good for everything. That said, it's still amazing.

 I'm just home from work and sitting on my porch. It's a little humid. The birds are singing. The garden is lush. My neighbor is filling his lawn mower with gas. The peacefulness is about to get shattered.

So, not much is going on around here. When I'm not working and the weather cooperates, I'm in my garden. Spending a fortune on mulch, compost and plants. I'm so sore I could hardly sleep last night and work today was hard! My body feels like it went through the spin cycle of a washing machine. I've planted the last three days in a row. I'm so glad the plants are in and that my body will recover before I plant some more. The reward is right in front of me. Worth it. My latest hangout (besides coffee shops)  is the grounds of the Naval Academy. The landscaping is so beautiful. The trees are so old and so big and there's such variety.  I've taken my mom twice and we stroll around and sit on the benches. I went there with my sister Lisa on Sunday. Everyone in my family enjoys the outdoors. I'm so glad that it's Spring. My life feels all-around better when everything is green and I can be outside. Like now.

Time to read some blogs. I will catch up!