"Getting rid of everything that doesn’t matter allows you to remember who you are. Simplicity doesn’t change who you are, it brings you back to who you are."

Monday, January 30, 2012

Flower Child

The other day when I was out wandering around the backyard I found that our Camellia bush blooming! 


Holy Moley.  In January?

Anyway I hollered at SM to come see and he said that "It was a shame they were blooming since we'd get a freeze tonight" and they'd all die back.

So I went and picked one of the blooms and started heading into the house thinking to put the bloom in a dish of water.


Of course the pups were very interested, especially Casey.






Someone is just too used to "snackies' around here.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

A Day In The Sun

What's that I see up in the sky?  A bird?  A plane?  No, something better than Superman for sure.  By golly, it's the SUN !



It seems we've had nothing but rain here for the past two weeks along with grey, dreary skies.  Not that I'm complaining.  Rain is WAY better than the ice storms we usually get around here in January.  But the rain has turned my yard into one big sponge and this girl is wanting to get outside and get some yard work done big time.  This time last year we were doing our big burn, trimming and pruning all the yard waste. 

Friday, SM had called me at work to tell me that "the sun was out and it was a glorious day!"  I think he wanted to cheer me up but I was busy at the time and was less than enthusiastic to hear what I was missing.  I think I hung up on him pretty quick and was thinking very cranky thoughts. 

Never fear.  Saturday arrived with blue skies and warm temperatures and now I get to make YOU cranky hearing about how wonderful a day it was.

I was a bit concerned about the squish factor out there but by 2:00 in the afternoon when I wandered out, the ground was pretty firm and the temps were in the low 60's.  I had on shorts and a tee shirt and started out looking for photo-ops.  Care to take a stroll with me?


I noticed this robin in the maple tree right away.  Looks like I found this months "header" photo.


These crepe myrtle flower "shells" made for a stunning textural study.


Ginny snoozing in the sun.


We had a bit of a breeze that I tried to capture the motion of with the Palmetto grass. 


I even noticed some flowers blooming on this Wax Myrtle.  A lovely day indeed. 

I hope your weekend was just as nice.

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Get Ready, Get Set...GO!

The nice thing about our long growing season here in NC is the fact that most of my garden can be direct sown.  I've read ya'lls "northern" blogs about seed starting and I'm amazed at the amount of space and effort you guys have to dedicate to your seed starting.  Shelves, lights, pots and soil.  This stuff ain't cheap!  It seems that you guys have to start just about everything indoors. 

I don't have a basement here and I simply rely on my laundry room for warmth (to germinate the seeds), my kitchen counter top (for my pm grow light), and my southern exposure dinette area (for direct light once the plants get big enough).

The only thing I started indoors for the past 2 years was our peppers and tomatoes.  That's it.  (Aren't I lucky?)

I went ahead and pulled out my garden notebook from last year and reviewed my notes about when I started those.  March 7th.   Hmm...They got way too long and leggy and were started about 2 weeks early in my estimation.  Even though our last frost date is April 15th, I don't like to put "tropicals" out too quick, so I usually shoot for a May 7th-15th transplant date.  The old timers around here told us that you're fine with end of April but I'd rather be safe than sorry.  So by my notes I'll be starting my peppers and tomatoes around the third week of March.

Even though this is our third year with the garden, I've never tried onions.  I know...spank me now!    I plan on buying onion sets soon but this year I thought I'd try to start some onions from seeds. 

I know what you're thinking, what a pain in the a$$, but I just couldn't resist BC Red Creole for a couple of bucks.

Red Creole

I found a nice site that explains how to start onion seeds indoors.  So the onions are planted according to the method advised.  We'll see.  If nothing else I can use the tops (as suggested) for seasonings.

Now on to the Cassabanana. 



Say what? 

I saw the Cassabanana in the Baker Creek catalog and saw that it thrives in hot summer weather (got THAT covered for sure) and needs a long growing season.  I thought "what the heck" and hit Add To Cart.  I've poked around the internet since then and found this article best describes what I can expect.  So I've started those too. 

This is one of my fun plants this year.  I also want to try a loofah but haven't bought the seeds yet.

*What are some of the unusual or interesting plants that you're planning on starting?  Go ahead, tease me.  If I like what I see I just might end up buying more seeds.

(Insert SM's screams here.)

