Day 40-BA5 takes the lead

Yardwork today…

7/31/22. Sunday

6:30-L. Leaves for her shift at The Club.

7:00-I let the dog out of my room and try to go back to sleep.

8:30-9:30-I’m up but my entire body hurts. I go downstairs with the dog and take her outside to go potty; then, I warm up my coffee. I really want to go on a bike ride but I’m sore from the last two days of Insanity Max and I’m inclined not to go on a bike ride. Also, it’s already so hot outside….

-I take my coffee upstairs and go back to bed. For me, coffee acts as a transfusion and I start to feel better.

9:30-10:15-I put on my bike outfit, wash my face, brush my teeth. Contacts. I still weigh 97 but maybe that has something to do with the fact that I just drank 8 ounces of coffee. I text L. my bike route because I listen to true crime.

10:20-11:40-I bike up McBean, until it ends at Copper Hill, and turn left, where the bike path that I mapped on Friday starts. I could have gone further but I don’t want to stroke out. It’s super hot BUT slightly overcast so it’s not as bad as it could be at this hour; however, sometimes heat stroke sneaks up on people.

-I love this bike ride. I ask myself, “why don’t I do this more often?” and make a mental note to pencil bike riding into my calendar. I listen to Citations Needed but only with one ear bud so I can pay attention to traffic.

12:00-2:30- Home and I start on the yard. I drink the rest of my Pressed Juicery and eat a cashew Lara Bar. I start with cleaning out my create-a-curb bed. The creeping ivy bushes I planted are not doing as well as I would like; they’re dead in some spots so I clean out the bushes. After that, I rearrange my succulents on the cement bench and clean the pots. The Astroturf section definitely needs some TLC so I spray it down. I spend the rest of the day listening to Season 2 of This Land as I work. Lastly, I soak the beds.

-I’ve been trying to get my Banks rose bush to envelop my entire patio canopy for years so I pull the ladder out to the backyard and train some of the rose bush branches through the hole in my patio canopy.

-The tree trimmers left behind an errant hanging branch that looks terrible and is bugging the f—k out of me. Unfortunately, it’s hanging in my neighbor’s yard, but is an eyesore from MY yard. I pull the ladder against the wall and through a gyration of strange physical machinations I’m able to grab two leaves on the branch, pull it over the fence, and saw a portion of it off. Unfortunately, this is still not up to my specifications. I’m going to need L.s help with this when she gets home from work.

I water half of the yard with the hose.

2:30-3:30-I heat up the last of my glass noodles and eat them with my pre-made salad, while reading 13 Ways to Talk to a Fat Girl.

-I’m exhausted so I lie down while I wait for L. to return from work so she can help me with that errant branch.

3:30-4:00-L. surfaces but wants to take a nap. I convince her to help me with the branch before she takes a nap, so we go outside and figure out a plan of attack. I climb the ladder and stand on top of the wall in the hopes of reaching the branch, but I can’t quite reach it and I’m afraid of heights. L. thinks all of this is a bad idea. Her role involves handing me the saw, but a bee is flying around and she freaks out and runs away. Forget it. This project is aborted.

4:00-6:00 - I water the second half of the yard, then fill bucket after bucket with Simple Green so I can sanitize the Astroturf and the red rock bed where the dog likes to pee. While I fill the buckets, I drag the ladder over to my massive honeysuckle vine - it takes the length and width of one wall - and train the tendrils. It was a little out of control, but looks much better now.

6:00-7:00-There is mud and water all over the patio so I power wash it then pull more leaves out of two more of my beds. I deadhead two pots of flowers, re-wrap the electrical outlet where I plug in the fountain, and pull all of my pillowcases off the patio pillows for washing.

The yard is done!

-I take my trash cans out.

7:00-7:45-I drive to Cold Stone and treat myself to the tiniest German Chocolate ice cream that they offer. I eat half of it and put the rest in the freezer.

7:45-8:30 - Did I mention the yard is DONE! I grab a glass of champagne and sit outside at the patio table, admiring the fruits of my labor.

-8:30-10:00- I report to my office, finish a Covid essay, and work on a blog post.

-L. surfaces with purchases from Trader Joes. It looks like she’s going to cook something so I quickly get up and unload the dishwasher - if the dishwasher’s empty, L. might be more inclined to wash her own dishes instead of leaving them for me in the sink.

-I make boiled eggs

-I check personal email and there’s an email from Renee saying that she wished I could have gone hiking with her. Renee only invited five people; three showed up and it was a great hike. I feel privileged that I was one of the five she invited. She adds that she definitely wants to explore some new hikes with me, as well as some bike paths. Renee says that she added me as a contact and now has my number stored in her phone; however, the next few months will be hectic for her because she is planning her son’s wedding in September. Spoiler Alert: None of the above activities Renee proposed ever happens.

10:00-11:30-I upload a blog post, then place an online order at Target for three more tank tops.

11:30-1:30-I have a few more things to do but I’m just sooo tired. I shut my office door and take what I think will be a quick nap on my couch. Unfortunately, I don’t wake up for 2 hours. When I enter the kitchen, L. has made a batch of brownies and washed all of her dirty dishes.

1:30-2:00 - As I’m locking up, I see a box of books and coupons from my parents in the garage along with one of the forms I’ve been waiting for from Palmdale School District regarding the Cash Balance retirement program. This box means my parents were at my house at some point because they brought the box. Yet, L. said nothing about it. Why?

2:00-3:00 - L. is still awake so I ask her about the box of books and coupons. Were my parents here? For whatever reason, L. refuses to open her bedroom door so we are having this conversation with her door closed. She can’t be bothered to open it. L explains that my parents were in town to meet with Guy, computer vendor, at 1:00, at the Corner Cafe because my Moms Ipad was hacked. My parents contacted L. and suggested she meet them at 1:00, which she did. It’s unclear which day my parents were in town.

L. returned home at 4:00, stating that she and her co-worker, Chloe, were at lunch together, although I am no longer sure about the veracity of this statement. All of this is so weird - why is L.’s lunch date with my parents such a secret? She never once said she had lunch with my parents. I don’t understand…but I’m irritated by what I perceive as secrecy and deception, on L.’s part, about a simple lunch date with my parents. I quickly go to my own bedroom so I don’t start screaming at L., and try to calm down. I think L. and I might both be better off if she moved out.

3:00-4:00-Nighttime routine. Bed