Mustang Sally

We needed to find new helper in the garden this year.  Ole Chuck bit the dust after a helluva good time New Years Eve.

The Chuckster had a good run with us but I thought it was time for a girl to come in and lend us a helping hand.  After all, I'm trying to get a cutting garden started.  Maybe some girl power is what's needed for me to get some flower power.

So I went into my closet and ransacked some of my old clothes (that don't fit anymore) and found a nice eye popping red shirt, a pair of pants that I used to paint the house in and an old floppy straw hat.  Applied some strategic stuffing to give the ole girl some her some curves in all the right places.

Now what's your name Girlfriend?

Menopausal Mabel?  Hotflash Henrietta?

Nope.  After a day or so I started referring to her as Sally. 

Why?  I have no idea.  But I've always been partial to Sally.  And she's got a pretty sweet song named after her too.  Sing it with me, Kids!

"Mustang Sally, Now Baby..."

One of my favorite movies of all times is The Commitments. 





A funny little film about the forming of an Irish Soul band set in the 1980's.  What's not to love?  Big hair, bad makeup and tight spandex everywhere.

Not saying the Sally LOOKS like a 80's vamp.  As a matter of fact SM thinks she's looking too good to be in the garden. 

I'm sure all the hard work in the garden this year will take the shine off of the ole girl.

Welcome to the hood, Sally!

Letting Mamma N Do The Work

Saturday morning SM and I were out in the garden early. 

After having an absolutely PERFECT week of blue skies and warm breezy days, we were forecast to have a stretch of cloudy rainy days.

"To plant or not to plant.  That is the question!"  I said aloud to SM as we sat on the porch swing Friday evening.  My tomato plants were the size of small trees and starting to flop over.

"I'd plant now and let Mother Nature do the work."  SM replied shrugging.  "You're getting four whole days of clouds and rain.  It doesn't get much better than that for transplanting."

So that was the plan.

I had read a blog post at Hickery Holler Farm about how she plants tomatoes.  I was planning on using her advice on amending the soil with powdered milk. 

Have you seen the prices on that?  $18 for 2lbs at Walmart.  Good Grief!

I bought bone meal instead @ 4lbs for $12.  I already knew about the Epsom Salt trick plus a neighbor who's been growing monster tomatoes a few doors down swears by mushroom compost in the hole when she transplants.  So that was my triple threat. 

Since my plants were long and leggy, I thought I try her "plant it sideways" trick.  I asked SM to dig me a trench and tried to plant a couple that way.  My problem was that our "soil" was not only dry but had huge clods of clay clumps (say THAT five times fast). 

Even breaking up the clods with the hoe just left smaller clods.  I ended up breaking some stems doing it sideways.  So we ditched that idea and just planted straight down as deep as we could go.

SM and I took our time but it was still hard work that neither of us were used to.  I had 40 tomatoes to set out.  Why so many?  Some years are good, some years are bad.  Seeds are cheap.  And if there's an abundance, there's always folks about who will take your extras.

About halfway through this I looked up at SM and said "Makes you wonder if we'll be doing this in another 10 years."

He was leaning on his shovel and nodded towards the raised beds.  "That's where your future garden will likely be."

(Maybe I'll turn all these inground beds into flower beds.  That would be pretty.)

After finishing up the tomatoes we decided to tackle the strawberry beds.  I wanted to rig some hoops up to lay bird netting over. 

I had planted Seascape (everbearing) last year and pinched off flowers as instructed to encourage better production for THIS year. 

You ain't kidding! 

My strawberry beds are a sea of white blooms and green fruit that should start to ripen in the next few weeks. 

We're keeping our fingers crossed that this year might actually be a fruit year for us.  Still a little too early to tell with the blueberries, grapes and apples although our peach tree has some fruit on it. 

A 500 Dollar Tomato Milestone

Hard to believe that we started our first garden (and the blog) only 3 years ago today!  Gosh, it feels like a LOT longer.

I'm sure that many of you might wonder "Why is this blog named 500 Dollar Tomato?" 

Looking back at the investment of time and money that it's taken to get the garden to where it's at today...Well, I'm sure that the smarter move would've been to just keep buying our fruits and veggies at the market. 

Good thing I actually enjoy gardening!

I was curious as to what my thoughts were on my very first post 3 years ago...

April 27, 2010 
The 500 Dollar Tomato

 

 

(Flashback to the Summer of 2009)

Ever wonder why things that are supposed to be "simple" end up costing so much? I mean really...

