Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Try Not To Cry...
I planted my onion sets this weekend!
It's hard to believe but I've NEVER grown onions. We don't eat a ton of onions around here but I've been shocked at the price tags at the store. So I bought an Intermediate Day "Sampler" from Dixondale Farms. My favorites are red onions, they just seem crisper to me. But not being an onion aficionado I figured I couldn't go wrong with the sampler.
Dixondale sends you a nice brochure with recommendations on how to grow the best onions.
I planted mine in one of the raised beds and noted that I didn't have the correct fertilizer combination that they recommended. Oh well... I'll try to make a note of it and buy the correct combination later.
At least Miss Ginny approves of my onion planting skills. The brochure suggested planting them 2" apart if you want to eat green onions as you go, pulling every other onion and allowing the ones left behind to grow to maturity. So that's what I did. The bed I planted them in had some leaves on top so I just brushed those to the side, planted the sets and then bruched the leaf mulch back around the onions. The brochure said that when the onions start to "bulb" you should brush away all mulch.
So here we go! Hopefully I'll get a nice harvest. Just to look at it, it's a LOT of onions. Try not to cry. The crying will come later when I cutting em all up.
It's hard to believe but I've NEVER grown onions. We don't eat a ton of onions around here but I've been shocked at the price tags at the store. So I bought an Intermediate Day "Sampler" from Dixondale Farms. My favorites are red onions, they just seem crisper to me. But not being an onion aficionado I figured I couldn't go wrong with the sampler.
Dixondale sends you a nice brochure with recommendations on how to grow the best onions.
I planted mine in one of the raised beds and noted that I didn't have the correct fertilizer combination that they recommended. Oh well... I'll try to make a note of it and buy the correct combination later.
At least Miss Ginny approves of my onion planting skills. The brochure suggested planting them 2" apart if you want to eat green onions as you go, pulling every other onion and allowing the ones left behind to grow to maturity. So that's what I did. The bed I planted them in had some leaves on top so I just brushed those to the side, planted the sets and then bruched the leaf mulch back around the onions. The brochure said that when the onions start to "bulb" you should brush away all mulch.
So here we go! Hopefully I'll get a nice harvest. Just to look at it, it's a LOT of onions. Try not to cry. The crying will come later when I cutting em all up.
Monday, February 27, 2012
A Little Bit Of This, A Little Bit Of That
Lissa over at Lissa's Garden Journey posted a link about Back To Eden , a movie about a fellow in the Pacific NW and his theory on "wood chip" gardening that he's developed over the past 15 years.
It's a beautifully made movie but a little long at 1 1/2 hrs. He gets a bit repetitive and could have wrapped things up sooner but it was worth the time I spent watching it. (*Saturday turned out very cold with the gusting winds. SM managed to mow the lawn and I started to prune some rose bushes but we called a day and took our frozen buns back inside.)
There was a lot to take away from the movie but in retrospect I ultimately feel that if I'd been gardening the same patch of land for 15 years, adding rich composting elements to the soil along the way, observing my results and then having a few years of a "eureka" garden...Well, I'd likely be shouting from the rooftops too.
The fun thing to me about gardening is all of the opinions that are out there. Lots of variables. Sharing what works and what doesn't with each other. Whenever I see videos or hear opinions on a new "miracle" for gardeners, I always take it with a grain of salt. "Well...maybe" is my thought process. I like to research a bit, dig a little deeper so to speak. Is it really the miracle you think it is? For example, I found this link at Garden Rant with comments about what people think about adding wood chips to your garden. Who knew it was such a hot topic?
Now please don't think I'm poo-pooing his theory. Not at all. It's obvious that he feels passionately about his method. And his results speak for themselves. But I've learned that to embrace just one "theory" is a dangerous thing. Common sense must be considered. I did like that he addressed the fact that you just can't toss a huge pile of wood chips on the ground, toss in some seeds and expect something to happen. His wood chip garden took years to produce. He shares with us his building blocks of a successful garden.
Now, I don't want to wait years before I get good results. So while I will consider his methods for building up the future of my garden, I do need to consider right now too.
In life, I believe that moderation is a good thing. A little bit of this and a little bit of that. I try to tell myself this daily because I DO tend to commit whole hog to something I like. (I could eat popcorn everyday of the rest of my life. Do I do it? No. But wait... I do manage to eat ice cream everyday though. Ha, shoots that theory in the foot doesn't it?)
This year is the start of my third year gardening. I still consider myself a "newbie" in many ways but I have learned a few things in a short period of time.
So I thought I'd share with you a few of my personal list of reminders. Almost a chant, that I make myself say over and over.
Try not to fuss too much. I've discovered (much to my shock and amazement) that if I just let things be, it turns out all right. This is hard for me as I'm still breaking a lifetime of habits. Tomato cages and pruning, Sven dust, compost piles...everything is up for review. The less I interfere the better off things are.
Go organic. Well, Duh. Just the thought of applying those chemicals we used to use as a child gives me the willies. Funny that I STILL eat non organic things though...
Lasagna just makes sense. I know that everyone's got an opinion. From "till" to "no till" gardens, raised beds vs straw bale gardening, double dig vs lasagna. I think you can mix and match like I do but both SM and I see the sense in a "no till or lasagna method". Time will tell of course but that's where we're heading.
Quality matters. I will never again buy seeds from a big box store. GMO? No, Thanks. My first year I planted all big box seeds and the return was pitiful. The second year I bought from Seed Savers Exchange and Baker Creek. BIG difference.
These are just a few of my lessons learned. Do you have your own "chant" that you'd like to share?
It's a beautifully made movie but a little long at 1 1/2 hrs. He gets a bit repetitive and could have wrapped things up sooner but it was worth the time I spent watching it. (*Saturday turned out very cold with the gusting winds. SM managed to mow the lawn and I started to prune some rose bushes but we called a day and took our frozen buns back inside.)
There was a lot to take away from the movie but in retrospect I ultimately feel that if I'd been gardening the same patch of land for 15 years, adding rich composting elements to the soil along the way, observing my results and then having a few years of a "eureka" garden...Well, I'd likely be shouting from the rooftops too.
The fun thing to me about gardening is all of the opinions that are out there. Lots of variables. Sharing what works and what doesn't with each other. Whenever I see videos or hear opinions on a new "miracle" for gardeners, I always take it with a grain of salt. "Well...maybe" is my thought process. I like to research a bit, dig a little deeper so to speak. Is it really the miracle you think it is? For example, I found this link at Garden Rant with comments about what people think about adding wood chips to your garden. Who knew it was such a hot topic?
Now please don't think I'm poo-pooing his theory. Not at all. It's obvious that he feels passionately about his method. And his results speak for themselves. But I've learned that to embrace just one "theory" is a dangerous thing. Common sense must be considered. I did like that he addressed the fact that you just can't toss a huge pile of wood chips on the ground, toss in some seeds and expect something to happen. His wood chip garden took years to produce. He shares with us his building blocks of a successful garden.
Now, I don't want to wait years before I get good results. So while I will consider his methods for building up the future of my garden, I do need to consider right now too.
In life, I believe that moderation is a good thing. A little bit of this and a little bit of that. I try to tell myself this daily because I DO tend to commit whole hog to something I like. (I could eat popcorn everyday of the rest of my life. Do I do it? No. But wait... I do manage to eat ice cream everyday though. Ha, shoots that theory in the foot doesn't it?)
This year is the start of my third year gardening. I still consider myself a "newbie" in many ways but I have learned a few things in a short period of time.
So I thought I'd share with you a few of my personal list of reminders. Almost a chant, that I make myself say over and over.
Try not to fuss too much. I've discovered (much to my shock and amazement) that if I just let things be, it turns out all right. This is hard for me as I'm still breaking a lifetime of habits. Tomato cages and pruning, Sven dust, compost piles...everything is up for review. The less I interfere the better off things are.
Go organic. Well, Duh. Just the thought of applying those chemicals we used to use as a child gives me the willies. Funny that I STILL eat non organic things though...
Lasagna just makes sense. I know that everyone's got an opinion. From "till" to "no till" gardens, raised beds vs straw bale gardening, double dig vs lasagna. I think you can mix and match like I do but both SM and I see the sense in a "no till or lasagna method". Time will tell of course but that's where we're heading.
Quality matters. I will never again buy seeds from a big box store. GMO? No, Thanks. My first year I planted all big box seeds and the return was pitiful. The second year I bought from Seed Savers Exchange and Baker Creek. BIG difference.
These are just a few of my lessons learned. Do you have your own "chant" that you'd like to share?
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Don't Stop Till You Get Enough
It's tough being a man.
At least I assume so since I'm not a man. Then again, I suppose a guy might think it's tough being a girl.
The point is is that we all need different things to get us through the day.
I'm an introvert. SM is an extrovert. I get my "battery" recharged in solitary pursuits. Home time, reading and writing. SM draws his energy from the hustle and bustle of people, places and things.
Hanging out with me day in and day out is not very exciting. Entertaining perhaps, but not the thrill ride a guy like SM might like to have. So every now and then a guys' just gotta get away. And where can you get all excitment you can handle? That's right. Vegas, Baby!
The first hint came the other day. SM's on the computer and I'm getting ready to leave for work.
"The Beliagio is only $100 a night. That's an incredable price." SM says as I walk by.