Friday, January 27, 2012

The Song Of Spring

You'd think that January 27th is a little early too be talking about Spring.  But one of my favorite things about living here in the Piedmont of NC is happening as we speak. 

It's 63 degrees out at 5 am.  My backdoor is open. The breeze is soft and we're getting sudden spurts of showers off and on.  And I'm listening to the Peepers as they sing.



Uh?

Wherever there are wetlands, there are frogs.  And for the last 2 days the weather has been warm enough and wet enough to start the Peepers "peeping". 

I've never seen one, but as you drive along the country roads their song comes to you in waves.  I find I'm smiling as I drive home.  I turn off the radio and listen to this special song.  Like the summer cicada's they only sing for a a week or two at most.  Then they're done.

Until next year.  The cycle repeats.  Ain't Mother Nature grand?

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Three Blind Mice? Nope. But I Do Have One Blind Cat

KiKi is moving into his later years.  


It'll be 14 years ago this fall that SM picked up this squished little kitty at a gas station.  KiKi has had good life for a mostly wild cat.  Food and shelter inside our warm adobe and a kitty access door to the wide wonderful world outside whenever he wants it.  Scratches and snuggles available on demand but instant "alone time" when the mood and his growls warn us to back off. 

He's never missed a meal unless you count the time he went missing for a week.  We thought he was a goner for sure.  We couldn't figure it out.  We went up and down the streets calling him.  No cat.  We notified all our neighbors and after 5 days of "no KiKi" we assumed something bigger and meaner had got a hold of him and took him to kitty heaven

A few days later, our neighbor Don heard meowing under the vacant "For Sale" house beside ours.  He looked into the crawl space and there was KiKi none the worse for wear after a week under the house.  We think that a home inspector had gone under the house and KiKi, seeing the crawl space door open, followed his instinct for dark, creepy places and got locked inside after the inspector left. 

The only other excitement we had with KiKi was his bi-annual fights that he had with various cats in the hood when he was younger.  These fights would result in bites that would abscess leaving SM and I with our periodic financial contribution to the Vet who was more than happy to take our money in return to sedate and stitch up "Devil-Kitty" as he was known at the Vets.  Seriously.  His rather thick file had a big red sticker on it that proclaimed THIS CAT BITES!

Things have calmed down over the years though and KiKi has become a somewhat friendlier cat, more with SM than with me since I'm the one covered in dogs 24-7.  The dogs treat him pretty good too considering that there's three of them to one of him.  He is The King after all.

So it was SM who noticed KiKi's behavior change a few weeks ago.  He became a lot more vocal and demanding.  SM said that he seemed hesitant to jump from one area to another.  I brushed it off as "old age".  It has been cold here and he IS getting up there in years, maybe arthritis was setting in?

Last week though I went to feed him and it seemed that he couldn't find his food.  I noticed that he walked around until he bumped into it.  I kept my eye on him as he walked through the house and noticed that he "hugged" the walls.  He knew his way around for sure and if you didn't know him you wouldn't think anything was wrong.  I went to touch him and he startled.  I snapped my finger in front of his face and waved my hand around.  Nothing. 

His pupils were huge though.  I grabbed a flashlight and waved it in front of his eyes.  Pupils were responsive.  No blood that I could see.  He was eating and drinking and other than being blind seemed fine so I told the Vet's office that it wasn't an emergency and that we could wait till Monday to take him in for an evaluation.

I google searched sudden blindness in cats and came up with the "big three" of cat issues.  Kidney, thyroid or hypertension.

The Vet confirmed bilateral retinal detachment and did a blood draw to pin down a cause.  He suspects hypertension but won't know for sure until the blood results come back.  I am encouraged that while both retinas are detached, they aren't folded or wrinkled.  He says they appear "closer" like he has some edema (swelling) behind the retinas that's pushing the retina forward thereby detaching it.  He feels that if we can get the inflammation down, than KiKi just might get some of his vision back.  He fixed me up with 3 different pills and asked me if I can give KiKi pills.  

*Those of you with cats, try to suppress your giggles  Those of you who have never tried to give a cat a pill read all about it here.

BTW, SM and I managed to get the pills down his throat with SM holding KiKi wrapped up in a towel and me dropping tuna smeared pills into his growling mouth.  Heaven help us if he DOES get his sight back cause then he'll see me coming and KiKi can be one pissed off cat!