It's just supposed to be a garden. You stick a seed in the ground, toss a little water on it and "viola"...a perfect delicious tomato appears. Only I've got a concrete clay backyard with something green (weeds?..can't be grass) and a few native bushes and trees to help provide some much needed shade.

We planted a Maple 5 years ago and we enjoy sitting in the summer shade most evenings, alcoholic beverages in hand, happily buzzing our way into relaxation.

"Look at that crack in the ground". SM points out. (It hadn't rained in days.) "I almost expect magma to come oozing out at any moment".

"Damn big crack." I agree.

Such is life in the North Carolina Piedmont where natural disasters are few. (Hugo, aside) But daily adversities such as hard clay, intense sun and all or nothing precipitation make vegetable gardening a joke.

SM and I were both raised in the lush greenness and yummy black soil of Ohio. (Funny how things become desirable when they're harder to get.) The reality is, like most kids, working the garden was a chore handed down by Mom & Dad.

SM is one of 8 kids. Gardens had to happen back then. Dad worked in the coal mines. Mom fixed one meal, cleaned up and began the next meal. (Rinse/Repeat) I can only imagine how big that garden was. Sweet corn, wax and green beans, peppers, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes....

Tomatoes?

"BLT sandwiches" SM says with a happy faraway smile. "Mmmmmm" sounding like Homer Simpson.

"When was the last time you had a really good tomato?" I asked.
(Me? I don't eat tomatoes. I can manage chili, pizza that sort of thing. I don't even like catsup on my fries.)

"Not recently....nothing tastes good anymore, you notice that? Tomatoes don't even smell like tomatoes. Peaches, nectarines? Hard as a rock. And the prices! $1.50 for a green pepper."

"No wonder we drink." I smile.

"We should plant a garden." SM says.

"We did! Don't you remember? Over there..." I nodded my head to where the shed now stands.

"We did?!"

"Yeah...! Watered it twice a day cause that was the year we hit 100 degrees for half the summer!" I said exaggerating...(something I do quite well!) "All we got out of it was a few bitter green peppers and a petrified squash."

"Well, we should try again." SM points out... visions of tomatoes dancing in his head.

"Yeah right!" I kicked the ground with the heel of my shoe. "Hard as a rock! You can't even dig a hole in this stuff."

"Yeah...I guess you're right." He sighs.

(But somewhere a seed was planted. And if my Baby wants a tomato that tastes like a tomato, well then....)

The Veggie Garden

We have crappy soil. 

We want tender delicious vegetables.

How do we get what we want?

We give the roots what they want.  Crumbly brown nutrient rich soil.  If we had been smart, we would have applied and tilled in manure and composts over the years into a selected area and let nature do it's thing.  (SM spoke with a fellow here in town who has lived and gardened his plot for 20+ years and that is exactly what he does.  Now he's got the good stuff.)

I want his good stuff and I want it now. 

Immediate gratification.  Gimmie gimmie gimmie!

Well, if you want it, you can have it....for a price.  My price was $500.00

Every spring I get into a "project" mode. $500 dollars is what I consider a "doable" for our budget.  It's an "ouch" not a "yikes". 

So that's how it all came about.  And we're STILL building the garden.

Thanks for stopping by as we begin our 4th year of adventures!

We Sneaked Into The Garden

SM and I finally got some garden time in yesterday. 

For me that meant yanking on weeds and Bermuda grass.

While I was doing that, SM replaced our old garden hose.  I had 4 hoses connected together if you can believe it.  (I didn't.)  No wonder the water pressure sucked!  One of the hoses popped a leaky spray a month ago and since I wasn't using it much, SM made a connecter fix. 

Then the hose closest to the sprayer started to bulge like an anaconda who'd swallowed a rat.

While fascinating to see that bubble get bigger and bigger, I told SM he'd better replace it quick as I had visions of myself all dolled up for work, heading out to the garden in the morning for a quick spray and getting busted all over.

SM also finished creating his masterpiece. 

A tomato support fence.  We had some T-posts and rabbit fence leftover so SM is trying that instead of the good ole wooden stakes that he used last year.  Once the tomatoes get to a certain size we'll tie them to the fencing.

I was hoping to talk SM into running for a load of compost but he needed the truck for an job and bugged out shortly after that. 

Running away while the wife is home 24-7 is a smart thing for a guy to do.  Funny thing is, he keeps coming back! 

Sucker!

Even now the poor man is in there snoozing (probably dreaming of golfing) and has absolutely no idea all the plans I have for his sorry butt.  

The weather forecast has today and tomorrow as the last of the sunny days so I'm under a deadline to get things done outside. 

The Second Coming

I often call Scooter Pastahead. 

His head is so full of noodles and he is the most difficult dog to read. 

