Sunday Slowdown

I had a productive walk this morning with the dog, figuring things out, resolving other things, and making plans for the week. When I thought back to yesterday, to the laughter and long talks we had together, a feeling of total relaxation washed over me and I felt like myself again, less harried and unfocused, more on an even keel. She has that effect on me.

I spent three hours in the gardens in the backyard this afternoon, long neglected gardens that have needed some love. I weeded and raked up the magnolia leaves and trimmed back the holly tree, the whole time the hummingbirds squeaking and fighting and humming overhead. I thought about things I want to plant next spring and summer, where to put the extra hydrangea bush, what I wanted to do with the house, who to call to make the fireplace not a fireplace anymore, the apple pie I want to bake and then re-photograph since I've lost the original file. I made a mental note to not pressure myself into trying to accomplish everything in one day as I am known to do. I decided to take a break from social media for a while and to make this blog be my primary blog. 

I think today was a very accomplished day.

Langley & The Three Hummingbirds

She comes out with me every day to help me photograph our fierce band of tiny hummingbirds. She doesn't like the heat, going straight to the largest shady patch in our yard, up against the west fence near a dirt patch where the shade from our maple and our neighbors fruit tree has killed the grass. Langley doesn't complain, only sits and watches me take aim with my bazooka of a camera at those impossibly hard to capture tiny dancers of the air. She drowses as the sun weaves her magic sleepy time spell across her, but soon she wanders over and lays her chin in my lap, raising her (now snow white) eyebrows at me and tells me with her eyes that she's very, very hot and can I please open the door so she can go in and throw herself down on our cool kitchen floor and bask in the air conditioning? I get up after scratching behind her ears (my favorite part of Langley), open the door for her and resume my task of trying to photograph those little  feathered fighter jets dog fighting over the two feeders filled with sugary water. 

Little Napoleon in his bright red vest.

A cease fire. For now.

A quick sip before diving back into the fray.