sun

i woke up at 10 today. sunshine already wide awake enjoying the breeze.
rode my bike to the gardens to see my small plot after what has been nearly two weeks now since the first day i "prepped" it for sowing. there are two random plants of spinach and kale that survived the winter and one onion that i wonder about. i allowed them to exist yet another day because i'm actually unsure how their leaves/root will taste after such a long battle.
i planted a row of kale, spinach, carrots, and calendula this morning. i had thought the sun would be shining down on me but at 11 in the morning the sun isn't at the necessary height to stand over the tall trees just at the edge of the park. the temperature was perfectly comfortable as i "labored" in the shade. it didn't take long to poke enough holes to nearly fill my 6x6 plot with seeds. then i walked my bike and belongings over to one of the trees and sat at its base with my legs in the sun as i began reading leo tolstoy's "Anna Karenina."

A few visitors came through the garden as I read. One black man and his two giant dogs came around. One fellow gardner. Then the two mainly responsible for the garden itself came by as well...busy with their intent to receive a new load of mulch. Nine chapters later I gathered my things to go...nature was calling.

I returned home to extend a few calls to mother and friends.. then rode my bike leisurely down the street and back until it was time to meet Amanda for coffee. we discussed the perils of work and life while also considering our fortunes and the promising summer adventures that await us. opportunities abound. really.
A man sat beside us as we were just gathering our things to leave. he began speaking to us, something about rapping and tips, as he set a plastic cup at his feet. he asked us for a topic and promised us a poem. why not. and so we stood for a moment longer than we wanted to listening to his vulnerability, tipped him a couple bucks, thanked him, and went our ways.

and now i sit finishing my bowl of vanilla yogurt, spinach, and blueberries...mentally preparing for my journey to morehead to visit my sara, where b-dubs and beer await us.