He seemed at deaths door at 7am.  Dry mouthed and limp.  Refused the cottage cheese I offered. 

Eyeball's were barely cracked.  Couldn't be bothered to move. 

Within a 1/2 hour of calling the Vet (who still hasn't returned my call BTW) I heard Scooter taking a drink of water. 

Then pacing. 

Outside to pee?  Yep. 

Back inside. 

Another drink. 

How about some rice?  Yes?

Well, look at that. 

The little bastard just wanted to sleep in this morning.  Wanted some human chow.  Even as we speak, SM is giving him a bit more rice.

Pastahead.

I guess I've been played.  Not for the first time.

For sure won't be the last.

Uncertainty Rules The Day

What is with this weather? 

Very cool for an April in the South.  40's and 50's for lows and maybe hitting a 70 here and there for a high.  And windy this week!

I intentionally delayed starting my tomatoes this year, but at 1 month old they are starting to flop over.  I'm trying to harden them off this week but the wind has been anywhere between breezy to flat out knock you down gusty.

We're supposed to get some cloudy, rainy days this weekend so I was hoping to plant Friday PM but brrrr....it's chilly!  These warm loving tomatoes are just going to have to suck it up.  My sweet peppers on the other hand had the good sense to stay small.  No more than and inch or two high after one month.  I'll keep them inside for now.

In other news, I finished staining the entire kitchen yesterday.  I took the curtains and blinds down and finished off the bay windows plus the rest of the kitchen cabinets and trim.  Glad that's over with!

I'm not sure how today is going to go down.  Some more painting and staining for sure.  Maybe some garden time.

But the bigger problem is Scooter-Boo.  Something's wrong.  I ran him over to the Vet yesterday morning as he has a Hx of Auto Immune Anemia.  He seemed listless and threw up his breakfast so I thought he might be having an episode.

The Vet ran in office blood work.  No anemia.  He gave him the once over but other than a mild ear infection, nothing.

Last night and this morning, no interest in food, no movement or social interaction either.  I'm getting concerned about dehydration as he only wet his mouth yesterday and today his mouth is very dry. 

So I called and left a message for the Vet. 

I'm assuming we'll be heading in for an IV at the least.  Probably more blood work, XRay...that sort of thing. 

Poor little guy.  It's been a tough year on the old man.

One Thing Leads To Another

"Whatcha gonna do today?"  SM asked me Tuesday morning over his coffee.

I was surfing your blogs at the time. 

Stalling. 

Because the simple fact of the matter was that I had an incomplete mess in the living room and I should try and finish what I'd started. 

Trouble was that it was going to be a nice 70 degree sunshiny day.  And the garden was calling my name. 

But really.  What was I going to do in the garden?  Toss more compost?  Weed?  My back is much better but just tight enough that the thought of attacking the garden solo was enough to make me reconsider. 

SM was going to be gone all day.  And I really wanted him to help with all the garden work.

But getting back to his original question...

"Well, I need to put all the cover plates back on the switches.  And since the furniture is pulled away from the walls, I really should stain all the woodwork."

In the South, most homes have white trim.  I'm not really sure why this is.  When SM and I toured this house the natural trim work was one of the things we liked best about it.  Crown molding, chair rails and extra wide baseboard throughout.  Which looks nice indeed but the wood dries out and fades over time, so I try to stain the trim and kitchen cabinets periodically. 

Which makes for a big job.

It had probably been at least two years since I'd stained the woodwork in the living room.  And since stain is super stinky, and today was going to be a nice warm day, I could at least open all the windows to keep from asphyxiating myself.

So I stained the living room.  Right about the time I was finishing up SM stopped by for lunch.

"Looks nice.  What's next?"

"Curtains in the kitchen.  I need your drill."  I'd bought these cute valences at Lowes a few weeks ago and they'd been sitting on the table along with the curtain rods.  All the time we'd been here I'd only had the mini blinds in the windows. 

SM drilled in the mountings while I put the curtains on the rods.  Much better.  They really help tie the room together don't cha think?

"The cabinets and the window trim in here really need to be stained too."  SM pointed out.  The bay window gets the brunt of the Summer sun and the woodwork really fades. 

But it was full sun now and I was afraid the heat would mess with the stain application. 

"Maybe I should wait to do that in the morning.  What should we do about the back door though?  It needs repainted too.  Stay with the same color?"  I asked SM.

"What choices do we have?"

"I have the rust color it is now.  That matches the wood trim best.  I also have the cabinet paint from the bathroom."

One was a greenish black satin.  The other was the chocolate brown that we tried in the master bath.  And hated.

