I hardly ever take these internet quizzes but this one was short and rather telling.
| This Is My Life, Rated | |
| Life: |  6.3 |
| Mind: |  4.9 |
| Body: |  7.3 |
| Spirit: | 6.5 |
| Friends/Family: | 5 |
| Love: |  9.1 |
| Finance: | 7.1 |
| Take the Rate My Life Quiz | |
My purple coneflower seeds have finally begun to germinate. Time to take them off the heated shelf and put them under the light. Nothing else in that flat has done a damned thing yet. Did some serious landscape dreaming today. Wouldn't it be great to have a tree whose falling leaves smell like cotton candy? Katsura.
I've got quite a wish list growing. Mostly grasses. They are so forgiving and easy and really quite graceful. I'm going to take a chunk of either the pampas grass or the japanese silver grass and transplant it near the goldfish pond at the side of the patio. I'd like to get some shenandoah switchgrass or muhly to go in front of it and maybe some little bluestem. The colour will go great with the coppery sedge and the vibrant red of the cardinal flower. This will replace some of the daylilies that have filled in the spot. They are coming up in leaps and bounds and I need to transplant some to the front yard. The woods edge has moved back a bit and I have an expanse of nothing. Tiger lilies would really brighten it up.
While I was out walking around this afternoon I noticed that the Shepherdia Argentea has already leafed out. I love that plant. I had a huge one at Sweet Apple and was able to transplant some of it to my parents house. Then after a few years I took a few back and planted them in the backyard. They are gorgeous. Silver Buffaloberry. Our neighbour on the other block has several, too. I really don't know why it's not more popular. Bees love it. Butterflies, too. Birds love the edible fruit which clusters up on the stem. You can even make jelly out of them.
The ambien has kicked in. I've got to brush my teeth yet and I'm afraid I might give myself a frontal labotomy while I'm at it.
What's the saying........I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal labotomy. clever.
Gaah. I had a pounding headache this morning that was even worse than the pounding headache I went to bed with and promised myself that I'd crawl back into bed as soon as the kidlet was off to school. I did. For about 2 minutes. Pip needed to go out. After tossing her out I noticed that the fishtank was a little deeper green than normal and got dressed to take care of that. I went outside, freezing, to get the gravel vacuum. I fed the chickens some corn while I was there and retrieved an egg from the coop.
Drained the tank and watered all the houseplants with the fertilizer/fish poo. Mopped up all the water that was pouring out of the plant saucers. Transferred one of the platys to a separate bowl as he didn't look too chipper. Cleaned the filter housing and filled the tank for the next hour. Back and forth. *sigh* Oh yeah, fish are so worth it. I'm just glad I don't have my big tank set up. Got all the fish squared away and discovered my filter lid was gone. I still can't find it.
Meanwhile, I glanced out the window and saw Blondie carrying something in her mouth. She spat it out and tried to gnaw on it. It was an egg. That egg sucking dog has been raiding the henhouse. I think Rocky has just started laying but this was from one of the other girls. Different shape, different colour.
My house is a wreck. It's cold. I still haven't had brekkie and the bread dough is ready to be transferred to the board. This is my break.
My pussywillow is blooming, daffodils are open, robins are pumping up worms in the backyard and a couple of doves are snacking on the chicken's corn. Spring really wants to happen.
Pip is at the window howling to get back in.
Break over.
Same crap different day.
Same crap different week.
Same crap different month.
Same crap different year.
Nothing changes. Whoever said one person could make a difference is a freaking idiot.
I seeded one of the flats this morning. Finally. Sweet Bell Peppers, Purple Coneflower, Tiny Tiger tomatoes, Pink Brandywine tomatoes. The flat of Principe Borghese tomato seedlings is doing well. I move them around from sunny sill to sunny sill. The lunaria, of which all twelve germinated, are getting really leggy. I need to get them under the lights today.
I still need to sow rudbeckia and veronica speedwell. Later.
Yesterday was a picture of domestic bliss. I took the kidlet to the open skate at skate-away. OMGosh, it was like walking into "there was an old lady who lived in a shoe"... A hundred screaming kids, skating at breakneck speed in reckless abandon, in a dark room with loud rap music and the heavy smell of feet... mixed with the unpleasant aroma of melted nacho cheese on corn tortillas. Wug. Everywhere I looked I saw kids wiping snot on the backs of their hands. The place was an upholstered toilet. Dd loved it. For a short while she hung out with "Badboy Nate" from down the road. Dh & I call him "The Pisser". He's not allowed to come to our house anymore.
After about an hour of skating some kid slammed into dd and broke her skate. I couldn't fix it. She cried. We went to the pro shop to see if they could fix it. The kid in there said it couldn't be fixed and she wouldn't be able to use the skates in the rink even if it could. I was like, dude, she's been skating for over an hour already... I promised the kidlet I'd get her a new pair.
After skating we went to Goodwill. Mainly to see if they had a pair of skates that would fit dd. They usually do but they had just gotten done with a remodel and all the sporting goods stuff was gone. We got some books instead. I picked up some more restaurantware as well. I can't help myself.
It was almost more excitement than I can stand.
My principe borghese tomato seeds have finally germinated. I don't have the light table cleaned up yet. I guess I'll be doing that tomorrow come hell or high water. I prepared two flats today. I'll be seeding them tomorrow as well. I need to transplant the Lunaria seedlings already. Those things are off like a bullet. They must like my soil mix.
