On May 3rd, 2025, I attended the first Bloomfield Market of the year and bought medicinal herbs from Cutting Root Farm and Apothecary and vegetables from a variety of other local multi-generational farms. My FND had the best of me and the moderate heat had the best of my pup, Kallisto. So, the market wasn’t easy for either of us, but we were both grateful to get out of the house.
We had been on bedrest together for the last 2 weeks. She got dosed by a massive amount of weed that she ate and I had endometriosis burned and sliced out of my uterus like it was Velveeta cheese. We were both pretty wiped and by the end of the two weeks, we were also both pretty down. Bedrest for a border collie and a restless human isn’t fun for anybody.
Somewhere after that, I mustered up enough energy to plant rainbow and Swiss chard, dinosaur kale (the groundhogs ate the softer kale and cabbage in the back garden), feverfew, a blueberry bush, more calendula, poblano peppers, jalapeños, tomatoes of all kinds, peas, Kentucky wonder beans (I had just finished reading Barbra Kingsolver’s Bean Trees), onions, borage, indigo, hibiscus, marshmallow, skullcap, chamomile, dill, and sunflowers. At the market some flowers I had never heard of said, “Pick me! Pick me!” So, I did. I can’t wait to see what they bring to the garden. Kallisto picked out a witch hazel tree and a hanging fusia, and (of course) I never say no to my elders.
In the middle of May my neighbor went to jail. So, until he gets out, I get three outdoor cats to hang out with. Every morning, they await me on my porch. I’ll feed them and sometimes if I’m lucky enough I’ll get some pets from the biggest guy Chubbs, and a nose bump from the little one my neighbor calls Blacky. The third one, Walter, however, sneaks in for the leftovers when no one is looking. She’s a stealthy calico like that.
For the rest of the month of May I stayed on bedrest, on the porch writing, or making friends with new critters. I haven’t had an easy-going month like this in a long time. Here’s to another.
I love to see these plant and animal friends. I'm glad you and Kallisto have each other as allies & companions & family <3