Still at home

I got up fairly early. Mewthos was mewling to be let out – I listened to my bladder, instead. As I was finishing I heard what sounded like a stream of water hitting fabric? I got up and found Mewthos looking me full in the face while he was spraying my bathroom curtains! What the … ????

I picked him up mid-stream and plonked him in a litter box! What is he thinking? The look in his face could either be proudly showing me “Look, mommy! I is big boy! I stand up to pee!” or defiantly challenging me “I told you I need to go out! You don’t open the door, this is what I do!”. Since cats have no capacity for malice, I like to think the former. And if it’s the latter, then he’s expressing a need, not defiance. But yeah, that explains all the puddles I keep finding … or rather, confirms their source – I still don’t understand the reason!

I think, in part, mippies don’t really like the eco-fibers I now use instead of the ultra fine sand. But I can’t afford to keep using the sand, I’m sorry, mippies! They use the large box for solids and the small one for liquids – so the small one gets filled quite quickly. Maybe I can get another small box? Or maybe I should get a second large one?

The power is still out, so I boil some water in a pot on my gas stove. By the way, I learned that Leon had lied to me: there is no spare gas bottle! Oh, I can get one, but I had specifically asked about that a while back. Grumble.

Leon told me that the power outage was no longer due to Kwagga power station having burnt down, but that several poles had also fallen down due to the flooding. We might get power back late this afternoon – IF they’ve discovered ALL the fallen poles! If not, it might come on, then go off again – and then they’d have to go investigate the cause. Sigh.

At least the weather seems to be clearing – even last night some clear sky could be seen between the clouds. It doesn’t seem to have rained during the night, either – or, if it did, not much. My most pressing problem, however, is the water issue. My stomach is on the run – courtesy of my monthlies; sigh, I had hoped they were gone for good! So, today, I’m off sick. Even though I had been taking my tissue salts, I’ve got quite a lot of cramping today.

I’ve picked a gardening book to read today … which is somewhat depressing. Gosh, I have a long, long, long way to go! Such a lot to learn! So much I didn’t know! Here I was, just happily turning soil, plonking down seeds and enjoying the results! No wonder my results are so meager, though.

I also read how indigenous plants will attract the helpful insects and birds – biology is a subject I failed badly in high school. I just figured all birds and bees are good for plants, but I read how each plant is designed to attract exactly the one insect it needs to propagate. Makes sense – grin, I wish we humans had a similar design; it would eliminate all the break-ups and divorces, eh?

Anyway, the red flowers are indigenous – so, I got some help understanding Leon & Ansje’s point of view. They ARE very much about conservation of the natural flora, fauna and wildlife here. But then again, THEY have a massive piece of land, where they can plant and grow as much of anything they want, whereas I have quite a small piece – at least, when you deduct all the space already taken up by trees, spekboom and those red flowers … there’s not much left, actually! I still don’t know where I’ll put the last of the spekboom growing from cuttings I got from Rose!

Well, I got a lot to think about, now! For one thing, I realise that I don’t actually know what soil I’ve got. I keep calling it sandy, because it’s yellow and granular on top, but it bakes into one solid mass in the sun! Yet, under the trees, it’s quite a different story. Sigh, most of the garden is ‘under the trees’, I don’t really have all that much sun to work with – and that whole area is also covered with those red succulents! But they are not doing so well on the outskirts of the shade, giving me an opening to start working inward.

Around half past ten the power came back on again. This time, first thing I did was flush the toilet! Ha ha! And the next thing I did was start a loaf of bread dough! The PC started without any trouble, but I still don’t have internet.

Then I saw 7 missed calls on my phone! Work! I called back to be told that I must decide whether I want to take leave from next Friday (13^th) or the following Friday (20^th). Huh? I get to choose? Typical! This information SHOULD have been given to ALL staff well in advance – giving us time to consider and plan accordingly! Not just ‘I must know now’ at the last minute! Seriously, human resource management leaves … not just a lot, but practically everything to be desired! Well, I have a delivery coming next week and I don’t have another 5 days leave, either. So I opted for the 20^th. The next week should be nice and quiet then, with all the posturing noise-boys on leave.

Anyway, the bread is rising in the oven – the dough was very sticky this time. I just made a small loaf, but whole wheat with added herbs. I’ll probably regret not spending this time finishing the second bed … but the reason I took the day off sick is sapping a lot of energy. Also, the sun is back in full force – I could get yet another sunburn … ironically while loosing a shoe in the mud! Ha Ha!

Internet is still not back, it’s past one now, so …

I feel quite drained, must be the monthly … gosh, I’d forgotten just how much energy that drained every month! Yes, I managed to forget that over a period of two months! Well, I don’t HAVE to do anything, so I decided to take a nap.

I was woken by Leon shouting something right outside my bedroom window! Yikes!

Internet is back on, so I published yesterday’s blog. I’m still writing in Word, for now – just in case. I’m still not very energetic, it started raining again, though not as bad as these past few days. The sun was out most of the day, so this bit of rain will be good to keep the ground soft till I can work it some more this weekend.

Another thing I got from all that reading during the power outage: I badly miss reading! I really must make time to read again – I really, really miss it! Reading online just is not the same, no matter how interesting. There simply is no substitute for a book, especially a good one!

I packed my lunch, considered dinner and then just fried the Bockwurst and ate it with some curry sauce. I didn’t even feel up to boiling some pasta to go with it – although I did fill the pot with water, then changed my mind.

I sat inside watching SG-1, then went outside, watching mippies, then back inside … now I’ve got mippies inside – Janey and Ziva each on a shelf on my right! I’m shelving cats!

The mini keeps me company a lot of the time! Like, when I was on the bed watching SG-1 – she comes and snuggles up to me! When I get up, she gets up. I go to the bathroom, she snuggles in her fortress. I go outside, she comes out. And she makes me laugh such a lot! I’m just so grateful she’s with us!

Make no mistake, my other mippies make me just as happy! Nor am I neglecting any of them – they come for cuddles, each in their own preferred way: Ziva with the roly poly on the ground, Janey walking along my shoulders – or, sometimes she just flops into my arms to get her tummy tickled! And Mewthos, my darling Mewthos! Despite the spraying, ha ha!

Well, time to post and publish, then to bed.