Colors Outside The Lines

Doings and Goings-On

2011-12-27T21:45:00.000-06:00

Yeah, yeah. I know. I'm a bad blogger. So y'all can come to my house to beat me up, and then maybe I'll have something to blog about. Deal?

A couple of weeks ago was the graduation of my nursing class. You know, the one I am no longer a part of? It was bittersweet, but I was so proud of my peeps. It is not a job I want to do, but I have personal experience of the hell they went through to get to this point. I couldn't be prouder of them if I had complete the program myself!

I'm pretty sure there was a uniform-burning party after graduation.

Usually, my role in this process is to let my friends bitch about assignments, occasionally quiz them on topics, and especially, talk them down from the ledge right before a test. But with finals, standardized tests and the all important exit exam looming, I decided something else was needed. So, I cooked.

The "exit exam" is a comprehensive test covering EVERYTHING you learned in the WHOLE program, plus stuff they never got around to teaching. It is required that you get a passing grade, or the school won't process the paperwork that qualifies you to take your license exam. Mega important! I figured bringing dinner for the night before the test was something I could do to help.

And so I trashed the kitchen and made mac-and-cheese and chicken enchiladas with Mexican rice.

It was fun, and I felt like I was contributing in a positive way. Usually, I just tell them I think they're crazy and that I'm decorating their rubber room at the asylum. This time, I fed them.

In the run-up to Christmas, I completed a bunch of jobs setting up displays and auditing gas stations. Sometimes on the same day, but not at the same time. Obviously.

Fascinating, huh?

And then Christmas was here and so were Courtney and Clint. Or C & C, as I call them behind their back(s). (Don't tell, k?) So, there was eating, and football watching and more eating. When we got tired of that, we went out. And ate. Oh, and saw a movie.

Today, Stud Muffin, C & C and I went and saw the new Mission Impossible movie. At a movie theater. Haven't done that in forever. Good movie! Then we tried to get into the Cheddar's restaurant at 2:30 PM, but not even a shoehorn and sticks of Oleo were going to squeeze us into a table. So we went to Chili's. And ate.

Clint is watching the TV above my head at the Chili's. I took another picture once he noticed what I was doing, but it was pretty blurry.

I think I'm detecting a theme in this blog post. Anyone else?

Night and Day

2011-11-06T18:46:00.000-06:00

Black and white, thin and stout. (That's what it's all about. Ugh!)

So Stud Muffin got himself a new ~~toy~~ serious business tool.

Image by venturebeat.files.wordpress.com

It's called Jawbone UP and it's a combination ~~bracelet~~ wrist band and iPhone application that tracks your steps and movements throughout the day. It also tracks your sleeping time and gently wakes you up by vibrating on your wrist. (We'll see if it really wakes him up!)

I guess it's suppose to make you aware of your activity level and help you get healthy.

In the spirit of tit-for-tat, I got a new ~~serious business tool~~ toy too! Mine doesn't care if you exercise, in fact, it's whole purpose in life is to keep you from exercising!

Check it out!

A doughnut maker, you say?? Darn tootin!!

I was reading a magazine the other day and it featured an article about frying doughnuts at home. As much as I love to eat fried dough, I'm not as keen to actually do the frying myself.

Something about burning down the house. Could be because the time I tried to make Chinese Sweet 'n Sour chicken at home, I melted the slotted spoon in the cooking oil.

Okay, must try not to overfill it!

I got a recipe off the worldwide innernet, and it's not bad! Would be nice with a cup of hot coffee.

I can imagine all kinds of doughnut varieties. These are sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, but I have plans for chocolate frosted ones, glazed ones, pumpkin-spice ones.

After using his wrist band, Studly will be looking like this,

Okay, this isn't Stud Muffin, but it IS my nephew Colton Foley. Hi, Cole!

and I will be looking like this:

Image by ebayimag.com

But I ask you. Who got the cooler toy?? Show of hands, how many people want to use Studly's new gizmo, and how many want to try out mine? Let's be honest now!

Waah, waah, waah!

2011-10-26T16:53:00.009-05:00

Image from 4.bp.blogspot.com

I can hear the transcontinental whining about the complete lack of posts on this blog. I know, I know! So here is a little update.

First, I want to tell you about a cool thing that arrived the other day. I had done an online survey about cooking spray and at the end, I was asked if a manufacturer could send me something to try. I figured it would be a coupon for a free can of PAM or something.

So the delivery truck pulls up and the man hands out a heavy box marked "glass." Inside was not only a coupon for a free can of "new and improved" PAM, but also a coupon for a free can of Hunts tomatoes, a plastic spatula marked PAM and a 9" x 13" glass Pyrex baking dish!! The mission was to cook my stickiest, hard-to-clean-up dish using the PAM and report back on the results.

Courtney was down for the weekend, and she wanted lasagna, so we had our plan. I'm way to lazy to pre-cook the noodles, so I add a cup or so of water to the assembled lasagna and bake it until the noodles are tender and everything is gooey and hot! Usually, this means soaking the pan before scrubbing it. And then soaking some more!

I didn't actually believe that "new and improved" would really be that much of an improvement, but who am I to turn down free stuff?

So now I am "eating crow", as they say, because that lasagna slid right out of the pan and it almost rinsed completely clean without even using a wash rag!

There you have it! I went into this with low expectations, but came out happily surprised. So go get some "new and improved" PAM, and if you want to do some surveys and maybe get some cool stuff to try out, this is the site I use: smiley360.com End of advertisement.

What else? Okay, why is Stud Muffin smiling like this??

Bad photo from my phone.

Could it be the mountain of the world's best beer-battered onion rings on the table??

Courtney likes them!

We were having lunch at a new restaurant in the "big" town called Cheddar's Casual Cafe. All I can say is...yum! Everything I've tried is delicious. Just look at this chicken salad! I got 3 meals out of it!

Okay, this has been a very food-heavy post! But there is nothing wrong with that, right? I mean, I'm the first one to admit that I LOVE food!

And other than making and eating good food, I have just been working on the never-ending-mulch-project and developing my merchandising business. So I stay busy AND ~~over~~ well-fed.

The End.

Ooops!

2011-09-28T17:29:00.004-05:00

One of these things is not like the others,

One of these things just doesn't belong.

Can you guess which one of these things is not like the others,

Before I finish this little song?

When multitasking isn't a good idea

2011-09-17T08:39:00.012-05:00

My last post was entitled "Multitasking" because I was doing all kinds of other things than just dig-a-hole, plant-a-plant jobs. But sometimes, multitasking isn't a very good idea.

I bet you're wondering what the picture of my feet in a bucket is all about, right? And what's with the blue ice thingies floating in there too? Well, in a very loose way, it's connected to the topic of this post. But we will get to that in a minute.

First though, I finally finished making the diaper cake for the upcoming baby shower.

It took a couple of false-starts to get what I want, but I am quite pleased with it. Thankfully, the hostess of the party, Dancing Daniette, loves it too!

I have done a little couponing (are you bored with these yet?) at Walgreens.

This week, my favorite brand of hair color (I know you're shocked!) was on sale and yes, I had coupons too! So I got this pile of stuff that has a retail value of $63.72 for a total out-of-pocket of $13.22. Plus, I still have $10 in Register Rewards to redeem, so really it cost me $3.22.

Still wondering about the bucket?

The main use of my time lately has been a series of merchandising jobs I have been doing. I work as an independent contractor for a variety of companies who's clients need someone to inventory product or reset displays to a new plan.

I usually have to take photos of the finished job to upload with my report, so these are a couple recent ones.

The pay can range from not-worth-getting-out-of-bed to sure-I'll-take-that-to-slap-a-few-stickers-on-things. I'm kinda liking this self-employment deal since I can choose which jobs I want, and if you live in a microscopic town in the middle of a ton of other microscopic towns, they often will offer a bonus for jobs that are overdue.

Apparently, there is a great need for merchandisers in my area, because I get calls almost every morning asking me to take a job. If it works for me and I'm going to be in the area anyway, I'll try to negotiate more money and take the job. And I have been taking a lot of jobs recently, which accounts for the multitasking boo boo and the bucket.

So, I get home one afternoon from doing a couple of far-flung jobs and take the dogs out for a run. I had noticed previously that the weeds around the creek crossings were really out of control and I needed to cut them down, so I dressed in gardening clothes and brought the hedge trimmer and loppers with me.

Before

The job turned out to be a lot more than I even knew, and with each pass of the trimmers, I had to step further out on the rocks to reach the next layer of saplings. And even though I had on shoes and socks (a big concession in the heat we were having!) the dang chiggers got me! Bad!

After with tired canine helper.

If you remember, I had a run in with those invisible buggers here and swore they would never get me again. Well, never is a long time, I'm old and forgetful and they did get me again.

In my defense, we have had such a hot, dry summer (I don't think we got any rain for most of July and all of August) that I figured the chiggers had all dried up. When I went blackberry picking this spring, I dressed for bear and nearly passed out from heat strike. But that is when the chiggers are at the worst, so I did it. Every time!

So the bucket photo is of me soaking my incredibly itchy feet at about 2 AM. The blue ice is because my ice maker couldn't keep up with my demand for frozen water for the ice bag and bucket and I was beyond desperate!

There really is nothing worse that flying out of bed with your feet on fire and then plunging them into ice water at least 4 times a night. The poor dogs got snapped at if they stood between me and the bucket. And I'm sure everyone appreciated me rattling the ice bag into position under the bed covers all night long.

So, multitasking can lead to chigger bites and sleep deprivation. That in turn can cause you to bake a frozen pizza with the cardboard still underneath. I'm just guessing here. Not that I would actually do that!

But the worst of it is over and it took less than two weeks! I am now at the itchy scab state, but I assure you that is much, much better than it was.

Multi-tasking

2011-09-03T17:17:00.007-05:00

I've been practicing my juggling lately. No, I don't toss fruit and chain saws into the air and deftly catch them. But I have added some variety to the never-ending-mulch-project. Don't worry, the planting and mulching continue. I know how much it means to you!

The garden continues to give me an abundance of veggies. Usually all at one time. In other words, I get overrun with one type and have to eat until it's coming out my ears. Not a good look on me, I gotta tell you!

Remember this bowl of cucumbers?

Yes, I know here are some peppers in there too!

