It's only money

I had to take my car in to be worked on today. It took them five hours so that gives an inkling of the cost. I was also the only person in the dealership wearing a mask and I didn't feel at all bad about wearing an N95 with a vent. If they don't care enough to mask up then I'm not losing any sleep about my mask not protecting them.

After a couple hours crocheting, my son came to take me out to lunch. We wore masks inside then sat in the outdoor eating area. This was my first time eating out since January! And I suspect it will be a very long time before it happens again. Afterwards he drove me around the vo-tech campus he's attending and the hospital campus where he works. It was lovely to spend time with him again; he's normally very busy and can't isolate so we must be cautious.

The first thing I did when I got my car was roll down the windows so the wind could clean out any infected air. Then I wiped down the seat and everything that might have been touched before I got in.

What I've discovered about masks is after the first 20 to 30 minutes, I don't even notice I'm wearing one. And that's with such a snug fit that I have pressure creases on my face (a tight seal is necessary to get the most out of an N95 or else why not just use a cloth mask?) BUT, in the fifth hour I began to get a headache from the straps. It didn't matter how I moved them, the pressure was painful. The good news is that as soon as I could safely take the mask off, the headache went away immediately.

So, that was my day. The chickens were thrilled to see me home again and I have some nice pictures of them to share soon.

Brrrr

Just kidding. What's the opposite of brrr? Maybe splat as I melt.

Today I sat in front of the air conditioner and shredded zucchini. Enough for six batches of bread!

And that's about it. Minimal chores and watering. Another evening of feeling the pressure of another weather system move through, knowing it will probably not rain.

I did find a fun gardening video:

Other than that I'm blah. I hope it's better where you are.

Daily Dahlia

I only wish I had enough dahlias to feature a different one every day! I only have one but it's pretty special.

 
I'm going to keep a look out for dahlia bulbs on clearance to save for next year.

These coleus are growing strong. Definitely a win in the starting from seed group.

Zucchinis are starting to produce. I processed the first two today. Hooray!

Now I'm waiting to see if the weather system moving in will do some good as in rain or just be a headache maker.

Crochet project

I've been working on this one for quite a while. Luckily the pattern is simple enough I could pick it up after weeks of neglect and go right back to work.

 I did enjoy it, but am glad to start something different.

Pretties

I hoped the young chicks would bond with the broody hens and be adopted. It didn't work. The hens were too aggressive with the mothering and terrified the chicks who hid as far from them as they could. I ended up bringing them back inside until they are bigger.

In other, not so interesting news, I've given up pop to save money. Not a big thing in the larger scheme, but going through caffeine withdrawal is always a pain.

Panting...

Just came inside and checked the weather; yep, 100% humidity. That fits.

My parents live on a farm so I've been taking my chicks over there to raise during the summer. Sadly, the raccoons were killing them.

Last night I rescued the remaining chicks and brought them home. Quite an adjustment for them to come to a big, busy flock. I kept an eye on them today and nobody was harassing them. A couple hens wanted to foster them, but they're too independent although I noticed they tend to stay in two groups. The one thing they couldn't figure out was where to go tonight, so I spent half an hour in the dusk coaxing them into the coop. Such a feeling of relief when the last one hopped inside!