Another Week: Number 179

Some nights are filled with silence and what I think of as “processing” — not dreams exactly, but instead something like chores, such as filing papers or folding clothes. On Sunday morning, I woke up feeling like I got something done, but I don’t know what. Later, I replaced the latch/handle on my back storm door.

My furnace is finally set to “off.” The rain cleared out and left us with a beautiful day. I replaced the broken latch-handle on my back door, went for a walk, had a couple of casual conversations, and watched a Dallas Wings game. Azzi Fudd played well.

Monday was Memorial Day. I wore shorts for the first time this year, sprayed some weed killer, and saw the first fireflies of the season in my backyard at dusk, and slept with my windows open.

Tuesday, our temperatures were headed into the 80s, but kids were still arriving at school in coats. I spent a few hours on my favorite recharging spot, reading in the shady corner of my backyard. By Saturday, I was donning a coat.

More mulch was added to my borders. The Birch Hybrid Bellflowers I planted last year on the west side of my house are back and expanding. I happy to have finally found an acceptable ratio of sunlight for them after a couple of failed attempts.

On Thursday, I went to my living room window to look at my yard, and found a hummingbird perched on the feeder there doing the same. We both watched a chickadee flitting and calling in the crabapple tree.

Then I watched some of the French Open. I generally follow the women, but Jannik Sinner is the current men’s phenom, and I’ve never seen him play, so I tuned in and saw him gradually crippled by cramps in the French heat wave and losing in five sets to 56th-ranked Juan Manuel Cerundolo.

The Indiana Fever are not firing on all cylinders. They lost a hard-fought game to the Golden State Valkyries by two points Thursday night, then lost 100-84 at Portland on Saturday.

The Chicago Cubs snapped their 10-game losing streak in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, then won two of the next three, so maybe their seesaw is swinging back.

On Friday evening, I joined my neighbor Betty on her front step for 90 minutes because she had been sitting out there by herself all day and I haven’t visited with her for a long time. I learned that birds apparently planted Betty’s Johnny Jump-Ups, and that she detests mustard — considers it “baby poop”.