Well, I picked another bowl-full and then wondered what to do with them all. So, I made pickles. Even two bowls of cucumbers isn't really enough to do a full batch of pickles, so I split them up and made two small batches of different flavors. This way, I didn't have to haul out the large canning kettle to process them.

I fully intended to take awesome pictures of the step-by-step (okay, I realize that my photos generally suck!) but I got caught up in the boiling and sterilizing and timing. So this is what I have to show you:

Slice your rapidly over-ripening cucumbers and sprinkle with salt to draw out some of the moisture. Let these sit for 24 hours, or until you forget that the camera is sitting right next to the bowls.

The bowl on the left has sliced onions in it and is destined to become curried pickles, the bowl on the right is onion-less and will be lemon flavored.

Okay, after you salt and wait on the cucumbers, you rinse, drain and repeat to get rid of all the salt. The rest of the recipes go like this:

Stolen from www.evaluationtoolkit.org

After using every pot in the house...Ta Da!

Four pints of lemon pickles in the front and two quarts of curry pickles in the back. Oh! And if you really want to clear your sinuses, try boiling sugar, vinegar and curry powder together until it boils over and makes a sticky mess! Roto-Rooter you right out!!

And the yellow enamel bowl? Already filled up with red bell peppers. Wonder what I'll figure out to do with these?

What else?

The couponing has slowed down some. I'm not finding many good deals except on products that I have quite a stockpile of already. But I did get this little pile at Walgreens.

The retail value of this tiny pile is $101.95, but with sale prices, coupons and Register Rewards, I only spent $26.55 out-of-pocket. I even got 2 boxes of a supplement that might help me with the womanly power surges I have been (starting) to experience!

I am going to a baby shower for a nursing-school classmate at the end of the month. One of the hostesses asked me to make a diaper cake from some diapers she bought. So far, all I have done is roll itty-bitty nappies and place clear elastic bands around them. I can't believe my children ever wore such little pants!!

Well, I will keep you updated on my cake progress!

The heat goes on....

2011-08-24T16:02:00.015-05:00

I wish I could report something new and improved going on, but I really can't. Even the weather is same ole, same ole. Hot and humid. Really hot. Crotch-pot cooking kinda hot!

But work continues around the property even if the weather tries to beat me down. Time to finish the backyard. I re-worked the areas up against the porch as my very first project this year. Back when there was rain and cool temperatures. At least I think it was this year! Seems so long ago.

Anyway, I have been on a buying spree, snapping up clearance-priced shrubs all around town. Of course, every time I think I MUST have enough to fill in the landscaping holes, I find it isn't near enough! *Sigh*

At last count, I had about 20 hydrangeas, 18 azaleas, 6 pieris and 40 hostas in my "nursery." Anyone want to help me plant? Anyone?? *Tap, Tap* Is this thing on??

I started digging in plants and quickly found that the ground was hard as concrete! And a 50 (mmmble) year old woman swinging a pickaxe in 95 degree heat isn't a pretty sight, let me tell you! But Stud Muffin came to the rescue. Not by using the pickaxe for me, but with a great idea to deep water the area the night before so that the water perks down and softens up the dirt without being a soggy mess! Thanks Studly!

Stud Muffin the dog whisperer! Or maybe Nick is giving him mouth-to-mouth. I'm not sure.

Slowly (very slowly) the shrubs go in and the weed barrier gets put down.

Just today, I got the mulch spread in the first section. I must say I feel quite satisfied, considering how ding-dang hard it was to get this far!

What a beautiful, mulch-moving tractor! I couldn't do it without you!

I have about 4 times as long as this section still to do, so I guess I will be gainfully employed with my shovel and pitchfork for a while longer.

The vegetable garden looks ratty and weedy but is still producing like crazy. Our daily routine involves checking on the tomatoes and other veggies first thing in the morning with the dogs and then doing it again after dinner. Nick just wants to know who has been in his yard, but Sassy loves to eat the tomato hornworms I find on the plants! Personally, I could never get into eating anything that has lime green innards. She's is also hoping for a fresh tomato or cucumber to go with her worms!

At last night's veggie check, I realized that I desperately needed to harvest cucumbers and bell peppers. Check it out!

You can't tell from this picture, but this is a huge bowl! Probably holds two gallons if I filled it with water. I better get out my pickling recipes soon and get prepared to can some of these up.

Sadly, the orchard is completely bare of any kind fruit. The *&%^@#$ squirrels have eaten or wrecked every apple and pear on every tree! Wish I liked roast squirrel. I'd be sure to get some well-fed ones, plus they could roast outside in the heat!

Ta Da!

2011-08-14T18:30:00.015-05:00

Things are starting to return to normal.

First of all, I FINALLY finished mulching along the driveway! I know!! The applause from you all is deafening! No, no! Oh stop, it wasn't all that impressive! Okay, so it WAS considering the sweltering weather we've been having.

Continuing around from the actual driveway,

I crawled around under the jumbo shrubs screening the car-wash area, spreading mulch, scaring frogs and dis-entangling my hair from the branches. Bald spots on my head won't be shown!

Eventually, the loads of mulch met up with the generator area. Whew!

And it's a good thing, too, because the poor mulch pile is just a little grease-spot of it's former self. Time to order more!

Can I just say that this particular project area seemed to take a couple of lifetimes to finish? Seriously! But I am very happy with how it looks and am ready to start tackling the rest of the backyard. I have weeds to whack, and dead plants to remove, before I can start digging in the new plants from my little private nursery.

I hope the plants will like their new home in the ground. They seem to have really taken to living under the tree and being watered by me. Each and every day. No matter how hot it is! Not that I'm complaining.

In other news, Courtney's car is finally repaired!

From this:

To this:

And since Courtney had my car for an additional week before she could retrieve hers, I spent the time detailing her Toyota Four-Wheel-Pig-Pen so she would no longer leave dust clouds behind when she drives. Highway Patrol was starting to complain about the car pile-ups in her blinding wake.

So I washed the exterior and I scrubbed the floor mats and interior. I polished windows and vacuumed the trunk. All the while, Stud Muffin was wondering who I was and what had happened to his wife!

And guess who is happy??

We both were so happy, we celebrated by eating at Red Robin and enjoying the free appetizer I got be signing up for their rewards card.

The only bad news in all of this? My car now looks like a Four-Wheel-Pig-Pen and I need to wash and scrub and vacuum and polish my own car. No matter how hot it is!

Life returns to normal.

2011-07-31T19:03:00.016-05:00

After the girl's weekend, life has returned to it's regularly scheduled program.

But the continuing heat and humidity has slowed me down a bit. Somebody left Mother Nature set on Broil with a side order of char!! Every morning, when I get up around 6AM, all of the windows are covered with condensation on the outside. Since I keep the house at 75 degrees, you can tell that the nighttime temperatures don't drop that low.

Image by img.ehowcdn.com

Even the dogs are tired of the heat. Nick has taken up permanent residence on top of the air conditioning vents. The first time I saw him do this, he was sound asleep with his face on the vent and the air coming through was making his lips flap! Too funny!

But on to the work! The never-ending mulch project continues, but I'm almost done with this bed next to the driveway.

See? It's getting there!

Then I'm only left with around my studio building, and all around the backyard fence. This is good, because the mulch pile is shrinking again!

I even have my very own plant nursery in the backyard where I'm staging the discount shrubs I've been collecting. So everyday, I'm out there watering potted shrubs. And new planted shrubs. And vegetable beds. And hanging flower baskets. *Sigh*

The field mowing is getting done:

There are plenty more that still need mowing, but I'm not showing my untrimmed fields to the public!

There is the usual housework stuff (Boo! Hiss!): laundry, dishes, vacuuming, etc.

And then there is shopping! More like stealing, cuz in shopping, you have to give the merchants actual money. My version of shopping involves handing over coupons and taking home free or almost free stuff.

Today, I made a quick stop at Kroger and came home with with this for $6.04 and a savings of 81%.

The body wash was free, the 2 coffee drinks cost 25 cents each and one of the toilet cleaners was free when I bought the other. Basically, I paid for 1 toilet cleaner, 50 cents for coffee and the tax on everything. The body wash will be added to my new Health and Beauty cupboard I've started in the bedroom armoire.

I have enough razors, toothpaste and toothbrushes stored that now I can be choosy about when I buy certain things. Pretty much, if it's not free or less than 50 cents, I pass on the deal. It's a comfort to know that if the sh*t hits the fan, I have enough basic supplies to last quite a while!

Even the girls have gotten into couponing! Courtney hasn't had much time to do it, what with killing wild animals and going to San Francisco for a wedding, but Liz is sharing her knowledge with her girlfriends and has posted about her excursions on her new blog .

A successful weekend!

2011-07-26T18:49:00.005-05:00

Well, we managed to salvage our girl's weekend, after a rough start. I think everyone had fun...I know I did!

We did lots of things and went lots of places. I won't go into all of it, but here's some hints:

There was shopping.

There I am in the background, taking the picture with my phone!

Gotta get shoes!

There was eating.

And, most definitely, there was goofing off and acting silly!

Courtney looks tortured even though she picked the hat!

Work it! Woooork it!

And just to tie the weekend together, after I returned from dropping Liz off at the airport, I took the dogs out for a run. No sooner did we get going when Nick came shooting out of the trees, with his ears pinned back and looking scared.

Then I noticed something else running behind him. It was a deer chasing Nick up the road right towards me!! I couldn't have been more surprised if a band of bunnies was tearing after him!

Sassy came to the rescue and pursued the deer back into the woods, with Nick's help so he could regain his man-dog-hood. I'm wondering if word is out in the forest on what went down with Courtney's car and the headless deer!

A bad start to a girl's weekend

2011-07-22T20:49:00.010-05:00

Both my girls came to visit me on the same weekend.

I know!! I haven't even seen Liz for a year, and she hasn't been home for at least 2 years.

It sucks when your children grow up and leave the nest.

So, Liz had a rocky time flying out here. It included 2 arrivals where there was no gate available to deplane and her carry-on luggage ending up (thankfully) in the checked baggage.

Courtney drove down from St Louis after work and was expected at around 10 PM. At 9:00 PM, she called to say she'd been hit by a deer on a dark 4 lane highway about an hour from home and her car was un-drivable. Thankfully, she was unhurt but the deer lost it's head and flew back onto the median!

Since she takes winding back roads that I've never been on, I needed her directions to find her. Following these instructions, Liz and I headed out to pick her up, while we all made phone calls to the insurance company emergency number and AAA for a tow.

