Tag Archives: Garden

Unknown's avatar

I Said I Would, So I Did

by

05.19.09c

I bought it.  It came today.  I have yet to crack it open, due to the absolute insanity that is my life the last few days, but I am looking forward to learning how to make my camera would like it is supposed to.  Maybe when Oona’s 30.

Yesterday was spent returning the craptacular tiller we rented from the local hardware store (I had to drive the box truck.  It was not a picnic.  Paul’s lucky I used to be a bus driver or there’s just no way I could have managed it. It was like driving a giant rattling metal lunch box that’s loose at all joints.  But I digress).  The tiller barely scratched the surface of what I really need done, even with the wet and soggy ground.  We pulled up some massive roots, though.

After the tiller return I spent a  good chunk of the afternoon at the doctor’s office having a biopsy done (don’t worry, it should be fine.  Oh, and Oona stayed here with my mother, who did my dishes for me!!!  Thank you!!!).   Then I had to fly back home for Neve’s Brownie ceremony.  She bridged from being a Daisy Scout and is now officially a Brownie Scout.

05.19.09b

Look at that wild hair.  She won’t let me near it.  She also insists on wearing the most outlandish creations to school.  I fought her all year, determined to make sure she dressed in an appropriate manner, both for the weather and the day’s activities.  Last week I gave up, since their last day is Friday.  Plus I talked to her teacher, and she knows I am not dressing Neve in the pink Hawaiian print cargo capris with green striped top, purple socks, fuschia crocs and cheetah print fur coat.  Apparently she’s seen much worse.

Today I eeked out a finished object – a handbag from the Oh Fransson! blog.

05.19.09d

This, my friends, is my one small victory for today.  Oona has been particularly out of sorts lately, and today was no exception.  She was so testy I put her in her car seat and drove around aimlessly for 45 minutes so she’d take a nap.  Even now she is wrapped around my ankles screaming.  I don’t know why – nothing I’ve tried makes her happy.  I think it’s just a case of the “WAY over – tireds” and she refuses to concede.  Mighty frustrating to watch.  Especially in light of the newest drama unfolding here in the house of woe.

05.19.09e

I took this picture an hour ago in my closet.  Looks like hamster poop – except both our hamsters are serving their time in their luxury condos in Emily and Neve’s room.  So why is there all this rodent poop all around the empty suitcases in my closet?  I tore through all the suitcases, shoes, and other miscellaneous junk all over the closet and found exactly zilch.  The cats have not seemed particularly interested in the closet, which is a good sign.  Last year for about 2 weeks before we discovered we had mice upstairs Sushi sat guard in the hallway, all day and all night.  And just this weekend Jasper alerted me to Sherbert the hamster’s escape by standing guard outside the girls’ bedroom closet all day.  Sure enough, there was a hamster roaming around the shoes in there.  It does then both comfort and confuse me that despite the presence of a fairly large quantity of droppings in my closet none of the cats has been poking around in there.  It does serve to remind me how incredibly badly I need to clean out the dark corners of this house.   Every free corner  has been stacked with stuff that needs to be put into storage and  I simply have not had a free hand to put any of it away.  Good thing I had my moment of baking Zen this weekend while making a strawberry – rhubarb pie.  It was yummy and gone (sorry Rachel!)!!

05.19.09a

Unknown's avatar

It’s the Little (or BIG) Things

by

So I had this idea that this post would be about appreciating the little things, like the funny little chickens in our garage at the moment, or the pretty little primroses that just bloomed in the front garden.  But I realized that someone around these parts (who may or may not have fallen asleep on the window bed with Jasper and then fell victim to a drive – by picture taking) would not agree with me that these are little things. Not because I have in some way underestimated their size or importance in the scheme of day to day life, but because how much work and money it cost to get to these little things. Of course, my take on this is that if you look at things that way all the time then pretty much nothing is a little thing.

I had to stop working, birth a baby, wait for her to be old enough to reasonably manage and do a bunch of research before I could get my little chickens.

We had to save up a bunch of money, buy a Bobcat, wood, a bunch of dirt, stone garden edging, pea gravel and lava rocks (and other various and sundry supplies)  to get those little primroses.