"Mmmm Hmmm...Remember Boo has to be at the Vets at 8." I say bending to kiss him goodbye for the day and I'm off.
Saturday morning, since it was still cold outside, we decided to get the grocery shopping out of the way. I'm driving and we're talking about Spring and weather and gas prices and stay-cations. Here comes hint #2.
"I feel bad that we haven't gone anywhere the last few years." SM offers.
"Yeah well, you know me. I'm OK hanging out at the house. I know it's not your cup of tea, though..." I reply. "I saw an article that was talking about gas prices and how it's going to impact the vacation and travel industry."
"Vegas understands that. That's why prices are so good right now. The Beliago is only $100 a night." SM reminds me.
"Do you want to get away for a weekend?" I ask. "We can see if we can get a freebie frequent flyer flight."
"Actually I was thinking of going by myself..."Such and Such" trade show is happening in March." SM says.
"By yourself? That can't be fun. If you want, I'll go along." I offer.
"You'll just harsh my mellow..." SM says, his eyes cutting sideways at me with a small smile.
"So you don't want me to go?" I ask "What are you going to do? Drink, gamble, smoke cigars and go look at boobs?"
"They're all artifical..." SM brushes me off. "No, I'll hang out with some of the guys from "XYZ". I just feel the need to get away."
"OK...I know you've been feeling it lately." The "it" being the "blahs".
I suppose some couples are joined at the hip. But I'm OK if SM needs a little "guy time". And even though SM "asks" me if I'm OK with it, I'm really not one to make a fuss about what a person needs to get him or herself through the day. So do what you need to. I'm cool with it.
And I appreciate being able to do a Happy Dance same as the next person. (This is one of my favorite Seinfeld clips.) Sometimes a guy's just gotta be a guy. (You Go Superman)
So I've encouraged SM to start checking flights. Hopefully he'll get his battery recharged. And Hey...he'll be out of my hair for a few days.
It's a Win-Win for both of us don't cha think?
At least I assume so since I'm not a man. Then again, I suppose a guy might think it's tough being a girl.
The point is is that we all need different things to get us through the day.
I'm an introvert. SM is an extrovert. I get my "battery" recharged in solitary pursuits. Home time, reading and writing. SM draws his energy from the hustle and bustle of people, places and things.
Hanging out with me day in and day out is not very exciting. Entertaining perhaps, but not the thrill ride a guy like SM might like to have. So every now and then a guys' just gotta get away. And where can you get all excitment you can handle? That's right. Vegas, Baby!
The first hint came the other day. SM's on the computer and I'm getting ready to leave for work.
"The Beliagio is only $100 a night. That's an incredable price." SM says as I walk by.
"Mmmm Hmmm...Remember Boo has to be at the Vets at 8." I say bending to kiss him goodbye for the day and I'm off.
Saturday morning, since it was still cold outside, we decided to get the grocery shopping out of the way. I'm driving and we're talking about Spring and weather and gas prices and stay-cations. Here comes hint #2.
"I feel bad that we haven't gone anywhere the last few years." SM offers.
"Yeah well, you know me. I'm OK hanging out at the house. I know it's not your cup of tea, though..." I reply. "I saw an article that was talking about gas prices and how it's going to impact the vacation and travel industry."
"Vegas understands that. That's why prices are so good right now. The Beliago is only $100 a night." SM reminds me.
"Do you want to get away for a weekend?" I ask. "We can see if we can get a freebie frequent flyer flight."
"Actually I was thinking of going by myself..."Such and Such" trade show is happening in March." SM says.
"By yourself? That can't be fun. If you want, I'll go along." I offer.
"You'll just harsh my mellow..." SM says, his eyes cutting sideways at me with a small smile.
"So you don't want me to go?" I ask "What are you going to do? Drink, gamble, smoke cigars and go look at boobs?"
"They're all artifical..." SM brushes me off. "No, I'll hang out with some of the guys from "XYZ". I just feel the need to get away."
"OK...I know you've been feeling it lately." The "it" being the "blahs".
I suppose some couples are joined at the hip. But I'm OK if SM needs a little "guy time". And even though SM "asks" me if I'm OK with it, I'm really not one to make a fuss about what a person needs to get him or herself through the day. So do what you need to. I'm cool with it.
And I appreciate being able to do a Happy Dance same as the next person. (This is one of my favorite Seinfeld clips.) Sometimes a guy's just gotta be a guy. (You Go Superman)
So I've encouraged SM to start checking flights. Hopefully he'll get his battery recharged. And Hey...he'll be out of my hair for a few days.
It's a Win-Win for both of us don't cha think?
Saturday, February 25, 2012
O Happy Day!
The past few weeks have been filled with a few challenges here at 500 Dollar Tomato. But I've learned, as have many of you, that if you can somehow manage to put one foot in front of the other, take another breath...Well, things will eventually turn around for you.
When I was a teenager I read Gone With The Wind. I still have the book, a beat up old thing. One of the things that impacted me about Scarlett is that she never gave up. I loved her last line. "Tara! Home! I'll go home. And I'll think of some way to get him back. After all...Tomorrow is another day!"
Debbie called me last night to say "I just had to call to let you know that Scooter actually greeted me at the front door along with Ginny and Casey." I guess he'd been weak enough that he didn't even bother to run over to see her when she came. So she was thrilled when he actually did!
Anyone with eyes in their head can see that he's feeling better. Today he walked a whole mile with us and had energy to spare! He's got a twinkle in his eye and a spring in his step. He's back to eating his normal food and snackies. We did a blood draw yesterday so we'll soon see what the Vet thinks about his prognosis.
Speaking of steroids, I flipped Ginny over Wednesday because she was scratching herself SO BADLY. Constantly. I'd never seen anything like it. I hadn't seen any fleas and couldn't figure out her response. She was scratching herself raw. A phone call to the Vet, a cortisone shot in the butt and 24 hours later I haven't seen Ginny scratch at all. Poor thing. They tell me the shot should hold her for 4-6 weeks.
I had a flat tire on the Jeep when I walked out from work on Thursday. I carefully drove to a station and filled it up with air. Closer inspection showed a HUGE nail stuck in it. SM swapped cars with me and got the tire plugged so I'm back in business now.
But the biggest reason that I'm a happy camper is because of this.
Do you see that? THAT, my friends, is a blue sky, something that my eyes are simply starved for after weeks of nothing but gray office walls, dark mornings and pitch black drives home at night. Rainy, cloudy weekends that made my hatred of February a palatable thing.
O Happy Day! It may be only 50 degrees and windy today, but I plan on spending as much of today as I can outside. Yard clean up beckons. Transplanting some things and planting others. My fingers in the dirt.
A blue sky weekend! Is there anything better?
When I was a teenager I read Gone With The Wind. I still have the book, a beat up old thing. One of the things that impacted me about Scarlett is that she never gave up. I loved her last line. "Tara! Home! I'll go home. And I'll think of some way to get him back. After all...Tomorrow is another day!"
Debbie called me last night to say "I just had to call to let you know that Scooter actually greeted me at the front door along with Ginny and Casey." I guess he'd been weak enough that he didn't even bother to run over to see her when she came. So she was thrilled when he actually did!
Anyone with eyes in their head can see that he's feeling better. Today he walked a whole mile with us and had energy to spare! He's got a twinkle in his eye and a spring in his step. He's back to eating his normal food and snackies. We did a blood draw yesterday so we'll soon see what the Vet thinks about his prognosis.
Speaking of steroids, I flipped Ginny over Wednesday because she was scratching herself SO BADLY. Constantly. I'd never seen anything like it. I hadn't seen any fleas and couldn't figure out her response. She was scratching herself raw. A phone call to the Vet, a cortisone shot in the butt and 24 hours later I haven't seen Ginny scratch at all. Poor thing. They tell me the shot should hold her for 4-6 weeks.
I had a flat tire on the Jeep when I walked out from work on Thursday. I carefully drove to a station and filled it up with air. Closer inspection showed a HUGE nail stuck in it. SM swapped cars with me and got the tire plugged so I'm back in business now.
But the biggest reason that I'm a happy camper is because of this.
Do you see that? THAT, my friends, is a blue sky, something that my eyes are simply starved for after weeks of nothing but gray office walls, dark mornings and pitch black drives home at night. Rainy, cloudy weekends that made my hatred of February a palatable thing.
O Happy Day! It may be only 50 degrees and windy today, but I plan on spending as much of today as I can outside. Yard clean up beckons. Transplanting some things and planting others. My fingers in the dirt.
A blue sky weekend! Is there anything better?
Thursday, February 23, 2012
That Flirty Girl
I woke up the other night with my eyes watering and my nose itching. You know, that itch no amount of rubbing gets rid of? I got up and sat in the lazy boy trying to fall back asleep, wondering if I was getting a cold, when it hits me. Allergies! Well, duh!
So I took my first allergy pill of the season and found immediate relief.
But in case I needed any confirmation that that flirty girl...Spring was paying us a visit, all I needed to do was to look around me.
Ouch, scratch, and sniff.
Ouch? SM's gouty toe is my compass to any seasonal changes we might be experiencing.
His gout usually flares up in the Spring and Fall and SM has complained of the pain the past few days, enough so that he took a percocet last night to help him be comfortable enough to fall asleep. "Go to happy place Squeetie Man!"
