UnrulyMom.Com

Spring is here. In celebration of my first full year of being a gardener, I have planted things. Many things. Like the cukes and beans above. And the corn below.

It’s been a nice few weeks, weather-wise. With rain falling at appropriate increments in acceptable amounts. Not too hot, not too cold. So most things are growing really well…and I am content, not just with the garden, but with this whole series of seemingly unrelated events that comprises my life.

I feel like I repeat myself from post to post, but I think a lot about this, so in that sense it bears repeating…but my favorite part about learning how to grow things and keeping chickens is that I have an excuse to have short visits with people on my weekend. An excuse and also somewhat of a directive, which is frequently what I need to remind myself that there is a larger world outside of my back yard and own head.

It’s been nice to be able to put the word out among friends “I have these things and would love to give them to you if you need them.” Mostly because I know I have been on the receiving end of things given on more than one occasion and for certain durations. Not that I think a free dozen eggs is saving anyone from starvation or anything, but it’s just something that I can nurture, grow, and give freely…without even the burden of feeling as thought I’m owed something in return. And mostly that, because for quite awhile now…at least the past year…I have felt so content. I am content. More content than I think I ever have been before.

I’m searching through my emails for the exact date, because it just struck me that this is about the first anniversary of the day this house became officially mine, without encumbrances from my ex. Hmmm…so it HAS been about a year of feeling fully content with my independence. With very little consideration of further encumbrances.

I’ve been wanting to find a way to talk about singlehood. My singlehood, and singlehood as a concept. But, to be honest – I don’t really want to waste any of my time even thinking about talking about being single. Which is why I’m not in a relationships. All of that talking about things. It just takes too much damn time. I’m content just being about things. And I’m completely cool with being about things all by myself. Or with anyone who happens to be about things with me at any given time.

Which I think is both a funny thing to say for someone who loves the idea of blogging and sharing…but is perhaps the reason why I feel less and less like actually taking the time to blog and share.

(Laughing at myself because I’m about to pivot from talking about how happy I am to be single to talking about my pets…)

Lulu is doing a new adorable thing. On our walk last night, she would periodically look up and me and then “hug” me, by leaning her head into my body for awhile – gently so as to not knock me off balance. She did it periodically throughout the walk and I got all mushy about how awesome she is every. time.

Also – our weird and adorable calico cat Shaunee has now almost completely trained Lulu to not be cat reactive. There are still moments when Lulu decides to chase, but she listens to me when I tell her to stop. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to train it all the way out of her, but she’s come a long way since her first encounter with cats, at which point it wasn’t entirely clear if she wanted to play with them or eat them all up. Now, I’m PRETTY sure she just wants to play, but she would probably hurt them a lot if she pounced on them as she seems to want to do.

At any rate, I woke up this morning and Lulu and Shaunee were both patiently waiting outside of my bedroom for me. Well, Lulu was waiting patiently. I had been ignoring Shaunee’s racket for a couple of hours. But they were sitting there – side by side – as if they hadn’t spent the last almost-two-years re-enacting every dog/cat chase scene ever dramatized in a warner bros or hanna barbera cartoon. Dorks.

I’m really proud of Buddha the Grouch lately as he wins at life every time he turns around. He got the summer job he wanted and will be able to stay at school over the summer. This means I won’t get to see him here in Austin, but I’m already scheming a possible leafer road trip up the northeast coast…I mean, to visit.

Because Lulu hasn’t ever seen fall colors.