The Native Iowan

It is going on noon, and I am still in my lava lava…

Sometimes this retired BS is purty damn good.

My lil corner of suburbia is almost silent. I just heard the noon train give a hoot. Birds and bugs buzz n chirp. The wind chimes tinkle in the background.

A pleasing breeze rattles the palms and cools the house. The last two days have been blistering… over 35c in the high 90s, f. Today is much cooler.

I have lived here enough to no longer be much of a spectacle. Even Gracie has given up trying to say anything. She worries about “what the neighbors will think”.

I’m not sure which scares the straights more…

Is it that I wake up and start doing my doings without thinking about my hair? I expect my doo to be more like a cross between Bozo the Clown’s and the ghoul from “Tales from the Crypt”. Bald dome surrounded by scraggly fringe which is sticking straight out with a bad case of bed-head.

Is it the my bare chested, ink adorned body?

Or the fact that I wear a dress?

I know that cars often slow to get a good look.

These days I’m up and in the garden early, cooling the plants down in prep for the daily onslaught of heat that is summer here.

My garden is doing great and we’re getting into stuffed peppers, and shall soon be having another harvest of green tomatoes that will end up as chutney. Passion fruit are doing magnificent. We’ll get loads of ice cream there.

But everything is getting a bit weary from this heat wave.

Was out about 730 this morn. Dern sun comes up about 430 here and it warms up quickly. It is nice that the nights cool off almost to being chilly, even cold from a Solo-context. As soon as the sun sets we get the blankets out. I woke early this morn because I was cold and had to get another blanket. Within an hour or so I was over warm and up and about.

Mendozza has always been a very early riser. Angelo has followed suit so our house is awake and happening very early any given morning. Getting up earlier due to the sun and the noise from the birds and the warmth of the morning is easy. Our summer is going to be filled with early morning surfing, trips to the skate park, etc.

So, this morning, there I am; hair a mess, tats hanging out, belly joggling above my stylish lava lava. The straights are all driving to work. The neighborhood kids are all heading to school. I talk to the kids and wave as the cars drive past. I smugly smile and wish all a good day.

And its been a purty good day… it’s now 20 past noon and I am still in my lava lava, hair a mess. This being retired BS aint all that bad.

More later