"Well, we know what we've got.  How about something different?"  SM asks.

So like the wall from the other day, I went ahead and painted each color on.

By this time SM had left again and I was leaning towards the original rust color.  That brown is horrible and the green is just too dark for the room.

But since the paint was wet and the house was stinky and SM wasn't here for an opinion...Well, I took the stain into the kitchen and attacked the cabinets under the sink.  

I was quite surprised how the stain deepened and enriched the color of the oak. 

Look how much it had faded!

Then I checked the paint on the door to see if it was dry.  I was going to go ahead and start to re-paint it but I glanced up at the clock.

5:30  Quitten Time!

Time for a hot shower and a glass of wine.

Later when SM came home he thanked me for all the hard work I've been putting in so far.  He was also amazed how much better the cabinets I'd stained looked.

"So I guess I know what I'm doing tomorrow and maybe even the next day."  I sighed.  "Well, it's gotta be done and frankly it's way overdue.  Trouble is the garden needs worked too."  

I paused, thinking.

"Look, if I keep on working on the house stuff for the next few days, could I maybe get you to take a day off from work and help me kick it out the garden?" I asked. 

"They're forecasting a chance of rain starting this weekend. And you know that rain and stain don't mix.  I think you and I together could get everything done in a day if were working on it together." 

"I can do that."  SM agreed.

And so the pattern of the next few days has been formed. 

We'll see if it actually turns out that way.

Color Me Happy

Back when I was in High School, I was heavily into art.  I had some skill drawing although painting and sculpture were more difficult for me.  Most of the honor's or awards that I won in art competitions were with my black and white pieces. 

Pencil, ink, charcoal...That sort of stuff. 

Then I went to collage and discovered that art doesn't pay the bills so I went into general undergraduate studies.  I found that Psychology was VERY interesting to me.  I aced those classes as easy as breathing.  I loved delving into figuring out how people tick. 

Until I figured out I'd have to work with crazy people. 

Uh...not so much.  So I gave that up as a profession even though I still enjoy analyzing people and situations.  Long time readers have seen me write posts that link to different personality tests like Myers-Briggs.  (I'm an INFJ BTW)

Anyhow, one of the more interesting things that I've always enjoyed is discovering how people respond to color.  Oh, there are personality tests for that too, but I always like to keep it simple.

Do you like warm or cool colors?  Very basic. 

And I'm always aware and surprised how different I feel emotionally if a room is decorated warm or cool.

For example, the office building that I work in is going through a huge remodel.  Before everything was grey, blues, whites and silver...very cold considering it's a medical office. 

I've hated it from the first day I walked in it. 

They've got a smart designer running the show now who is incorporating both warm and cool colors.  Very smart!  Creamy beiges to offset the whites.  Carmel brown carpets with a rich blue pattern.  Softer lighting instead of harsh fluorescents.  Something to suit the comfort level of all personality types and trust me, it makes a difference in how a patient feels.

So whenever I make decorating choices for my own home, I always go warm.  SM too likes warmer tones but lets me guide the way as far as decorating goes.

The new loveseat and recliner are upholstered in what was described as a "Heather Brown".  The sample swatch we looked at when we ordered it could be described as a rich brown with an undertone of gray.  I wasn't sure at the time but it was the best of the three colors they offered so we went ahead and ordered it.  Once delivered, it appeared more grayish brown than I would have wished.

It also looked horrible with the deep gold walls that the living room was currently painted.

"I don't mind it at all."  SM replied to my observation several months ago that the room now looked like crap and that we'd need to redecorate because of the new furniture.

"Repaint.  New pillows, curtains.  Probably new art work and furniture too."  I said ticking off a list of changes that needed to be made.

"It's fine...really."  SM said in a last ditch effort to try to keep his wife from spending a boo-coo wad of cash.

I'm on to him though.

"Sorry Baby, it's gotta be done and it's way over due anyway.  Most of this stuff is 20 years old.  Get with the program!"  I told him swatting his backside.

So this weekend I taped up color swatches.  Hemmed and hawed.  I wanted a neutral tone like a soft beigey brown and SM agreed.  I ran over to Sherwin William's who was having a 40% off Sale this past weekend.  I brought home a sample size can of the color we wanted (this ain't my first rodeo) and applied it to several walls. 

What we didn't expect was that the room itself changes the colors we put in it.  

It dried and we stood back, judging. 

"Huh.  Does that look gray to you?"  SM asked me. 

"Yeah.  Do you like it though?"  I asked SM thinking that maybe I was going a bit overboard with the whole warm-cool thing.

"I'm not sure.  It does look good with the new furniture."  SM pointed out.