Scratch? Ginny is scratching double time right now. I feel SO sorry for her constant scratching that I've increasing her allergy medication by half.
Sniff? Well, that's just me and my allergies but I actually do have tears in my eyes for another reason. It's supposed to be a record breaking 76 degrees today and I'm in "the meat locker" (aka: surgery) this afternoon so by the time I get out I might, just might catch me a few moments with that flirty girl.
She's such a tease!
So I took my first allergy pill of the season and found immediate relief.
But in case I needed any confirmation that that flirty girl...Spring was paying us a visit, all I needed to do was to look around me.
Ouch, scratch, and sniff.
Ouch? SM's gouty toe is my compass to any seasonal changes we might be experiencing.
His gout usually flares up in the Spring and Fall and SM has complained of the pain the past few days, enough so that he took a percocet last night to help him be comfortable enough to fall asleep. "Go to happy place Squeetie Man!"
Scratch? Ginny is scratching double time right now. I feel SO sorry for her constant scratching that I've increasing her allergy medication by half.
Sniff? Well, that's just me and my allergies but I actually do have tears in my eyes for another reason. It's supposed to be a record breaking 76 degrees today and I'm in "the meat locker" (aka: surgery) this afternoon so by the time I get out I might, just might catch me a few moments with that flirty girl.
She's such a tease!
Monday, February 20, 2012
It Has Arrived...
I was going to write about the onions sets that came in this weekend. .
Maybe I'd wax poetic about the Little Gem Lettuce that I went ahead and started indoors since my craving for fresh salad is strong right now. Perhaps I'd have admired the Casabanana starts that are promising so much.
Instead, this morning in the dark...bare footed as usual...I stepped into Lake Scooter.
It has arrived. The dreaded Prednisone Pee.
I know Boo, it's not your fault. When a guys gotta go, a guys gotta GO!
No, the Vet warned me that this would happen. I suppose that along with your increased Zippity-Do-Da you'll also have that wonderful side effect of needing to pee every other minute. Which presents a problem since Mom is gone to work from 7am to 6 pm. You can't count on SM to be here much either. Some days it's local work, some days he's gone 14 hours to Fayetteville like he is today.
So the troops must be called in to help. Deb, our good friend across the street says she's happy to stop by in the afternoon when we're gone to let the little guy out. That's the plan for this week anyway. If his needs become more urgent, we'll have to consider a Plan B. Maybe a doggie door so he can come and go as he wants.
We'll see what the Vet says about his blood work this week. If he's heading for remission than we'll consider the dog door. Until then, we'll post this friendly reminder...
We are not without a sense of humor around here. ;)
Maybe I'd wax poetic about the Little Gem Lettuce that I went ahead and started indoors since my craving for fresh salad is strong right now. Perhaps I'd have admired the Casabanana starts that are promising so much.
Instead, this morning in the dark...bare footed as usual...I stepped into Lake Scooter.
It has arrived. The dreaded Prednisone Pee.
I know Boo, it's not your fault. When a guys gotta go, a guys gotta GO!
No, the Vet warned me that this would happen. I suppose that along with your increased Zippity-Do-Da you'll also have that wonderful side effect of needing to pee every other minute. Which presents a problem since Mom is gone to work from 7am to 6 pm. You can't count on SM to be here much either. Some days it's local work, some days he's gone 14 hours to Fayetteville like he is today.
So the troops must be called in to help. Deb, our good friend across the street says she's happy to stop by in the afternoon when we're gone to let the little guy out. That's the plan for this week anyway. If his needs become more urgent, we'll have to consider a Plan B. Maybe a doggie door so he can come and go as he wants.
We'll see what the Vet says about his blood work this week. If he's heading for remission than we'll consider the dog door. Until then, we'll post this friendly reminder...
We are not without a sense of humor around here. ;)
Sunday, February 19, 2012
If It Makes You Happy...
SM opens up the can of Science Diet and plops it on the plate.
"Smells like ass..." SM observes.
"Makes him fart something awful too. I tell you it lingers in the house for hours." He says wrinkling his nose.
"Sprinkle some of the dry food in there with it." I suggested busy getting the other dogs food in their bowls. We discovered that Scooter was more inclined to eat if we fed him along with rest of the pack.
We put everything down and step back. Ginny and Casey eat right away but if we "hover" Scooter tends to not eat. I pretend to be busy but stay close because the other two will muscle him aside and try to eat his food too. I hear him eating but it's slow going. I tempt Ginny and Casey away into the other room with rawhide chews and come back to see that Scooter has walked away. I offered it to him again. Nope.
"Seems like he shares your opinion." I say to SM. "It must taste like ass too."
I put the food on the counter and over the next few hours offered it to him periodically. No thanks. I left to go to work.
When I got home I tried again. Nope. So around lunch time I cooked up some rice, scrambled some eggs and mixed it with a plop of cottage cheese onto a plate and offered him a small portion of that.
He gobbled it right down. So I mixed up some more. Viola. Success!
"It's funny, the Science Diet is specially made to give him everything he needs nutritionally and he won't eat it." I observe.
"Can you take it back?" SM asks.
"Yea. Come to think of it, Cheryl (my Vet Tech) did say we could bring it back for a refund if he didn't eat it. Must happen a lot."
"So you're going to feed him rice and eggs? Is that wise?" SM asks.
"Well...I'll get some ground turkey thawed and fry that up. Toss in some veggies too, I think." I muse.
"What about the protein? Didn't the Vet want him on a low protein diet?" SM points out.
"True. But look at it this way. He needs to eat to keep up his strength. At this point I'll feed him ice cream if that what it takes. And ask yourself this. If your Doctor told you "You could live to be 100 but you have to eat oatmeal 24-7 for the rest of your life OR you could live to be 80 and eat whatever you want." What would you do?" I ask SM.
"Eat what I want." SM responds.
"Yep. Quality over quantity. If it's going to be a crappy life keeping him alive, what's the point? I'd rather he have a shorter, happier life than a long drawn out painful one."
Kind of a "no-brainer" for all of us. So dig in and enjoy that ice cream Kids. In the words of Sheryl Crow
If it makes you happy...It can't be that bad.
"Smells like ass..." SM observes.
"Makes him fart something awful too. I tell you it lingers in the house for hours." He says wrinkling his nose.
"Sprinkle some of the dry food in there with it." I suggested busy getting the other dogs food in their bowls. We discovered that Scooter was more inclined to eat if we fed him along with rest of the pack.
We put everything down and step back. Ginny and Casey eat right away but if we "hover" Scooter tends to not eat. I pretend to be busy but stay close because the other two will muscle him aside and try to eat his food too. I hear him eating but it's slow going. I tempt Ginny and Casey away into the other room with rawhide chews and come back to see that Scooter has walked away. I offered it to him again. Nope.
"Seems like he shares your opinion." I say to SM. "It must taste like ass too."
I put the food on the counter and over the next few hours offered it to him periodically. No thanks. I left to go to work.
When I got home I tried again. Nope. So around lunch time I cooked up some rice, scrambled some eggs and mixed it with a plop of cottage cheese onto a plate and offered him a small portion of that.
He gobbled it right down. So I mixed up some more. Viola. Success!
"It's funny, the Science Diet is specially made to give him everything he needs nutritionally and he won't eat it." I observe.
"Can you take it back?" SM asks.
"Yea. Come to think of it, Cheryl (my Vet Tech) did say we could bring it back for a refund if he didn't eat it. Must happen a lot."
"So you're going to feed him rice and eggs? Is that wise?" SM asks.
"Well...I'll get some ground turkey thawed and fry that up. Toss in some veggies too, I think." I muse.
"What about the protein? Didn't the Vet want him on a low protein diet?" SM points out.
"True. But look at it this way. He needs to eat to keep up his strength. At this point I'll feed him ice cream if that what it takes. And ask yourself this. If your Doctor told you "You could live to be 100 but you have to eat oatmeal 24-7 for the rest of your life OR you could live to be 80 and eat whatever you want." What would you do?" I ask SM.
"Eat what I want." SM responds.
"Yep. Quality over quantity. If it's going to be a crappy life keeping him alive, what's the point? I'd rather he have a shorter, happier life than a long drawn out painful one."
Kind of a "no-brainer" for all of us. So dig in and enjoy that ice cream Kids. In the words of Sheryl Crow
If it makes you happy...It can't be that bad.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Avoiding The Crapola In Life
Yesterday Sue commented:
"PS--I DESPISE the new word verification--sometimes it takes several tries to get it entered right. Old people eyes.........."
I agree! So I'll tempt fate just a little and disable my word verification and hope that I don't get "spammed" with a bunch of comment crapola. (Not saying your comments are crap...;)
I think I was on one of your blogs the other day and it took me 3 tries to get it posted! Who has that kind of time???
BTW...Scooter (aka Boo-Berry) is hanging in there. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR KIND WISHES!
I've (unfortunately) researched this disease a bit more and know that this will likely kill him or suppress his immune system so that something else will. We just don't know if it will be sooner rather than later. I don't say this to be mean, only to be realistic. He's weak, but he's eating and drinking. So enough about that for now.