Still, I like to think I am all about the little things. Maybe it is more appropriate to call them simpler things. I don’t know, but  I can’t even tell you how excited I am to have basil and tomatoes growing right now, because it means PESTO!  Those 6 little chicks?  Four of them are going to grow up to  reliable egg-layers!  And that makes me happier than any new shoes or cars, let me tell you (don’t tell Paul that last bit about cars…..I’m still waiting for my poor deer – smashed sedan to be up and running so I can be at least occasionally rid of the van).

You know what else?  I am smitten with Smitten Kitchen. If you haven’t checked out her blog, it’s rather stellar, as far as I am concerned, and I am happily in the midst of trying out her chocolate babka recipe.  I cannot wait to see how it turns out.  I’ll let you know…..but I love babka, so I can’t promise I’ll be saving any to share!

Adding to my list of simple pleasures:  I finished the Yard Sale Skirt from Weekend Sewing.  I am really liking the Heather Ross fabric I used (which is sadly out of production now) and though in the picture I look a bit Oompa-loopa-ish (blame the photographer) it is very comfy.

05.10.09a copy

Okay so I cropped most of myself out of it.  Call it blogger prerogative.  Maybe when I order my copy of Digital Photography for Dummies I’ll pick Paul up a copy of Photographing Your Wife And Not Making Her Look Huge and Lumpy in the Process for Dummies. I’m sure they stock at least one copy of it at Amazon.

Anyhoo…..the spot in which I am standing in this photo (not like you can really tell, actually) is where we have staked out the veggie garden.  We have all the chicken wire, a new spigot post and hose,  and stakes, all ready to go.  We would’ve had it all complete and planted this weekend except that with all of the rain we got the darn ignition got shorted out on the Bobcat, and well…….you can’t till up huge square footage of earth like that without equipment.  Well, you can, technically speaking, but we’re not gonna. Instead we’ll be renting a nice big tiller Saturday and getting it done.  Finally.  Before it gets too darn late in the season to get my squash, peas, beans and watermelons into the earth.

And as for that person who thinks that my little, simple  things are actually large, complicated things ?

05.12.09a

He’ll be needing a nap first.

Unknown's avatar

What I’m Like

by

With all of the changes and new developments around here I was feeling like I need to take some time to “shore up” my inner reserves, to reaffirm “me” as a person.  I”m not usually inclined to ask for help even when I am sorely in need, and I was feeling pretty down about things the last few weeks (and lonely, to be honest) when help found me in a few different forms.  New friends, new pets, new tasks and I am feeling more like myself again.  And it’s a great time for it – SPRING!  I couldn’t be more pleased with where I am right now, which is this:

050709h

I am a gardener!

This is a new one for me, actually.  I’ve never had much of a green thumb, and over the years I am sure I’ve killed WAY more plants than I’ve grown.  The older I get the more I realize I should’ve been a farmer.  I’ve heard a lot of negative talk from people when I’ve said this before, along the lines of “That’s really hard work – it’d be way too much to handle!” or my favorite, “YOU?  Are you kidding??” Well, heck.  Do I really come off that lazy and incapable?  Just because I am no good at handling a typical office type 9 – 5 doesn’t mean I couldn’t hack farm life.  It has to do with what you find rewarding in life and what makes you happy.  Of course, I am not a farmer, and we have no plans to buy a farm anytime soon (I kind of married the wrong guy for that, I think – I doubt Paul would be too interested in owning a farm!) for now I am a gardener.

These front beds have been planted with several types of tomato and pepper, and basil.  I’m absolutely dying to get out back and get the squashes and beans planted.

The other front garden has plenty of flowers and herbs, including 2 types of thyme, rosemary, pineapple sage, cilantro, oregano, tarragon and lavender.  There’s going to be an abundance of fresh salsas and pestos this year!  Hooray!

050709a

I forgot to mention the massive amounts of lemon balm, too.  It’s taking over.  Anyone want any?  Please?