"Yeah, but could you see yourself being comfortable in here?"  I asked.

"It's definitely cold."

"So no."  I confirmed.  I walked back to the kitchen table where I'd laid the paint tray. 

"Look at that."  I said pointing.  "In this light it looks warm.  In there it looks cold!  It's gotta be the lighting."  I said shaking my head.

"Well...that's what happened in the bathroom too."  SM said.  "We'd bought that nice cream color and it ended up looking peachy."

"Very true.  I wonder how the peachy color would look in here?"  I mused.

"I don't want peach in here!"  SM slamming on the breaks.

"I'm just curious if it will look like a warm beige."  I told him, heading into the garage for the left over paint.

Applied and dried.  Judgment? 

"It looks white!  And cold!"  I said astonished.  "Are you kidding me?"

"I wonder what the kitchen yellow would look like in here?"  SM asks.  "I like that color.  Maybe it will be neutral enough."

Yellow as a neutral?  I shrugged.  Might as well see what happens, so I went and grabbed that.  Applied and dried.

"Much better!"  SM tells me.  "Lighter and brighter."

"And softer.  Not bad at all."  I say.  "Are you sure you're OK with me continuing the yellow in here?" 

"Yeah.  Some houses do that, you know.  The same color throughout."

So there we have it.  Taped up, two coats, tape down and 7 hours later. 
 

Ta Da!

Much softer in person than what the picture shows. 

Now I need to stain the wood trim, paint the back door, find curtains and accessories. 

Not sure if I'll do that today or not.  The garden is calling to me. 

Maybe.

Command Central

I am an organized person.  Neat, tidy...everything in it's place kind of girl.

I like to prepare for things.  So yesterday I made a list of everything that I wanted to accomplish this week and then SM and I spent 3 precious hours shopping for all the various crapola needed to assist me in completing said projects.

What's on the list? 

Gotta get the tomatoes hardened off and transplanted.  Compost, mulching weeding, direct sowing the garden...

Curtains in the kitchen and a new ceiling fan need to be hung in the bedroom.  The new living room furniture needs an updated room to show it off so I'll be re-painting.  Re-accessorizing.

Staining wood trim throughout the house.

Need to get an estimate on the shower glass doors and finish touching up the paint in the bathroom.  Cut and paint the trim to create a mirror frame 

Gutting the garage, cleaning out freezers...Oh What Joy have I lined up for myself this week!

Yep...I'm An Apple

Genetics is a funny thing.  For the most part, when you're young, you can see the obvious traits that one of your parents gave you.  Simple stuff like your nose or your height or your smile.  When you have siblings, it's easy to see the pattern repeating.

When you get older though, that's when you really start to see your grandparents start to emerge in your face and form and even in your health.

I come from a German/English heritage.  My people are stocky, the women full bosomed and no one is taller than 5'10.  Blue eyed curly haired blondes and brown eyed, stick straight brunettes. 

Growing up, I was sort of the odd man out.  Taller than my sisters at 5'8 and flat chested to boot, I was the mailman's kid.  Toothpick Tami was my nickname in grade school.

As I grew into adulthood I gained more weight and got boobs besides and while I would from time to time go on a diet to fit the approved mold of what a woman should look like, I never really felt all that fat. 

I was a big healthy girl at 165 lbs, but I was happy in my sized 14 skin.

And then middle age came galloping along and I have slowly watched the pounds creep on.  Not all in one place either. 

It's almost as if I put my thumb in my mouth and blew on it.  I just got bigger everywhere.

Thicker.  The shape is the same, just bigger.  Wider.

Now let's not jump to the obvious conclusion that I'm going to whine about my weight in this post .  Or talk about loosing it.  No lectures please about the joys of Weight Watchers. 

It's all white noise to me.  I'm just not a diet person.



 


I subscribe to "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree" theory of life and I actually expected to gain some weight in my middle years. 

I'm physically active and try to keep myself in good repair with nice hair and makeup.  The occasional pedicure.  And so far SM hasn't run screaming from the house in disgust over my spare tire, my slowly greying hair or the softening of the flesh beneath my chin.  (There's a double chin there just screaming to come out, I just know it!)

I guess that's my point. 

One of the blessings of menopausal wisdom is that I've become more accepting of who I am.  And also more accepting of who SM's become.

I am what I am and I like me just fine.  You are who you are and I love you just the same.   

And it seems that so far SM feels that same way about me too.  And that's a good thing cause if he stopped  liking it, then I would say that it was his problem not mine.

