Change of plans

When I went out to visit my parents several weeks ago, I came home with a flat of plants for the backyard--a couple of moonflower plants, some ornamental grass, chives, and several plants that I don't now remember what they were. It's been so dreadfully hot here, and I've been so busy, that I hadn't got around to planting them. I had put them on the back porch and just kept watering them in their temporary pots, and feeling guilty.

The last couple of days it's finally cooled off a little (it's been in the 80's rather than in the 100's), so I got up a little early on Sunday morning and went out and planted everything. It may be too late for some of them--the striped ornamental grass looks a little sad--but I think it will probably perk up in a few days. My backyard is getting a little jungly--I've never really been able to keep a manicured lawn back there because there are so many trees that the grass won't grow very well--but I kind of like it that way. Or at least I tell myself that I do . . .

In addition to planting the flowers, I filled the birdfeeders, put up a hat rack (a $1.60 bargain shelf find at Hobby Lobby), did laundry, vacuumed, did about eight hours of work (I needed a bit of a headstart for work today), read a book (Free Gift With Purchase, by Jean Godfrey-June), knitted a few rows on my current sock, painted my toenails, and bought new underwear. So all-in-all, a pretty productive weekend.

For the last week or so, the big lighted signs on the highway have been warning me that starting today the highway that I take to work is going to be closed. Everyone was talking about it at work last week, and my dad called last night to remind me -- he'd seen it on the news.

I get on I-35 a mile or so from my house, and from there it's a straight shot all the way downtown, until I zip off a couple of blocks from the office. Apparently it's now going to be closed for FIVE MONTHS. Now, I think that the place where it's closed is actually slightly past where I normally get off, so it's theoretically possible that I could just proceed as normal and everything would be fine. But if everyone else thinks the same thing, it could be a pretty ugly logjam right around there.

So we had maps out at work last week, and were plotting various other ways to get to work. I know there are other ways to go, but none as easy as the one I take--I don't have to think about it, I just turn on the radio and listen to my audio book, and I don't have to make any turns or anything the whole way. Well, maybe it's good to shake things up a bit.

I guess I'd better go find out.

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