Somewhere down the road a bit we’ll be putting in a small-ish greenhouse and I’d like to put one of those neat strawberry pyramids next to it.  That, however, will have to wait until the greenhouse goes in (for landscape planning purposes), and the greenhouse, well, that ain’t cheap, and as it happens, we’ll need a chicken tractor first, because guess what?  We have these:

050709g

Need a closer look?

050709c

050709e

050709d

There are 6 of them, 5 girls and one boy, and we are smitten.

050709b

I am a chicken lady!

I got these babies from a local chicken farmer who helped me pick out the friendliest, most docile breeds.  In chicken speak, we have 3 Gold – Laced Wyandottes (1 of these is the roo), 1 blue Cochin, 1 gold Cochin, and 1 black Cochin.  I can’t even tell you how happy I am with them!  Which reminds me, I am also

A Bad Influence!

My friend and neighbor got some as well.  I think she couldn’t take listening to me go on and on about the impending chicken arrival any longer!  All of our kids are just over the moon with their new pets, and Emily has plans to keep a “chicken journal” to document their growth and development.  Insert wide smile here.

Really, for me, this is the life.  I love being domestic.  I love growing things and caring for creatures and my kids (even though certain days I might not say that – like when Oona decides she cannot be any more than 2 milimeters away from me).  I love old fashioned and vintage farm things – if I had the money and the space I’d collect antique tractors.  I love wearing dresses and skirts with giant rubber wellies to work in the garden, and I don’t care if it all gets dirty.  I love cooking and baking, especially giant fruit pies that are way too fattening but it doesn’t matter because they are yummy and good for your soul. (you know, until your soul starts gaining too much weight…..then it’s time to cut down on the pie)

I love sheep and their wool and knitting it.  I will knit just about anything given the time to do so, but my favorite thing to knit is socks, because let’s face it, sock yarn is way cool.

I love to sew clothes for my kids on my 2 vintage Singer sewing machines.

I love to paint with oils.  I also love taking pictures but I am still learning how to do that.  I need to get a copy of Digital Photography for Dummies. I was pretty good with my trusty old Canon A-1, but film cameras seems to have gone the way of the dodo, and it is so much easier to unload your instantly viewable digital photos.

I am all of these things and far more, and I am always adding and subtracting as I grow and change and age.  I think we should all strive to be like a good wine – getting better and more nuanced as we age.  Don’t you?

yellow-rose-051

Unknown's avatar

Updates and New Garden Beginings

by

Well, the bad news is that thanks to Swine Flu our trip to the Riviera Maya has been postponed until probably November.  (Insert sad face here).  I am not sure what the rest of the week will look like for us now.  My MIL and SIL are coming to stay with the girls so perhaps we’ll find someplace to get away to for a day or two so we can still enjoy a bit of a break.

Good news is that the front  gardens are well on their way to looking the way I was hoping they would.  We have yet to get moving on the big vegetable garden for the back – that will require much tilling and will be the next project in the cmong few weeks.  But the front looks great!

When we first moved in there wasn’t any grass or landscaping done at all.  Not even the bare minimum.  It looked like this:

042709g

See?  Nothing.  If you’ll recall, last summer we built two raised boxes on the left side there and in the fall we edged out the front right and started putting in lava rock:

filling-the-box

Left Side

dirt

The Right Side

Our plan on the left side was to surround the raised beds with pea gravel, and it now looks like this:

042709d

There’s a nice hydrangea tree in the corner that is beginning to bud.  The beds will be planted with some nice annuals flowers, sun flowers, peppers, beans and tomatoes. (the back garden will have the squash, watermelons, peas and other vegs)

The front right side now looks like this:

042709e

In lieu of mulching every few months (or weeks with the rate the stuff gets washed out around here) we opted for some nice lava rock which has that red mulchy look to it and accomplishes the same thing.  I’ve got some bulbs planted in there which will be popping through this summer and I’ve just put in a number of perennial herbs like thyme, rosemary and lavender which should spread well.  There’s a nice Japanese Maple in the center, some nice blue vinca starting to grow around the edges, and some double blooming peonies and giant hollyhocks in the back.  Little by little I’ll be filling in the empty areas with nice colored blooms.  All in all I am very happy with how it’s all coming together.