That's not to say that I haven't gone through a bit of a personal crisis.  With the weather warming up, I'd discovered that NONE of my summer clothes fit me very well.  Muffin top, buttons that wouldn't close, tops that molded to my pudgy curves. 

To say I had a bit of a melt down would be an understatement.  But SM shrugged it off, hugged me and encouraged me to go shopping for new clothes.  He saw my frustration and we talked about (with all my hormonal changes) my desire to NOT be hating myself for the weight gain.  I had bigger fish to fry with the flashes, irritability, loss of sleep...blah, blah, blah.

So I went out shopping and discovered that the sizes ran up to size 14 but then stopped. 

"Don't you carry size 16?" 

"Yes, but those always sell out first."

"So you're telling me that I'm a normal sized American women?" 

Blink.




Frustrated with the usual department stores, I finally discovered Lane Bryant whose designers seem to understand the needs of a curvier figure.  Three sets of shorts and a bathing suit later I'm now happy that I can appear out in public looking somewhat respectable.

I know for a lot of you this is old news. 

Been there, done that yourself.

So tell me about it.  When was your "apple" moment?


 

Busy As A Bee

It's been a busy work week around here.  Heck, it's flat out been a busy season, as Springtime usually is. 

Just ask the bees. 

Our holly's bloomed this week with the 80 degree sunny days we've been having, bringing every bee within a 5 mile radius to our backyard.  

Our 3 big holly's are literally vibrating with bee energy.  I wish you could stand here and just feel their energy.  Photo's don't do it justice. 

The bees are swarming over the holly bushes which is great for them but I haven't seen any bees on our strawberries or apples which are also in a blooming frenzy.

So while the bees are busy doing their thing, I too am getting ramped up for a busy week ahead.  I always take a week off in April as a "staycation" week getting things done around the house and garden. 

Next week is my designated week.  I have to go in today (Saturday) for most of the day but after that my charming personality won't be at the office until May 1st. 

That's TEN, count em, TEN WHOLE DAYS of dedicated staycation time.

Whaa Haaa Ha!

Seized Up

Gardens are never finished are they?  Every year there's some expansion or transplanting or change that occurs.

SM went and picked me up a load of compost the other day.  He started to help me unload it but I waved him off knowing that he had other plans and that I could take my time shoveling the dirt from point A to point B.

I took my time and enjoyed feeling the stretch and pull of muscles that have hibernated since last year.

Until yesterday.

Yesterday I had a very unhappy back.

It's all muscular, thank goodness.  Some massage, some ibuprofen and things got better.  Not good enough to continue with all the garden projects I had lined up, but good enough that SM didn't hear me squawking every time I moved.

Until this morning.

This morning I am seized up tight.  I hitched around a block to give the dogs a bit of a walk.  Not my usual mile or two but they got a bit of sniff time.

Now I'm trying to stretch it out, mentally calling to SM to "wake up" so he can come and rub the knot out of my lower back.

Until then, I'll gaze upon my new flower beds.

I transplanted some hosta and daylily's here.  One of the neighbors split rail fence broke so I'm using it here as a brace for the soil.  I'll plant a petunia or two for a POP of annual color.

This is my new baby, though. 

Inside the garden fence to protect it from the voracious bunnies we have around here, sits my new cutting flower garden.  I've seeded it with about 6 different varieties of flowers.  Zinnias, carnations...stuff like that.  The black plastic landscape edging was left over from the fellow who lived here before us.  This stuff is 15+ years old.  I finally found a use for it! 

At some point I'll buy some decorative brick to outline the bed.  (Not anytime soon with this back!) 

Oh good...I hear SM moving around now.  I'll let him get a cup of coffee first and then get a back rub.

Lesson learned.  Next time I'll let him help me unload the compost.

Yellow

Everything is in bloom. 

Everything. 

Except the Crepe Myrtles. 

Even our English Oak which usually waits until May to POP is in leaf.

I was silly enough to wash my car last weekend.  The next day it was coated with a layer of pollen signaling the start of the Yellow Season here in NC.

Cars, floors, black haired dogs...Everything is yellow.

A few days ago we had a line of storms roll through.  As the winds picked up you could see a yellow haze in the air from all the pollen. 

The rain we got was what we call a Spring rain.  Slow and soft and gentle. 

Until the end.

Suddenly it was like a power washer out there.  A hard driving rain.

SM and I were sitting at the kitchen table noting this when suddenly I jumped up and ran out onto the porch and starting flinging cushions out into the yard.

"What are you doing?"  SM hollered over the rain.

"Might as well let the rain wash some of the pollen off these cushions."  I hollered back zinging away.

