Farm Journal - 2026

[sKePTiKal]

Yes, Debbie was here when the power went out Sat night! She left early, because it dawned on me this was going to last awhile and when I set up the generator - I opted for the furnace instead of AC. Imagine my surprise when we finally drove into town at just how close this little tornado was to us! Just over the ridge to the west. We didn't do a lot that weekend; deck was still in progress. Last tweaks will happen next week.

Well, I'm hoping Lighter is living it up on a world tour! I'm sure she'll pop in soon. Board access being spotty might've just convinced her to go do real life stuff for a while.

[sKePTiKal]

Well, the recent heatwave broke last night. It'll be 10 degrees cooler today and the foreseeable future - normal summer temperatures. But that outdoor issue is replaced by pretty heavy smoke from Canadian wildfires. The map of active fires up north in the Yukon area is showing widespread fire. It's mostly wilderness; so not readily accessible to try to contain it. And the silly US response of trying to hold Canada accountable is.... rediculous.

It is unhealthy to be outside much for most people. Maybe for a short time, low exertion activity. So my holes to plant my roses are still going to have to wait. I have solid places for two, at this point. Lots of indoor stuff to do anyway. That I keep procrastinating about.

Not a whole lot going on otherwise. Deck is basically complete; the project manager said he would show up to take care of some minor loose ends but I haven't heard from him. Nothing we can't do ourselves. Now to look for someone to seal it & the studio deck; and seal/paint the trim on the house. Maybe late fall; maybe early next spring. Then I think - barring any storm damage - we're mostly done. I need to clean & paint the downstairs doors at the studio garage and touch up at the studio, too.

Sewing & mending are starting to pile up so a couple days on that will be good.

Hops, how are things with you? Are you finding enough stuff to eat what with this parasite issue going around? I've been (re)discovering pasta salads, potato salad, and 3 bean type salad variations. How are you and BN getting on?

Meh - sounds like you're due a lucky streak... in friends, job, general living experience. Fingers crossed you find something to get excited about!

[Hopalong]

Happy to hear about deck and life ongoing, Amber. Your productivity level is astonishing. Thanks for asking....

HOME: The team of saints, the Mexican crew, restored the house to cleanliness and better order and it is a wonderful kickstart for me.

PT: Not going today because my lungs (Dx: "reactive airways") do not want to spend an extra second in the smoke-soup air. Very sad, amidst serious drought too. Water restrictions may kick in soon and I hope they do. Anybody watering a lawn is blind to climate change. I took Pup to his play camp afternoon and they have a big space indoors, so he'll have a blast anyway. But just going to and fro the car, my chest felt it.

BN: Well, I think we both have a foot over the top edge of the slippery slope. My incontrovertible evidence is we're exchanging heart emoticons and xxxxoooos. Gasp! He also proposed a five day trip together, which spooked me a bit. I'm nervous about implications, both financial and intimacial....which we can resolve with a good, trusting talk. We will. He is open, kind, honest and ... eager. I feel the same. Foot firmly on brake, however. My old throw-heart-over-bar-and-hope gambit is outdated.

It's nice and slooooooow, and increasingly affectionate. He sends me amazing photos all the time. One of them the other day was of his squirrel pal who has taken to eating every single cherry tomato off the big deck planter. BN's reaction was to buy Squirrel his own pack of cherry tomatoes the next time he shopped. [MELLLT...]

Okay, we're pretty caught up. I truly am worried about Lighter and hope your guesses about her being off on an adventure are good.

hugs
Hops

[Dirty Hippy]

Hope the pollution and heat clear out soon. It's stifling. Had that happen few years back and I went out of for a walk could only see a few feet really and of course predictably got an asthma attack but there is only so long I could sit indoors with the windows closed. Without an actual fancy air filter what is the use of staying inside all the air is the same.

[Hopalong]

Our town was just put on Red Alert for dangerous air quality.

Gotta zip out and fetch Pup, then I ain't budging. Back to N95s.
Do have a date w/BN for a matinee of the Odyssey tomorrow.
We'll get from car to theater as quickly as we can....

Aaaaghh,
Hops

[sKePTiKal]

Smoke SHOULD be gone from here sometime Sunday/Monday (for you, Hops). Or so the AI weather "imagine-er" sez. Sigh. B can predict weather more accurately, by how much the metal in his body vibrates (what frequence it's at). I watch clouds, feel the barometer in head & sinuses. Neither one can predict the smoke tho because it's source is so far away. I think the closest is Ontario and the Boundary Waters (closed & evacuated).

Sounds like you and BN need to define what level of trust you both have - in yourselves and each other. At least establish a baseline. With a range, of more or less as certain triggers alert - quietly or loudly. And THEN, just go have fun without thinking about it. B and I are still working on our range of comfort/discomfort and fortunately our communication style is open and trusting enough - we can just remind/warn off each other - or throw a general "I am grumpy and this thing - whatever it is - bugs the hell out of me". That's usually enough to rebalance the energy between us. Which is amazingly sensitive and strong. And unspoken - most of the time.

I am spending a lot of my time enjoying that energy connection. It's a kind of dance - and he is joyously unpredictable & adorable in it - so I end up letting my hair down and playing right along with him. Lots & lots of emotional nutrition there! This is a new thing that I've not experienced in relationships before. Our trust "savings account" balance is increasing. The only thing I've noticed - and it's probably unavoidable - is how in-sync our energy wavelengths are. Both of us can be consumed (attention-wise) in personal pursuits or external to us things. And so the elastic of the energy stretches to give space that allows full attention to those things and then returns to our comfy "us" state of flexibility and stability again.

Yeah, there's an inherent risk in investing so much of oneself into a relationship; well aware. Especially at our age. But to be so risk averse that we choose to "be safe" rather than experience this... well, sorry. I'm old enough to enjoy the risk level that I barely acknowledged when a lot younger - just because it didn't end well then. It's nice to feel alive!