Sore Feet and Kinship with Bean Plants

My doctor told me that jogging could add years to my life. I think he was right. I feel ten years older already. --Milton Berle

I've been feeling kinda sorry for myself all week. I've been trying to build up my running routine again, but have been lazy with my stretching. Therefore, I've had sore feet all week, and therefore I have been moping and limping around, breathing my way through long calf and foot stretches, and generally not feeling super happy about it. But the running is getting easier again and the ol' body is still working ok... and is very quick to remind me when I'm not doing what I should be doing.

I have been limping my way around the garden this week, getting to know my plants, tentatively pruning and trimming, examining leaves and blossoms and trying not to panic when I see the ants cutting pieces of leaves and carrying them away or when I see little holes in my rose leaves. My bean plants seem a little sick these days. I read that that meant they are low on nitrogen. I read that you can add nitrogen by adding coffee grounds to the soil. I have never felt such a kinship with a bean plant before.

This evening, I walked along my trellis, enjoying the lovely blossoms while I sprayed the leaves with some organic insecticidal soap. I think they'll be ok. If not, at least I got to enjoy this view:

We went out for a walk this afternoon with Mr. Seymour at a nearby park. My sore feet felt good in my hiking shoes, but I was happy enough to match Seymour's stop-and-pee-every-ten-feet pace. I loved the look of these mushrooms growing on a tree. It reminded me of the many, many shawl patterns out there that use gradient yarns:

The woods never disappoint, ferns and creeks and trees and all:

We met this big guy at the trailhead. His name is Dougal and this, believe it or not, is his summer coat. He left me give him some scritches, and it was like petting a big teddy bear:

And this guy let me take a photo of him with a daisy on his head while he cooled off in the grass. Well... he didn't quite let me. I had to bribe him with a treat to get him to sit still:

Meanwhile, I've been lying on the couch with my sore feet all week while picking away at this project here and there throughout the week. I'll admit that I'm not super inspired by it, and the warm weather this week hasn't helped. I do still think it's lovely and I am still entranced by it each time I pick it up. I always find it annoying to try to take photos of it because, try as I might, I cannot get an image which shows the lovely soft lilac purples and pale greys in the yarn. I've moved it all around the house trying to find light which captures it properly, but my iPhone insists on creating all sorts of contrast where there simply isn't any. And I've tried four different photo editing programs and still can't adjust it to my liking. I'm hoping that the final product will hang in such a way which will allow for a better photo... whenever that is:

I'm off to go do some more stretching now before dinner. I'm planning to put my feet up later and settle down with my knitting again... or maybe have a wander around Ravelry... or maybe watch a bit of tv...