"It's such a perfect day," Lou Reed famously sang -- and that's what we had yesterday. The sun was out, it was warm, and Olga lay in the garden on the grass and sunbathed like she couldn't quite believe it.
Like the protagonist in Lou's song, I spent much of my perfect day with my significant other, sitting with him morning and evening at the hospital. (The locale, admittedly, not so perfect.) I went home in the middle of the day to do a zillion things and give him a chance to rest.
For one thing, I put on my rarely used gardening gloves and planted some plants. Dave bought several before he got sick that we hadn't had a chance to get in the ground, so I took care of that. We have a back corner of the garden that we've decided not to mow, to let the grass get long and provide a home for insects. I planted a few wildflowers in that area.
I also washed our sheets and my bathrobe -- things that are normally hard to dry in the dryer, but which I could hang outside on this perfect day! I went grocery shopping. I bought some aromatic sachets to keep moths out of our closets.
Finally, I went to the post office. This is kind of a strange story: About a week ago, I was walking Olga when I found a USB thumb drive on the sidewalk. It seemed in good condition and I suspected someone dropped it, so I went home and plugged it into my computer. (Yes, I know, it could have contained some terrible hacker virus, but I have a Mac, I didn't plan to click on any executable files and I was willing to risk it.)
It contained pictures and documents related to a mass transit company in Bordeaux, France. It didn't contain a name, but I contacted the company through its web site and someone connected my e-mail with the owner of the drive, which had indeed been lost. He expressed amazement that someone found it and took the time to track him down. So, long story short, I mailed him his drive. (I offered to send the data by dropbox, but I guess he wanted the actual device back.)
It's worth mentioning that my communication with this company was in French! So my French classes are apparently having some benefit -- no one wrote, "Sacre bleu! Your French is horrible!"
Today, back to work!
After an absence of some weeks in No Internet Land, aka the Northern Pacific Ocean, I have finally caught up by reading back issues.
ReplyDeleteSpeedy recoveries to those important men in your life.
Ms Soup
Interesting story on the thumb drive and your French.
ReplyDeleteoops , google lost my comment, So good to see Olga in the grass with her beloved Kong in the sunshine. You are a good citizen kudos for your French! It paid off at least for returning the thumb drive to a very lucky person. Good job, sir! Best wishes for the DAVE, thinking about him always, I hope his recovery is smooth.
ReplyDeletewell, good for you and Dave. every garden should have a wild space. I never wear gloves to garden, or at least rarely so. I want to feel the dirt on my hands and fingers.
ReplyDeleteThat thumb drive story sounds like the start of a spy thriller! Beautiful back yard. I bet it wasn't only the weather that made the day so perfect, but also the fact that some of your worry about Dave has been lifted. May he continue to heal and also your dad. xo
ReplyDeleteI was laughing out loud at the end of your post. That quote is exactly what was said to my good friend David a few years ago when we were in Paris and he attempted to speak a little French to someone.
ReplyDeleteI'm so impressed that you made all that effort to return that thumb drive.....and you did it all in French! Wow!
Impressive, all of it, and you have a gorgeous garden space. The weather here was horrible yesterday. Best to Dave and your Dad.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great day indeed! I love the story of the thumb drive. Good stuff, taking the trouble to return what I am sure was very important to the owner. And to use your French skills to do it! Love the pictures of Olga.
ReplyDeleteThat last picture of Olga... I want to BE her! :)
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