I also finished Emily’s mermaid quilt, months and months after I started it.

042709c

And since we’re on the sewing subject, here is Neve’s new sundress I made a few weekends ago:

042709a

She’s worn it three times already and still loves it.  It’s holding up really well to all the punishment she subjects it to, and I love that she can feel pretty and dressy in something she can get dirty and throw in the washer at the end of the day.  I’m working on a tropical print one for Emily, whose purple hair has faded quite a bit.  But when we first colored it, it looked like this:

042709b

Next time she wants blue.

Now I am off to do some cleaning and baking (brownies with some hidden spinach and whole wheat!!) and planning for chickens that we will be soon acquiring.  Did I mention that is one of the girls’ jobs this summer?  Helping to care for the chickens?  They are also being tasked with weeding and cultivating the big garden and piano lessons.  I have to keep them busy somehow – no lounging in front of the tv all summer.  Again.

042709f

(Paul got them a special computer based piano tutor that has sensor stickers on the keys and progressively teaches notes, timing, finger placement and reading sheet music.  It’s set up like a game and they love it)

Unknown's avatar

The Sweet Stench of Progress

by

It’s all over me.  I’m all sweaty and dirty from a job well done.  The house is considerably more presentable now, and a lot of the grime has been scrubbed off the walls, doors, windows and shower.  A good portion of the clutter has been taken care of.   A few plants were set in  the ground – forsythia out front, a nice flowering cherry tree, a lilac and a rhododendron in the front garden.  Soon the raised beds will be planned out and planted as well, and we are getting ready to till up a large portion of the back for squash and watermelons.  This is going to be an experimental year garden – wise.  In other words, how well can I manage a huge garden out back, and can it logistical work out there and survive all the deer/rabbits/goodness knows what else.

Paul got started on the built – in window seat for the playroom.  We decided to turn it into a nice twin bed – sized retreat that will lift up on hinges for storing toys underneath.  Hooray for hidden toys!!!  Now I just need to find a good twin size futon mattress that won’t cost an arm and a leg.

The girls took advantage of the beautiful weather by playing outside with the neighbors’ girls (we likewise got to spend time with their parents and relax a bit).  And Emily gother hair dyed purple.  I know.  Calm down.  I figured that childhood is the best time for weird hair colors and such and we should just let her get it out of her system now.  Besides, Emily has beautifully dark hair so even a shocking purple comes out more as subtle highlights in her hair.  You don’t see “PURPLE!” when you look at her.  You see a cool dark brown with a neat purple sheen to it.  Besides, it’s supposed to wash out in 3 weeks.  I have to say, though – the dye we used was awful.  We got it from Hot Topic and it was the thickest, messiest hair dye I have ever seen or used in my life.  It got all over Emily – her neck still needs a good scrubbing to free it from the lilac shade it has taken on – and all over my tub.  I had to scrub it clean afterwards.  I have pictures but they’ll have to wait.  My computer is woefully low on hard drive space, a condition I’ve been assured by Paul to be absolutely my own dumb fault for tuning out his expert computer geek advice and filling it up with 27 gigs of pictures.  So I can’t upload until I’ve fixed that massively horribly bad and I totally don’t want to think about it let alone solve it slight problem.

I also finished a dress for Neve and a dress for me, both nice and light for summer.  Again, pictures later.  I started working on a wrap skirt for myself from Weekend Sewing but ran into  a slight snag – I ran out of fabric!  I though I had enough, but it turns out that instead of a small I am in fact a Medium/Large. Now, I don’t mean to sound all self – congratulatory or anything, but this has been bugging me lately.  I am a fairly small person.  I hear it from a lot of people around me, and even the nurses at the doctor’s office refer to me as “petite”.  Dudes, I have chicken legs.  I’m average height (about 5’5″) and I am less than 130 lbs.  How on earth is that a Medium/Large?  It’s not really this pattern that’s got me bugged about this.  It’s clothing stores in general these days.  I just can’t believe that I would be a large in anything, and if I am, then what about all of the  still slender women I know who are taller and heavier than me?  Are we really going to call them XL?  Crazy!  No wonder all of us women have body issues.  Anyway that was my little rant for the evening.  Soon I will hopefully get pictures posted of all of the projects both complete and in process and the beginnings of this year’s garden.  Now that things are moving along I feel invigorated and ready for summer.