We just might have a bit of sunshine today before more rain pulls in tomorrow. I'll be heading out to work for bit this morning but hope to spend the afternoon out in the yard searching for a good topic to post about tomorrow.
Lets just hope it's not a post on cleaning up dog "bombs". There's a weeks worth of another kind of crapola in my back yard. I know it's February and a slow news day but I hope I haven't sunk to a new low posting about THAT.
(Oh wait....I guess I just did!)
"PS--I DESPISE the new word verification--sometimes it takes several tries to get it entered right. Old people eyes.........."
I agree! So I'll tempt fate just a little and disable my word verification and hope that I don't get "spammed" with a bunch of comment crapola. (Not saying your comments are crap...;)
I think I was on one of your blogs the other day and it took me 3 tries to get it posted! Who has that kind of time???
BTW...Scooter (aka Boo-Berry) is hanging in there. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR KIND WISHES!
I've (unfortunately) researched this disease a bit more and know that this will likely kill him or suppress his immune system so that something else will. We just don't know if it will be sooner rather than later. I don't say this to be mean, only to be realistic. He's weak, but he's eating and drinking. So enough about that for now.
We just might have a bit of sunshine today before more rain pulls in tomorrow. I'll be heading out to work for bit this morning but hope to spend the afternoon out in the yard searching for a good topic to post about tomorrow.
Lets just hope it's not a post on cleaning up dog "bombs". There's a weeks worth of another kind of crapola in my back yard. I know it's February and a slow news day but I hope I haven't sunk to a new low posting about THAT.
(Oh wait....I guess I just did!)
Friday, February 17, 2012
More To The Story
Last week I posted about a "spat" that Scooter and Casey got into in the wee hours of the morning. I thought it was about a "sockie" that Scooter was being overly protective of. Turns out there was more to the story.
We noticed that during the days following Scooter was slowly refusing food. Sometimes he would eat. And if he did eat, it wasn't very much. He went out for walks with me every morning, but at other times seemed to just want to lay around. "Oooo....There's a bunny!" Off like a shot. Other times, no interest. Very puzzling behavior.
Then this week we had a few days where I don't think he was drinking much. I inspected is gums and noticed both his gums and tongue were pale. I told SM to take him to the vets as I was becoming concerned about dehydration. SM and I both suspected a mouth sensitivity issue like a bad tooth. Turns out, it was something much worse.
The Vet kept him all day Wed on an IV drip along with Dextrose. Blood work was sent out. The Vet felt his eyes and mouth were slightly jaundice and wanted to wait to see what the blood work said with results expected the next morning.
I picked him up Wed night with a couple of cans of special dog food and instructions to bring him back the next morning for another IV and monitoring. Wed night I watched him eat for the first time in days. The drip had done him good, you could tell he was feeling better.
Thursday, back to the Vet. I was preparing myself mentally to hear the worst. Liver cancer. (No, Thank goodness.) Diagnosis? AIHA or Auto Immune Hemolytic Anemia Bad enough but not as bad as the thoughts I had dancing around in my head.
Fortunately the Vet feels we caught it early. His liver panel is normal, no infection showing up either. Scooter stayed at the Vets all day and was given large doses of cortisone. He's also been placed on a large daily dose of Prednisone and Doxycycline. I went ahead and also purchased Vet recommended soft food for now (low protein) and will slowly reintroduce dry food as he (hopefully) feels better.
I've got a heavy surgery day Friday with post-ops on Saturday, so SM has elected to stay home with Scooter to monitor events. Most dogs respond well to the Pred but we won't know much until another blood draw on Monday. The Vet has explained that if we can get him through this initial "crisis" than the disease can likely be managed with lifelong meds. But this will be a l-o-n-g drawn out process. We haven't spoken about outcome. We know it's way too early to start asking about that.
So when I got home last night I laughed when I looked at the kitchen counter. 2 meds for Scooter plus cans of dog food, 1 med for Kiki, 1 med for Ginny plus ear drops. I told SM that we have more meds for our animals than we have for ourselves.
So here we go again...First KiKi's blindness and now Scooters issues. They say things come in 3's. Who's up next?
We noticed that during the days following Scooter was slowly refusing food. Sometimes he would eat. And if he did eat, it wasn't very much. He went out for walks with me every morning, but at other times seemed to just want to lay around. "Oooo....There's a bunny!" Off like a shot. Other times, no interest. Very puzzling behavior.
Then this week we had a few days where I don't think he was drinking much. I inspected is gums and noticed both his gums and tongue were pale. I told SM to take him to the vets as I was becoming concerned about dehydration. SM and I both suspected a mouth sensitivity issue like a bad tooth. Turns out, it was something much worse.
The Vet kept him all day Wed on an IV drip along with Dextrose. Blood work was sent out. The Vet felt his eyes and mouth were slightly jaundice and wanted to wait to see what the blood work said with results expected the next morning.
I picked him up Wed night with a couple of cans of special dog food and instructions to bring him back the next morning for another IV and monitoring. Wed night I watched him eat for the first time in days. The drip had done him good, you could tell he was feeling better.
Thursday, back to the Vet. I was preparing myself mentally to hear the worst. Liver cancer. (No, Thank goodness.) Diagnosis? AIHA or Auto Immune Hemolytic Anemia Bad enough but not as bad as the thoughts I had dancing around in my head.
Fortunately the Vet feels we caught it early. His liver panel is normal, no infection showing up either. Scooter stayed at the Vets all day and was given large doses of cortisone. He's also been placed on a large daily dose of Prednisone and Doxycycline. I went ahead and also purchased Vet recommended soft food for now (low protein) and will slowly reintroduce dry food as he (hopefully) feels better.
I've got a heavy surgery day Friday with post-ops on Saturday, so SM has elected to stay home with Scooter to monitor events. Most dogs respond well to the Pred but we won't know much until another blood draw on Monday. The Vet has explained that if we can get him through this initial "crisis" than the disease can likely be managed with lifelong meds. But this will be a l-o-n-g drawn out process. We haven't spoken about outcome. We know it's way too early to start asking about that.
So when I got home last night I laughed when I looked at the kitchen counter. 2 meds for Scooter plus cans of dog food, 1 med for Kiki, 1 med for Ginny plus ear drops. I told SM that we have more meds for our animals than we have for ourselves.
So here we go again...First KiKi's blindness and now Scooters issues. They say things come in 3's. Who's up next?
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Be Ruthless!
I tend to feel that most of my gardening posts are veggie oriented. I suppose that's just because veggies are immediate and instant gratification so growing and posting about them has been pretty easy to do. But SM and I are also very interested in growing some fruit bearing trees, bushes and plants. Over the last 2 years we've made the investment to stick a bush here, and a tree there. I really want to be able to grow my own fresh fruit. But all fruit takes time to come to...Uh, fruition.
The strawberry patch will be started this year. (More on that as things develop.) And the rasperries were started last year and seem to be surviving so far. The rabbits have demolished the three blueberry bushes I have. (BAD Tami!) I knew the bunnies were chewing on them and haven't done a thing to protect them. They've chewed them to stubs so once we've re-fenced in the new expanded garden area, I plan on transplanting what's left into that protected area. My neglect will cost us for a few years in the blueberry department I'm afraid. We also started a table grape vine and a muscadine vine last year.
As far as the trees go, I planted a "self pollinating" peach last year along with a Granny Smith apple. They are little more than sticks right now so pruning them is no big deal. However, we also have a Gala and Fuji that are starting their 3rd year with us so it's time to get serious about my fruit tree education...which is sadly lacking.
I say to myself, "How hard can it be?" You stick them in the ground, prune them and after say 40 to 50 years you might get an apple to two. Maybe. They grow peaches around here locally. Apples? Ya gotta head up into the mountains of NC for those. So this just might be an exercise in futility. We'll see.
I'm always on the look out for mentors and found Allison over at The Life Of A Novice who wrote a wonderful tutorial on Pruning Fruit Trees. Allison and her husband have an apple orchard/farm and I've been picking her brains about what to do with my young trees.
Now it was a beautiful day here Monday, blue skies and the promise of 50 degrees in the afternoon so I decided "today was the day".
Allison says bare is GOOD. More limbs = less fruit. She says to BE RUTHLESS. So I sucked up my courage and attacked my first tree.
Here's what it looked like before. (Pardon the big blue ball in the center...) This tree had suckers at the base. (snip) "Think levels and compass, Tami." I mutter to myself. (snip, snip) (*Allison says that you need to create "levels" and describes how one level goes opposite (east-west) than the next level (north-south) like a compass.)
And now after. Much better if I do say so myself. On to tree number two.
Uh Oh. This tree has a central leader that is split or at least it seems that way to me. I circle. I put the pruning shears on a limb. "Be ruthless!!!" I chant to myself.
I hesitate. Crap!!! Now I'm second guessing myself! This tree is just goofy. There's really no good limbs to start a level. Everything is on a sort of a V to each other. Still...I do the best I can. I take solace in the examples that Allison shows of trees in her own orchard that are goofier than this one. Sometimes you just gotta work with what you have.
So here's the second tree. Better...and Allison points out that if a few years go by and the shape of the tree changes you can always cut a limb back another year.
So that's off my list of "must get done". Thanks so much, Allison, for helping me out! I really appreciate it!