Once back inside SM pointed out that "The seasons not done yet.  You'll just have to wash those off again, you know." 

"Yeah.  I know.  I just couldn't resist getting some of it off."

Once the storm moved off, I used the hose to try and rinse away more of the pollen off the deck surface.  Sticky stuff!

Then I propped up the cushions to dry in the sun.

Later that day, it got all windy again and you could see a yellow haze in the air.  Back to square one.

Oh well, all that work down the drain.

The yellow season is here to stay for a while.

Better get used to it. 

Wicking Fabric and Battery Operated Bliss

Isn't it funny how you ebb and flow through this process called menopause?

Last month I was bitching and complaining about how I could hardly get any sleep because my night time flashes were coming on every half hour or so with corresponding cold chills between them.

Such misery!

But do I take your advice?  Nope.  No herbal supplements, no HRT.  (I'm a pill-a-phobe, what can I say?)

I just tell myself that with each hot flash I'm one step closer to the finish line.

And what a difference a month makes!  Now I flash every 1-2 hours so I can at least get a little REM. 

What is different is that I'm round the clock now.

Yep.  Daytime flashes too. 

And now I don't just GLOW.

Oh no.

Now I SWEAT.

Eww...

And I turn a bright RED. 

Which is always fun when I'm on the job working up patients.  I try to ignore it but it's embarrassing and kinda frustrating when all I really want to do is go find a cool spot and fan myself off.

Or strip.  

When I'm at home and SM see's me flashing like this he actually gets squirmy.  Uncomfortable. 

Several years ago his Dr wanted him on Niacin.  He tried it and gave it up after having the hot flushes with it. 

"If what you're going through is anything like that..."  SM says shaking his head.

And so the other day I come home and SM has a surprise for me.




I didn't even ask for any of this.  I started laughing as I picked up the little pink hand held fan. 

"Battery operated bliss, Huh?"  I asked with my eyebrows up. 

(How times have changed, LOL)

We both tore into them.  Misting fans for this Summer.  SM likes the big blue one and says he'll use it when he's out on a job. 

The little pink fan is now in my purse and while it doesn't throw off THAT much air, any little bit helps. I even tossed in a few spare batteries anticipating that I'll be draining the power down on it.

Speaking of staying cool, I discovered the joy of wicking fabric.  This stuff is commonly found in workout gear. 

I wear sports bras all the time.  (I stopped wearing underwire when I gave up my sexy years ago.)  

Anyway, I was out at Target seeing what they had and found these Champion Sports Bras made with wicking fabric. 



 


Very comfortable and much cooler that some of my other bras.

Plus they come in a bunch of bright neon colors so SM has something fun to look at as his wife zips through the house doing the hot flash strip!

I also think they look enough like a workout top that if a neighbor happens to see me in the garden with one on it won't freak them out.

"Hey... I never said it was safe look out of your windows around here."

@;)

Self Imposed Privacy Fence

Yesterday I saw in the comments section from Jovardy:

Tami,
Sweet Potatoes slips can be purchased from Renfrow's in Matthews. Also, if you are on Facebook please join Grow Share Charlotte. A lot of information provided by gardners and instructors. https://www.facebook.com/groups/113006355406147


Thanks for the tip, Jovardy.  I've never been to Renfrow's.  Never even heard of them in fact.  So as usual, I googled it.





Oooo.  AND General Merchandise!!!!  This sounds right up my alley. I need to check this out.  SM would probably like it too.

Last week the Dr I work for blocked a half day Friday afternoon and took us all out for pedicures as a "Thank You" for all the hard work we put in.  Very nice. 

While getting my feet pampered I asked one of my coworkers if I could borrow her phone to call SM to see if he wanted me to pick up some PF Changs which was just a few doors down.  She dialed it for me, I talked to SM and handed it back to her saying "Here.  I don't no how to turn this off."

Boy, you should have heard the ruckus.  "You don't know how to turn off a smartphone?"

I felt like a dinosaur on display.  Who is this freak of nature?

All this got me to thinking about the self imposed privacy fences that I've created. 

I'm not on Facebook.  What wonders am I missing?

I'm also not instantly connected.  I have computers at work and home, but nothing on the spot.

After our pedicures we all stuck a newly polished foot out and everyone took a group picture of our toes.  Suddenly everyone was "thumbing" their phones. 

"Whatcha doing?"

"Posting it to Facebook." Was the reply.  Wow.  It had to be done right there!  On the spot!  (Pictures in my camera at home usually sit around for a while.)

I don't own a cell (let alone a smart phone).  SM finally upgraded to a smart phone for his business and loves it, but when people ask my how I can live without one, I usually just shrug and say "I can borrow yours if I need to."