Bring it on!

Unknown's avatar

Feeling the Craftiness

by

There are times when I am really really glad that I have creative projects to fill my time, occupy my hands and keep me mentally engaged.  The weather has been very typically spring – like here, in that it varies from 75 and sunny to cloudy and damp and chance – of –  snow – ish.  Not really conducive to a lot of outdoor work yet.  Also not so much to sending the kids outside to play to preserve cleanliness inside.  They are home this week on spring break, and I had hoped to keep them out of doors, but so far it hasn’t worked out quite so well.  I may be spending time today putting some energy into creative games and projects for them to do.  There’s a new game called Scrabble Slam I want to get, but I can’t seem to find it anywhere.   It looks fun, plus it would be a good exercise in vocab for the girls.  Meanwhile they are driving me crazy fighting over the Wii and arguing about anything and everything else they can.

Saturday was the one really great day we’ve had since spring break began.  It was sunny and warm and Paul was in more of a mood to spend quality time with us than work.  It was ncie to have a lazy and slow start to the day and Oona enjoyed having papa with her.  She even let me do her hair!

040409a

Not that it came out that great, what with her fidgeting and all.   Notice the ginger ale she manipulated away from Paul by batting her cute little eyes and saying soda please.

Emily mowed the lawn for us, and did a pretty great job to boot.  What really amazed us was that as she started up the hill we saw her stop suddenly and disengage the blades, turn to us and yell “Gekko!!” We ran up to her and sure enough, in the grass in front of the spot where she stopped was a small lizard, camouflaged well enough that I still cannot believe she saw him.  I certainly would have mowed right over him.  Paul picked him up and transferred him to my garden so he’d be safe.

040409b

Research showed him to be an eastern fence lizard that is pretty common around these parts.  And they eat spiders.  Did you hear that?  I’m thinking about maybe starting a new life as a lizard herder.  I hope he’s got lots of friends.

Alas, after the Saturday fun (and ice cream cones for dessert) things have fallen into a slump.  Yesterday I went to the dentist and was informed that the expensive crowns I had “installed” about 4 years ago all need to be redone, courtesy of the constant vomiting and reflux from my last pregnancy.  Geez at this rate if I have another baby I’ll lose all my teeth altogether!  Stomach acid plus teeth equals bad news.  I don’t even want to tell you what the estimate is for that.  Let’s just say I could buy a car.    A crappy not – so – luxury – or – top- of – the – line type of car, but a car nonetheless.  And my day got even better.  A routine test at the doctor’s office came back “not good”.  Now I get to go have a “procedure” and further testing.  Fun for me!  Actually it’s not that big a deal, really.  It’s a fairly common thing from what I’ve been told.   I like to think of it all as a little reminder from my dear friend, the Universe that things can’t be too good for too long or things become too unbalanced.  That’s how I get to sleep at night anyway!  I’m just glad I have family right now.  You need people to talk to, and as I have not heard from my friend with the abusive spouse (and I’m not sure I will after I told her I want nothing to do with him ever again),  I’ve been feeling a bit lonely (I expect that’ll change once the weather warms up – I have friends in the neighborhood with kids but we’ve all been cooped up inside with the rain).

So to keep my sanity and not give in to the anxiety demons I am diving deep into the fabric and yarn stashes to work the creative mojo and crank out some fun projects.  I’ve got some things started for me from  Weekend Sewing as well as some projects for all 3 girls from the Japanese sewing books I got on Ebay.  Knitting has been taking a bit of a back seat lately as I work off my sewing obsession but I do have a few cute projects to start on the needles as well.  I’ll post updates on that as they pop up.  Mexico’s coming up at the end of the month and I do plan on bringing my knitting.  You know, there’s nothing sexier than a ghostly white – skinned woman on the beach knitting. It’s what all the hotties are doing.