The strawberry patch will be started this year. (More on that as things develop.) And the rasperries were started last year and seem to be surviving so far. The rabbits have demolished the three blueberry bushes I have. (BAD Tami!) I knew the bunnies were chewing on them and haven't done a thing to protect them. They've chewed them to stubs so once we've re-fenced in the new expanded garden area, I plan on transplanting what's left into that protected area. My neglect will cost us for a few years in the blueberry department I'm afraid. We also started a table grape vine and a muscadine vine last year.
As far as the trees go, I planted a "self pollinating" peach last year along with a Granny Smith apple. They are little more than sticks right now so pruning them is no big deal. However, we also have a Gala and Fuji that are starting their 3rd year with us so it's time to get serious about my fruit tree education...which is sadly lacking.
I say to myself, "How hard can it be?" You stick them in the ground, prune them and after say 40 to 50 years you might get an apple to two. Maybe. They grow peaches around here locally. Apples? Ya gotta head up into the mountains of NC for those. So this just might be an exercise in futility. We'll see.
Now it was a beautiful day here Monday, blue skies and the promise of 50 degrees in the afternoon so I decided "today was the day".
Allison says bare is GOOD. More limbs = less fruit. She says to BE RUTHLESS. So I sucked up my courage and attacked my first tree.
Here's what it looked like before. (Pardon the big blue ball in the center...) This tree had suckers at the base. (snip) "Think levels and compass, Tami." I mutter to myself. (snip, snip) (*Allison says that you need to create "levels" and describes how one level goes opposite (east-west) than the next level (north-south) like a compass.)
And now after. Much better if I do say so myself. On to tree number two.
Uh Oh. This tree has a central leader that is split or at least it seems that way to me. I circle. I put the pruning shears on a limb. "Be ruthless!!!" I chant to myself.
I hesitate. Crap!!! Now I'm second guessing myself! This tree is just goofy. There's really no good limbs to start a level. Everything is on a sort of a V to each other. Still...I do the best I can. I take solace in the examples that Allison shows of trees in her own orchard that are goofier than this one. Sometimes you just gotta work with what you have.
So here's the second tree. Better...and Allison points out that if a few years go by and the shape of the tree changes you can always cut a limb back another year.
So that's off my list of "must get done". Thanks so much, Allison, for helping me out! I really appreciate it!
Monday, February 13, 2012
My Kind Of Valentine
In case you haven't seen this Saturday Night Skit, give it a whirl.
Been there, Done that.
Come on girls...break out the Hagen Daz and have a good cry. Sing it with me now...
"Sometimes it lasts in love,
and sometimes it hurts instead."
Happy VD!
Been there, Done that.
Come on girls...break out the Hagen Daz and have a good cry. Sing it with me now...
"Sometimes it lasts in love,
and sometimes it hurts instead."
Happy VD!
Sunday, February 12, 2012
This One's For You Mom...
Never let it be said that I can't bend my house rules for my guests.
SM's brother Ronnie and his wife Connie are here for a brief "stop over" on their way back home to Ohio after staying at their time share in Florida this past month.
My house rule that our thermostat stays at 64 or below has been broken this weekend. It's a tropical 70 degrees in my house this morning. It's a frigid 20 degrees (real feel 13) outside right now.
This one's for you Mom. If you ever do come for a visit during Winter, you'll know that I will (at least) raise the temperature to 70 degrees.
It's the least I can do.
Love....
SM's brother Ronnie and his wife Connie are here for a brief "stop over" on their way back home to Ohio after staying at their time share in Florida this past month.
My house rule that our thermostat stays at 64 or below has been broken this weekend. It's a tropical 70 degrees in my house this morning. It's a frigid 20 degrees (real feel 13) outside right now.
This one's for you Mom. If you ever do come for a visit during Winter, you'll know that I will (at least) raise the temperature to 70 degrees.
It's the least I can do.
Love....
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Why February Is Like Tuna Noodle
February sucks. There...I said it.
As far back as I can remember I've never liked the month of February. I find it to be the "hump day" of the calendar year. It's the bridge between the excitement of the New Year that January brings and the hope and promise of March. March shouts that Spring is right around the corner and soon enough the Winter will be a distant memory.
Yeah, yeah, yeah...there's Valentines Day, but if you were traumatized like I was at an early age, (no valentines in my shoebox) than you've always held a certain disdain for a holiday that tells you to buy chocolate, jewelery or the traditional Hallmark card to proclaim your love and devotion.
So there's no Valentines Day celebrated in this house. I subscribe to the Eight Days a Week philosophy of love. A work in progress so to speak. "I'll TRY to remember John!" LOL...Just like a marriage. Some days in perfect harmony, others...not so much. (I love how PURE their voices are!)
So why is February like tuna noodle casserole? (I'm sure you all clicked on this post just because of the title alone!)
Well, last weekend found me with no inspiration in the food department. What to make for the upcoming work week? (I try to cook for SM on the weekends and let him do the leftover thing during the week. I'm too tired once I get home to cook anything so SM is on his own during the week.)
I had ZERO ideas so I asked SM if he had any cravings.
"Nope. None. That's what's weird..." SM says "I'm not hungry for ANYTHING."
"It's the winter blahs. It's got me too." I observe. "Well, try and think of something for me to cook or you'll be eating sandwiches and soup all week."
A few minutes later SM proclaims "I know. How about tuna noodle casserole?"
"Sure. I'm pretty sure I've got everything we need. I can fry up those mushrooms you bought the other day and toss them in too." I offer.
So away into the kitchen I go. I toss some egg noodles in the water, pull down a can of cream of mushroom soup, a couple of cans of tuna and fry up the mushrooms. As I'm standing there stirring the shrooms, I'm thinking "This dish has nothing in it that I like."
I don't do gluten. Shrooms are right up there on my "nasty" list. YUCK. Even the color once it's all put together, it's a kind of beige, quivering mass, is unappetizing. I wonder how to dress it up before I toss it into the oven to bake. Oyster crackers! More beige!!!
I crunch some of them up on top to jazz it up and into the oven it goes.
While it's baking, I reflect on how tuna noodle was a staple on our family's menu growing up. When you had 6 mouths to feed, variations of pasta or rice dishes were a constant every week. Meat was ground beef so I suppose tuna was a kind of luxury. Spanish rice, macaroni and cheese with hot dogs sliced on top, spaghetti...we ate those things all the time when I was growing up.
So to me, tuna noodle casserole is like the month of February. It's beige, it's always there. It's something to just get through. There is something better on the other side.
Later that evening, after SM has eaten the days offering, I ask him how it was.
"You know, that was the best tuna noodle I ever had." SM says.
Just goes to show you that tuna noodle, like the month of February, has some redeeming qualities after all.
As far back as I can remember I've never liked the month of February. I find it to be the "hump day" of the calendar year. It's the bridge between the excitement of the New Year that January brings and the hope and promise of March. March shouts that Spring is right around the corner and soon enough the Winter will be a distant memory.
Yeah, yeah, yeah...there's Valentines Day, but if you were traumatized like I was at an early age, (no valentines in my shoebox) than you've always held a certain disdain for a holiday that tells you to buy chocolate, jewelery or the traditional Hallmark card to proclaim your love and devotion.
So there's no Valentines Day celebrated in this house. I subscribe to the Eight Days a Week philosophy of love. A work in progress so to speak. "I'll TRY to remember John!" LOL...Just like a marriage. Some days in perfect harmony, others...not so much. (I love how PURE their voices are!)
So why is February like tuna noodle casserole? (I'm sure you all clicked on this post just because of the title alone!)
Well, last weekend found me with no inspiration in the food department. What to make for the upcoming work week? (I try to cook for SM on the weekends and let him do the leftover thing during the week. I'm too tired once I get home to cook anything so SM is on his own during the week.)
I had ZERO ideas so I asked SM if he had any cravings.
"Nope. None. That's what's weird..." SM says "I'm not hungry for ANYTHING."
"It's the winter blahs. It's got me too." I observe. "Well, try and think of something for me to cook or you'll be eating sandwiches and soup all week."
A few minutes later SM proclaims "I know. How about tuna noodle casserole?"
"Sure. I'm pretty sure I've got everything we need. I can fry up those mushrooms you bought the other day and toss them in too." I offer.
So away into the kitchen I go. I toss some egg noodles in the water, pull down a can of cream of mushroom soup, a couple of cans of tuna and fry up the mushrooms. As I'm standing there stirring the shrooms, I'm thinking "This dish has nothing in it that I like."
I don't do gluten. Shrooms are right up there on my "nasty" list. YUCK. Even the color once it's all put together, it's a kind of beige, quivering mass, is unappetizing. I wonder how to dress it up before I toss it into the oven to bake. Oyster crackers! More beige!!!
I crunch some of them up on top to jazz it up and into the oven it goes.
While it's baking, I reflect on how tuna noodle was a staple on our family's menu growing up. When you had 6 mouths to feed, variations of pasta or rice dishes were a constant every week. Meat was ground beef so I suppose tuna was a kind of luxury. Spanish rice, macaroni and cheese with hot dogs sliced on top, spaghetti...we ate those things all the time when I was growing up.
So to me, tuna noodle casserole is like the month of February. It's beige, it's always there. It's something to just get through. There is something better on the other side.
Later that evening, after SM has eaten the days offering, I ask him how it was.
