Seeing as I spend a lot of time on my front porch sitting with Asha and brushing her fur in a futile effort to avoid having to vacuum so much of it inside the house, I try to make the porch a comfy place to be and sit. There are the planters full of flowers and herbs, the bird fountain from my dad’s house that I have filled with shells, stones, marbles and water, and there is an ugly green plastic lawn chair that can withstand any abuse. Because the front door is four feet wide, it is hard to find a door mat that is big enough. I came across something a little different here and ordered a throw rug that is made entirely from recycled plastic bottles and chairs. This was my first introduction to woven plastic and I must say that I am pretty impressed. I think it adds a nice homey feel to the porch area and since it is all plastic, all I have to do is spray it with a hose to clean it. I am in plastic love.

Minor curve balls seem to be flying at me this week. My car is in the shop until Monday, so my feet will have to carry me anywhere I want to go. Asha will be stuck with me in the “hood” and there will be no wild, off-leash romps for us this weekend. The car has refused to start three times this week and I have burdened one of my friends to come and jump start it each time. Plus, it is chugging when it does run and the engine warning light has been on for a week or two. The shop guy says I need a new battery plus something called an “intake boot.” It needs the regular tune up, oil change sort of work too. On Monday I will be around $450 poorer. It didn’t help that I had to be at the hospital today for an MRI of my noggin. Luckily, I live only a few blocks from the hospital so my feet did their job and brought me home afterwards. I’ve been having some odd ball symptoms lately, so my doctor suggested a series of tests. It is probably nothing; but, to deflect my tendency to start contemplating the negative possibilities, I decided to take a moment and appreciate some of the good things going on around me.

One of the good things is that I have a nice little haven, which although it seems to be a mecca for ants and is way too full of “stuff,” is pretty comfortable. It is my refuge and the place where I putter and “art” and nest with my furry companion Asha Zoe. I am very glad that no tornados blew it away this week, as we’ve been having plenty of storms here recently and others towns nearby have been hit. Knock on wood.

I always enjoy Spring because that is when I buy herbs and flowers and fill the planters on my porch. I keep dog brushes sitting there so that when Asha and I return from our walks, she can sit and watch the world go by and I can give her a good brushing. It is a pleasant place to hang out with the Zoe girl.

This year, instead of planting decorative sweet potato vines in my tiered beds in front of the porch, I experimented and sent off for some of those roll out flower carpets from Walter Drake. I did not know if they would actually grow but low and behold I have flowers!  It seems to be mostly one kind of flower, but they do look nice I think.

 So, there are many things to be cheerful about and I am bound and determined not to be deflated by the minor frustrations that sometimes occur.  I hope my online friends are all well and safe in their respective bergs. 

EDIT: Yay, my noggin is okay…well…*smirk*…as okay as it is going to get anyway.  The MRI technician said to expect results next week but that if something was amiss, I would hear right away. Needless to say, when my caller ID showed the clinic number I thought “oh crap!”  Luckily, it turned out to be my *great* primary care physician who just wanted to give me the good news right away so I did not fret over the weekend.  I really like him. He has always been really good to me, showing concern and going the extra mile to let me know that he is there, willing to help. I haven’t met many doctors who are willing to take the time and make the effort that he does. Another good thing to appreciate and I do.