A Saturday to myself

What I’d really like to tell you about is all the shit that’s going down at work, but I can’t because it’s all hush-hush and confidential and personnel-related and no one’s business (until it’s everyone’s business when something official happens). Something official may or may not happen, at some point, don’t know when. At which point I guess I’ll have a story to tell.

Meanwhile, John has been flying to Africa – for what seems like forever. He left around noon on Friday and it’s now bedtime on Saturday. Last I heard, early this morning our time, he was in Frankfurt.

Today I had my first Saturday alone in Santa Fe. I had no plans whatsoever (other than feed the dogs and tidy the house). I could do anything!! What should I do? I’ve got the whole weekend to do anything I want. There’s a botanical garden I’ve never seen, lots of restaurants I’ve never been to, local trails (although the local forests are closed, boo-hoo). I think there’s an outlet mall I’ve never been to, as well as all the artsy tourist things (some of which I have been to).

Well, first thing I did this morning was get on-line to pay some bills while I drank my coffee (whoo-hoo, there’s real life for you). Then I went for a jog and then fed and walked the dogs (really nice having a jogging and dog walking path less than a block away).

Then I went to Home Depot and spent a bunch of money on plants (hehehehe, plants make me happy). I also had to buy potting soil, which annoys me because I have a bum elbow (sucks getting old) and I don’t like to lug those big bags. John goes to Home Depot like, four times every weekend, so it seems like he could get me potting soil, but he always thinks I have enough. He does not take me seriously when I tell him it’s not enough! Someone suggested I get the little bags, but I’m not convinced it’s easier on my elbow to get six little bags than two big bags.

Plus I got the wrong kind of potting soil – it’s too hot (meaning, too much manure). In addition to it stinking, my dogs think it’s edible (mmmm, yummy cow shit) and they are digging up my plants in order to eat my potting soil. All three of them!

Then I went to Walmart for deodorant (although the stench was the potting soil, not me), and I ended up spending a bunch more money on more plants (my reward for braving Walmart on a Saturday, although it was still fairly early in the AM). Initially I was just purchasing the deodorant but when I was at the check-out I saw all the plants. And many of them were different plants than what Home Depot has!

I said something about the plants to the clerk and she went to great lengths to tell me how I should not buy plants because then you have to water them, and the water is expensive – but she might as well of been talking to an addict. After I put the deodorant in the car to melt, I came back for plants. That same clerk saw me approach with a cart overflowing with plants and she just made a funny face. There’s no convincing people.

My backyard is almost done! (These pictures were taken before I jammed all the plants up on a wooden box so the dogs would quit eating the soil).

 

The patio is definitely looking better, but it’s not done yet. All those bricks still need sanded in – they’re still just set there, loose and wobbly. And he’s going to install little strips of sod along the edges. And I want to paint the back wall something a bit darker. I don’t know what to do about the weird retaining wall, it’s ugly.

Anyway, I am once again out of potting soil and I still have two more plants and about 3 or 4 more pots. My remaining pots are too big for my remaining plants, so one option is to buy a couple more of the same type of plant, and bunch them together in the same (large) pot.

But the likelihood that I’m going to get it all to come out exactly right is exceedingly low. I can see it now – “Oh, too many plants, I need more pots, oh, now there’s too many pots, I need more plants”…and on forever like that until I’m broke (but I’ll never have too much potting soil).