Unknown's avatar

They Don’t Make Them Like That Anymore

by

It’s all rain here today.  Generally this is my kind of day because it makes you feel all cozy and you don’t have to feel guilty for curling up in bed with the baby all day.  Everyone forgives you tht litle luxury on a cold rainy day.  Oona is napping now, and instead of napping with her, I have been inspecting the rain’s effect on the house.

Normally when it rains this hard our bedroom window leaks pretty badly and the gutters out front become overwhelmed and pour water directly into the front garden.  Today the window is dry but the front walk and garden have become totally ponded over.  There are two forces at work here.  One is, in fact the miserably inadequate gutters (which are totally clean of debris, by the way.  They’re not clogged, they just suck).  The other is drainage.  Our house simply sits where the water naturally wants to drain into.  It flows down the driveway, turns just before the house, hits the stone edging between the front garden and the walkway and pools up there.  Whenever it rains we have an awful lot of water flowing directly at the foundation and sometimes resting there for a day or two until it dries out.

111308a

111308b

Now, maybe I am mistaken, but I would think that when the builders are preparing a site to build on they’d have to be sure that this sort of thing doesn’t happen.  Of course, you’d also think they’d be sure to make the house square as well.  I don’t think we have one wall, window or doorway that is even or level.  Even though we are the first people to live in this house we have never met the builder.  If we ever did, as you can well imagine we’d have some choice words for him/her/them.  It’s too bad that we’d have the kind of problems that we do out of a brand new house, because I really do love the house and the property.  We have a nice amount of acreage and great neighbors.  But I have been thinking about a lot of things lately.

The last time I saw my grandfather we were talking about my house and the myriad issues we were concerned about (like will our well dry up this summer??) and he was astonished we would have any problems at all, considering the house was only 3 years old!  My grandparents house was built in the earlier part of the 1900’s and he could not recall it having any major problems.  Only what you’d expect would need upkeep and repair over the majority of a century.  They really don’t build them like they used to.  This, my friends, really burns me up, because I have always wanted an old house.  You know, a beautiful old colonial farmhouse or saltbox or tollhouse style house with some real history and great bones.  That’s always been the dream, but it’s also been something I had talked myself out of because all you hear about is the potential financial disaster an old house can be.  All of the renovating, repairing, replacing.  And then I see my now 4 year old back deck made from inferior wood and crappy workmanship and know that it will need to be replaced, and sooner rather than later.  I can see the studs popping through the ceilings, and our floors make horrible creaking noises already.  I see all that and I remember my grandfather shaking his head in incredulity.  And then I wonder why I thought a new house would be better?  And I will admit, though I hate to do it, because my husband is always ready to cut his losses and drop this house like a bad habit, that I have been dreaming a little bit more lately about those old colonials.  That I’ve been picturing my family in rooms with old wide plank flooring and real woodburning fireplaces.  Even still I love the house I am in, problematic or no.  It is surely a darn site better than my husband’s ideal home: a concrete dome.  Domes are actually pretty neat, and some of them are quite stunning.  They are also nigh indestructible, which is appealing during tornado season, I’ll tell you that!  But while Paul is techie and space age, I am quaint and old fashioned.  I can’t actually see myself living happily in a dome home.

So for now I’ll keep my imperfect neo-colonial and continue to make it what I and the family need it to be.  But don’t tell Paul I am still dreaming.

Unknown's avatar

Finally Some Dirt

by

Well we finally got around to yanking everything out of the overgrown weedy front garden and filled it in with new dirt.  It took quite a few hours and was mercifully accomplished in the rain so as to avoid heat stroke.  We did manage to turn the front lawn into a mud slick with the bobcat, but since it was less “lawn” and more “dried up ugly brown patch” anyway, it’s ok.  We reseeded and maybe we’ll actually get grass now.

The verbena and lavender are no longer being choked out by weeds, the lemon balm has been wrangled back into a manageable size, and the japanese maple is in its permanent home.  I just need more pansiess and to finish putting in the bulbs.  Once that’s done it’ll all get a nice layer of lava rocks.

It looks way better without all the overgrowth.  I need to tame those roses a bit still, I think.

Also, I think I need a better camera.  Or I need to learn how to properly use the one I have.  But I think a new camera sounds better!

