Perpetual Ruminations

Wednesday

Gosh, I didn't make an entry yesterday. Darn it anyway!

Alright, enough of the gosh's and darn-its. It isn't that bad. After all, I had the day off and just put in a full day, not leaving time for a journal entry. I could have made time; pulling myself away from other activities, but no, I didn't want to.

I started my day off with a nice sleep in. I was up numerous times throughout the night having to get up out of bed and walk cramps off. I don't know why my legs insisted on cramping so badly, but they did. I seem prone to leg cramps, but have been doing pretty good. I know too much sodium is a factor, so I try and limit how much salt I ingest. Also, water is a contributing factor, a big on. Here I don't always do so well. Of course, lately we have been so busy and limited on time, I have not done well with limited salts, either. It's difficult to cut back on sodium when eating out and grabbing fast foods. Also, being cold and wet outside, I have not had a desire for water, but instead have been drinking more coffee again.

Recently, however, I have again curbed my sodium intake, cut back on coffee and have been trying to drink more water. That's why I was surprised to have my legs cramping through the night. I must have been up a half dozen times as a result, and did not sleep very well at all. But it did feel good to sleep in, and I was fairly rested through the day.

It was decided that we should cut the grass right off, since it was cut a little long the week before, and with all the rain, it has grown fast. So we spent the better part of the day mowing and cleaning up around the yard. Once that was accomplished, we set down and took a nice break on the patio. I started a fire, and we sat and enjoyed it. It was a two-fold fire, one part was to sit and enjoy, relaxing and unwinding. the other part was to get rid of all the sticks we had picked up. By we, I mean Rhonda, except for a few that I grabbed after we finished mowing.

It would have been perfect, except the neighbors dogs kept barking. They put them out about noon, and they bark constantly through the day. We have tried talking to them about things before, but they run inside and won't even come to the door to talk. The dogs run and get into garbage, bark, and are a general nuisance. to top it off, they went from one little dog, to a little dog and a big dog, then the little one must have died, but they replaced it with a German Sheppard, and recently added a black lab to the mix.

Of course, they are the worst possible neighbors anyway, never a considerate thought for anyone else in the neighborhood, trash blows into everyone yard, and just general inconsideration of others. After four hours of listening to the dogs yapping and barking, we finally decided to call the sheriff and see if he couldn't get them to hush up the dogs. He did, for a while. As soon as I seen his vehicle exit town, she put the dogs back out and it started all over.

But, eventually she brought them in for the night and it was quiet. Well, except for the birds. The Robins were making a heck of a ruckus for a while. We have an owl in the area, and they go ballistic when it settles into a local tree. But, we did not see the predator last night, although I heard him several times. The afternoon before he settled into a high branch in the back yard, and it was a sight to see the Robins harass him as they cried out for him to vacate their nesting area. We enjoyed the show, Mr. Owl, or Mrs. I'm not sure, did not seem to mind at all. The only thing that chased the owl away was Rhonda trying to take a picture.

With darkness came peace and quiet, just the occasional distant sound of an animal, or fowl. It was a cold night, but the wind was out of the north, blocked in part by the house and very mild anyway. The fire was hot, and it felt good, as we relaxed and savored the quiet of the night along with the flickering flames and the sweet smell of birch on the fire. It was this peaceful escape that kept me from writing in my journal, but only by my own choice.

With it being another beautiful evening, and the neighbors gone, it will be an even more relaxing evening to enjoy the backyard, the patio, the fire, and another journey into that blissful escape of a fire. We do not have to get up early again tomorrow, and knowing how difficult it would be to pull myself free, I am writing this now, before venturing back out to enjoy the rest of the evening.