Thursday, May 21, 2020

Listless


I don't have a whole lot for you today -- just another picture of our sage, which is blooming much more fully than it was in the last shot I posted. We had so much trouble getting this plant launched a couple of years ago, but fortunately it seems fine now that it lives in a pot on the patio, protected from slugs.

I "worked from home" again yesterday, although honestly I didn't do much of anything because there wasn't much to do. Let's just say it was not a productive day. I couldn't even get the dog walked. Same old story: She was all excited when I suggested it, and ran to get her Kong. But when I put her on her leash and we went out the front door, she dug in with all four feet and wouldn't even descend the steps. Who knows why?

The dog-walkers will try their luck with her today. They'll have her out a couple of hours this afternoon, and every weekday afternoon going forward. I'll still walk her in the mornings (if she'll let me!) and of course she'll be with us all day otherwise so you'll still see plenty of her.


Speaking of dogs, this old photo popped up on my Facebook feed the other day. A blast from the past! You may remember Ernie, one of our old boxers, who died more than eight years ago. In this photo he was sleeping on my Zen meditation cushion in our apartment in New Jersey, in 2010, I believe. God, that seems like a lifetime ago. Ernie and Ruby, our other boxer, were great dogs!

Ernie's pose captures my mood. That's exactly how I feel.

18 comments:

crafty cat corner said...

Maybe the heat got to her yesterday. Our cats are all littered about, the door is open but they don't want to go out.
Briony
x

Frances said...

I was thinking that your sage looks nothing like mine!! I know sage as a herb for cooking.........looked it up and it seems that your plant, that I would call Salvia, is a member of the sage family... Salvia officinalis...common sage is the cooking sort. I have learnt something! The foxgloves continue to open up....just the first 3.....the other 5 getting bigger.
Have a nice day...as they say!

Steve Reed said...

Briony: It could very well have been the heat. I think she may have felt the warmth of the street when she stepped outside and thought, "Nope!"

Frances: Yeah, I don't know how interchangeable the terms sage and salvia are -- I know sages are salvias, but I'm not sure all salvias are sages! Anyway, Dave calls this one a sage, and I assume it was so identified when we bought it -- so that's where I got the term. I don't even know which species or hybrid it is. Definitely not the cooking type.

Moving with Mitchell said...

I understand the feeling (yours and Ernie’s). I haven’t got caught up yet. Need to read your history. Maybe I’ll just start with do re mi, instead of skipping around like I’ve no been doing.

Mary said...

Would imagine that the return (limited engagement?) to work under these strange circumstances has been more than a little discombobulating. Hard to imagine or figure out what will be considered normal life in the next few months/year. Thinking of you.

Ms. Moon said...

I hope that today is better. This virus has affected all of us, even those are not INfected which is a pretty damn obvious thing to say.

ellen abbott said...

I felt that way yesterday too. had planned to start going to yoga class regularly (it's on M and W) but couldn't break the ennui to go last night.

Sharon said...

Steve, your comment on my site today made me laugh out loud. My thoughts exactly. I wanted to add a comment to that effect but didn't want to sound overly critical. I told my friend David that it was a further sign that money can't buy taste.
Boxers are great dogs. My friend Glenda had one that she loved dearly. She would love to have a boxer again.

e said...

Is it any better for you and Olga today?

Red said...

With the virus there seems to be an indecisive time where people aren't sure what to do or where to go.

Edna B said...

Your plant is beautiful. I imagine lots of folks will be dealing with getting back into a working mode. Things will be different for a while. Our pet are really smart. I'm sure Olga had a good reason for not wanting to go for that walk. Your Ernie was a handsome fellow. He looks so comfy on that pad. Enjoy your day, hugs, Edna B.

Anonymous said...

I haven't met Ernie before. He was quite a beauty, even in this photo of his listlessness. And you lived in New Jersey? Wow, I didn't know that. Where? I spent 18 years there, a long time ago. Hope all is well there and your listlessness gives way to energized romping in the garden.

The Bug said...

Ernie looks like how I feel most of the time. It's always a struggle to overcome inertia! I'm usually glad I did because I don't like how I feel about myself if I don't get ANYTHING done.

Catalyst said...

Sort of a ho-hum post. ;^/

jenny_o said...

The blossoms on that sage are so intricate - they're lovely up close. I feel like Ernie a lot of the time. Half in bed, half out of bed :)

My life so far said...

I feel like Ernie too.

Steve Reed said...

Mitchell: If you go back to late 2009 through mid-2011, that's when we lived in New Jersey. Before that I lived in Manhattan. There's a lot of Buddhist stuff in those early posts because I was attending a Zendo in New York at the time. :)

Mary: Yes, it is a VERY limited engagement -- just last week and this week. Today (Friday) is my last day of work.

Ms Moon: You'd never know it, though, from the way some people are behaving!

Ellen: Yeah, I hit a really blah period in the middle of this week!

Sharon: The boxers were Dave's before he met me, and they were WONDERFUL dogs. I really want to know who lives in that house! It looks like a Mafia don.

E: Yes! Wednesday was our low point, I think. :)

Red: Yeah, and our leaders aren't helping (here in the UK) by delivering inconsistent messages.

Edna: I'm sure she did too, but it was funny how she changed her mind so quickly! I think she left the cool house and got out onto the hot street and said, NO!

Robin: We lived in East Brunswick for two years, from 2009-2011. I worked in Somerset County, just to the north.

Bug: Ha! Usually I have a little more energy than that, but not this week!

Catalyst: Yeah, that was my general mood!

Jenny-O: It's a really nice plant! And like I said, it's been pretty durable.

Lilycedar: In these days of suspended animation, it's hard NOT to!

Beth Reed said...

I am not sure how I missed this post but I was showing my daughter Laurie your stained glass post and I just had to tell her about how I loved your comparison of the house and Boo Radley and she said... Wait mom I read this post I know I did. She said... This is just too weird, it is like ... wow crazy and she swears that she has run into you and Olga at some point. You never know so she had to go searching thru her internet history to see where she had come across Boo Radley and the tiles and stained glass. She couldn't find it but I think that it is a nice way to think that we can connect and that we sometimes do project ourselves out into the world, universe and cyber space if that makes any sense.

I think that your boxer Ernie was just precious. I had a Boxer when I was about 6. Her name was Princess and she was really awesome. I have always been a big animal lover. It's just so hard when we lose them.
Miss Edna was after me the day after I lost my Cisco to go and get another dog. I just couldn't. It just wasn't the same. I could have loved another easily but it wasn't about the love part. It was the I wasn't ready part. Then I thought that I was ready and went to the shelter and found a little one that I wanted. Her name was Sasha and the rescue center had just gotten her in and wasn't ready to be adopted. They had to test her for heart worms, give her shots and spay her. Unfortunately she tested positive for heart worms and didn't make it thru the treatment. That was like a double whammy and so I just love my animals thru others ha.

Have a great evening. Give Olga hugs for me.