#NewThisDay Writing From My Photo Stream

The Adriatic Sea, Croatia, Summer 2023

Frank woke me up. “It’s 9:20,” he said. WHAT????? I slept in! I was heavily, heavily dreaming, running a very large psychodrama group, in person, and it was so detailed. . . I was quite immersed, and I couldn’t just wake up in the middle of it! It was raining and raining. I was glad for the rain. And also eager to get outside and work in the garden. Which I did, for hours. Frank helped me weed and expand a garden in which I had to pull tons and tons of poison ivy. What a mess. Spent the day on it, and it’s nowhere near done. Must plant, but still cleaning up. When I took a break for lunch I looked out at the garden, and Mr. Groundhog had come up out of his hole in the garden to see what I had been up to. When I returned in the afternoon, after helping my daughter with two hours of paperwork she needed help with, I saw that the groundhog had shoved a huge bunch of dirt out of his hole into the garden, as if asserting, or trying, to assert his dominance. Well, I shoved the dirt back! Let’s see who wins this power struggle. Also, I had left my turtlehead bloom and my black eyed susans next to the small garden by the shower to plant today. I went to do so, and the bunny had chewed up my brand new black eyed susan. Yeeks. Out to dinner with my daughter, a lovely meal and talk. I must rise early tomorrow to get my swim in before picking up Wave. Hooray. I am posting a photo from last summer’s trip to the Adriatic Sea because I found out a poem I wrote from this trip will be published, having won 3rd place in a contest. I’ve sent this poem around a lot, and I’m so glad it has found a good home (and a little bit of prize money for more plants that the rabbits can eat.)