WIsh me luck _ I am speeding along on Emily’s Drive – Thru sweater and hope to have it finished by next week, despite the lack of a working satellite.  Don’t get me started on that.

Unknown's avatar

When Love and Fear Collide

by

Here we are, a lovely day in August in Virginia.  I know, right?  That sounds so unlike me to say that.  It’s because it’s low 70’s and overcast (we’re desperate for rain!!!) and there’s a nice little breeze and I have spent the day making some cute little fabric yo yo’s (they’re not the toy kind – they are more like little decorative fabric swirlies) with some scraps I have left over from other projects.  There are 3 big Yankee Candles going so the house smells lovely (a combo of Cafe Au Lait, Good Morning, and Blueberry Scone).  My new Cooking Light came in the mail.  And we spotted about half a dozen wild turkeys in the backyard this afternoon.  I tried to get a picture, but alas, they were too fast.  Our neighbor’s cat was out there as well, but I could tell she was rethinking her plan to play with those particular birdies.  They ambled off back further into the woods and I couldn’t properly follow since it is still summer afterall, and there is still a bit of thicket going on that is difficult to navigate.  All I could think as I headed back to the house was Darn!  I could’ve had some Thanksgiving dinner there! Oh well.  Not that I’d actually be able to take one of them down.  I just wouldn’t be able to hunt unless I absolutely had to.  Which is why when I get my chickens I will be using them for their eggs and not their meat.  I don’t think I could butcher an animal I’d been caring for.  Now if someone brought me something they had killed that was already dead and I didn’t have to feel guilty and be the reason it had to die….well then that’s different.  I am probably a total hypocrite, but hey.

Anyway my day was going pretty well, despite the dog poop.  Yes, for those of you that are wondering – I am still dealing with the occasional poop.  Like after I brought Pippa back inside this morning after her outdoor bm and she promptly did another loose one on my wood floor right inside my front door.  She’s “had the squirts” as Paul ever so delicately said, all day today, so she’ll be getting a nice immodium pill in her dinner.  But that isn’t what killed my lovely almost – fall day.  What killed it was that in the middle of enjoying the lovely outdoors and picking some squash while Neve frolicked on the swingset and I was reveling in the weather, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye.  Caterpillar?  There are plenty of those around my veggies, as well as bees and various types of beetles.  So I casually looked up.  And about a foot from my right hand I saw:

I jumped.  I screamed.  I swore.  I cried.  I got chills and goosebumps.  And I most certainly did NOT take this picture.  Paul did.  Right before he doused the sucker with that most trusted of resources,  brake parts cleaner.  A LOT.  And then whacked it repeatedly with the can.  Even Paul was impressed by its size.  All I could think of was the banana spiders we used to see when I lived on Guam back in the day.  Of course they had blue on them as well as the yellow, but this guy was the right size anyway.  HUGE.  That is a technical term, btw.  I get the willies just looking at the picture.  I think the children may be scarred for life.  Emily declared she would never set foot outside again.  I am not sure I want to either!!!!  I can tell you I’ll have a hard time reaching into the garden now!

Unknown's avatar

Crap

by

Yup.  Crap.

It’s 6:30 pm and Oona’s napping.  Which means she’ll be up ’till lord knows when.

And then there’s the actual crap I’ve been cleaning out of Emily’s room.  It’s from her hamster and it’s everywhere.  Also under her bed I found an old blackened banana, half a Heath Bar, many hundred old jellybeans, some ABC gum, several used and wadded up tissues, and 8 tons of other random trash.  It’s a damn good thing the cats like it under there so much or we’d no doubt have RATS in there.  Sheesh.

I’m not really in a bad mood, but since this post seems to be a whine fest let me add that I hate my unreliable satellite system and I need fabric.

But two things made me happy today.  The first is the morning glories that reseeded themselves from last year (I didn’t plant any this year, because even though they are my favorites, Paul doesn’t like the way they vine around the porch).  They grew up despite Paul’s aggressive weed whacking and are blooming on the side porch.

The second is a promise of fall just around the corner in the form of some beautiful little pumpkins in my garden.  I wonder how big they’ll get!