"You know, that was the best tuna noodle I ever had." SM says.
Just goes to show you that tuna noodle, like the month of February, has some redeeming qualities after all.
Friday, February 10, 2012
The Trouble With Doomsday
A few weeks ago I heard that National Geographic was going to run a show about Doomsday Preppers
I'm fascinated with people who choose to live a lifestyle outside the "norm" and enjoy learning why they "do what they do." I hit record on my DVR and didn't think anything more of it. I watched the shows the other night and it bugged me enough that I don't think I'll be watching anymore of them.
Now, I don't know if it was how Nat Geo did the interviews or how the shows were edited. Perhaps it was the people they chose to interview, but watching this show made me more than just a little bit uncomfortable.
I'm kind of a live and let live kind of girl so I'm not criticizing these folks choice to arm themselves, to store bulk foods, to teach others about their concerns. I get the whole "be prepared" aspect. I'm living it myself!
I'm building a garden and investing in fruit trees. I'm learning to can, I'm buying in bulk, squirreling away food so I have a bit of a back stock. I do all of these things so I'm prepared in case of an emergency but also because it just makes financial sense to do so. It's not that hard to reap the benefits that a $2 seed packet can give you. It's just plan old common sense. I admire farmers or anyone who wishes to live a more self sustainable lifestyle. Again...It just makes sense to me to provide for yourself if you can.
From an emergency point of view we have a "go to" closet in case of a tornado. (It's a bit cluttered right now...put that on the list of things to get organized...) I have a few days of drinkable water set aside. If I knew a hurricane was headed our way I'd be filling up bathtubs and buckets. I hope to install rain barrels this year to help water the garden. I have candles and flashlights and I'm considering converting our gas log fireplace back to wood burning so we have heat in case of longer periods of power outages. Again, these efforts just seem like common sense to me.
What I don't have is paranoia. Am I concerned about big brother, financial collapse, war in the Middle East, peak oil...(Gosh is the list really THAT long?) Sure I am. But I'm not freaking out about it.
Most of the people in the show were what I would categorize as extreme preppers. (Pay attention to the shows title, Tami...It does say Doomsday Preppers for a reason.) Most. But not all of them.
They did highlight a couple who live on a farm and teach sustainability to others. I really liked this couple.
They seemed rational, well prepared and even told the Nat Geo "experts" that they wouldn't change a thing when the "experts" told them that they needed to be able to defend themselves against the "hoard" of evil people who were going to descend upon them should "the shit hit fan".
And THAT is what really bothers me about this whole "Doomsday Prepper" thing. The anticipated violence. Seriously. Are you really going to turn your back on someone who comes to you in need? Are you going to deny assistance to others who knock on your door? Shoot them because they're on your property? Really? You can do that? I'm not talking about someone who's there to hurt you or your family. That's self defense and I would do everything in my power to protect myself and my family. But if the chips were down and someone was stealing something from you because they were hungry or in need are you really going to shoot them? Can you do that and go to sleep at night? Because I couldn't.
Maybe I'm soft. Maybe I'm naive. But if Doomsday comes are you really going to want to live in that world where human decency is gone and everyone turns into a rabid animal hurting each other instead of helping each other?
That's the trouble with Doomsday, IMHO. The expected violence. Human decency out the window. This is mine and you can't have it. The breakdown of common sense and societal rules. It sounds like war. I suppose it would be. I've never lived through a war. Perhaps I'd feel differently if I did. But I just can't see trying to live in that kind of world. But is this a war that can be prevented? You bet.
Everyone should be prepared as much as they can be. But it can't be an individual effort and you can't isolate yourself from the world. No man is an island. We have to help each other. As a community we have to show others, by our words and actions, that being able to take care of ourselves is a good thing.
If your neighbor can sustain themselves then everyone benefits. We can be strong TOGETHER. Separately we'll fail. We might hold out a little longer than the next person but eventually you will fail. And that's what bothers me about all this. Once the dust settles, what do you have left? Your life...sure.
But will it be a life worth living? Good question.
This life that I'm living must be one of love, kindness and compassion. Positive thinking and positive living. It's how God put me together and if life after Doomsday can't offer me those things than it's not a life worth living. Not for me, anyway. So I expect that I'd be toast pretty quick. And that's OK with me. The "animals" are welcome to my garden after I'm gone.
Good luck with that.
I'm fascinated with people who choose to live a lifestyle outside the "norm" and enjoy learning why they "do what they do." I hit record on my DVR and didn't think anything more of it. I watched the shows the other night and it bugged me enough that I don't think I'll be watching anymore of them.
Now, I don't know if it was how Nat Geo did the interviews or how the shows were edited. Perhaps it was the people they chose to interview, but watching this show made me more than just a little bit uncomfortable.
I'm kind of a live and let live kind of girl so I'm not criticizing these folks choice to arm themselves, to store bulk foods, to teach others about their concerns. I get the whole "be prepared" aspect. I'm living it myself!
I'm building a garden and investing in fruit trees. I'm learning to can, I'm buying in bulk, squirreling away food so I have a bit of a back stock. I do all of these things so I'm prepared in case of an emergency but also because it just makes financial sense to do so. It's not that hard to reap the benefits that a $2 seed packet can give you. It's just plan old common sense. I admire farmers or anyone who wishes to live a more self sustainable lifestyle. Again...It just makes sense to me to provide for yourself if you can.
From an emergency point of view we have a "go to" closet in case of a tornado. (It's a bit cluttered right now...put that on the list of things to get organized...) I have a few days of drinkable water set aside. If I knew a hurricane was headed our way I'd be filling up bathtubs and buckets. I hope to install rain barrels this year to help water the garden. I have candles and flashlights and I'm considering converting our gas log fireplace back to wood burning so we have heat in case of longer periods of power outages. Again, these efforts just seem like common sense to me.
What I don't have is paranoia. Am I concerned about big brother, financial collapse, war in the Middle East, peak oil...(Gosh is the list really THAT long?) Sure I am. But I'm not freaking out about it.
Most of the people in the show were what I would categorize as extreme preppers. (Pay attention to the shows title, Tami...It does say Doomsday Preppers for a reason.) Most. But not all of them.
They did highlight a couple who live on a farm and teach sustainability to others. I really liked this couple.
They seemed rational, well prepared and even told the Nat Geo "experts" that they wouldn't change a thing when the "experts" told them that they needed to be able to defend themselves against the "hoard" of evil people who were going to descend upon them should "the shit hit fan".
And THAT is what really bothers me about this whole "Doomsday Prepper" thing. The anticipated violence. Seriously. Are you really going to turn your back on someone who comes to you in need? Are you going to deny assistance to others who knock on your door? Shoot them because they're on your property? Really? You can do that? I'm not talking about someone who's there to hurt you or your family. That's self defense and I would do everything in my power to protect myself and my family. But if the chips were down and someone was stealing something from you because they were hungry or in need are you really going to shoot them? Can you do that and go to sleep at night? Because I couldn't.
Maybe I'm soft. Maybe I'm naive. But if Doomsday comes are you really going to want to live in that world where human decency is gone and everyone turns into a rabid animal hurting each other instead of helping each other?
That's the trouble with Doomsday, IMHO. The expected violence. Human decency out the window. This is mine and you can't have it. The breakdown of common sense and societal rules. It sounds like war. I suppose it would be. I've never lived through a war. Perhaps I'd feel differently if I did. But I just can't see trying to live in that kind of world. But is this a war that can be prevented? You bet.
Everyone should be prepared as much as they can be. But it can't be an individual effort and you can't isolate yourself from the world. No man is an island. We have to help each other. As a community we have to show others, by our words and actions, that being able to take care of ourselves is a good thing.
If your neighbor can sustain themselves then everyone benefits. We can be strong TOGETHER. Separately we'll fail. We might hold out a little longer than the next person but eventually you will fail. And that's what bothers me about all this. Once the dust settles, what do you have left? Your life...sure.
But will it be a life worth living? Good question.
This life that I'm living must be one of love, kindness and compassion. Positive thinking and positive living. It's how God put me together and if life after Doomsday can't offer me those things than it's not a life worth living. Not for me, anyway. So I expect that I'd be toast pretty quick. And that's OK with me. The "animals" are welcome to my garden after I'm gone.
Good luck with that.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
The "Sockie"
The house was still asleep at 4am.
I brush my teeth, put the dogs out, bring them back in and distribute morning snackies.
I wander into the office to poke around the Internet for a while wanting to gently "wake up" before we head out for our daily walk.
The house is dark, the only light is the glow from the computer monitor, the only sound, the hum of the "white noise" from the sleep machine SM and I have used for years.
I'm reading one of your blogs when all hell breaks loose.
Dog fight at 4:20am
The main room was pitch black but I ran into it yelling. I couldn't see a thing. The growls told me that it was Scooter and Casey going at it. I get closer to insert myself somehow into the fray when suddenly everything stops.
Uh Oh...Big Daddys up. Everyone can hear the pounding footsteps.
SM comes hustling down the hallway ready to distribute a different kind of wrath. Pulled from sleep, the look on his face as I manage to turn on the light is one no dog or human wants to see.
"What happened." SM barks.
I look down between Casey and Scooter and see the culprit. I pick it up and toss it to SM. "It's your freakin sock."
