Yesterday and Today

 

Chrysanthemums 

The chrysanthemums in the garden are blooming.  They are considered to be November's flower of the month and, apparently, they mean joy, friendship, optimism, and longevity, although that might change with the color of the flowers, culture, and history.  These days, yellow chrysanthemums represent joy, optimism, and friendship, but, in the past they have also represented rejection and sorrow.  I'm going to choose joy and optimism! 

Yesterday (Thursday), I had a dental appointment in the early afternoon.  In the morning, I fed the chickens.  Of course they ran out of the coop as soon as they could and made a bee line to the cats' kibble, although I hadn't fed the cats yet and there were only a few crumbs for the chickens to peck at.  Then, I bribed the chickens with dried mealworms to get them both back in the coop, and once they were safely in the coop, I fed the cats!

I made us scrambled eggs and toast, along with the last few slices of bacon I had cooked earlier, for brunch, replied to blog comments, and then, it was time to leave for my dental appointment.  I always leave an hour or so early; it's a half hour drive if the traffic is good, but, I always allow time for traffic delays.  Yesterday, for example, there was some road construction and two lanes of the road were closed at a busy intersection with freeway on and off ramps.  But, I got to the dentist's in good time and could even read a few pages of my library book before I was called in.

I had a new dentist this time, as the previous dentist had left the practice to pursue an academic career.  The new dentist was good, but, I missed the previous dentist.  Anyway, yesterday's visit was to be fitted with my partial dentures (since I have stubbornly refused dental implants for various reasons).  The whole procedure took one and a half hours; the partials are being sent back to the lab for final adjustments and I have another appointment in two weeks to receive my partial dentures.

On the way home, I got burgers, fries, and shakes as a treat for us (daughter had taken time off from work to accompany me to the dentist's since she knows how much I love these visits!)  We got home about 20 minutes before daughter had to attend a work meeting, so she had time to eat.  

Later, I let the chickens out to run around the garden for half hour or so, until daughter finished working for the day.  Then, she cleaned the coop and we let the chickens perch on us for a bit, which they seem to like to do.  Afterwards, daughter settled them in the coop for the night and I made us some tea and watched the evening news.

Yesterday, I was grateful for:

- Access to dental care
- A safe drive there and back
- Daughter being able to take time off work to go with me
- The new dentist seemed quite nice
- Time spent in the garden

Daylily

Today, Friday, has been a lovely, warm day, with a high of 84F.  I let the chickens out for a little bit in the morning and for a longer time in the evening.  Daughter had the day off from work and we had tentatively planned to shop for new shoes, but, she had a headache, so we stayed at home and took it easy.  Eventually, daughter felt better and did a load of her laundry, unpacked some packages that had arrived (cat food, chicken feed, two small electric space heaters, some spare batteries, etc.) and emptied one side of the composter that we use to compost kitchen scraps.  We spread the compost under the orange tree and the chickens enjoyed scratching around in it.

M arrived in the evening to tend to the garden.  We chatted for a bit and then, he watered the garden, both front and back.

We had bagels for brunch and I made fried rice for dinner.  Afterwards, I ordered some groceries to be delivered tomorrow.  

Today, I am grateful for:

- The lovely, sunny, warm day
- M's help with the garden
- Being able to order various needed items online and have them delivered
- Working appliances
- Water for the garden

Joyful activities these past two days have included reading, watching online videos, emails and texts with friends, and spending time in the garden.

How was your Friday?  What are your plans for the weekend?