I would not say that I am 100% back to normal because I still get weak pretty easily. I don’t really have my strength back. When I run into things in my garden that are not right because someone else put them there, it takes my energy. And of course the neighbors who chimed in with their daily vote that the world should might as well die because those are the words put into their head by the car people and everyone knows that the car people love us with all of their hearts. But I got out there and that was the main thing.

I still haven’t figured out all of the problems. Some of these things require time to really take fruit. And the thing about land decisions is that if you do something, you better do a pretty normal thing or you’re going to get stuck with a problem for a long time. I have found that quite a few things that locals complain about are quite beneficial to the land in general. The natural area I have sequesters water just like the other side and I was just thinking today that what was once a completely degraded and almost worthless piece of land has now bloomed into life and just a couple of short years.

Today’s report is not long and complicated because truly, you clean out your phone of social networks, just remove that particular drug from your life, and the experience of having a telephone just gets better and better. I mean, I’ve been working here for a long time so this is kind of my groove. But without the chatter, seriously, every little bit helps.

I need it that calm this morning when I finally got up. I was pretty darn comfortable in my bed. I had put together a few good thoughts during the night and had also found the time somehow to work on the phone some more. I fixed my problem with chrome and got rid of a couple of programs that were wasting space. I changed the font and the size making it all smaller and even change the picture up front to something I like. It’s like a house that hasn’t been cleaned in a long time and you can really tell the difference.

The fear is still with me and it is important that it stay with me. This is not an emotional decision of whether I trust or do not trust my knee. I have to pay attention to how I walk and that’s just the way we play this game. I don’t have a lot going for me except that before this omicron hit I was at least working on my swing and working out pretty regularly. I had built up some pretty good stability. But you know, Russians are Russians and if they see a nail working itself out of a board, that hammer comes down.

I went out first and had a very slow walk around. Today I went all over everywhere. I found myself talking to the plants. I also found that I was in an amazingly good mood. Gosh, a peaceful life really does the thing. Well, that and getting over an illness. I talked to my plans and I looked at their situation and I understood that some of the girls are having a hard time of it and might not make it and some of them might make their move next year. The trees are in a growth spurt though and that is so encouraging to see. It really is beautiful. It’s not at the apex of it s yearly appearance. The absolute peak of perfection was a little while ago. Unfortunately, I didn’t take any pictures of it, I just took some films. I actually have lots of films.

And then I sort it out the most important jobs I needed to do, took a basket, a pair of clippers and went and got the wheelbarrow. The idea was that the food goes in the basket and the weeds go in the wheelbarrow and we have to figure out where that wheelbarrow is going to go to rest and let go of its unwanted pieces. There are some weeds in there that are bolting so we need to be aware that that’s in the mix. Not a giant problem. The work was nice and the temperature was pleasant and I got through the first half of the first box we planted. Not a giant harvest but food. And remember, I’ve been eating out of this everyday for a month already.

Spoiler alert.

The neighbor decided he needed to drive somewhere and got in his car and started it up and drove away and there was that moment where the smell of human existence comes over the wall. I’m not really finished with this yet. I just feel really good right now and I don’t want to break my mood by getting all tangled up with these people. I’m not afraid of it, I just don’t need the extra work or energy spent or misery or time or money or resources or anything to go to these greedy disgusting horrific Nazi fascists. I just don’t want to be with them and I don’t want to hear them and every argument they say and every word that comes to their mouth and every stupid low level worthless minor league intrigue, for two fucking years, all instead of parking the fucking car on the other side of their property. My life has been basically ruined and they just think that’s the coolest thing in the history of the world. I scream in anguish at them and they think this is the most beautiful thing in the world they’ve ever done. Because of me, they got to be the mafia.

So what do you do? It was the end of my day. It was kind of rainy, which was cool. I guess I could have done a lot more job if someone didn’t just suck every last bit of energy out of my body like a shot of alcohol and the chunk of sala so they belch after it. I’m a herbivore among carnivores and I don’t feel the least bit bad about it except that they poison me.

Kosher alert

I went inside and had a seat on the couch and not a single muscle in my body voted to get up. I wasn’t broken physically. I hadn’t hurt myself or twisted my knee. I was just pretty happy to be on the couch and didn’t do anything for a long time. After a while I went to the computer and put together the work on the Torah post. Yes, I read every word. And then I thought about what I wanted to do and cleaned up a bit more. I ran a broom and went into the kitchen and cleaned out the sink and put everything away.

I took my basket with me and the clippers and went back outside. It wasn’t really raining but very cool and gray with occasional sprinkles. The first someone to catch my eye was Mr saltbush. All the other plants shivered with terror when they saw me move to where Mr saltbush had grown into quite a character.

What? I thought you liked me.

I do like you my friend. I eat your leaves all the time. The thing is, you are a local perennial. I love that you stay with us all the time. I just don’t think it’s appropriate for you to be here in this box with my kale, which is finally kicking into gear.

So you’re just going to do this, right? I can’t talk you out of it.

I made a snip and lifting them out of the box and tossed him into a dry part of the grass that probably needs some hardy saltbush to help keep it together. I did the same several other boxes along the way but I wasn’t really weeding. God bless all, I was shopping.

Maybe all gardeners know what this is about but there is a particular time of year where you have your very own green grocer. There it is. So I took some brassicas and took the first ripe tomatoes off the vines. I helped some of the plants to stand up a little better and then just took the tomatoes I thought looked good to eat. I took a couple of kishuim, one of them looked like it could destroy Tokyo. Onions, garlic and peppers.

One of the smaller fruit trees asked me why I was taking down the saltbushes. It was a difficult thing to explain to her that I don’t particularly feel guilt about it. It’s a part of my need to eat and I need to protect certain plants and make sure that they get all the nutrition and energy. She said that I didn’t understand her question. She was simply asking what I physically moved to do it.

Okay, I’ll try to explain it. I am an animate. And animate is something that moves. You are alive but technically inanimate. You see the difference?

She said that she did.

I then mentioned that all animates had to move in order to find food for themselves. Animates just reached out and felt their way to whatever nutrition they needed. She told me she was greatful for all of the nutrition for herself and all the other plants in the garden.

I’m like the insects that crawl on you and fly around you all day. They must move to eat. Such is the life of an animate.

Then she asked me how I was different from the insects. I thought for a minute and told her that I’m bigger than the insects but like an insect to the great trees and back of me. And when I looked over my shoulder, I winked at my friend the birch.

But I’m trying with all my heart not to be like them.

Appointed towards my neighbors.

They kill mercilessly and indiscriminately and do not care how much damage they do to anyone or anything, even themselves.

The tree and all the plants just smiled and nodded and went calm. And I took my basket and went home.

And that’s it. I think I have one more post. It’s a food post. Not a perfect day. We don’t have them here. But I keep holding out hope that if we just find a way to get the neighbors to wake up, can you imagine?