Week 21 - Gardening in Hell!

It was a super busy week at work – the busiest I’ve had in ages but at least it flew and ended with a 3 day weekend. Too bad the weather was blazing hot but I still made the best of it.

It was a training week so I had 2 afternoons written off plus I was doing an add on training after Tuesday’s class for people who had driven in from Mead that had me training right up until 5:00. A training week normally wouldn’t have thrown me but I had missed most of the previous week with my stomach bug and I had a 3:00 meeting on Wednesday to share a database with a client. I had started it but still had the lion’s share of work to do before the meeting. I worked through lunch both Tuesday and Wednesday, something I rarely have to do, and worked late on Tuesday. I got enough done that they were happy but it made for a grueling week.

When my Thursday afternoon class was done, a bunch of us from work went on a long ago scheduled FAC, enjoying beer and pizza outside at SchillingBridge Cork and Tap. I was tired and am such a light weight that I only drank a third of my tall beer (peer pressure – I only ordered a tall because everyone else did. Lame!) before giving up. Mitch, one of the accountants, had no problem finishing it for me.

Campus was a ghost town on Friday and I can’t say I had the most productive day. On the work front anyway. I hit HyVee after Chinese with Layton at lunch so had groceries for the weekend. After work I picked up the last 6 packs of flowers I needed, having to stop 2 places because Menard’s didn’t have dusty miller, which I always include in my mixed containers. With all that bought, I was ready for my weekend and happily headed home.

Blazing heat had set in so I had to rethink my normal weekend plans. There would be not lazing around all morning and going outside in the afternoon. I got up Saturday, had a quick breakfast and talked a bit to Carolyn while drinking my coffee but then headed out early. I had 2 main goals for the weekend – finish planting my containers and prep/plant my veg beds. I started with the containers.

Now when I say blazing heat, I mean hotter than hell. It was 100 degrees on Saturday and 101 on Sunday. I drank lots of water and had a towel to wipe my face but it was brutal outside. I finished my containers just after noon on Saturday, at which point I went inside, started drinking some Gatorade left from my stomach bug and took a shower to cool off. I was starving so decide it was time for BK. I called Andrea for something or other and she asked if I’d bring her BK so I did, splitting a meal for 2 coupon. It took hours to cool down but I eventually did, enjoying some streaming and knitting. And when I’d dropped Drae’s BK, we made plans to head to Ashland for loaded tots, brussels sprouts and my fave vanilla beer. It was a lovely reward for all my hard work. There’d be more on Sunday.

I went out Sunday as soon as CBS Sunday Morning was over at 9:30. I was outside even longer, finishing at 1:00 but my veg beds were 100% done. I sweated even more doing all the tilling by hand with my garden weasel. At least I had leftover tots when I went inside for lunch then just sat on my butt all afternoon and evening. I couldn’t muster the energy to cook supper so made a taco salad with taco meat from the freezer. It was refreshing and delicious. With my 2 major projects done and Monday yet to go, I’d figure out something to do. It’s not like I don’t have hours and hours more of work but I went to bed feeling great about my progress despite the ridiculous heat. There’s nothing like a deadline to get me motivated, even self-imposed ones. : )