Unfortunately, in her rattled state, she had us get on the interstate GOING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION. In the dark, using the phone to relay calls and check in with her, we didn't realize the mistake until we had gone 40 miles out of our way. Drat!

The tow-truck driver was kind enough to wait with her for 30 minutes until we could arrive (whereas in many communities he probably would have left!) but even with a AAA membership, we had to some up with $112 in cash at 11 PM. Apparently, AAA will only tow you 5 miles for free. Around here, there IS nothing within 5 miles. Even getting into my "home" town is 8 miles from my house!

So, we scrounged the cash, found Courtney, followed the truck to the dealership, and finally got home around 12:30 AM.

Yeah...that's deer poop by the door!

This morning, we went back to the dealership and since they don't actually do body work, had them remove the plastic wheel-well liner that was blocking the tire and drove slowly 30 miles to the insurance approved body shop.

The good news is that the body shop works directly with the insurance company to get the car put back together and we don't have to be directly involved. The better news? $0 deductible when forest critters attack your car in the middle of the night!

The bad news: it will take 2 weeks to get parts and fix everything. So, I am lending Courtney my car for the duration and will be driving the pick-up truck. But every cloud has a silver lining, so I get to see Courtney again in about two weeks to pick up her car!!

Eyeball measuring thingy on Liz's new glasses. Courtney being Courtney in the background!

Between spending 2 hours getting Liz and eye exam and some new glasses, and transferring Courtney's car to the body shop, we did have some fun at lunch.

I think we were all a little punch-drunk from the stress and lack of sleep, but lunch at the Olive Garden was a laugh riot!

Mommy just wants a nice picture of her girls!

Courtney! Quit dancing!

So here is to hoping that the rest of the girl's weekend is fun-filled and free of random wildlife attacks!

Finally! The picture I was trying for!

I wrote a post...

2011-07-08T19:46:00.011-05:00

A long post. Last night. But then I didn't like it. So I didn't publish it.

Then I woke up at 2:30 AM with a headache that has resisted all manner of OTC medication. And chocolate. The nerve of it!

And I still don't like the post. It was about some shopping trips I made to help Courtney stock her pantry using coupons and store deals. Not crazy Extreme Couponing. I mean, who really needs (or wants) 1000 tubes of toothpaste?

The post had pictures too, like this:

and this:

and this one:

But in spite of my fabulous photography, I didn't like the sound of the post. Whatever...it happens sometimes!

Mostly I have been working on the mulch project and tending the struggling vegetable garden. The mulch action has turned a corner. Not figuratively, but literally turned the corner to the back side of the garage, where the weeds are on steroids and the generator threatens to leave if I don't clean it up!

These are the before shots. Don't judge me! I've been working on other areas!

Seriously. If I ever had a problem with generator, I would be out of luck getting it serviced!

Now I have the barrier down but the every-other-day rains means it is too wet to drive the tractor on the grass to bring in mulch. I don't know, maybe I should leave it like this?

I've also been weeding and fussing over the vegetables. This is turning into a very "good" year for plant-munching insects. We've had hornworms (every year), inch worms for the first time, sex-crazed Japanese beetles (which are working on the fruit trees now) and recently, grasshoppers.

You really don't want to see pictures of the tortured plants, so here is a photo of the quiche I made for dinner.

It is crustless, and has ham, onions, Parmesan cheese, and the first of the garden's tomatoes, zucchini and basil. Yum!

At Stud Muffin's suggestion I took a Percocet to knock down my headache. And then I had some chocolate, which has done the trick. Now I must go and chase down my head. It seems to have floated off like a liberated helium balloon.

But at least my balloon doesn't hurt anymore. I'm sure it was the chocolate this time!

Hungry squirrels...

2011-06-30T18:37:00.002-05:00

will be DEAD squirrels if I catch them stealing from the orchard again!

Sheesh! First bugs, now rabid squirrels!

Ugh...bugs!

2011-06-25T03:56:00.008-05:00

Work continues around the homestead, with periods of berry picking, hanging out, and eating Popsicles. The bugs aren't eating Popsicles, though, they have made their appearance in the garden.

We had a couple of rainy days that kept me indoors and not doing the usual veggie inspection. Next thing I knew...

naked tomato plants!! And the hunt was on for the elusive and destructive tomato hornworm!

Image by www.charsgardening.com

This bugger is nearly invisible against the green leaves, but can strip a plant overnight and grow to the size of your finger. You can tell you have hornworms before the damage is too obvious by...um...noticing the poop they leave behind. The bigger the poop, the bigger the worm. (Aren't you glad to know all about worm poop?)

All is not lost, though. Most of the plants, well the ones that didn't drown in the storms, have set at least some fruit, so I'll still get tomatoes. In fact...

My first ripening mater of the season! I can't wait to eat this with the basil that I ~~nearly forgot to plant~~ planted very late.

Another pest that has dared to show itself is the Japanese beetle on the grape vines.

Image by www.my-grape.vine.com

At least this bug isn't as disgusting looking, but a rather pretty iridescent green. Don't get me wrong! It's still a nasty bug, but it doesn't make me hop around and squeal like a little girl as much as those icky hornworms! And look what it's doing to my grapes.

Remember these little grapes from early Spring? Yeah, they're all gone...*Sniff*.

I had some beetle traps from last year, but needed new lures to convince the bugs to fly into the bags. At first, I had trouble locating replacements, but yesterday I found some. And did they cost plenty! Who knew that pads with alluring bug sex-smell could be so expensive! Hope the beetles enjoy themselves on the way to their death.

So now that you have heard all about worm poop and beetle pheromones, let's talk landscaping. I finally got the long bed in front of the garden fences re-mulched.

Canine frog inspectors.

Time to clean up the generator area. I embarrassed to show you the "before" picture, but it's not like I wasn't busting myself replanting and mulching elsewhere! So here goes (don't judge me!)

I can't show an "after" shot yet, because I only got halfway finished before the string on the trimmer broke. And then it rained. And then I got lazy. So I'm not finished. But I got this far!

Other than that, I've been picking wild blackberries just about every other day. Yesterday, I got 2 more quarts after picking 1 1/2 quarts two days before! This has been the very best year for berries since we moved here! I already have a full gallon freezer bag and have started another. I see LOTS of smoothies this fall!

And for those of you who don't follow Facebook, Nicky was caught eating something yesterday while I was mowing. I tried to out wait him, knowing he would eventually barf, but he waited until he was napping on my bed. Then, without even getting down from the bed, he leaned over the side and horked up the remains of a small rabbit.

He is not my best friend.

I may have to move.

Have a nice morning!

Another one bites the dust!

2011-06-16T16:31:00.010-05:00

I really planned on taking a break from the landscaping project, but when I happened upon 5 forsythia shrubs for $7 each at the Walmart, I had to snag them! Forsythia is one of the first things to bloom in the Spring with bright yellow flowers.

I had tried rooting my own forsythias from some cuttings provided by Dana, my farm hand's Mom. I failed miserably, and I so wanted some to screen the propane tank. When we originally had the landscaping done, some genius thought that planting prickly holly around the tank was a good idea. I should have made him come and check the gauge and fill the tank through all those hateful prickles!

Here's the tank after I weed-whacked the worse of the grasses and weeds from the front side. Sassy is checking for crickets and frogs among the 3 remaining holly bushes. (Okay, crappy photo taken with my phone!)

I still needed to get to the back where the fill valve and gauge are!

And here it is with new shrubs, mulch and stepping stones:

These will grow into a large hedge.

As usual, the weather was scorching and muggy and the biting bugs got through all of my chemical and clothing defenses. But check this out! The weather in Kansas shot up 20 degrees in 20 minutes (to over 100 degrees) AT MIDNIGHT!

Anyway, by the time I finished mulching around the tank, I was also out of mulch. So, today, I had another truckload delivered.

See? Lonely cart with no mulch.

It's a bit like magic. You give the guys a kidney, first-born child (Hi, Courtney! What are you doing with the rest of your life?), or a sack full of cash...

and they leave a mountain of mulch at the end of your driveway for your hauling pleasure!

I know you all worry about me toiling away in the hot sun, e.v.e.r.y.d.a.y, but I do other things too. The other day, as I was running the dogs, I saw this:

Wouldn't this make a great calendar picture?

So in the relative cool this morning, I went on a scouting trip and picked my first blackberries. I got almost a quart!

Since there are plenty more waiting to ripen, I washed these and spread them out on a cookie sheet and popped them in the freezer. These are going to make delicious smoothies all winter long!

And at night, when there is no sunlight or outdoor work to do, I've been crocheting some dish cloths.

These are a a gingham pattern that I thinks looks really neat. They are large and thick and wear really well. I think I might put these in my shop. I can't decide whether to make sets gingham cloths of all the same color, a mixed color set, or sets with one color scheme but different patterns including a gingham one. Any opinions??

A Dog's Calendar

2011-06-12T14:26:00.012-05:00

Mud-day:
Feel so gud!

Snooze-day: Be naughty wears me out.

Wet-day:
Why you no buy me pool? Why I must use crick?

Toys-day:
I keeel you toy!

Foamy Frog-day: Frog not tast gud!

Snake-tur-day: Tak dat snak! I ween!

Run-day: I run too fass for you to snap, Mom!

The work goes on and on and ....

2011-06-11T18:50:00.009-05:00

So, a little update on the never-ending landscaping. I have F I N A L L Y completed replanting and mulching all of the beds up against the house! (Cue applause and celebratory music.) And it about killed me, especially these last 2 weeks as the sunrise temperatures start in the 80s and climb from there.

Let's take a photo tour, shall we? (Just go with it, okay?) We'll start from the left side of the house by the driveway and work our way around the house.

Left side by garage.

Left front.

More left front towards the porch. That tallest shrub is in full bloom, so it was extra special working with a zillion bees buzzing around! I practically needed hearing protection!

The mulch in those photos looks much lighter than in some of the others because of the heat. When I started in the back, the temps were cooler + lots of rain = dark, heavy mulch.

Front porch with canine helper toy visible in the rocks.

Right side from the front.

One side of back porch.

Other side of back porch.

This completes our tour. I know you are impressed!! Okay, maybe not, but I did do all by myself except for the day my farm hand came to help me.