The Vet wants to see KiKi again on Friday to check his eyes for improvement and to discuss the findings of the blood work.  I have to be at work that day (lucky me!) so this is a job for SM.  SM 's only comment to me was that I have to put the cat in the carrier before I leave for work and that as long as the vet staff does the same when they're done looking at him, he'll be happy to take him in.

So SM and I have had to have THAT discussion.  You know the one.  When do you say enough is enough?  He is 14 years old after all.  If it's a thyroid or blood pressure problem I'm OK with buying the meds.  He seems healthy enough.  The Vet mentioned referring us to a specialist if he can't figure out what the problem is.  "Um...No, thanks." 

We also won't go down the "kidney failure" road either.  Our last dog Alex went quick with kidney failure.  About 6 weeks from diagnosis to death.  It was fast.  If it's kidney, there's not much to be done IMHO.  (We had neighbors who told us they tried to extend the life of their 6 year old cat who was suffering kidney issues.  IV's and all sorts of meds.  Nope.  Not for this old cat.)

So here we are.  I will say this though...For a blind cat, he gets around amazingly well.  Makes you realize how refined all his other senses are.  It is fascinating to watch. 

Monday, January 23, 2012

Snippy

SM had purchased the replacement dishwasher last weekend and the box has been sitting in the kitchen waiting for installation.  SM had mentioned "working on it" when we got home from work Saturday, but I was cross-eyed with tiredness from the long work week and just wanted to "veg" out on the sofa and disconnect from the world.  I haven't been sleeping well, "up and sparky" by 1 am for the past several nights (freakin hormones) and wanted nothing better than to try and get 6-7 hours of snooze time.

Sunday morning dawned soggy and COLD with wind chills in the 20's!  Perfect day for an installation.

Now SM and I are a pretty good team.  We work together well for the most part.  I like to think that he's the muscle and I'm the brains but in reality we both have our moments of shear stupidity along with infrequent moments of brilliance.  And we always fight.  At least once during whatever project we're undertaking.  I really shouldn't call it a fight, it's more like two dogs barking at each other.  We get frustrated, then we get snippy.

I think we're a pretty normal couple in that way.  We start off fine, but then at some point tempers flare, voices are raised and those snippy comments pop out.  

Communication between the sexes is a complete and total mystery.  Even after 25 years of marrinage, you'd think we would be able to understand each other better than that.

There is a pattern to our "Projects".  SM always dives in and feels his way along, skipping steps.  "Instructions?  I don't need no stinkin instructions!"

I, on the other hand, have a tendancy to over-analyze everything to the point that nothing gets done because I'm still trying to figure the instructions out.

Things started off good.  I'm keeping my distance but I've got my "eye" on the situation ready to step in when needed (or asked). I let SM run with it for a few minutes and then reminded him to turn off the electric and water. 

"I was getting there..."  SM says, with the old dishwasher halfway out of the hole.

By this time I've picked up the instruction manual and settled myself at the kitchen table with some seed catalogs, flagging interesting items as I flipped through things, while periodically reading from the instruction manual at certain points in the process.


SM's chugging along just fine with following all the recommended steps when I read "Move the new dishwasher into the hole."

"No."  SM says. 
"No??" I ask confused.
"No.  We can't put it in until we've cleaned up the floor, and adjusted the cabinet."  (The end piece was loose.  He wants to put some angle brackets in to help support the cabinet.)
"What are we waiting for?"  I asked.
"For the drill to recharge."  SM says. 
"And how long is that going to take?"  I ask, firing the first snippy salvo.  (I hate delays.)
"Just a few minutes."  He was right.  By the time I'd finished cleaning the floor the drill was ready. 


"Do you want to screw or push the cabinet?" SM asked.  "I'll push."  Which I tried to do but my upper body strength sucks so we switched spots.  I got in the hole and drilled while SM pushed.  Misson completed, I then asked SM to hand me the camera. That's how this picture came about.


Yes, that's me in the hole, so we all know my ass is not THAT big.  SM took this picture because he was getting snippy that I asked him to hand me camera so I could take THIS picture.


I had noticed that the socks I was wearing looked like the socks of the Wicked Witch of the East.  You know, from the Wizard of Oz.  The house fell on the Witch and her toes curled up?



See what I mean? 