I'm not on Facebook mostly for privacy reasons.  Yes, I'm on the blog but I feel like I can maintain a level of privacy as long as the people who know me respect my wish to be discreet and not share everything and anything about me.  (I do enough of THAT on my own.)

But times like this, I do feel like I'm missing out. 

Try, Try Again and Something New

I've tried the "re-grow" your own celery thing last year, unsuccessfully. 

I goggled it again and saw that I needed to change the water out daily (oops...didn't do that) and transplant it after only 5-7 days.  Mine hung out in water for several weeks.  And rotted.

So we'll try this one more time. 

Speaking of trying...A few years ago I tried to get sweet potato slips started from the potatoes I'd bought at the store.  Turns out the potatoes must've been sprayed to prevent sprouting.

I've never grown sweet potatoes in the garden and since I am living in sweet potato country, it seems like sacrilege not to make an effort.  I know you can buy slips online but I really don't need 47,000 of the little buggars.

So where can I find an organic sweet in Charlotte North Carolina?




I've never been in a Whole Foods store before.  It's nice in that "I've got nothing to do but spend a lot of money on specialty items" kind of way.  Upscale.  Pretty.  It's a shopping experience.  And since I generally hate shopping I ran in and out one day after work. 

Sorry, Whole Foods...wasted on me.

Impressed?  Not really.  No offense, but the best veggies are the one you grow yourself.  If you can.  Or even want to.  Yep, you got variety Whole Foods.  I knew you would carry organic Sweets.  Turns out you had 3 different kinds.

Uh Oh.  Since I know absolutely nothing about sweet potatoes, I just winged it and bought 2 different varieties.  I have no idea what they are.  I guess we'll see what happens.  I read that they don't like amended soil (got plenty of that) and that they need lots of space. 

Any other advice from you experienced sweet potato growers?

Sticky Notes and Suspicious Minds

This week was Spring Break Week for the schools in our area.  (It's amazing how much lighter traffic is heading into work.  Just like Summer!) 

Anyway, my work schedule unexpectedly dropped off on Wednesday.  My co-workers assured me that they could indeed survive without me, so I took Wednesday off. 

Yeah Me!

Tuesday night I thought about everthing what I wanted to get done around here and wrote it all down on a sticky note. 

I really don't know where I'd be without them.  Besides being a nice reminder to a girl who has the attention span of a flea, they also represent my ongoing hopes and dreams of tasks and projects that need to get done around here.

The pups are used to a set routine everyday.  They seem to know by my actions if it's a weekend or a work day.  Ginny in particular is super sensitive to my vibe.  I started off the day as usual.  Dogs were walked and fed by 6 am.   Everyone curled up in their favorite spots for their after breakfast digestive snooze. 

Ginny was in her spot but I felt her eyes on me.  If I twitched, her ears would swivel.  If I got up, so did she, following me around.

By 7am she knew something was up since I hadn't showered and put on my scrubs.  As the day progressed and I got on about doing some of the stuff on the sticky, she was my ever present shadow. 

I picked a pretty good day to be off.  Blue skies, breezy with a high pollen count.  Yeah me!

So outside we went.  Ginny is immediately suspicious and made a beeline for the furthest point away from me.  Why is she suspicious? 

It's been a month since her last bath.

Ginny likes to play "catch me if you can" when it's bath time.  Round and round the shed we go until she finally breaks for the house and the tub.  She's fine after that but for some reason we have to play out that little drama every time.

But it's too cold for a bath today so while Miss Ginny kept a safe distance, I hopped into the garden to see what's up.

Not much.  The weeds sure like it though so I grabbed my handy dandy kneeling gizmo from Gardeners Supply and went on the attack. 

I really like the kneeler.  Very easy to hoik about and the cushion is nice and thick.  I can sit on it or flip it over and kneel on it.  I spent about an hour weeding the walkway and one raised bed. 

Geez, it's gonna take a while to get this garden cleaned up! 

I then ran Scooter over to the Vet.  We decided he needs a dental and scheduled that.  On the way home, I took Scooter over to a nearby park and we walked around enjoying the day.

Back home, I parked my butt in a chair out in the sunshine and read a book.  And dozed.

"Hey little Pig..."

So did I get everything on the list done?  Hm. 

Transplant tomatoes / Vet / Weed Strawberries / Hair appointment set up.  Check!

Meat cooked up for dinner...Yep.

Compost?  No.  Clean the AC unit.  No.

Well, 5 out of 7 isn't too bad.  

Plus I had plenty of exhausted pups at the end of the day.  Very Nice!