This is all that's left of the mulch pile. I have some areas that need the mulch refreshed, but that already have weed barrier down. Then there are more areas that have neither barrier, mulch or many still-living plants. So the work continues, but I decided to take a bit of a break and get out to see the world.

Yesterday, I went off in the truck to take trash to the dump (one of the perks of country living is you get to drive your own garbage around town) and to check out some stores for discounted shrubs. We have 2 Walmarts, 2 Lowes stores and 1 Home Depot in "the big town." I hit one of each store yesterday with no luck. In fact, I don't think the Home Depot is still watering their plants, but they still want full price for the extra crispy ones.

Today, I went to the farmer's market (still no luck) and then headed for the larger Walmart further north. And I hit pay dirt! It took me two trips to the car with my purchases, but I got:

3 Forsythias for around the propane tank at $7 each.

6 Azaleas for the backyard ($4.50) and 2 more Forsythias.

However
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*
*
*
*
*
*
*
I should have brought the truck!

Thank goodness I live where seeing out of the car while driving isn't totally necessary!

I'm getting tired of mulching.

2011-06-03T10:46:00.012-05:00

But it does look good! As the temps near 100 degrees, the work slows down. If I get outside by 6 AM I can maybe get 3 hours of work done before I am a hot, sweaty mess. I don't always make it out that early!

But I am plugging along with the mulching project and landscape refreshing and the shrinking mulch pile is proof.

Gratuitous (blurry) picture of my tractor, which I use to move mulch. Have I said lately how much I love my tractor?? A whole lot! Especially the air-conditioning on days like these!

I have to water all the new shrubs at least once a day (sometimes twice! *Sigh*), but the gardenias are already blooming!

In the garden, the peas are "pea-ing,"

and the broccoli is budding.

The first tomatoes are set

but the lettuce is starting to bolt.

The herbs need frequent cutting

and the cabbages are holding their own.

It's been too hot to run the dogs (plus there is the matter of the smoking battery in the buggy!) so we bought them new toys to play with in the yard.

They think they want to chase the buggy down the road, but after just a few minutes of tossing toys for them, they head for the door and want into the air conditioning! The buggy is out for repair but should get back tomorrow. Unfortunately, the weather is going to continue to roast, so there still may not be much dog-running anyway!

Ta Da!!

2011-05-23T20:56:00.002-05:00

Have tractor, will mulch!

Even if I have to spread it around in the rain. Now to get the barrier down in the remainder of the yards!

I got me a farm hand!

2011-05-21T19:51:00.005-05:00

Today, my friend Dangerous Dana lent me her son to help me around the property. Boy Wonder (not his real name, as his mother knows better than that!) spent half the day with me as my very first farm hand.

There was mulch to move and, more importantly, lots of logs that needed splitting.

As I explained to him, a smart person know when to ask for help, and I AM a smart person (quit sniggering!)

We started with this pile:

Although most of these logs are the right length for the fireplace, this fresh oak weighs a ton! Some pieces took both of us struggling to lift it onto the hydraulic log splitter.

But Boy Wonder was game to work and work hard! We did take breaks for lemonade (provided by Dangerous Dana) and trips around the property on the buggy, but then it was back to work.

This is what is left. Some wouldn't split no matter which way we tried, so those will have to be chopped with an ax or chainsaw.

And my firewood pile has almost doubled!

Thanks Boy Wonder! I couldn't have done it without you! Hope you'll come back and help again. Maybe after a nap for me!

Finally!

2011-05-20T16:22:00.006-05:00

It's taken almost a month, but the tree guys FINALLY showed up to clean up the storm damage.

At about 7:20, I took the dogs down to open the gate, expecting the guys to show at 8 AM. Good thing I wasn't still wearing my PJs! I wish I had brought my camera to show you the scene but I really wasn't expecting anything worth photographing!

What I found were four cows pressed up to the gate, all peering at my tree crew, who were unloading equipment. (Judging from the cow pies, I think the cows stayed on my property all night!) The dogs charged up to the cows and stood around wiggling and wagging like they were reuniting with long lost friends.. Some protection they are! It was a bit of a challenge getting the gate open, the cows out, and the guys and equipment in, but eventually we sorted it out.

The big red oak tree at the front gate is now chopped into pieces and hauled to the garage.

And the stump stood itself back up and filled the hole that threatened to swallow small children.

The guys removed some trees and trimmed the others around the solar panel that opens the gate. Now the panel will get sun for more than a couple of hours everyday!

The cedar tree is now out of the spring house.

All the remnants were tractored off (oh shut up spell check! That is a real word in my head!) into the woods and tossed down the hill.

The trees at the end of the driveway that always dropped branches in storms are now history!

There was branch wrestling when things got hung up. I bet these guys are great at TPing people's houses in the dead of night.

The biggest problem was just discovered the other day when I mowed the road to the cemetery. One half of a HUGE white oak tree blocked the road right before the cemetery (and the only place to turn around on that road!)

This thing was around 3 feet in diameter! Me and my little chainsaw couldn't even begin to attack this tree. The guys got their saws pinched 3 times trying to bust it up. But they finally were able to dump it off in the woods and gain access to the cemetery again.

And all that was left was a pile of very large, very heavy logs in desperate need of splitting.

But that is a job for tomorrow!

Frickin' Cows!

2011-05-19T17:39:00.007-05:00

All I wanted to do was sit quietly and watch the Real Housewives of SomethingOrOther and relax. I caught a blur of dark motion outside the window and assumed it was Dilbert, the neighbor's dog. But wait! That's a dang tall dog!! Oh no... I know what that is!

A pair of cows on the driveway! No, wait! Four cows eating the lawn. And the shrubs.

You've got to be kidding me! Didn't we already do this ?

When I caught them eyeing my vegetable beds, I turned the hose on them and yelled, "Go away, dumb cows!" in my best raving-lunatic voice.

It didn't work. In fact, I think they liked the water! They certainly weren't impressed with me and my attempts to herd them.

I've decided that cows are like cats. They look at you with such distain, and then do whatever they want to. And if they leave, it's cuz they "chose" to, not because of anything you did!

Unless the sight of my jiggly arms flapping in the wind grossed them out!

The End

2011-05-19T16:15:00.005-05:00

of the homegrown strawberries for the season. Sad. It was so fun to go out with the dogs every morning and see how many ripe berries we could find for breakfast!

What has not come to a welcome end is the need to bathe Nick every. single. day. At least once. Sometimes twice.

My dog is actually blond!

The little butt-wrinkle simply must roll in bovine excrement and splash in the creek every. single. day.

He thinks he smells Fab-moo-lous! Trust me, he's wrong!

*Sigh*

Do you think...

2011-05-16T16:27:00.009-05:00

this gray carpet looks good in my side yard??

I wasn't sure, but I went ahead and laid it all the way around to the front porch.

You like?? I'm thinking... a sofa, a few throw pillows and it will be real purty!

Okay, so it isn't carpet, and by now I was hoping this project would be done and I could show you the fabulous finished effect. This is actually weed barrier that goes down before the mulch to ~~prevent~~ slow down the grass and weeds from growing into the shrub beds.

It's a bit of a pain to put it down around the shrubs, cutting holes for the plant base and tacking the remainder back together, but I am "converting" an existing patch of grass next to the river bed into an extension of the shrub bed, so it's necessary.

I also laid down some left over pavers from another project to get from the bridge to the gate into the backyard.

So how far did I get with the mulching part of this project?? Starting from the far (far, far) corner, past the bridge,

I only got to the bridge before days of rain soaked the lawn. I later hosed the mulch off of the steps so they look better.

And since I am moving massive loads of mulch with the pickup truck, I need to wait until the lawn can handle the weight being driven over it.

I'm beginning to think this project is going to be a bit like painting the Golden Gate Bridge. By the time I get all the the mulch spread around, the first loads will have decomposed and it will be time go back to add another layer!

How does your garden grow?

2011-05-09T18:08:00.008-05:00

Time for a little garden update.

Salad greens under the shade cloth (in the back bed), peas, broccoli and tomatoes in the front bed. Which desperately needs weeding.

Cabbages, cabbages, cabbages!

Bell peppers and herbs. This is another bed of tomatoes, but about half drown in the storms, so I didn't take a picture! They are too pathetic to post.

I'm going to get my first crop of grapes this year!! I'm so excited! I have no idea when these will be ripen since they are only about the size of a pin head.

The strawberries are petering out. I lost a lot of them to mold from all the rain we had, but I still get enough each day to eat for breakfast.

There will be pears this year,

and apples, if the squirrels don't steal them all like last year.

Here's a fuzzy picture of a fuzzy peach!

Basically, the vegetable garden and orchard are taking care of themselves (hence the need for the weeding!) because I am working very hard on a major project that will be the subject of my next post. It still has a way to go before it is finished and ready to show. I am also still cleaning up from storm damage and, occasionally, I try to round up the dust buffalos and dirty dishes. But I knew "some people" would be looking for a post, so here it is!!

Where's the ark??

2011-05-02T06:57:00.005-05:00

As if epic rains, tornadoes and snakes weren't enough, the other morning I opened the front door to find cows on my lawn!!

Sorry about the fuzzy pictures! It was kind of foggy and well, I was pretty startled to find cows when I just wanted to pick strawberries! And this isn't my front lawn, but they scampered here while I was getting the camera. Bet you didn't know cows could scamper.

Nick, who has more cow experience than Sassy, decided to show them the way off of the property. But cows don't take directions from a dog that says please.

Sassy ran up to one then ran back to me as if to say, "That's a really big dog wearing earrings and I don't want to be friends." Plus, she loves strawberries and was much more interested in "helping" than in checking out jumbo dogs.

So the cows stomped around the garden and woods for a while until they decided to wander off. I hope they found their way back home and aren't lying in wait to jump out at me! Cuz cows can jump as well as scamper.

But what I really want to know is... Can Noah and his ark be far behind??

Sassy and the snake

2011-04-24T09:51:00.006-05:00

Have I ever told you how much I hate snakes?? Oh yeah. Right here buried in this long post.

I let the dogs out this morning to "help" me pick strawberries. Usually, they check out what's happening under the shrubs and enjoy chasing frogs and crickets. Today was the same, except that today Sassy emerged carrying a three foot black snake and started beating it against the walkway!!

I ran to get camera and she and Nick (who stuck to supervising) took the snake into the shrubs.