Anyway SM was getting snippy that I was snapping pictures when we could be working.  (There is no sense of humor in a man who is under a time constraint because the NFL playoffs are on in a few hours.)

"Alright, alright..." Moving on.

Instruction manual in hand, we've now managed to "wodge" the dishwasher in the hole and are both on our bellies looking underneath to attach the drain hose.  Done. 

Now for the 90* degree elbow fitting to connect the water supply.  Which we knew we didn't have so SM had to make a Lowes run.  Fine.

Then comes the parting shot...

"I just hope the elbow fitting fits the existing braided water cable we have.  If it doesn't we'll have to pull everything back out." SM says grabbing his keys to leave.

"What do you mean?  Don't these things come in one size?" I ask still on my belly. 

I grab the water cable which displays a 3/8" tag and grab the instruction manual.  Flipping to the front, SM and are suddenly both talking at the same time, practically yelling at each other in frustration, neither one of us making much sense.  Frustrated, I confirm that the elbow connector is indeed 3/8" that fits on a 3/8" inch water hose.  We part company for a very timely break.

The rest of the installation goes along much better with both participants back in the ring helping each other out in a friendlier manner now that the end is in sight. 

BTW, the dishwasher works just fine.  We must've done something right!

Is this how a project goes down at your house? 

Sunday, January 22, 2012

What Are Your Thoughts On This Hobson?

First off...Thank you ALL so much for your feedback from yesterdays post on worm composting.  It was much as I suspected, too much fussing over something that's quite simple.

My first "ah ha" moment was Jane's comment that the worms didn't eat as much as she thought they would.  I had wondered about that.  I've told SM that composting has GOT to be a priority this year and while I want the worms, I'm also looking at the "tumbler type" of composting bin to help speed things up.  But that's a discussion for another time. 

Lynda's observations about just letting things be is also valuable.  I think we all have a tendency to want to push things along and manipulate the system.  "Just let things be"...It'll all work out.

Chipmunk has me agreeing that this little farm ain't going in my house (or garage for that matter).  Plus when SM and I were discussing it, SM had his nose wrinkled like he could all ready smell the worms.  (Have I mentioned before that SM's kryptonite is any sort of waste?  Poop, decomposing matter...anything stinky and SM is heading in the other direction.  Good thing we never had kids. ;)

Liisa...you are SO sweet to offer me your tray system but as you can see, I've changed my mind.  Thanks again though!

Tom's advice sealed the deal.  Interestingly, I'd had the thought in the back of my mind..."Why not convert one of the raised beds into an outdoor composting bin." 

I think my biggest concern was the temperature extremes by keeping them outside.  I felt I HAD to keep it mobile.  Both Lynda and Tom have confirmed that the worms can actually survive extreme temperatures better than I'd thought.  This is North Carolina after all.  The ground never freezes like it did in Ohio.  And while it's true things can get a bit toasty around here in the Summer, I think the worms can travel deeper where it's cooler for a few hours during the heat of the day.

I had noted last year that the plants in my raised beds did poorly during the summer heat.  Anything that was "in ground" thrived.  So my "seasons" for using the raised beds are only Spring and Fall.  I might consider transferring the soil out of one of the raised beds and converting part of the bed into a worm composting area.  

This got me "googling" raised bed worm composting and I came across another idea that I might consider.  Have any of you tried a Worm Tower?  Click on the link and check out the video. 

Cheap, easy and it offers direct and instant benefits to the plants around it.  I also like the idea that you can move it around if needed.  You can start by creating all these little "towers" directly into your garden and just "stagger" your start times and feeding schedule. 

Hmmm...more things to consider.  What are your thoughts on this Hobson?



(* From the movie Arthur.  Truly one of the best comedies EVER.)

Arthur: Oh, stay with me, Hobson. You know I hate to be alone.
Hobson: Yes, bathing is a lonely business.
Arthur: Except for fish.
Hobson: I beg your pardon? Did you say "except for fish"?
Arthur: Yes... fish all bathe together. Although they do tend to eat one another. I often think... fish must get awfully tired of seafood. What are you thoughts, Hobson?

Hobson: Pardon me...
[rises, removes Arthur's top hat and smacks him upside the head]

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Lets Talk Worms

I've been interested in worm composting or vermiculture for a while now.