"Who started it?" SM asks.
"I assume Scooter. You know how he is." I reply. It's a well know fact that Scooter guards his "sockies" with his life. Don't look at it. Don't even come close to it.
SM turns with the sock and walks back to bed where even now I assume he's trying to catch a few more winks.
Me? I sat down on the floor to inspect the combatants. Ginny comes up with me to help moderate events. Dispensing licks, she starts sniffing at Scooters nose. Sure enough, Scooters got a nip on his nose. Whenever Scooter does something wrong he just sits there, frozen, he won't engage you at all. He's fine. So I move over to Casey.
By now Casey has wodged herself onto the chair trying to bury her head into the blanket, nervously "grinning" at me and tapping her tail. I already know she's fine. I give her a pat but notice none of the dogs except Ginny will look at me full in the face. It's sideways glance time. Have you ever noticed that with your dogs? When tensions are high, no one looks at each other straight on. I think I read somewhere that looking at your opponent straight on is a sign of aggression in the animal world.
So I get up to make SM's coffee. Everyone goes their separate ways for a few minutes. After a bit I notice Scooter sitting in his favorite spot. I sit beside him and speak gently to him. Ginny comes over and soon Casey does too. Pats and scratches and licks all around and soon tails are wagging once again.
All is right with the world once more....
Who needs caffeine to wake up?
I brush my teeth, put the dogs out, bring them back in and distribute morning snackies.
I wander into the office to poke around the Internet for a while wanting to gently "wake up" before we head out for our daily walk.
The house is dark, the only light is the glow from the computer monitor, the only sound, the hum of the "white noise" from the sleep machine SM and I have used for years.
I'm reading one of your blogs when all hell breaks loose.
Dog fight at 4:20am
The main room was pitch black but I ran into it yelling. I couldn't see a thing. The growls told me that it was Scooter and Casey going at it. I get closer to insert myself somehow into the fray when suddenly everything stops.
Uh Oh...Big Daddys up. Everyone can hear the pounding footsteps.
SM comes hustling down the hallway ready to distribute a different kind of wrath. Pulled from sleep, the look on his face as I manage to turn on the light is one no dog or human wants to see.
"What happened." SM barks.
I look down between Casey and Scooter and see the culprit. I pick it up and toss it to SM. "It's your freakin sock."
"Who started it?" SM asks.
"I assume Scooter. You know how he is." I reply. It's a well know fact that Scooter guards his "sockies" with his life. Don't look at it. Don't even come close to it.
SM turns with the sock and walks back to bed where even now I assume he's trying to catch a few more winks.
Me? I sat down on the floor to inspect the combatants. Ginny comes up with me to help moderate events. Dispensing licks, she starts sniffing at Scooters nose. Sure enough, Scooters got a nip on his nose. Whenever Scooter does something wrong he just sits there, frozen, he won't engage you at all. He's fine. So I move over to Casey.
By now Casey has wodged herself onto the chair trying to bury her head into the blanket, nervously "grinning" at me and tapping her tail. I already know she's fine. I give her a pat but notice none of the dogs except Ginny will look at me full in the face. It's sideways glance time. Have you ever noticed that with your dogs? When tensions are high, no one looks at each other straight on. I think I read somewhere that looking at your opponent straight on is a sign of aggression in the animal world.
So I get up to make SM's coffee. Everyone goes their separate ways for a few minutes. After a bit I notice Scooter sitting in his favorite spot. I sit beside him and speak gently to him. Ginny comes over and soon Casey does too. Pats and scratches and licks all around and soon tails are wagging once again.
All is right with the world once more....
Who needs caffeine to wake up?
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Spring Musings
Yesterday I went to see Holly (my hair stylist) for my quarterly cut and color. Holly is barely into her 20's. She's sweet, cute and chatty. She asked what I wanted..."Kill the grey"...and set to work, chatting the whole time.
Now usually I'm a pretty quiet customer but yesterday I fell into conversation with her easily.
We talked about the Superbowl. She's a fan, I'm not. About a recent trip she took to the Biltmore. I've lived here 13 years and have never been.
(*I must speak to SM about a weekend trip there this Spring. The gardens are supposedly fantastic in Spring with all the flowers.)
We spoke of her mom's recent midlife crisis. She's 48 (2 years younger than I am) and she cut off all her long hair in favor of a shorter cut. She also discovered Facebook which, according to Holly, has become an obsession with her. Holly says she spends all day at it much to Holly's disgust.
We talked about the weird weather. Either no Winter or an early Spring, not sure which. Holly said her allergies are starting up and she started her Claritan last week.
Really? In February?
Now for those of you who don't know, Charlotte NC happens to be one of the Top Ten Allergy Capitals in The US. Doesn't matter if you've never suffered from allergies before in your life. Move here and you will suffer along with the rest of us. It's a common conversation down here. There must be more Claritan sold per capita here than anywhere else on the planet.
I haven't been bothered yet this year but I'm thinking of getting started. It's best to start taking the Claritan BEFORE the season hits. For me that's usually March.
All this got me wondering if we're going to have an early Spring this year. SM thinks so. He says he saw some of the red maples locally starting to bud. I've got dandelions popping and flowering shrubs blooming in our backyard already. And the birds are back and singing to us every morning now.
Poor Ginny has turned into an "itchball" and I just increased her allergy medications to twice a day. (Nothing worse than a dog who itches constantly.)
And last week I read on one of ya'lls blog about the 2012 change in the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. (You can click on your state or plug in your zip code and get your updated "zone".)
According to the website I'm still in 7b so my last frost date hasn't changed. It's still April 15th. But this got me thinking...It is a milder winter. Do I want to take a chance and start some things early? Someone seems to be tapping on my shoulder and whispering in my ear that it's OK. Spring is here.
REALLY?
I could still start most of my garden as planned but...if I want to take the chance...I could start a few tomatoes and peppers inside early. I could also talk to SM about building a small hoop house and direct sow some lettuce early. (It would be so yummy to have fresh lettuce.) And peas are pretty tough. I could start some of those too.
Last year, according to my notes in my garden notebook...("Thank You" to whomever suggested keeping a garden notebook. I'd never have remembered this stuff!)...I direct sowed peas on 2-21 and lettuce on 3-14.
Huh. Not that far off at all. And according to AccuWeather's 15 day forecast, our temperatures will range from the mid 30's to the upper 60's. Perfectly fine for starting those crops.
Let the season begin?!? Maybe. I need to muse on this a bit more.
Now usually I'm a pretty quiet customer but yesterday I fell into conversation with her easily.
We talked about the Superbowl. She's a fan, I'm not. About a recent trip she took to the Biltmore. I've lived here 13 years and have never been.
(*I must speak to SM about a weekend trip there this Spring. The gardens are supposedly fantastic in Spring with all the flowers.)
We spoke of her mom's recent midlife crisis. She's 48 (2 years younger than I am) and she cut off all her long hair in favor of a shorter cut. She also discovered Facebook which, according to Holly, has become an obsession with her. Holly says she spends all day at it much to Holly's disgust.
We talked about the weird weather. Either no Winter or an early Spring, not sure which. Holly said her allergies are starting up and she started her Claritan last week.
Really? In February?
Now for those of you who don't know, Charlotte NC happens to be one of the Top Ten Allergy Capitals in The US. Doesn't matter if you've never suffered from allergies before in your life. Move here and you will suffer along with the rest of us. It's a common conversation down here. There must be more Claritan sold per capita here than anywhere else on the planet.
I haven't been bothered yet this year but I'm thinking of getting started. It's best to start taking the Claritan BEFORE the season hits. For me that's usually March.
All this got me wondering if we're going to have an early Spring this year. SM thinks so. He says he saw some of the red maples locally starting to bud. I've got dandelions popping and flowering shrubs blooming in our backyard already. And the birds are back and singing to us every morning now.
Poor Ginny has turned into an "itchball" and I just increased her allergy medications to twice a day. (Nothing worse than a dog who itches constantly.)
And last week I read on one of ya'lls blog about the 2012 change in the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. (You can click on your state or plug in your zip code and get your updated "zone".)
According to the website I'm still in 7b so my last frost date hasn't changed. It's still April 15th. But this got me thinking...It is a milder winter. Do I want to take a chance and start some things early? Someone seems to be tapping on my shoulder and whispering in my ear that it's OK. Spring is here.
REALLY?
I could still start most of my garden as planned but...if I want to take the chance...I could start a few tomatoes and peppers inside early. I could also talk to SM about building a small hoop house and direct sow some lettuce early. (It would be so yummy to have fresh lettuce.) And peas are pretty tough. I could start some of those too.
Last year, according to my notes in my garden notebook...("Thank You" to whomever suggested keeping a garden notebook. I'd never have remembered this stuff!)...I direct sowed peas on 2-21 and lettuce on 3-14.
Huh. Not that far off at all. And according to AccuWeather's 15 day forecast, our temperatures will range from the mid 30's to the upper 60's. Perfectly fine for starting those crops.
Let the season begin?!? Maybe. I need to muse on this a bit more.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Try Not To Laugh
It's a slow news day around here, what can I say.
I was hoping to get out and start trimming the rosebushes and doing general clean-up yard work but it appears that, while the temperatures are mild, it's going to be wet this weekend. (sigh)
And while I could talk about all the housework and laundry and dusting and scrubbing bathrooms and cooking and everything else I'm going to do today, it just seems boring to do so.
