70°f21°C, raining this morning and continuing showers expected all day.
The rain is such a relief! For 3 days in a row we have awakened to the patter, and often the pour, of rain on the roof. This morning I laid in until 9:30, just listening! We haven't had any terrible storms like some places have experienced, although I did drive through one yesterday afternoon that left some streets in the town I had just left (Parkersburg) flooded. Our ground is soaking it all up, and it is bliss to see the grateful plants turning green again.
An oddity though: a friend asked if we had noticed the lack of birds lately. Honestly, I had not. My work has been focused inside, and when we have been out in the evenings there are a few birds flitting about. I just wasn't paying attention, but now I must say my neighbor is right. Where did they all go??? I have seen a couple nuthatches, and here and there a few goldfinches. But other than that, nada. I know the migrators have left, but where are our usual birds? Perhaps this happens every year and I haven't noticed?
I've had to be out the last two days. Tuesday was milk pickup and my friend Suzy's birthday, so I went to lunch with her and a couple other friends. There were two other ladies there also celebrating their birthdays. All 3 were born on the same day, and Suzy and one other lady were born same day, same year and at the same hospital! How is that for small town life.
Yesterday I had an appointment with the heart doctor in Parkersburg. I really saw no reason to go as I have had no issues in over 3 years, but I went anyway, and on the way restocked my Ravenswood booth. The heart doc agreed that I really didn't need to come in, and I am now on an as-needed status. The last time I had issues it turned out to be dehydration, and the time before it was asthma causing chest pain, not my heart. So in truth, I have no heart issues, but it does make sense to get checked out when anything goes a-flutter in there.
While driving yesterday I listened to a history if Scotland on Spotify. I must say, it was depressing! The book began around 4 AD, and basically just tracked who did what to who to gain power and land. Murders, wars, untimely deaths, poor little children suddenly becoming king or queen (and most not surviving to actually rule)---just very sad. Even beheading didn't end until about 250 years ago! That's kinda recent in my book. There was nothing much at all about normal life, which is the kind of history I enjoy. I could care less about who ruled, I want to know what people ate and wore, how they heated their homes, how they were or were not educated, things like that. The music, books, poetry, etc didnt get mentioned in this book until the very end, and then only to brag about the most famous Scots.
Another thing that struck me was how aptly the subject is named: his story. Historians really only focused on men for years, with very little mention of women at all. And yet who was home maintaining the farms and businesses while the men were off fighting each other? Without the women they would not have had much to come home to or to be worth fighting over! If we have made one advance in my lifetime, it is that women and ethnicities are being included now in recorded history. To think that it took centuries for that to happen. Hmph.
I came home to bid in an online auction, and my word did the bids go high! This auction had a lot of Fenton glass, some of it quite rare. Needless to say I did not win much, but I did manage to snag a few things, which I will have to pick up tomorrow.
A friend asked for a photo of the amber pitcher on the right. I had to dust before I took this! I won this one in an auction a few years ago but have never displayed it very well. I think it looks nice with the old map in the background. All of this glass is Early American Pattern Glass, made prior to 1915, and most is much older than that. I do love old glass, don't ask me why. Same reason history draws me, I guess.
Today I am back to listing on ebay, a good use of this rainy day. I did go out to the garden to pick the zinnias in the first photo, and gathered some lettuce, peppers, kale, and bok choy for dinner. The garden is coming along well still, lots of food still to be harvested. Larry has just brought in a bucket of cider so I guess I better go find jars and get it processed. I am behind again on blog-reading, so I hope to catch up with everyone this evening.
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