I've been reading how some of you...Lynda, Tom, Jane...are already "Master Worm Wranglers."  I'd be really interested in getting your feedback on what works and doesn't work for you.

Here's a nice Worm PDF that I found.  I read through it and it seems easy enough...but to be honest, I'm just a little bit intimidated by it all.  I suppose I just need to "do it" and see how it goes but any suggestions you can toss at me would be appreciated.

My biggest concern is that I feel that the little guys are going to have to spend some time here in the house during the COLD winter nights and during the HOT summer days.  So I'd like to keep the system mobile.

Should I just buy one of the tray systems that you see online?  Or does the "rubbermaid make it yourself" bins work just as well?

Worm Factory DS3GT 3-Tray Worm Composter, Green


After reading all the comments, I'm leaning towards a tray system like this one.  I don't mind spending the money if it's a good system that keeps the "stinky" factor down and is mobile enough that I can move it indoors when it's necessary.

What'da think?

Monday, January 16, 2012

Ya Gotta Start Somewhere

Most of us who garden (or Homestead) start to do so because of a desire to eat better.  When the gardening bug hit's you it's like being a "babe in the woods."  You have to start at the begining.  Babysteps.  You have so much to learn.  Mostly through trial and error.  But these days you most often get your tips from online sources.  At least I do.  Funny, I rarely find a knowledgeable nursery person anymore.  Maybe it's all about the "sale"?

As we go along, we discover that we like providing a sustainable food source for our families through the use of veggie gardens, fruit trees and berry patches.  Then we want to do more. 

Some of us will take it to the next level and go down the road of livestock management.  Others will grow grain for personal and livestock consumption.  We learn to harvest, process and preserve our bounty thereby ensuring a self sufficient lifestyle that is astonishingly rewarding.

Most of us start this journey by digging deep in our own backyards.  We'll start off with the thought "How hard can this be?".  I know that's what I thought.  "Plant the seed.  Watch it grow.  Easy."

Ha!  "Oh, there is so much to learn grasshopper."

I've documented my own journey on this blog.  But I love visiting other blogsites and watching You Tube videos.  If they had a TV channel all about farming, gardening and preserving, I'd watch that too. 

During the dark days, when I'm dreaming about Spring and what I hope to do within my own little world, I start trolling the internet. 

Today, I thought I'd share some of the links and videos that I've found recently.  Some are videos that you may or may not have seen.  They're new to me so I thought I'd toss them out there.

River Cottage Urban Small Holding is on You Tube and is a series of 5 short videos about 5 families in Britian who have never been exposed to growing veggies and raising animals.  With the help of their mentor Hugh, they take an acre and a half of raw land in an urban setting and create a sustainable "small holding."

What a charming series.  It's an introduction to the whole "grow and raise your own food" concept.  I love to see the "awakening" in the minds of the families (watch the kids faces) who are participating in this project.  The idea of providing for oneself was (and is continuing to be) a life changing experience for SM and I as well.  Wouldn't it be lovely if everyone was exposed to such ideas? 

Another nice site is Peak Moment . 



I found Peak Moment by watching Four Acres and Independence a video about a self sustaining homestead.  Mark discusses raising his geese and sheep for personal consumption.  He shows us his orchard, his homemade food dehydrator, mushroom logs and kitchen garden.  I just love to tour other peoples gardens and homesteads.

The Peak Moment site appears to offer up a lot of interesting topics that would appeal to a broad audience.  To be honest, I haven't really investigated their site very much but from what I've seen so far, I think I'll be spending some time scrolling though and taking a peek at a lot of the shows they offer.  Here's a description from their site: 

Peak Moment is a biweekly series about resilient, locally reliant living for these challenging times. Programs feature host Janaia Donaldson's conversations and tours with guests responding to accelerating energy and resource decline, climate chaos, and economic uncertainty. Sample topics include: local food production; simple living; renewables; transportation alternatives; sustainable building; intentional community; personal, economic, business, and governmental responses.

Here is a video about Pickards Mountain Eco-Institute which is here in NC. They introduce an idea called "Transistion Town Movement" which I'd never heard of before.

I googled it and found endless links about Transistion Towns.  Communities who are coming together to address the economic issues of energy, food and climate change that are impacting them.

This got me to thinking about putting out a flyer in my neighborhood to see if anyone is interested in starting a gardening "club" of sorts.  It's hard to be "snoop-y" trying to look in my neighbors back yards, but I'm pretty certain there are at least a dozen families with sizeable veggie patches like mine. I'd love to pick their brains about what is (or isn't) working for them.  

