Lilies

This morning (27th June) I finally put the portable heaters away, something that usually happens around the end of April. Earlier, I could not warm up despite wearing two sweaters, but the house heats up after sunrise and the week ahead promises the belated arrival of more normal temperatures. I am thankful that we’ve had such a cool Spring!

Thankful too that I left Seattle before that mild climate developed extremes! Out there my home was not air conditioned. The few days that were uncomfortably hot always cooled off after dark but those excessively warm periods seem longer and more oppressive now.

Living in Asia as a child, we did not have air conditioning but after the first few days, we adjusted to the heat and I can’t say it ever troubled me the way a hot summer’s day in England did. Perhaps it has to do with the design of homes that are built to hold on to heat with small windows and warm furnishings.

Or perhaps it’s all in the head. One did not expect to feel hot in England!

Times sure do change.

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Apart from warm weather, I hope next week will bring the delivery of special eye drops ordered by my optometrist. She told me recently that some of the discomfort I’ve had recently is due to eyelash mites. Everyone has them, she says, and they can cause itching and inflammation. A new medication has been developed which is very effective. The question was – would my insurance cover it?

They did, but – $889? For eye drops. (The full price reportedly is $2,100). My doctor had warned me this might happen and to let her know because there are deals...

My income qualifies me for a grant which enables me to get the medication – free.

It sounds like a lot of wheeling and dealing, but we’ll see what happens. In the meantime I’ve been using steroid drops to reduce the inflammation and they make my vision blurry. Today is not as bad, but yesterday I struggled to see what I was doing as the left eye seemed to have acquired an opaque film.

Fine, I thought, I’ll close it and work with my right eye, which I am sure one can adjust to, but not instantaneously, apparently. Life is full of little challenges! Today it’s a flare-up of bursitis in my left hip which makes sitting at my computer a bit uncomfortable. Ho hum…

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This poor little chap was desperate to come indoors yesterday, repeatedly climbing on the window screens and staring in at Grant. It is probably the same individual that came up to Lily the other day when she was on the porch and touched noses with her.

In her dotage now, Lily seemed rather taken aback. A few years ago, she would have chased the cheeky squirrel the length and breadth of the property.

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The poor creature was looking for food and I suppose it has a fair bit of competition. I had a weak moment and went out with an extra serving of nuts. Most squirrels flee the moment I open the door, but this one sits and watches and seems to listen as I talk to it. We haven’t got as far as shaking hands and I will not encourage it.

It is nice to be trusted, but I wouldn’t want to teach a wild animal that humans are worthy.

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Another new squirrel arrived on the scene this week. We know it’s new because it has a peculiar tail.

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With a unique pattern and a strange sort of shape.

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No doubt another that is just passing through on its way to – elsewhere.

Allowing oneself to develop feelings for wild animals will get the heart broken.

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My mother’s heart did not break for animals, but I often saw her upset over losses in her gardens. She was devoted to her flowers but sometimes the challenges were too great.

She would have been sore distressed to see a lily savaged like the above. I blamed a groundhog but Grant scoffed, saying that a groundhog would have eaten the lot, which is probably true. More likely this was those wretched beetles that did for his squashes last year.

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Lilies thrive in the sort of environment we have here.

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Our neighbour has many varieties and they are beautiful.

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We just have four. I’ll leave you to guess which I find most beautiful.

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