End-of-the-Semester Dirt Therapy: Soil, The Outdoors, and Landscaping

The weather was finally cooperative after a week of steady, if not heavy, rains. I took the murkier days to head to Home Depot with my gift cards (I trade in credit card points to get them) and made my purchases which were stored in the garage. Knowing that I was having a pavement company coming in the morning to give me an estimate on redoing my driveway, I took the first couple hours of yesterday simply to get dirty on Mt. Pleasant.

I am hoping the lupine will grow. I never had success with it in Kentucky, but had a few take off when I lived on Eastman in Cicero during my doctorate. So, I spent part of yesterday getting grimy from head to toe to add more color around the house, relocating hostas here and there, and rethinking where my perennials are located.

Of course, now they'll need watering, which is okay because today is supposed to be another washout, and I'm heading tot he office to get pack into summer planning and grant world (plus a couple of advisees).

I managed to walk the dog, notify teachers of their summer invitational acceptance, and even run, which is always great. It added somewhat to the sunburned face I acquired at graduation sitting in the direct sun for back-to-back commencements.

Before I went to bed last night, I had to shut the windows, too, because we're at the period where it is warm during the day and pretty cold in the evening (the best sleeping weather). Of course, doing all the outdoor work translates to the fact that I sludge the dirt inside and now the internal dwelling needs attention.

And I'm sneezing. The pollen, also the color of my car, is everywhere. It's like lime chalk covering windows, walkways and vehicles. Good for the bugs, but not so good for human nasal passages.

The April showers didn't bring May flowers, but the May and June ones are making up for the lost time.