Have you found other links or videos that you've found interesting that you'd like to share?  Let me know, I'd love to check them out.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Sweet Cheeks

SM and I went and did the "mother-load" of shopping yesterday.  We went to Sams Club for our bulk purchases first and then went to Walmart for the smaller stuff. 

We were trolling around with the cart at Walmart, wandering up and down the crowded asiles.  Sometimes we would seperate to grab an item here and there.  I came back after grabbing some catfood and I noticed this in the top basket.



I didn't say anything. 

We went to check out and I started gabbing with the cashier about "life".  She's bagging our food items as she's scanning and SM is grabbing the bags and putting them back in the cart.  The last thing is the Honeybun and as she scans it, she stops gabbing for a minute and hands it directly to SM, looks him in the eye and says... "I know you'll want to eat this first thing."

I started laughing and even SM had to smile when I said "Funny, how she knew that belonged to you."

I turned to the cashier and added, "I almost asked you to ring that up seperately."  (grin)

BTW, SM said it was very good. 

Such a bad, bad boy.

Saturday, January 14, 2012

The Downward Slide

I turn 50 this year.  That's right.  The big five ohhh.  I always become 1 year older at the New Year.  I tell people I'm 50 now even though the B-day is a few more months away.  Not sure why, but I've always done it that way.  January 1st rolls around, Yep...I'm another year older.

In my head though, I still feel like I'm in my 30's.  Which can be kinda creepy when you see a hot guy who's 35 and you realize you're 15 years older than he is.  His kids could be your grand babies and he's looking at you like you're his Mom.  You always hear about the "creepy old guy" but not about the "creepy old lady".  Are we just better at hiding our creepy moments? 

I can sympathize with Demi's depression right now.  Young hotty Ashton says "bye-bye" and reality will smack a girl right upside the head.  And Demi Moore will always be hotter than the majority of women her age.  Some women have just got it going on genetically.  Has anyone seen Raquel Welch lately?  The girl is in her 70's and looks better than I ever did in my 20's. 

It's a weird head game that goes on as you get older.  It's still a bit of a shock to come around the corner and catch a glimpse of myself.  Where did all my youthful "hotness" go?

This past year, I've seen the biggest changes in my physical looks.  Softer, rounder...my weight is about the same but I have to buy bigger jeans cause the weight is in a different place now.  And my face!  No wonder plastic surgery is so popular.  Sorry to say, but there won't be a trout-pout in my future.  No botox either.  I can see the appeal.  I can understand the mindset.  It's just not for me.  I'll probably continue to color my hair until the grey outnumbers the brown but that's about all I'm willing to do.  I still want to look like me

Of all the changes happening as I get older, the one that concerns me the most is the limitations of my body.  I'm noticing that my recovery from overexertion is a lot longer than it used to be.  Aches and pains take a lot longer to go away.  I've noticed that my hand "grip" sucks.  I literally can't open a bottle of water without help.  My legs, hips and back are killing me after a long surgery day at work.  Ibuprofen wants to become my new best friend.  I'm resisting it though.  I've never been much of a pill-popper.  I still prefer a hot shower, a glass of wine and a day of rest.  All this helps for sure, but how much longer will my body be able to tolerate the demands of my job?

This concerns me because SM and I are part of the millions of Americans who will rely on our Social Security check to cover the majority of our daily household needs.  The government is telling me I need to work until I'm 67.  That's 17 more years.  I hope I'm able to do it, but I'm beginning to realize that there will come a point when I'm going to have to admit that I can't physically sustain the pace that I keep now.  I'll have to change my occupation or go part time which will likely mean a diminished paycheck.  Less money is still better than NO money but still...It's a scary thought.  Even scarier if one of us becomes sick.  Anyway you look at it, our standard of living is shifting downward. 

We're not even considered middle class anymore.  I made more money 10 years ago than I do now.  And it's going to get worse.  Our gravy train is gone.  Welcome to the new norm.  (Don't you find that phrase annoying?)

I've noticed lately that I'm on the "lookout" for women who are older than me that are still employed.  What do they do for a living?  Full time or part time?  If I get the chance, I pick their brains.  What did you used to do?  When and why did you change?  How do you feel?  How much longer do you think you'll be in the game? 

