Being Kindly Wordy, Once Again

Here we have the laundry room plant and art area. Every time I walk past it, especially in the mornings when the sun is streaming in, it makes me happy and I bet I walk past it at least a dozen times a day. It just got a few extra plants because I brought them in to avoid freezing. That Swiss Cheese plant on the right is looking good after a few years of looking like hell and I'll tell you why- this year, instead of putting the plant where I could tend to it lovingly and regularly, I stuck it between two plants on the porch where I couldn't even really see it. I always made sure to water it but that was it. And it was obviously quite happy to be hidden and ignored. Perhaps it is shy. 

***************

I used to work with a woman who was quite country. Her speech was filled with southernisms I'd never heard before and I'm not sure exactly what part of the south she came from. She may have even come from Appalachia. I do not know. But one of the things she said that I'll never forget was "kindly" used in place of "kind of" or "kinda." As in, "I kinda want to take a nap. " Or, "He kind of reminded me of a tortoise." She would have used "kindly" instead of either of those. 
"I'm kindly hungry." "He is kindly an asshole." (She wouldn't have said that. I think.)
I'm not sure why but her usage of the word, instead of irritating me, delighted me. 
So today when I was having less than loving thoughts about myself which is a common occurrence, I thought, "I kindly hate myself."
And then I thought, "Well, if you're going to hate yourself, best to be kindly about it." I am going to try and remember to substitute "kindly" for "kind of" in my thoughts, at least. It won't change anything but it'll make me stop and think about it. 
Here's something that drives me crazy- people who lose their fucking minds when they hear improper grammar or different, perhaps regional, usage of words. I've just never understood that. Most of us use the language we grew up with in our own homes which is probably the way the entire community spoke. And if we listen carefully to what is being said and are not blindly bound by our own superior notions of grammar and pronunciation, we might learn something. 
I know I've told this story before but it bears repeating. I was listening to a conversation once among women and they were bemoaning the fact that there just weren't enough suitable men around. One of them said, "I could never date a man who ended a sentence with a preposition." 
I had to speak up. I said, "My husband wouldn't know a preposition if it bit him in the ass and he is the best, most honest, hardworking, loving man I know." Also, he is kindly brilliant which you would never know if you couldn't get past his use of prepositions. 

I didn't mean to talk about that tonight. You know I didn't. But here we are. What I was going to talk about was the fact that it's Lauren's birthday and Jessie and I met her and Lily for lunch and it was so fun. Lauren is feeling much better. Thank god. She can walk, she can sit, she can sleep! This is not to say she's pain free. Far from it but she is not in pain's horrible clutches. We were able to eat outside, even though it was chilly, and had that whole area to ourselves so we could talk about all the things we talk about without fear of offending anyone because you know when women get together we mostly talk about the spells our coven has been casting lately or may be casting soon. And then, Lily got a call from Maggie's school. The poor child slipped on some acorns (it's a mast year) and fell, hitting her shoulder on a root and said she couldn't move her fingers. This is the same child who was attacked by a squirrel at school. Now the trees are trying to get her. So Lily and Lauren went to pick her up. The report is that the Urgent Care place did not think she'd broken her arm and gave her a sling. They told Lily to take her to their other location where they can do X-rays if she wants to be sure nothing's broken. 
And of course she wants to be sure nothing's broken! Jeez. So that's probably on the agenda for Lily or Lauren or Jason tomorrow. 

After lunch I stopped by Tallahassee Nursery 

to buy some collard plants. I got a few lettuce plants too. 

The collard seeds I ordered online and planted this year are not our traditional collards and are more like turnip greens or mustard greens and this is not what I want. I hope that if I get these in the ground they will grow and thrive. The lettuce plants I got because the seeds of lettuce I planted did NOTHING. I have like two lettuce plants. 
Sigh.

So we shall see. Can't hurt, right? 

Tonight's menu: Chili and focaccia. I'll be making a salad of finely cut garden greens with a lovely oily, garlicky vinaigrette and we shall eat that salad on the focaccia because it is delicious. It's nice to be able to turn on the oven and not be worried that it's going to heat up the whole house. It's so cold that I'm glad it'll heat up the house. Or the kitchen, at least. 

I guess winter is well and truly here. 

Love...Ms. Moon