Sassy was quite proud of herself and continued to sniff and paw at it. I went on to pick my strawberries and eventually Sassy joined me for a few berries. As I left the garden, I noticed that Nick had brought the snake into the entrance of the garden. Ugh!

Later, as I drove past the garden on my way to getting the mower, I checked on the snake.

Missing!! Cr*p!!

So now I have a wounded, p*ssed off snake hiding back in the shrubs just waiting for me! Great.

In happier news, I got to pick my first baby lettuce, spinach, chard and kale last night.

It made the tastiest meal-sized salad with added red cabbage and orange bell peppers, topped with balsamic dressing, feta cheese, dried cranberries and croutons! Super yum!

Have a Happy Easter, everyone!!

Yummy!

2011-04-23T10:00:00.003-05:00

The first strawberries from my garden!

The one on the top left is for Barefoot Gardener. I changed my mind and let her have one even though she was kinda snarky about southern gardeners on Facebook!

I don't think this years crop will be as prolific as last year's because I thinned the plot quite a bit. But I should still get enough to freeze some after I've eaten my fill!

Yogurt and freshly-picked, homegrown strawberries. Breakfast of champions! Excuse me while I close my eyes and savor this treat.

Later on I will pick some lettuce and spinach for a salad. Have I mentioned how much I love Spring??

Working all the live long day...

2011-04-20T11:06:00.010-05:00

I have been spending a lot of time working to improve the flower beds in the back yard. Nothing has been done with them since we initially moved in 4 years ago and it was time. Many plants have died, the mulch was gone... you get the picture.

But, the stormy weather makes it difficult to work in the clay soil, so it has been very slow going.

I managed to get one side of the stairs planted with new gardenia and evergreens, and get the weed barrier put down. Now it needs mulch brought around from the driveway.

I even planted an Eastern Redbud tree to give some height to the area. The other side took even longer to get planted, but it too is done. Now it needs weed barrier and (*sigh*) more mulch.

I planted a crabapple tree outside of the fence (technically in the front side yard) to kinda match the redbud tree. This one can handle full sun that the redbud can't.

I have also been planting the seedlings I grew into the raised beds and behind the orchard, but I need to take some pictures of that! The weather is too cloudy for decent photos.

Mostly, though, I have been feeling like someone stapled one foot to the ground and I am running in circles. The weather report dictates what gets done and in what order. So I have many projects in the works and none completed. The violent storms keep right on coming and either undo what's been done or cause me to re-prioritize the list.

Courtney came done last weekend and helped me clean up storm damage on the only nice day. Of course, we were working so no pictures, but here is one of her in front of one of the uprooted trees.

Last night brought another major storm with 85 mph winds. We had to sleep in the shelter for over an hour last night. Cheryl asked to see pictures of our storm hangout, so here there are.

Shelter bolted into the garage.

The backrest folds up to make an upper bunk held by chains. I have some blankets and dog leashes on the wall, a radio and some closet lights on the bench.

Behind the door (and hard to photograph) is a bed for the dogs, an oscillating fan (it gets hot and muggy with upset doggies) and some supplies in case the worse happens.

After sleeping in the shelter until about 1 AM and being blown out of bed my the endless weather warnings all night, I struggled out of bed this morning to a phone call from my neighbor. He wanted to let me know that my driveway was blocked by another fallen tree. *Sigh*

How come only the good living trees fall over?? Can't the dead ones come down so I don't have to pay someone to remove them??

So while drinking my morning coffee, I was also chopping off limbs so I can get the car out of the gate!

Pile of limbs on the other side of the drive.

I'm free!

I placed a call to the tree man and he will come out this afternoon and give me a quote to clean up the rest of this tree, plus the downed cedars in the spring house and some standing dead trees that will eventually fall onto buildings.

And we have another storm coming tonight!

I get the hint!!

2011-04-04T17:42:00.011-05:00

MIL has been whining (Yes! At her age, she still whines!) that my blog is boring. And she is right. I just haven't felt like there was anything blog-worthy going here. It rains every couple of days, no outdoor work, blah, blah, blah. Exciting stuff, huh?

Then last week, a trip was made to California to visit family and friends. I dutifully packed my camera, and then only took 1 picture on my first day there. See? Here is Stud Muffin enjoying soup in a bread bowl at the Boudin sourdough bakery.

In my defense, we spent all of our time buying art and decorating a friend's apartment and visiting with sick relatives. I did spend a whole day with my sister Christina and her man, but forgot the camera. (Yeah, I'm a loser!)

But now that I am home, I took pictures of some fabric I bought on my trip!

Two really cool fabrics from Ikea.

Another two from Joann's. I also got some silky soft bamboo crochet thread.

Today, we have suffered through one hell of a storm. The dogs and I spent over an hour in the shelter listening to the wind howl and the power go out. Once back out, I noticed how much yard crap was sticking to the sides of the house. All the way up to the roof! Sticks and leaves covered the driveway.

After the rain slowed to a deluge, I ventured out to check the at least the area around the house. First thing I noticed is a tree down in the orchard and a missing row cover from the lettuce bed.

As I proceeded towards the gate, I realized things were a bit more serious.

Oh well, the spring house needed to go anyway, but the cedar tree was still living! There are more trees down next to the shop building.

But THIS is a problem!

The entire (live) tree uprooted and was blocking the way to the gate and the world beyond! I drove the buggy around the fallen pine to investigate my neighbor's properties. Everyone had broken trees and roofing off.

(Might be hard to use the picnic table this way!)

I returned to the house for the chainsaw, cut up the road-blocking pine and used the tractor to haul away the parts lying on the drive. Thank God for having the right tools! Three and a half hours after the storm passed, the electricity came back on and my big-ass generator could shut down. Apparently, a pole and transformer came down blocking the highway near my house, and somebody ran it all over and left their bumper behind!

So there you have it. All the news that's fit to print. Let the whining cease!!

Mold farming??

2011-03-05T16:41:00.004-06:00

I know that Spring isn't officially here yet, but I think I have had enough rain for a while. I'm considering becoming a mold farmer. Ya think there is any money to made in it?

Even the frogs are carrying umbrellas these days. I think I saw a fish wearing floaties. Lake Lisa is taking over the backyard.

I'm just saying... enough with the rain for a while!

So with another cruddy day at hand, I took myself off to my sewing studio. I am making more produce bags and renewing my Etsy shop. I have relisted some items that were there before I started school, and I am working on some new things as well. Or I will as soon as I decide what I should make. Any ideas?? Something with mold, perhaps?

Storm Warning

2011-02-28T07:39:00.007-06:00

As I sit here under YET ANOTHER tornado warning, I thought I'd post pictures from the storm that blew through the other day.

The rain came in violent bursts throughout the day, and blew in directions I didn't think possible! And there went some of the mulch I worked so hard last spring to lay down.

Oh! Here it all is!

The strawberry bed I had just thinned and weeded got torn apart, ripping the hoops out of the soil.

From the house, I couldn't see the row cover, but it was hanging on by one corner.

Luckily, the plastic I put down behind the orchard to kill off grass and weeds for a new bed was still place.

The dogs and I spent time in the storm shelter a couple of times that day. Poor Nick threw up in there during the afternoon session, so I had the pleasure of sitting in a steel box with 2 nervous dogs and vomit! There was lots of howling wind and cracking tree branches. There were two confirmed funnel clouds (tornadoes that don't touch down) just up the road from me. I know we got some wild wind, because there was dirt and leaves stuck to the sides of the house waaaay up high!

During a break in the weather, I took the dogs for a run on the property (well, they ran, I drove the buggy!) There wasn't as much damage as I expected, but part of my newly-smoothed road was rutted again!

Of course I can't fix it until the roads dry out plenty, and I'm not sure when THAT day will come. Tornado watches started again at 1:30 AM and will last until at least 9. I never did bother to sweep up the mulch on the drive and it seems that it wasn't necessary. Today's rain has washed the drive clean again! For the moment, the strawberry bed is still covered and I think I can still see the plastic behind the orchard.

I think I am over this winter!

Happy Birthday, Lilly!!

2011-02-23T06:01:00.003-06:00

How did you go from this

to this

in the blink of an eye??

Have a happy, happy day (and come visit your Mother!)

2011-02-22T17:43:00.006-06:00

I went to St Louis this past weekend to help Courtney move into a new apartment. I am home now with sore muscles in places I didn't know I had muscles, but I think the apartment is a great success.

Courtney didn't have much furniture because she got rid of most of it when she moved from Reno, but what she had was being stored in a friend's basement. So, the queen-sized bed had to be carried upstairs and tied to the back of the pickup truck. Ugh!

The new apartment is on the first floor, with an enclosed patio. The front door is 90 degrees from the building outer door, but so close to it that it was easier to unload stuff over the patio wall and bring it in through the slider door.

Her apartment is older, which means that the dimensions are somewhat more liberal than places they build these days. Check out the huge bedroom closet!

Still, they could have put in more kitchen cabinets on that big blank wall.

But there is a little dining area in the kitchen:

The "theme" here is an Asian/nature vibe and we started out well by finding what I thought was a cool coffee table on clearance for $189. Turns out, it was for the coffee table AND two side tables!! Score!

We shopped, unpacked, and built furniture all weekend long.

The sofa was delivered today (I have no picture to show!) and she picked up the bedside tables as well. I know she will be sorry to see her "redneck chic" tables go!

Courtney and I worked really well together and were very efficient this weekend. Courtney even had time to pop into work and take care of some emails. (See Dad? She DOES have a job! Pay no attention to the casual attire, we were between building sessions!)

I had a great time and loved being part of getting Courtney set up in her new place. And I know she loves it!!

I'm soooo over it!

2011-02-10T07:54:00.003-06:00

Enough.

It can stop snowing every other day.

I want flip-flops and drinks with little umbrellas.

I want running water when I get up in the morning (and hot coffee.)

Thank you, that is all!

Crossroads

2011-02-06T07:05:00.003-06:00

Image by scienceblogs.com

It has been a long time coming, but I have made the decision to withdraw from the nursing program. My heart isn't in it and I feel it is too critical for your patients not to pursue it whole-heartedly.

So, I am at a crossroads now. One journey has ended, but I'm not sure about the direction of the next. I think I will just take some time off and let everything sort of work itself out.

I spend my days cleaning my house (wipe that shocked look off of your face, Toni! It does happen occasionally!) This part of life has taken a backseat to studying for so very long, I think the dust mastodons have developed glowing eyes that stare at me from behind doors at night. Or maybe paranoia has finally gained the upper hand!

