9:45 a.m. - 2003-09-18
Half Asleep
I was up late last night. I have to pull some serious overtime if this doll is going to be finished for delivery tomorrow afternoon. I have the embroidery hoop next to me now, in fact, so that I can take a couple of stitches here and there while the computer does its thing.

I haven't been up so late working for awhile, and it felt good. I do well all by myself, in the quiet of the night. Just me and the Cocteau Twins and the politely ticking clock. Shades of the all nighters I pulled in art school.

At midnight I got a second wind. It wasn't unexpected.

At one I lit some candles, and said a few mumbled prayers for those I know are having trouble.

At two I had a crying jag. I was thinking of Jim, and the funny way he used to bob his head and shrug his shoulders.

At three I had done the minimum I needed to get done. I felt my way through the dark up to bed.

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Woke up at six this morning and rolled over for a few more minutes. No luck. The birds were singing, the chipmunks were screeing, and a squirrel running along the roof was putting Burma into Cat Overdrive in the window over our heads.

"Hey, I saved your niece and nephews from certain death last week!' I yelled at the squirrel. "Can't a girl get some sleep?"

Speaking of the saved squirrels, I called Layla yesterday to see how they were doing. She wasn't home, but I got her boyfriend. He was suitably chirpy, despite his voice having a distinct "I just woke up" edge.

"Wow! You're the three squirrel siblings lady!! Wow! Like, man!! Those squirrels are like, really fine!!"

I resisted the urge to say "Wow! Like yeah, Dude! I really dig those squirrel-y squirrels!" and instead just asked if the last one we brought in had made it. He had been a bit shakey.

"Oh, yeah, man! That little squirrel, he's great!! They're all taking a lot of food now! He came through just fine!"

Hallelujah, praise the Lord. Three more squirrels will live to terrorize the suburbs.

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And speaking of terrorizing the suburbs - Christ on a Cracker, where do people get their nerve? I mean, really!

As if the marauding hordes of Oriental chestnut gatherers aren't bothering us enough (despite our "No Trespassing" sign), this morning a very brassy looking older woman in an expensive car pulled over as I was out picking herbs. She leaned out the window and screeched something incomprehensible.

For a minute I thought I was in New Jersey.

I thought she was asking directions, so I walked down to the fence. She was pointing to one of the trees next road.

"Do you let people come pick those?"

"Wha? Pick what?" Bear in mind I only got three hours of sleep last night.

"Those walnuts!! I want to come back and pick those walnuts!!" She was screeching in the most obnoxious "I always get my way" sort of voice. To be honest, I hadn't really known what sort of tree it was. I'm fabulous with perennials, but I'm terrible with trees. I had seen some old walnut husks around but hadn't put two and two together. Suddenly it all clicked. Hordes of marauding and brassy walnut gatherers, invading our land. We have three or four of these trees. I wanted to cry, but instead I decided to play stupid.

"I think that's an ash tree!" I said politely, but with finality.

As I smiled, waved goodbye and walked very purposefully away, she was still screeching on. "I'll check into it, but I think you're mistaken!" I yelled cheerily back, and kept moving.

Good freakin' Lord. Why don't these people just go plant their own nut trees!!!

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