Dh and I pruned the pyracantha by the house. It looks like hell. I hope it fills out this spring. We also cut the dried Japanese Silver grass and the Pampas grass. It's starting to send up new green shoots.
Found lots of daffodils getting ready to open up.
Paul. OMG. I knew him back in the 80s when gravity hadn't taken it's toll on me yet. I was working as a cocktail waitress at The Tobacco Exchange and going to college for computer programming. He was a regular happy hour customer. He had smoldering good looks and was well versed in the classics. And I was an idiot. I was engaged to a cheating alcoholic who treated me like shit. Tom, the fiance, hated him and thought I was cheating on him with Paul. I didn't. I thought about it though. Often. Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm. I still have his photo. He's wearing a tux and a hint of a smile. I can still smell his cologne.
I got a card from him in the mail today. He said he "googled" me. I can't tell you how many times I've googled him over the years but never found him. We used to correspond after I graduated and moved up north. He said he found my old letters and decided to find me. I think the last time I saw him was at my old house, Sweet Apple. He dropped by one night with a bottle of wine and we listened to A Christmas Carol performed by Patrick Stewart. It was surreal. He had gotten married and was living in Georgia but was passing thru town on his yearly pilgrimage to the bay. He always seemed so troubled, in desparate need for someone to listen. He was an aspiring writer and I often looked to see if he had ever published. When I think of him, I think of Poe. That dark. That mysterious. That brilliant.
Wow.
Life goes on...
We got hit by a winter storm last night. Really. I saw it. That may be snow on the roof of the garage. I can't quite tell. I'm surprised they didn't call school off. They usually do when there is a "threat" of snow. The photo above was from our last snowstorm. Think of it as Norm's snowman on drugs. Note the large vacant staring eyes, the bedhead, the skinny arms and general lack of hygiene. He was Jonesing for sure. Within three days he was reduced to a slushy shadow of his former self. Alas, he was a product of his environment and couldn't be helped.
How quickly you look for and expect the negative. Not like me? No, it's not. But you believe the worst, don't you.
The Lunaria seeds I planted a week ago have broken ground, their little green elbows poking up thru the soil. I'm surprised. I didn't put them in the freezer. I can't remember if I harvested the seeds last fall or the year before. Lunaria seeds don't keep well, viability drops off quickly. I sowed them in a recycled mini cupcake tray from Ukrops. 12 cells. Not all have germinated yet and I don't expect all of them to make it but I have high hopes. Lunaria, or Money Plant, is a pretty little biennial with purple flowers. It grows best in shade.
None of the Principe Borghese tomatoes have germinated yet but I sowed them later than the Lunaria.
Not much happening. The weather has gone chilly again. I spent hours out in the sun yesterday trying to boost my D levels. Pulled some dead weeds out of the garden. Helped dh clean up the deck. Rocky gave me an egg. I imagine she was the one who laid the egg on Wednesday as well. She was well rewarded with her favourite snack, cheese crackers.
Bought a new washing machine on Wednesday. It was delivered yesterday. Bosch. Made right here in the USA. New Bern, NC. It's supposed to take care of 27 regular bath towels in one load. I doubt it seriously but I'm hoping a dozen will work. The salesman said it used 10½ gallons of water for the cycle. An extra rinse would use 1½ gallons more. I think 27 regular bath towels would soak up every bit of 10 gallons. Whatever. Just as long as it doesn't leak like a sieve. We kept the old Kenmore. I want to take it apart and replace the seal and see if that was the problem. If so we can sell it for $100 maybe. Lowes was just going to landfill it. So much waste. I just need to wait for warmer weather. And to finish the bathroom. No more new projects until that one is done.
Dh is home from work again. He seems to be in better spirits. I hate it when he's not feeling well. He's so quiet and withdrawn.
I need to go out today. Dd needs a book on the Wright Brothers for a school project. I need to mail a package to Lefty. I promised it would go out earlier than this. I'm such a shit.
What a beautiful day! Looks like everyone was out either riding bikes or walking dogs this morning. I mixed up some seed starting medium and started a flat of Lunaria. Collected seed from last year so they may not germinate. Lunaria only grows from fresh seed so it's best to plant them asap. We'll see. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I repotted an ivy topiary and a lemon button fern, too. I have a very large planter outside so I decided to put bamboo in it, underplanted with lettuce. It sure felt good to get my hands in the soil.
Mom called. Mayumi, my SIL, managed to cut her little finger off. Ripped it off actually. It couldn't be reattached. Too much trauma. Freak accident. I can't imagine the pain she must have felt. I shudder to think about it.
She also said that Brother Rick is contemplating a move back home and SpongeBob is moving back in as well. Third time's the charm with him. Maybe he'll succeed in totally destroying the property this time. He only trashed it the previous two times. Dad busted ass getting that place liveable, drilled a well, and put in a septic system. They trashed it and bugged out. He busted his ass getting it fixed again. They moved back in, trashed it and bugged out again. This time Dad had to pull up all the carpet, tear up the subfloor and replace it, gut the bathroom and fix it, actually too much to describe here. Lots of cussing involved. Lots of work. Lots of time and money. I can't wait to see how long this lasts. Still recovering from colon cancer and he has to get the place liveable for them again.
Closer to home: Tuco was at Death's Door for a couple of days. It's still touch and go. He's an old dog and winter is doing him in. But he did eat a can of food yesterday and had a little bit to eat today. He's skin and bones. Poor little hound. I think he'll be fine once spring gets here.
If someone drops a shoe in the forest and there's no one around to hear it will they know when the other one drops?
