Bits and Bobs

It's been nearly a week since the incomparable Dolly Parton left her tired butterfly wings behind.

Tuesday night, I had been off my computer for a little while.  As Eli was scrolling, he asked if I had seen the news about Dolly.  When he said she had died, I started to cry and I said, "I hate this timeline!"

I cried most of the day on Wednesday, nearly inconsolable as I read tribute after tribute on social media.  I was more a fan of Dolly the person than of Dolly the artist.  Don't get me wrong, I think she was very talented and I enjoyed her songs.  But for me, my grief was caused by the fact that in a world of smothering darkness, we lost yet another bright light.  It angers me when kind people are snatched away while evil-doers continue to lurch around this planet.  It's not fair and it's not right.

We donated $185 to her Imagination Library:  $92.5 (nine-two-five) from each of us.

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For the better part of a year, THIS has been what the view out our front windows has looked like:

The construction company building new housing ripped out the adjacent meadow a couple of weeks after we moved in and eventually put up a dark brown corrugated fence that looked like the one in this photo.  Considering it was only about 10 feet from our front door, you couldn't help but notice it.  I felt like we were living inside a dumpster.

Imagine our delight when they removed this stupid fence last Thursday!  Even better, there's a strip of land between our walkway and the asphalt road/path in front of the new houses, and they've planted a ton of flowers, trees, and bushes in that strip.  Yesterday, a flock of house sparrows flew in, digging around in the new dirt and checking out the greenery.

So even though we lost the meadow, we've thankfully gained a variety of flora that will be nice to look at and will hopefully attracts birds, bunnies, and other creatures once construction is done.

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Over the last couple of months, Ireland had been in an extreme drought.  Shades of brown started taking over the Emerald Isle and sporadic wildfires were popping up every week.  The government enacted a hosepipe ban (a watering ban) in an effort to conserve water.

Within the last few days, the rain gods decided to pay the moisture arrears that had accrued during those two or three months which is good.  But they decided to repay the debt all at once which was not so good.  We had one night where the rain was just bucketing down; fortunately, we'd had a little rain in the days prior so the ground was softer and more receptive to the deluge.  Some areas in Ireland, like Killarney, experienced major flooding.

Hopefully the weather will arrive at some kind of equilibrium soon and our rainstorms will be a bit more measured.

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As you may remember, I've been feeding the birds for a few months.  It didn't happen all at once, but I've since accumulated a flock of pigeons who visit daily.

I know some people hate pigeons, calling them "flying rats" and so forth.  I think those people should feel like they're stepping on LEGOs the rest of their lives because pigeons are delightful and gorgeous creatures.

A couple of days ago, one pigeon was standing near the smaller feeding station I put out, and he was not interested in sharing the seed with anyone else.  Another pigeon tried to sneak in, and the first pigeon wasn't having it.  He grabbed the second pigeon by the feathered nape of his neck and proceeded to drag him around the yard, much like a stern mother pulling her kid around by his ear.  The beleaguered bird flailed his wings but did not squawk.   Even when they're upset or feeling territorial, they simply coo.

Our door to the back garden is full glass with a shade we can lower for privacy.  This morning, I lifted the shade so I could open the door and put some food out for the day.  One pigeon saw the shade go up, so he flew over and hovered in front of the door, staring at me and silently telling me to hurry up.  I wasn't fast enough so he repeated his hover two or three more times, flying to the ground when I finally opened the door.  He waddled along beside me and hopped up to perch on the edge of the feeder while I dumped in the seed and peanuts.

How can you hate on a creature who does that??

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Eli has a birthday coming up in November.  I told him, "I know what I'm getting you for your birthday - a weekend without me!"  🤣

To be fair, Eli is not the type who craves alone time.  For me, it's a necessity.  I HAVE to have stretches of time where it's just me alone in the house.  Eli is rarely home by himself as I either don't go anywhere or if I do leave the house, we're usually doing something together.

I enjoyed my December sabbatical so I felt it was time for another.  I like to plan these for a weekend so the cats won't be alone for long periods of time.

Clayton Hotel-Charlemont didn't have any weekend availability for the room I had last year, so I shifted my search to Clayton Hotel-Leopardstown, which is where my mom and her friend Barb stayed when they visited in April.  It doesn't have the same historical gravitas as the Charlemont location (or the same huge tub in the bathroom), but it should be fine.

I booked a Junior Suite mostly because that was the only style of room that had a mini fridge.  I like to save money by taking food/snacks I can eat for lunch and/or dinner, so it's always nice to be able to include some chilled items.

I sent an email to the hotel, asking which floor(s) the Junior Suites were on.  Their response was that this type of room can be found on floors 2 through 6.

If you know me, you're aware that I'm claustrophobic, and I avoid elevators when possible.  When Mom and Barb visited, their room was on the 5th floor, and I nearly had a stroke walking up all those flights of stairs.

Fearing that I'd be stuck on the damned 6th floor, I wrote back to the hotel, stating that I have a hate relationship with elevators and asking if I could be assigned the suite on the second or third floor.  A lovely representative took care of this for me, letting me know she'd reserved the second-floor suite for me.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this reservation holds so I can easily take the stairs and avoid the elevator.

Eli was amused by my assertion that I was doing this so he could have a weekend to himself.  I told him it was a win-win as we both would receive a gift.  😉