Another beautiful sunny warm September day though daylight was slow to show. It is still 18℃ at 7:30 in the evening. I’m a little less grumpy now though I couldn’t say that this morning. Being fruit fly season makes me even more irritible. I cannot even sip wine in peace without finding one swimming in my glass. So I have to put a lid on after each sip. I had to put my sourdough starter in the oven. It was a magnet for the pesky flies.

I’ve finished reading The Good Earth today. It reads easily, almost like my life. It’s that familiar. I’ve lived through those times from stories my mother told me. It seems so strange how similar the book is to the lives of those I know. It is also a timely read about the good earth when the survival of our earth is threatened. It gives me much to think about. It draws me out of my selfish moodiness. I try to think about the big picture. I try to look outward instead of inward.

I try to count my blessings instead of woes. Though there is still much to do in the garden, it and the greenhouse no longer calls me. I still tend them faithfully from habit and because it is necessary. I still get some pleasure but now it feels more like grudgery. I struggle to keep my interest and not to let things go all to pots.

I suppose in life there’s always patches of boredom and drudgery. Maybe they are necessary and serve a purpose. When I find out the purpose, I’ll let you know. In the meantime, I will try to practice good mental health hygiene. What goes up must come down, spinning wheel got to go round.

Here’s today’s harvest – a pail of goodness.