Image by fostercityblog.com

Either way, I am "wiping the slate clean" so to speak. I am looking forward to starting my little garden seedlings and watching the outside world wake up from this horrendous winter. I may visit St. Louis, if it will ever stop snowing there, I may go to California, or I may just stay home for a while.

Right now, I am enjoying the peace that comes from finally making a difficult decision. I thank all my family and friends for supporting me in this. And don't worry, Marmy! I still know how to put in an "Auntie Morris" (urinary catheter) should you need one!

Baby, it's cold outside!!

2011-01-15T14:47:00.004-06:00

The last week has been a real treat (please detect sarcasm here.) It snowed quite heavily for this area on Sunday night, and screwed up my tightly scheduled week.

I finally got back on track around Wednesday. But seeing the car thermometer register 5 degrees as I drove to school on Thursday morning was almost more than this Hawaii girl could take.

Three layers top and bottom, plus a heavy coat and I was still cold. Until I got to class and had to strip some of it off so as not to pass out from heatstroke. That raised a few eyebrows amongst my fellow students.

But all was forgiven when I got home to find that my paperwhites had started opening up!

Waning Days

2011-01-07T17:12:00.007-06:00

I am hanging on to my last few days of Christmas break with a death grip, while at the same time, trying to get some thing accomplished around here.

I have been working to prep food for quick meals and grab-and-go snacks for when school starts interfering with life.

I made muffins (no picture) that are individually wrapped and frozen, and last night, I prepped individual servings of enchiladas when I made a pan for dinner.

Today, I cut and bagged portions of ham from an after-New-Year's sale ham. I kept a bag out for sandwiches this week and froze the others.

I've been working to straighten up the shop building. There are tons of packed boxes from our move out here, but most are going to stay that way for a while at least. The movers were very good to mark the boxes, so I know what is in them, and I know I don't have the space for everything.

I am turfing out some things and have a large pile of stuff to donate and another pile of trash and junk to go to the dump. I want to get as many boxes off of the floor, so I have been assembling the many storage racks that were themselves, packed in boxes. A win-win situation!!

There is still a lot of work to do in here, but I am happy with the progress so far!

I have also been spreading the gravel I got for Christmas around on the roads. Again, no pictures cuz, well, I am busy driving the tractor! Like the shop clean-up, there is much more to do, but I enjoy having a couple of projects to do when I need a break from schoolwork!

On the creative front, I have been just puttering. Most evenings I work a bit on a ripple blanket that will keep me warm while sitting in my recliner.

I'm really enjoying the 5 alternating colors and the neat zig-zag effect. It's a good mindless activity to wind down with at the end of the day. I see more of these in my future!

In employment news, I start my multi-day orientation on Monday. Next week is going to be a killer with school followed by hospital stuff everyday! Yesterday, I had my "fit test" for my protection mask that should keep me safe from TB and other airborne nasties. They put this tight-fitting mask on you, put an astronaut hood over your head and spray aerosol stuff in the hood to see if you can taste it. A little freaky, but thankfully, the first mask brand fit and I didn't have to try on anymore.

So, here's a question?
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Does this respirator make me look fat?? Or like a duck?

Merry Christmas, everyone!

2010-12-25T08:36:00.002-06:00

Image by irritatedtulsan.files.wordpress.com

Just popping in to wish everyone a Happy Holiday! I am relaxing with Stud Muffin and the dogs, anticipating some snow today.

I know I have been kinda ~~quiet~~ absent around here. Just trying to decompress from the semester. Of course, they couldn't let us too relaxed, so they have already thrown a 9 chapter assignment at us to be turned in before the semester even starts.

But there is some good news! I interviewed for and was offered an internship in the Neurology department of the local teaching hospital. I am equally excited and terrified, considering the patients on this unit have had strokes, spinal injuries, brain tumor and the like. It will go a long way toward connecting up all the dots between classroom lectures and real-life nursing.

So I am taking advantage of what may be the last real "down time" I have for the next year to kick back, sit before the fire, read a few novels and just enjoying "being."

I hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday with family and friends, eaten some treats, and are getting ready for the New Year. Once the revelry is over, you may start your aneurysms! I will be there with the bedpan and clean sheets to help you out!

Please pardon the interruption!

2010-12-08T13:08:00.004-06:00

We interrupt our regularly schedule programming to TRY and survive the final exam for Maternal/Child nursing on Friday! I just need to memorize all of this

and have it all for immediate recall. Whaddya think? Possible? After that, I will be the hap-, hap- happiest a**hole this side of the nuthouse! Holy sh*t! Pass the Tylenol! (Name that movie!)

We will return to our regular programming as soon as we finish with women's nether regions and the aliens that come out of them. And excavate the kitchen, fold the mountain of laundry pitched on a spare bed, and have a bonfire with all the papers and notes.

Image by cabinannie.files.wordpress.com

Then maybe we will have something else to report. Like an undercover expose on my life in a padded room or 1001 ways to decorate dust bunnies for Christmas. Truly juicy stuff!

Thank you for your patience. It is more than I have at the moment!

My new love

2010-11-22T13:01:00.006-06:00

It's okay... Stud Muffin has been informed and has reluctantly accepted it.

When the doctor "suggested" (those should be air quotes) that I might want to lower my triglycerides by avoiding anything with fructose in it and increasing foods that are good for clearing triglycerides, I took to the Internet. Well, after I stomped around the house loudly proclaiming that it WASN'T FAIR and didn't the cholesterol gods recognize that I had lost 30 pounds lately?!?

Anyway, fructose. It's in EVERYTHING sold on a supermarket shelf except fresh foods and ingredients that require you do something with them to turn them into FOOD. It's in stuff that tastes sweet, stuff that tastes salty, stuff that doesn't taste like anything at all, and definitely anything that tastes GOOD.

Then there is the food that is supposed to help reduce cholesterol and triglycerides in particular. That includes everything that tastes like sauteed cow pies (don't ask) and is nothing fit for human consumption. Most people know that oatmeal is good for lowering cholesterol, but if it isn't in the form of a cookie with chocolate chunks, I'm not eating it! I might add it to the bath water or make a facial mask out of it (yeah, right! Me having a facial?? *Snort*) but it isn't passing my lips!

About to give up and resign myself to dying alone and without cookies, I determined to try some of the greens mentioned in the articles. I am not a fan of cooked greens, but I will eat almost anything in a salad. Mustard and collard greens didn't seem too promising, but I did find a way to eat kale without cooking it into something resembling something out of the bottom of a fish tank.

Raw kale salad. How simple is that?? A couple of articles mentioned that kale is a bit difficult to digest and is stiff enough to stucco a house with, but I did find some helpful information on overcoming this drawback. So here comes the salad preparations. Ready?

Get yourself some kale. Go for the dark green stuff, not the yellowish stuff. Or, if you are like me and have limited shopping venues, you take what you can get and be thankful.

Anyway, after you strip the curly kale leaves from the stem (don't eat this part!), give it a rinse and a spin.

Then, and here is the key to eating kale raw, massage it in a bowl with a sprinkle of salt and a drizzle of olive oil.

Go ahead and really work the knots out of it's muscles (and ignore the world's puffiest looking hand...yikes!) Slap it on the bootae once or twice for good measure until it is slightly wilted and glistening. On the plus side, your oil is already on the salad, and your hands get a nice moisturizing too!

Add some other lettuce so they don't feel left out, splash with balsamic vinegar then top with whatever floats your boat.

On mine I put some sliced marinated steak (slightly warmed), chopped teardrop tomatoes, feta cheese and croutons. Yes, I know the croutons have fructose, but a GIRL'S GOTTA LIVE!

Arrange nicely on a plate and take a picture. Then throw it back into the mixing bowl, because who are you kidding?? You aren't nearly graceful enough the eat a big salad from a plate without spilling it! Better to eat straight from the trough than embarrass yourself in front of the dogs (who hope that you use the plate!)

Ah. My love! You are tasty and have enough body to stand up to Shiatsu massage and not turn to squish. You will put me on the path to health, vim and vigor, and whatever else the doctor insists I need. I am quite giddy with having made your acquaintance. Let's hang out frequently...k?

Oh, and if you could talk to fructose when you get a chance. I really need it to get out of some food, any food. Well, any food that tastes good. It can go into oatmeal for all I care.

Fantasy vs Reality

2010-11-15T15:04:00.008-06:00

This is my fantasy fall morning vignette. Outside on a crisp morning, raking leaves for garden mulch, with a sweet canine by my side.

Never mind that it was mind-numbingly cold out. And raw-feeling. Never mind that said canine was eviscerating yet another "indestructible" (read: expensive) dog toy.

Never mind that the other canine-in-residence kept running through the leaf piles looking for a forest critter.

This was my fantasy vignette.

And this is my reality...
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This is what greeting me as I stumbled out for coffee this morning I seriously thought about getting back into bed and staying there!

I have 4 weeks left in the semester and still have 5 exams worth 62% of my grade to complete. Needless to say, I spend ~~a lot,~~ ~~most,~~ all of my time right here.

But I did do some raking this morning. I got to live the "dream" for a little while today. This is how it looked before I started.

This is how it looked when I finished. I will not show you how I looked when it was finished!

Now, I could tell you that I raked and bagged all these leaves, but that would be a bold-faced lie. I eventually gave up and got out the riding mower to chop the leaves and blow them off of the grass. I have never driven this new mower before and it was quite an experience when I thought I was pressing the brake pedal, only to find myself launching backwards towards a ditch! Guess what?? There is NO brake pedal on this machine!! But you can lurch around in reverse if you jam down hard on the "other" pedal!

So, I "mowed" the leaves and then realized that before I winterized the machine and put away, I needed to wash under the deck to get all the grass stuff out. That required getting out the hose and playing with water in 40 degree weather. ARG! But I did it and it is tucked away for the season down in the shop.

I have also spent some time getting the "new" guest room ready for Thanksgiving visitors. Courtney and her boyfriend, Clint, are coming down for St Louis to spend time ~~working~~ having fun on the farm! Stud Muffin moved his office down from above the garage, so the guest room moved upstairs.

I still need to bring in another pillow and a few pictures. I wish another table would fit next to the bed, but, alas, there isn't enough wall space to accommodate it

The bathroom needed a storage/decorative rack, so I put one together. Not quite thrilled with the open rod shelves, but it works!

