It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

My mom says that if I want people to read my blog I would have to write something. I knew that, but I've been really busy. This is the first time in weeks I have been busy putting off the stuff that I really should be doing. The reason is that it is currently the "worst of times". My family has been away for about 4 weeks now and I've kept really busy to avoid spontaneous combustion. This morning was a good sign of how bad things are. I was riding into work and a fellow cyclist caught me talking out loud to myself. He didn't sneak up behind me, no, he was coming toward me, but I was so enthralled in the only audible communication I had participated in recently that I didn't realize he was coming. So anyway, I really miss my family. That also explains why I left that family post up for so long, I would visit my own blog to see the only pictures of my wife and kids I have seen in the last 4 weeks.

Anyway, I originally thought of this post as I was standing in line at Home Depot. I made lots of trips there recently. Most of them in my car because of time constraints. Most of them unnecessary because I forgot something or bought the wrong thing and I needed the part in order to have running water or electricity back in the house before the next day. All of them involved poor customer service and waiting in lines to make a purchase that I didn't really want to make. I would have preferred to use a local guy, but the two local shops in my home town have terrible hours to accommodate what I needed to get done. That was it, the worst of times, driving to a store within riding distance because I was in a hurry. Getting treated poorly to participate in a commerce that I didn't want to participate in. It leaves an empty feeling in my gut every time I shop in a big box store. I don't like it.

After getting home from one of my frustrating trips to a box store, I was looking out the kitchen window, just beyond the cabinets that I just finished installing, and I saw some birds outside. I started thinking of the work I've put into the garden. It's nothing spectacular, it grows primarily weeds and squash. Anyone can grow squash and the weeds didn't take too much work to get going, but I've recently noticed it attracting a large variety of birds. I have recently seen a humming bird hanging around... I don't know what attracts him, but he's there now, when he didn't used to be. I have also noticed a little bare spot of dirt where birds come to take dirt baths. There are constantly little dimples in the dirt where the birds have been bathing. I've also seen some new variety of birds that didn't used to visit my house, some of which are really pretty. This was the best of times. Seeing that my work attracts some of God's other creations. I don't put out food or anything for the birds, but my garden is organic and the worms plentiful (because I don't kill them with chemicals). The new birds were like a fruit of my labor. Well, I still miss my family, only two more weeks before they come back, but I have a lot left to do to stay busy so that I don't get bored. I may post some pictures of what I did when they get back with the camera.