These four weeks at home didn’t seem like they would be a long, but indeed it felt like a long time. Perhaps because we had a relatively open calendar that slowly filled, yet still held a lot of pleasant gaps between commitments. This stint at home felt different from how our schedules can sometimes be in between trips. I had ample time to putter in the yard, take bike rides, visit friends, attend a large gathering to celebrate the win of Mary Allen for US Congress in our district, shop at both of the farmers markets in Evansville, revel in the love and joy of our local Pride Parade, watch some movies at home and in the theater, and delightfully, to awaken many a morning without an alarm! Luxury!
We did have to deal with the unexpected (first world problem) bathroom water seepage issue that came up in early May. This expensive damage mitigation and repair was literally completed on Friday morning, just in time for me to put the bathroom and the adjacent pantry back together right before we leave! Talk about harrowing timing…
You all know by now how dear my yard is to me, and how much work it is. This is the second year in which I have the assistance of a young man, Mitchell, who just completed his freshman year at college. His major of environmental science is a perfect segue for his interest in our native yard, learning the ins and outs of managing pests (by hand only!) while marveling at the plethora of beneficial insects that live in our yard, and staking up the plants that grow too leggy. As well, his young back tolerates the tedium of weeding in the patio bricks which get filled with weeds every day it seems due to the humidity, heat, and abundant rain we get here. About one-third of the yard is in bloom now, which means we will not get to revel in the many blooms to come–a consequence to this long trip, but I can live with that.
I was hoping to see a lot of caterpillars, who typically have a huge presence on our plants; we had a couple of Eastern Black Swallowtails cats early on but they were either eaten or went off to make a cocoon, and we also had a bunch ‘o Pipevine Swallowtail cats, some of whom were killed by the larva of a Green Lacewing, which is a beneficial insect.
And, just because I can, here are some of the lovely blooms we have been enjoying:
So, dear readers, as we leave all of this behind to head off on this grand adventure, I appreciate that you read about and comment on our gifted lives. I’ll keep you updated as we travel these 8,000 miles! xo