I've always been a big fan of mentors.  When you're at school or work, finding that special person who "gets you" and can help guide you into your future is priceless. 

My "life mentor" right now is Susan.  Or "Miss Susan" as I call her cause she's a Southern lady born and bred.  She moves through her life in such a graceful way.  I admire her very much.  She's relaxed and calm and she helps calm me down.  We work well together.  She's 14 years older than I am and used to do my job.  She moved into a receptionist position with our company 10 years ago due to the physical complaints she experienced.  She used to be full time but has moved into a part time situation that she enjoys very much.  We often talk about when she might quit for good (Who knows?) and I tease her back that I plan on taking her job when she does retire. 

I've always been the type of girl that looks for the pot holes in the road I'm traveling.  If I can recognize an upcoming problem than I can take the steps now to curve around the pot hole, thereby ensuring success.

This is a pretty big pot hole.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

The Great Dishwasher Debate

It seems that all appliances have a life cycle anymore.  And it's usually shorter than you might think.  In the past few years we've replaced washing machines and dryers, refrigerators, TV's and PC's.

Last weekend, our 13 year old dishwasher started to make a horrible "I'm about to die" noise.  I let it complete it's cycle so all the water would drain, emptied it, and rolled out the police tape.



"What happened?"  SM inquired. 

"Didn't you hear it?  I asked, knowing full well that SM was napping in the lazy boy.  "It's dying.  Making a loud, grinding noise."

"I'll start researching dishwashers then."  SM replied heading over to the computer.

"Can't Bob come out and fix it?"  I asked.  (Bob is our small appliance repair guy.  We were on a retainer with him for a few years nursing our old washer and dryer.  Bob's fees usually run $75-$100 to come out and fix whatever needs fixing.)

"It's not worth it.  It'll cost $100 bucks to fix it and I can buy a new one for $300."  SM decided.

"Well, if you want to, why don't we just leave it alone for now.  I don't mind hand washing the dishes and if you think about it, we'll use less water doing it by hand than letting it run though it's cycles.  Less electricity too." I contended.

"We don't use the dishwasher THAT often."  SM countered.  "Plus, I like the idea of sterilizing the dishes.  You don't get that when you do them by hand."

"We both grew up without dishwashers and we're both still here to talk about it.  Somehow I think we'll survive."  I offered.

So this past week, I've been hand washing the dishes. 


I remember washing the dishes as a kid.  I also remember always having dishwashers in our homes as I grew up and became an adult.  When you have a large family with constant dishes getting dirty, I can see how appealing a dishwasher could be.

But it's just the two of us and I really only cook during the weekends anymore.  During the week the only dishes that get dirty are glasses, plates and silverware.  Those are easy enough to wash up quickly.  And even if I do a TON of cooking on the weekends, I still have the time to wash up.

I'm starting to think that having a dishwasher is not a necessity in my life.  It's a lazy way to postpone something that can be whipped out in 5 or 10 minutes easily enough.

We'll see.  SM usually wins these types of electronic debates.  In his mind a home should have a dishwasher.  If I was selling the house, I'd agree with him.  But right now?  With just the two of us?

For now, I'm kind of OK with my dishpan hands.

Monday, January 9, 2012

Winter Blahs

You can always tell when a persons got the Winter Blahs. 


All you want to do is roll back over and go back to sleep.  Low motivation.  No interest in anything new.

It's been very mild here lately and I tell myself to get out of the house and go do some yard work.  Blah.

How about going to see a movie?  Blah.

A new book?  Blah.

The only thing that's got my attention right now is work.  This is our busy season right now.  The first few months of the year are always..."Go, go, go." 

Maybe that's why I'm so Blah.  I'm so tired on Saturdays from the long work week, that all I want to do is rest up.  Hopefully, my spark plug will get recharged soon. 

So if it's a bit quieter on the blog over the next few weeks, fret not!  I'm sure I'll snap out of it soon enough.

Friday, January 6, 2012

My Precious

During the long dark days of winter, I feel myself changing. 

My skin becomes whiter, my eyes adjust to the darkness so that the sun becomes my enemy.  I start to feel my hair fall out.  I become...



Gollum.  (Insert scream here)

Well...not really. 

But Gollum and I do have one thing in common.  We covet. 