Consider yourselves officially updated!

Redneck dog house

2010-11-02T10:35:00.006-05:00

Yeah... I know! I don"t have much time to blog these days, and my hours are getting even longer. Since I will at school for longer lectures (they "own" us so they get to do that!) I needed a way to leave the pampered dogs outside while I'm gone. Even though they usually go back to bed after their breakfast, eventually they need to use the facilities and I won't be at their beck and call!

Studly and I looked around at the available ready-made options and weren't happy with any. I would need two houses, which were very expensive for a plastic box with a hole into the side for a door, and after the cold, windy winter is over, I would have to find someplace to store them.

Enter the redneck straw bale house for dogs!

Eight bales of straw, a couple of thick moving blankets, two dog beds and a few chunks of wood and some clamps.

I tucked the blanket up better after I took this!

Don't you think they'll be cozy?? They probably wouldn't have used separate houses, so now they can be together.

When the weather improves, I can use the straw in the garden and put the rest away. leaving only the beds for their royal comfort.

Speaking of beds, I have been working a little bit, most days, to rake leaves to cover the raised beds. I found, this past spring, the the leaf blanket really helped improve the soil and prevent the weeds from getting a foothold (or would that be "roothold"?)

I still have bell peppers growing in the ever-cooling weather!

There is some basil left, but it is succumbing to the frosty nights. The black in the photo isn't a shadow, it's frozen basil. I will probably try to harvest and save some of the seeds for next season. Then again, I may not!

The grape vine is going to need protection, but I need to do some research to find out if I only need to wrap the root ball, or cover the entire vine with a sheet. No doubt, I'll have to go with the uglier solution, cuz that's how I roll!

As the day is cloudy and we are expecting rain soon, I have Taco Soup in the crockpot for dinner, after which I might just crawl into the redneck dog house and try it out for a nap!

BBQ Festival

2010-10-13T03:31:00.004-05:00

The weekend before last, Stud Muffin and I went to our county BBQ festival. We went on Saturday morning, so we missed most of the entertainment, but saw what was really important....carnival food! They had blocked off Main Street, so we walked around a bit, popped in to some vendor booths, said hi to a few folks and ate.

Some of you movie buffs might recognize the county courthouse. It was used in the movie "Walking Tall". That's all I know about it.

Even though it was morning, they were already frying some apple pies and churning ice cream. I don't think I've ever seen an ice cream churn run by a John Deere engine before! Gotta love the county! Why crank it yourself, when you have a tractor engine handy? I can always go for a dessert maker you can tow behind your truck!

As we ate our pies and ice cream, we watched the dog show on the courthouse front lawn. I did take some pictures, but they were too fuzzy (or someone walked in front as I clicked!) so you'll have to imagine. Dogs of all sizes, from giant to microscopic were paraded around in groups and ribbons were awarded. They had a category for "Best Dressed". One little doggie had on a Tennessee Vols cheerleading outfit. Kinda disturbing!

Too bad we were around for the Prettiest Pig contest. I'm sure that was a hoot! They had a whole spread in the local newspaper last week, showing pictures of the little kids who entered the tractor pull (lawn tractor, I think) and our County Clerk winning the pig calling contest for the umpteeth year in a row. The fire department was a big hit with it's fire truck. I wonder if our friend Rick brought his personal fire truck and sprayed people with his hook-and-ladder equipment?

All in all, it was a fun way to spend a few minutes ~~eating~~ enjoying a warm fall morning and admiring our sophistication. I mean, where else can you get this?

The other side of the booth advertised deep fried Twinkies too! The newspaper made fun of it all with a cartoon of a booth selling deep fried butter. I wouldn't put it past them around here. We'll deep fry just about anything!

Unfortunately, when we went to get actual BBQ ribs and chicken, the ribs weren't going to be ready for a while yet. So what if it was before noon! They had maybe 6 huge smoker-BBQs running. You'd think a few ribs wouldn't be too much to add (to my waistline.)

So, we left without the ribs and chicken, but had fun anyway! It wasn't as big or fancy as festival in other counties, but it was local and sweet, and makes you appreciate small town living!

Tough Topics

2010-10-02T05:51:00.005-05:00

Image by goaltriangle.com

I am still trying to find some balance in my life. (Don't I look great in that photo?) My current schedule of 3 school days in a row and 4 days off is helping somewhat. I should mention the "days off" only means that my caboose doesn't have to be uptown in a lecture hall. I still have two study groups I work with (one for pediatric clinicals and one for lectures,) and reams of homework. But still.

I took my camera out when I worked in the garden last week. See the pretty pictures? Do you see the basket of pears I picked or the bucket full of cucumbers? No?!? Maybe it is because the battery was dead and the lens wouldn't even open. So I worked while the camera charged. Then there wasn't anything to show you because I pulled all of the cucumber vines out and ~~ate~~ brought in all the pears.

The last few weeks have presented some difficult nursing lectures. Domestic abuse of pregnant women, including a horrifying personal story from the instructor, full color abortion photos (so we will know what options to unwanted pregnancy can be offered in what time frame) and yesterday, stories of baby deliveries that went sadly oh-so-wrong. All things I must know how to handle, but I sure don't want to hear about.

Needless to say, I've been kinda wrecked after these sessions. So I have been offsetting those with a little yarn play.

I have started a ripple crochet blanket. Just a small throw to take the chill off. I loved going to the store and fondling the yarn, trying to find the right combination of colors. Sadly, our local Hobby Lobby has shrunk it's yarn department, so choices weren't terrific, but I got two shades of green, beige, white and berry. I was hoping for something softer, but couldn't come up with enough colors in the right weight.

But who cares! I'm playing with yarn again!!

Today is the annual BBQ festival in our little town. We are planning on attending after heading uptown to the Saturday Farmer's Market this morning. I plan to take my (now charged) camera an snap a few pics. Let's hope I remember to bring it. Too bad I've been so busy this year, otherwise, I could have had an entry for the "Prettiest Pig" contest!

So that about it from here. The weather has been absolutely perfect lately and I wish everyone still baking in the summer heat could share it.

I wish...

2010-09-16T02:06:00.002-05:00

Image from 4.bp.blogspot.com

I wish that I had something interesting to post here. Or that I had a picture of something to show you.

I wish that I had more time to work around my house and property instead of schoolwork. All. The. Time.

I wish my eyes didn't fly open EVERY SINGLE MORNING AT 2 OR 3 AM!

I wish that someone in my class didn't announce that she still breast feeds her 8 year old son! I am thoroughly disturbed at all the ramifications there!

I wish chocolate chip cookies didn't taste so good and that healthy, diet food did!

I wish that retention of students who aren't interested in doing the work wasn't so important that the rest of us are forced to HANDWRITE and turn in endless assignments instead of spending the time studying in a way that works for us individually.

I hope they don't start pinning paperwork to the back of our shirts like they did when we were in Kindergarten.

I hope that I don't come down with any nasty snot-streaming condition after I have my first clinical at the hospital pediatric ward today. I think the cooties are more virulent at 6:30 AM when I have to start my shift!

I hope that my husband will still love me after the 15th frozen pizza/leftover whatever/make-it-yourself meal or the upteenth time in a week that I NEED to go to sleep at 8 PM.

I hope that Courtney can come down from St Louis for more weekend visits! I love those even if we have to spend part of the time doing homework.

I hope Liz has decided that she misses us and is moving home to be closer to her Mommy!

I hope someone is still out there in the blogosphere. (((((Hello??))))) (((hello??))) (((Is anybody out there??))) ((...out there?))

Well, that was fast!

2010-08-27T05:55:00.007-05:00

Okay, so it hasn't been the whole 3 weeks of break yet. But, the nursing department has decided to sneak an extra week into the fall semester by posting 3067 required assignments on the discussion board so we can turn them in on the first day of class. *Sigh* And I thought we would only have to be ready for the mandatory dosage calculation exam on the first day.

Anyway, I am trying to "make hay while the suns shines" except I don't need or have any hay. But I do try to get outside and work every morning as the sun is rising. Mostly, I have been try to get more weed barrier and mulch down in the beds opposite the house.

Last summer, I did one side of the garden walkway, although the spring rains took away most of the mulch. This summer, I am working on the other side. I have gotten almost to the end of the row, where we placed straw bales in an attempt to control the rain runoff.

I needed to replace a shrub that died, but it took a few trips out to locate one I wanted. I was going to plant it yesterday morning, but the ground is just like concrete!! So I brought over the hose and am soaking the dirt. Maybe I can dig it in today. Notice the Sassy has brought me a toy to play with as I chisel away at the ground ineffectively!

I think I will have just enough mulch left to finish this area and maybe fill in some bald spots on the other side.

The garden is pretty much spent for the season. I still have the cucumbers-gone-wild plant trying to choke out the basil.

And the last bell pepper is ready to come into the house.

The strawberries have been scorched by the sun, so I got out the shade cover for them. I need to read up on whether I should give them one last go of fertilizer before winter.

There are plenty of weeds to pull, and many more after that!

I am also trying to repair/preparing the roads for the coming winter rains. I had a truckload (about 25 tons) of grainy rock and sand type of mix called "chert" delivered the other day. Yesterday, I spent a couple of hours moving it up the incline and smoothing it with the box blade.

I am still learning about using the box blade, but I think I am doing a fine job. Besides, any job that Stud Muffin doesn't have to do it a good job!!

It just may be...

2010-08-16T16:47:00.005-05:00

that I have too many lemon cucumbers coming off of just one plant!!

There's like 20 in that bowl!

And they're huge!

Stud Muffin is quite amused. Especially since he doesn't like cucumbers!

Excuse me, I have to find some unlocked cars to dispose of some produce. Back soon!

If you want me...

2010-08-15T17:21:00.007-05:00

I'll be with Garfield!

Friday the Thirteenth

2010-08-14T12:48:00.007-05:00

Image by www.jonco48.com

Yesterday was Friday the thirteenth. I did not realize this until today, the fourteenth. I will put forth the activities from my day yesterday, and let you decide if there is any credence to the superstition about Friday the Thirteenth.

1. I got on my tractor and headed to the highest point on the property. The road on the downhill side has been caving in practically since the day we bought this place. Do you think there is any connection??

Anyway, I had the bush-hog connected to the back of the tractor in order to mow the overgrowth down, so I could see where the terra firma ended in the ditch. I mowed, and then started scooping up dirt and dumping it in the ditch-that-reaches-to-China.

