quite satisfying actually

I woke this morning when JoJo jumped onto the bed before 6:00, curled herself onto my hip, and growled when I moved out from under her.

I rolled out of bed several minutes later and realized that I would not be spending the day with one of my favorite little girls on her 6th birthday. Frowny face.

Figured out just moments later that today would not be a day spent with friends either. Boo.

But then I realized the weather was pretty much perfect. Sunny, warm, bit of a breeze.

A perfect day to start some laundry and then head out to the gardens for the long neglected task of cleanup. Raking the beds, cutting back the perennials with the new loppers Jack bought, and after a while, watching as Jack pruned the pine tree and the spruce tree so the sidewalk would be once again available for walkers.

Before I knew it, it was time to head over to see Sarah for a perm and haircut, and then time to see the ladies at Mimi's for a pedicure. And because I was pampering myself, I also picked up a Mexican pizza at Taco Bell and ate it all up. Yum.

I returned home to find Jack and Jr still pruning and also raking. So much raking to be done around here.

The breeze picked up, turning into a real wind that laughed at us, swirling the debris into the air as we tried to rake it into nice tidy piles. But we won. We shoveled and tossed the needles and clippings into the back of the trailer for delivery to the recycling part of the landfill where it can all become mulch for someone's garden.

The newly curly hair, the hot pink toenails, and the satisfaction of seeing tips of new growth emerging from the soil. Missed seeing the birthday girl. Missed hanging with friends. Missed hockey and pizza night with Stu and girls. But still. Pretty much a good day.