Gollum can have his stupid ring as far as I'm concerned.  Look what came in the mail yesterday.


"My Precious." 

Oh Joy.  What eye candy the Baker Creek Catalog is to weary winter souls.  The colors!  The shapes!


I must have you. 


And you....and you.

SM see's me huddled over "My Precious" and tries to take it away from me. 

"Noooo...." I scream, pulling back. 

"You only have so much room to plant things and on top of that our bank account is only so big."  SM tries to reason.

"Must work more hours to make more money....Must expand garden even MORE!"  Says Gollum yanking the catalog back irritably.

Hm...Could this become my own personal Mount Doom?

Nah....

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

The Sunny Side of The Street

I was trolling through some of my favorite blogs this morning and came across Jenna's blog at Cold Antler

A couple of days ago she wrote a post titled "On Comments" about readers of her blog who posted negative comments to the point that she's considering not allowing commenting on her blog at all.

This got me to thinking about blogging in general.  One of my BIGGEST concerns when I first started blogging would be "what would people think about what I have to say." 

This single thought, in and of itself, is with me every time I hit the "publish post" button. 

It's my auto-censure. 

Am I writing something that's too personal, too controversial, too snarky?  If I'm not sure, I sit on the post for awhile and consider "diluting" the content a bit.  How honest do I really want to be?  Will SM think what I've shared is too personal?  Do I really want to talk about things that might piss some people off or open myself to criticism?

When we sit down face to face we use the social "manners" that we were taught as kids.  There are just some things that people in polite company don't discuss or if you DO discuss it, you tend to "tread lightly" so as not to offend.

I tend to think that my blog is light and fluffy.  You won't find any earth-shattering discoveries in any of my posts.  I'm walking the sunny side of the street for the most part.  I like to point out the humor (sometimes embarrassingly so) in a situation but I don't do it to cause hurt.  I do it because I honestly think it's funny.

Still, it makes me reflect. 

I personally love to make comments and get comments.  I learn so much about what people think, what they've experienced, what their life's lessons have taught them. 

I've never gotten what I considered a "negative" comment here.  But I do understand how that could make the hair on the back of my neck stand up.  You bet I'd be defensive.  And then I'd probably be sad. 

I've learned over the years that you can be told how great you are 50 different ways to Sunday, but if just one person has a criticism...Well, that's all you hear.  Then you think badly of yourself, your performance.  You start to question yourself.

And that's just too bad...

Maybe we all need to be reminded about our manners.  What is it they say? 

If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. 

Words to live by.

Monday, January 2, 2012

Get Cracking

We're supposed to get into the low 20's tonight, below 20 tomorrow.  I've left the carrots in the raised bed so far this winter only pulling what I needed at the time.  I'm not sure if I could have left them in ground or not but I felt it better not to take a chance and waste them.

So I pulled what was left of the carrot bed this morning.


10 lb's of fresh carrots salvaged.  Still sweet and crisp! 

Don't ya just love fresh carrots!  And the shapes!  Just look at these "Happy Feet" carrots dancing.


I also went through all the "fresh eating" apples this morning.


The Honeycrisp and Pinklady's had lost their crispness.  The skins were wrinkling.  The Granny's were still firm but were also losing that fresh, crisp taste so I spent all day today making applesauce.  SM observes " That's a lot of applesauce."  I got about 7 quarts out of those soon to be wasted apples.

"Waste not, want not" is a phrase I grew up hearing.  I googled it to find it's been around a lot longer than I have (1772) but I actually like the original phrase better.  "Willful waste makes woeful want" (1576).   Try to say that 5 times fast.

Phrases like that get me motivated.  Sometimes you just need that little angel (or devil) on your shoulder telling you that it's time to get off your sorry butt and get to the task at hand. 



"Make hay while the sun shines" is another favorite.  "Take time when time cometh, lest time steal away." 

(When I was young, I spent a day helping the farmer I worked for bale hay one afternoon.  Why just one day at it?  That was the day I discovered I was allergic to something in the hay.  I had a bloody nose most of the time and was sneezing all afternoon.  I did find the work fun though.  (Hey, I was young and I wasn't a farmers kid so anything different was fun for me.  Plus hay smells SO GOOD and it was fun being a girl out with the guys doing "guy's work.")

So many good sayings out there.  What are some of your favorites?  A story behind it?