So as usual I rely on SM for our entertainment around here.
He found this video trolling around the Internet this morning.
Watch this and try not to laugh.
I was hoping to get out and start trimming the rosebushes and doing general clean-up yard work but it appears that, while the temperatures are mild, it's going to be wet this weekend. (sigh)
And while I could talk about all the housework and laundry and dusting and scrubbing bathrooms and cooking and everything else I'm going to do today, it just seems boring to do so.
So as usual I rely on SM for our entertainment around here.
He found this video trolling around the Internet this morning.
Watch this and try not to laugh.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
The Best Reason
The other day Dani at Eco Footprint-South Africa wrote a great post called Gone To Seed where she wondered why all of us in the US were spending our hard earned cashola on seeds when we could just as easily harvest our own seeds directly from our plants like she does and be more self sufficient.
I weighed in my thoughts (as did several of you who also read my blog). Last night I went in and pulled her post back up to see what other commenters had to say. A very interesting topic to be sure and the reasons "why" we're buying were all good ones.
Some of the reasons made me laugh..."because we CAN"...while some I hadn't considered..."shorter growing season = no time to allow the plant to go to seed".... "cross pollination issues."
Seed saving is high on my list of To-Do's for this year. You'd think that saving seeds would be a bit of a no brainer but after reading some of the comments from Dani's post, I've got a rather general question.
Simply put, what works and what doesn't? I bet the answer isn't so simple.
As a "newbie" gardener I'd like to be as efficient as I can be. If you tell me something isn't likely to work out, I'd rather pass on it for now and experiment on it some other time. However, if experience has taught you that this solution is a pretty sure thing, than I'd like to hear it. I'd rather not remake the wheel if I can help it.
Seed saving falls into that category big time. I have zero experience in it. Like many of you, buying seeds is just easier and gives you the product you want in the expected manner. So if lettuce is a great seed save, I'd like to know. If saving squash seeds suck, well...I like to know that too. So feel free to share the wealth. Let me know what has worked for you and what hasn't.
I have another question too, kind of along the same lines. This year I'm starting strawberries. I'm fine with making the investment and buying the plants. But I've read that you should consider rotating your strawberries out every 3 years or so. The implication is that a strawberry plant has a productive lifespan of only so long, not to mention the whole "crop rotation thing". But if this is the case, can I propagate my own plants? Or do I need to buy them?
Same thing with potatoes. I now understand that I need to buy organic at the store and let them go to seed. I don't need to buy them from a catalog or nursery. But have you found that store bought potatoes are unpredictable? That purchased seed potatoes from a suppler gives you better results?
Now even though I do want to save money and limit my future seed purchasing I do agree with what Jane said...
"There are some really great seed companies out there that fight the GMO companies and we really have to support them to stay in business or there will not be a choice in the future."
And that my friends is probably the best reason of all.
I weighed in my thoughts (as did several of you who also read my blog). Last night I went in and pulled her post back up to see what other commenters had to say. A very interesting topic to be sure and the reasons "why" we're buying were all good ones.
Some of the reasons made me laugh..."because we CAN"...while some I hadn't considered..."shorter growing season = no time to allow the plant to go to seed".... "cross pollination issues."
Seed saving is high on my list of To-Do's for this year. You'd think that saving seeds would be a bit of a no brainer but after reading some of the comments from Dani's post, I've got a rather general question.
Simply put, what works and what doesn't? I bet the answer isn't so simple.
As a "newbie" gardener I'd like to be as efficient as I can be. If you tell me something isn't likely to work out, I'd rather pass on it for now and experiment on it some other time. However, if experience has taught you that this solution is a pretty sure thing, than I'd like to hear it. I'd rather not remake the wheel if I can help it.
Seed saving falls into that category big time. I have zero experience in it. Like many of you, buying seeds is just easier and gives you the product you want in the expected manner. So if lettuce is a great seed save, I'd like to know. If saving squash seeds suck, well...I like to know that too. So feel free to share the wealth. Let me know what has worked for you and what hasn't.
I have another question too, kind of along the same lines. This year I'm starting strawberries. I'm fine with making the investment and buying the plants. But I've read that you should consider rotating your strawberries out every 3 years or so. The implication is that a strawberry plant has a productive lifespan of only so long, not to mention the whole "crop rotation thing". But if this is the case, can I propagate my own plants? Or do I need to buy them?
Same thing with potatoes. I now understand that I need to buy organic at the store and let them go to seed. I don't need to buy them from a catalog or nursery. But have you found that store bought potatoes are unpredictable? That purchased seed potatoes from a suppler gives you better results?
Now even though I do want to save money and limit my future seed purchasing I do agree with what Jane said...
"There are some really great seed companies out there that fight the GMO companies and we really have to support them to stay in business or there will not be a choice in the future."
And that my friends is probably the best reason of all.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Update On "The Wee"
KiKi, otherwise known around here as "The Wee" (short for Kiwi...don'tcha love all the nicknames around here?) is plugging along just fine, Thank You Very Much.
The Vet called last week to report that all his blood work was normal, so he concluded that hypertension was the most likely culprit. His best guess so to speak. No real way to test for it. I can't imagine a little kitty blood pressure cuff, so I'll take his word for it.
Anyway, we talked and agreed to wait another week or so before taking him back in to be re-evaluated. What "re-evaluated" means to the Vet is parting me from the $50 bucks I've got in my back pocket. No offense Doc...but blind is blind. Damage done. Additional testing ain't gonna help and I don't mind you looking at his retina's but really...$50 for a look-see? (*I'm not made of money here so I'm not sure if I'm even going to keep that appointment.)
In fact KiKi's pupils do look more normal now so the BP meds must be doing something. Before there was no Iris at all. Total blackness. Now in bright light he has the typical "cat eyes" but still, if he has any vision at all, I can't tell.
This whole experience has led me to think about the difference between humans and animals. Yes, animals are simple creatures but it is truly amazing to see KiKi adapt to his world without sight. There's no drama at all, he just gets on with it. If it were me, I'd be curled up in a ball afraid to make a move without assistance. KiKi is fearless as he heads outside to do whatever business needs doing. His awareness of his environment is inspiring.
SM startled him the other day and the poor thing ran right into the wall. Sort of a sad (but funny) moment. Today, I watched him head over to the kitchen table legs, sit down and put a paw up where he "senses" the chair is and hops up onto the chair, then onto the table top where his food dish sits with a piece of tuna, laced with drugs (courtesy of me). Fortunately, he gobbles it right down so it's a win-win for both of us. He gets a treat and I don't get bit or scratched up. Yeah me!
So we've all adapted to KiKi's new norm. I am concerned about his being an "outdoor" cat. It's all he's ever known so there's no way I can turn him back into a housecat with a litter box. With warmer weather coming around the corner, KiKi tends to spend most of his day outside. I try not to attach my human concerns to it all. I want to protect him, but realize I can't. He won't let me. If a car or a dog is heading his way, I expect he'll high-tail it outta there same as he ever did. Or not.
They say cats have nine lives. KiKi has used up quite a few of them. Hopefully he has a few left.
The Vet called last week to report that all his blood work was normal, so he concluded that hypertension was the most likely culprit. His best guess so to speak. No real way to test for it. I can't imagine a little kitty blood pressure cuff, so I'll take his word for it.
Anyway, we talked and agreed to wait another week or so before taking him back in to be re-evaluated. What "re-evaluated" means to the Vet is parting me from the $50 bucks I've got in my back pocket. No offense Doc...but blind is blind. Damage done. Additional testing ain't gonna help and I don't mind you looking at his retina's but really...$50 for a look-see? (*I'm not made of money here so I'm not sure if I'm even going to keep that appointment.)
In fact KiKi's pupils do look more normal now so the BP meds must be doing something. Before there was no Iris at all. Total blackness. Now in bright light he has the typical "cat eyes" but still, if he has any vision at all, I can't tell.
This whole experience has led me to think about the difference between humans and animals. Yes, animals are simple creatures but it is truly amazing to see KiKi adapt to his world without sight. There's no drama at all, he just gets on with it. If it were me, I'd be curled up in a ball afraid to make a move without assistance. KiKi is fearless as he heads outside to do whatever business needs doing. His awareness of his environment is inspiring.
SM startled him the other day and the poor thing ran right into the wall. Sort of a sad (but funny) moment. Today, I watched him head over to the kitchen table legs, sit down and put a paw up where he "senses" the chair is and hops up onto the chair, then onto the table top where his food dish sits with a piece of tuna, laced with drugs (courtesy of me). Fortunately, he gobbles it right down so it's a win-win for both of us. He gets a treat and I don't get bit or scratched up. Yeah me!
So we've all adapted to KiKi's new norm. I am concerned about his being an "outdoor" cat. It's all he's ever known so there's no way I can turn him back into a housecat with a litter box. With warmer weather coming around the corner, KiKi tends to spend most of his day outside. I try not to attach my human concerns to it all. I want to protect him, but realize I can't. He won't let me. If a car or a dog is heading his way, I expect he'll high-tail it outta there same as he ever did. Or not.
They say cats have nine lives. KiKi has used up quite a few of them. Hopefully he has a few left.
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