Tired but happy

I spent Monday and Tuesday at a conference in Savannah. The way I see it nowadays, if you're living in the south, Savannah is probably the place to do it. It's such a European-style city with all its cobblestone streets and tree-lined squares. It's old and beautiful and haunting, like New Orleans without so much touristiness and crime. Wrought iron railings, stone statues, cafes, seafood. How can you go wrong?

I attended a lot of conference sessions, but I also walked through the city streets for hours. I found the Goodwill to end all Goodwills, and I shopped till I dropped. I got some Vietnamese food. I ate a few fried oysters and some peel-n-eat shrimp. I came home and tallied all my calories and was appalled, because I was actually being rather careful but it didn't seem to help at all. Still, it was worth it, every minute.

Now, having put out most of the administrative fires that were waiting on my desk (aren't they always?), I am getting back to normal life. It was sunny and 55 today, so I turned over the soil in several of the garden beds. The s.o. cut a couple of poles and helped me install the pea trellis. I raked one bed smooth and planted lettuce and arugula. Sure, we're moving, but when? There's probably lots of time to harvest spring vegetables. And if not, then some buyer gets really lucky.

I saw my first lizard of the season today. I was walking Silver at the edge of the woods and spotted a little Carolina anole scampering up a tree. He had turned himself a lovely pale shade of grey-brown to match the tree bark.

The weather report calls for more of the same weather: Coldish at night, sunny and 50s in the day. I hope to see some lettuces soon, and to have time to plant radishes, peas, spinach, etc.