Misty, Moisty Mornings

One misty, moisty, morning,
When cloudy was the weather,
There I met an old man
All clothed in leather

All clothed in leather,
With a cap under his chin.
How do you do?
And how do you do?
And how do you do again?

The last two days started out cloudy, misty, and damp. I couldn’t help but think of the first two lines of this old nursery rhyme. Although the mornings were misty and moisty, I did not meet any old men all clothed in leather.

Yesterday morning I went with EJ to his doctor appointment in the city. The misty, moisty morning was very pretty. The doctor said that in many areas EJ’s health has improved. However, his asthma has gotten worse. And, of course, his back always gives him pain. I worry about EJ because with back pain and breathing problems, he isn’t able to sleep well.

We had chicken for lunch yesterday. After we were finished eating, I used the leftover chicken to make two homemade potpies. It was yummy. It is one of my favorite meals. JJ enjoyed it too and had three helpings. Since his Chemo, it has been difficult to find foods that appeal to him to I was glad that he enjoyed it.

EJ had slept pretty well last night but he woke up early. Shortly after I came downstairs, he fell asleep in his chair so I snuck out and went to the grocery store. We usually have fun going shopping together, but I wanted him to rest today. I needed to go to the store this morning–mostly to get water because the water from our faucets doesn’t taste all that good. I also needed to get pet food.  It was another beautiful misty, moisty morning. I took the back way through the countryside so I could enjoy it. The landscape was softened by the fog. I saw a deer standing in a field.

My friend who lives in Texas told me the other day that she is very surprised that my sparrows have turf wars. She has lots of birdhouses in her yard, some quite close together, and she said her sparrows never fight. I’ve seen the male sparrow who lives in the blue birdhouse locked in a fierce battle with other sparrows, and he has aggressively chased off sparrows and wrens trying to build nests in the other houses when they were closer together. I think that Texas sparrows must be nicer than Michigan ones.

I have been watching wrens building nests in two different houses. I’d love to have wrens build nests in the houses, but whenever they start, a sparrow chases it away. In fact, looked out the window to watch a wren take a stick into a house, and then I saw a sparrow chase it off. The wren has returned so maybe it has not been totally driven off yet. I wish the sparrows would leave the poor wrens alone. As I said, Michigan sparrows seem to be rather angry birds. I am trying to grow some birdhouse gourds. If they grow, I’m hoping the wrens will build houses in them net year and the sparrows will leave them alone. I would love to have wrens build nests where I can watch them. They sing so beautifully.

I have been making Challah bread this afternoon. Usually I make it Friday mornings so it is fresh and hot when we eat it, but tomorrow morning we have to take JJ to the cancer center to have his port flushed. The port will stay in his body for at least a year to make sure JJ’s cancer doesn’t come back and it has to be flushed every couple of months.

This afternoon I went outside to dump the vegetable peelings, etc., in our compost pile. I was started to see a garter snake in the path. If I had kept walking a few more feet, I would have stepped on it. I used to be really scared of snakes, but I do not mind the garter snakes that live in my garden. They do no harm and I have heard that they are a sign that a garden is healthy. I see snakes of various sizes–some tiny and  see large ones and sometimes tiny ones, so I know that there are a few living in my garden. I rarely see them but always admire them when I get a glimpse. The snake I saw today was at least a couple of feet long. I quickly ran into the house and grabbed my camera and took some pictures of him before he gracefully glided away. (Click on these pictures to make them bigger.)

The garter snake

The garter snake