10_lorena_eyesToday’s artwork: very simple pages, worked in Lorena’s round robin book about portals. All the previous work in this book is pretty complicated, and sort of fantasy-oriented, so I decided to buck the trend. I think my next set in this book might be about a dog door…

We’re experiencing the 15 minutes of spring-like weather here in North Texas, where everyone on my block hurries outside and does tons of yard work. This is both the clean up from winter, and the preparation for summer, where, at least in my yard, everything has to survive on whatever water nature provides. Most things in my front yard are native or naturalized, so they don’t need much watering until August, when I might drag the hose out once a week.

So, I missed the yard work flurry last year, because I just wasn’t up to it. I also missed it the year before, because I was knee deep in recovering from surgery. After two years without being trimmed back, the plants in my front yard are all huge and wild. I have one rose bush that’s at least three times the size it should be, covering two other plants that are unable to get any sun. It’s great for the explosion of pink roses happening outside my office window, but not great for the way it looks driving by. It’s sort of gone from sweet, offbeat garden to oh, a crazy lady lives here. I’ve been doing a day in front, and a day out back every week. My body, after two years of minimal physical labor, is pretty cranky about it.

This meshes nicely with the recent edict from my doctor: lose 20 pounds by the time I see her in six months, for my next physical. On the one hand, bleh. On the other hand, it is no small thing that my medical care has transitioned to something so everyday. It’s a big leap from hearing “you have cancer” to “lose 20 pounds” being the worst thing she has to say. I’ll take it, and keep up the heavy-duty yard work as long as the temperatures will let me.