I had scooped and dumped about 12 loads (a drop in the ocean) when the bush-hog tilted dangerously. Upon inspection, I realized that one of the spring-loaded, can't-ever-come-off, not even when I want it to, pins was missing and the mower was not connected to one of the arms required to lift it up.

Image by www.ukrainetzauction.com

I searched and searched, but no pin. I had to improvise with a piece of flimsy chain and a clip, just to drive the tractor back to the shop building. It was a very slooooooooow drive.

2. I parked the tractor, returned to the house and jumped in the shower with the water set at the coldest setting. It wasn't actually cold. When I got out and toweled off, I notice that a mosquito had gained access to my bra while I was searching for the missing mower pin. And it BIT ME!! Twice. Once on each side. Umm... very close to a sensitive milk-producing gland.

I am trying not to embarrass myself and those I am with, if the urge to scratch strikes me while out in public.

3. Also as I emerged from the not-cold-enough shower, Stud Muffin arrived to tell me that not moments after I drove the tractor up our road and onto the blacktop drive, a giant tree came crashing down across the road I was just on. Driving very slooowly.

It's a big tree. It would have squashed me like the bug I am.

Of course, now I (well, Stud Muffin and I) need to cut the tree up before we can use the road again. Probably tomorrow, hopefully before the temperature exceeds 100 degrees.

Now, let's consider whether this indicates that Friday the Thirteenth portends bad luck.

If I hadn't taken the tractor up the hill, I wouldn't have cleared the brush and noticed that the cave-in is now deep enough to see all the way through to the other side of the planet. It was like taking an exotic mini-vacation without the airplane ride.

The mosquito wouldn't have mysteriously gained access to the girls as I hunted for the missing pin, and I imagine he/she/it had a raging good time in there! I'm not sure I feel the same.

If the mower hadn't gone cattywumpus on me, I would have stayed up the hill working until after the tree fell, and I couldn't have gotten the tractor back to the shop building where I could replace the pin. Or I could have been crushed by the tree.

So, you decide. Good luck or bad luck?? All I know is that Nick doesn't care one way or the other. But don't you just love the way he sleeps on the sofa?? He's going out for the US Diving team next season.

Edit: Got the tree cut up this morning. I manned the chainsaw, while Stud Muffin positioned the blocks and hauled the cut chunks over to the house to be split at a later time. We only cut the portion that was blocking the road, because I didn't feel like battling the blackberry thorns for the rest of it!

Big sucker, huh?

No! Not my hand...the tree!!

Whew!

2010-08-12T02:26:00.008-05:00

Image by mama2point0.files.wordpress.com

Well, I survived the dreaded summer school. That last week of exams was about enough to kill a girl, but I made it. And I kept my "A" in the class! Whoo hoo!

And so I have 3 whole weeks off before school starts again on Sept 1. Well, not exactly, but close enough. I do still have to finish learning about IV drip rates and review all my dosage calculation stuff in order to be ready for the exam on the first day of class. We have 3 chances to pass the exam with a 90% accuracy, and all three chances come in the first week and a half of school. I suspect that some of my fellow classmates will be out of the class practically before it begins if they don't pass this test.

As a delayed celebration of our anniversary (postponed because of exams) Stud Muffin took me to our recently rebuilt Longhorn Steak House for lunch on Saturday. The restaurant caught fire and burnt to the ground not too long ago and they quickly put up another building. The lunch was very good, with some new menu items to try.

Before we hit lunch, we stopped by the farmer market where all I scored was a big box of homegrown peaches. They were so fragrant, but not the least bit over-ripe. I decided that it was way too hot to even think about making jam, so I chopped them into bits to freeze, to be used in smoothies throughout the year.

But first you have to peel the peaches, 'cuz bits of peel in your smoothie is just nasty! Boil for a few seconds,

Dunk in ice water to cool,

and the peels slip right off and make a mess all over the counter.

Chop, bag and they are ready for the freezer. Then you get to clean up the kitchen and dispose of the peels in the compost pile!

While we were "uptown" we stopped in and got the dogs some stuffed toys. We don't buy them every year even, because Sassy feels it is her duty to eviscerate the toys as fast as humanly possible. Nick can make a stuffed toy last for quite a while, most content to carry it around and honk it's little squeaker.

I love me some good duck!

So far, I have rebuilt Sassy's hedgehog 3 times and each time she excitedly rips it apart and leaves fur and stuffing all around the house. Yesterday, she finally ripped it's face off for good and left it in small fuzzy pieces on the bedroom floor!

First I bite the leetle feeties off.

Sassy seems to be respecting Nick's duck a bit more, but takes every opportunity to steal it from him and chew it's feet and caboose off! He tries to defend it, but she runs to the window, barks like there's something outside, then sneaks around the table and snatches the duck when he goes to the window to look!

I guard duck from thieving Border Collies!

Okay, I chew on hedgehog some more then.

Do you see what school has done to me?!? I was once a reasonably sane woman. Now, I imagine my dogs talking like foreigners to each other! Sheesh! Better get out there and work in the yard some and let the brain cells rest!

Two more weeks

2010-07-25T15:00:00.007-05:00

That's how much summer school I have left. Two weeks. One more week of lectures, then a week of exams. Then I get 3 weeks off before the fall ~~grind~~ semester begins. It won't be enough time off. Can you tell I am soooooo over summer school??

The weather is still hot and humid. Nick still runs through (and under, over, and beyond) the creek almost everyday. He has so many bug bites driving him crazy that I can't really blame him for doing it. Except that I have to wash him. So I do. Blame him, that is.

I managed to tidy up my harvested garlic. The weather was so muggy, that they just weren't curing like they should have.

I was worried that they would simply mold on the back porch. So I brought them in, dusted them off, and made little net bags for them to hang in the garage pantry.

This ought to last me over two years! Or until the next vampire convention comes to town.

Otherwise, the vegetable garden has been a bit of a bust this year. I have gotten more tomatoes than I can eat at a time, but not enough to can. I did bring in 7 spaghetti squashes that will go live with the garlic in the garage until I can eat them. But the cabbages were disappointing, the carrots never did sprout, and the celery was way too strongly flavored to be much good.

I don't have any pictures, but yesterday, Stud Muffin saw a squirrel fly up into an apple tree and make off with an apple! I've been wondering where they all went! I have one tree that required supports to prop up laden branches. Relieved of the weight of the apples, the branches have sprung up and the supports are lying lamely on the ground. Oh well, most of the fruit had sunburn, and black splotches. Maybe the squirrel will get diarrhea!! (I'm vindictive that way!!)

Now here is a photo that should never have been taken! Studly snapped this very unflattering shot of me standing up at the table studying.

My poor butt just can't take all of this sitting down reading!! Have I told you I am over summer school yet?? No? Well, believe you me, I am!

So there you are. Just think of me sitting on a cushion, moving it from dining chair to recliner as I study, muttering "... two more weeks, two more weeks..." over and over. Cuz that's what I'm doing right now!!

The non-update update

2010-07-13T16:39:00.003-05:00

Before I get lynched for not posting anything here, I will leave a pathetic little update.

1. We been having a heat wave. Unrelenting, hot, muggy weather that puts the kabosh on any kind of outdoor chores or activities. Our nighttime lows have been higher than the highs in most places. Except perhaps Hell. Well, maybe even Hell. It's too close to tell.

So, all we (and by this I mean Stud Muffin) have done is run out and start the sprinklers watering. Then we run back out and move the sprinklers for some more watering. My job it to get out there before the sun rises and water the vegetable garden. Oh. And tell them how sorry I am that they are being roasted even before they are harvested.

2. Now we have been having torrential rain. For the last two nights, I have been blown out of bed by incredible house-shaking thunder and lightning. When that happens, Sassy barks like a lunatic and beats up on all of her toys, while Nick forces open the curtains and stands in the window to check out what's making all the infernal noise. I have been making do with short naps throughout the night.

Image by www.uwec.edu

3. Three days wasn't nearly enough time to rejuvenate before starting another crash course for nursing. This class is much better than the last, but I was already worn out when it began. Things have not improved with limited sleep. See item number 2.

4. As a result of numbers 2 and 3, I am sitting here like a leftover party-girl, but without the fun of the party. So, I am just going to sit here and look like this:

Image by cinemafique.files.wordpress.com

Phew!

2010-07-02T17:31:00.012-05:00

Okay... test over. Passed. Course over. Passed. Actually, I got my best grade on this final. Unfortunately, many of my fellow students didn't pass the class, and some missed it by less than 1 point! I'm not going to go into why this course was so horrible, but I will say that the failure rate is not a reflection on the students themselves. Nuff said!

Between studying and ~~sleeping~~ napping, I have done a couple of things in the garden. I got the garlic harvested and hung up to dry on the back porch.

I know I'm not supposed to cut the tops off, but I just had to!

I have harvested more veggies and herbs too. Celery, zucchini, lemon cucumber, and basil.

I spy, with my little eye, the first ripening tomatoes.

And I came home from my test today to find Stud Muffin had power-washed the porch on the studio building and was working on the teak furniture that lives there. It hasn't been cleaned in -well- too long.

Which side has been washed??

Better??

The chickens napped in the sun. Okay, they are wooden chickens, but they still need their rest!

I helped a bit and we got one of the chairs cleaned as well. Tomorrow we will finish the washing and after it all dries, I will start the much-slower process of oiling it all down.

And finally, when I went to make a deposit into the compost heap this afternoon, I noticed that "somebody" has been snacking on the squash garden. This zucchini plant used to have the largest elephant-ear leaves! I put some bird netting over it all, so hopefully, "somebody" will go elsewhere for food.

I now have 3 days off from school, but before you think I can just goof off, I do have about 259 pages of reading to do for the next class!

Don't talk to me...

2010-07-01T16:13:00.003-05:00

Image by farm4.static.flickr.com

I'm not listening. Tomorrow is the final exam for my Pharmacology class. Four weeks and 189 drugs of pure hell (yes, I'm so lame I counted.)

I know nothing about drugs. If you peer in one ear, you would see daylight coming in from the other ear.

A few things I did learn. Like a whole bunch of ways to kill a person, by accident or on purpose.

And that the Marquis de Sade teaches pharmacology at my school. And that on the last exam, 2/3 of the students didn't pass. Out of a class of 80.

And that if you drive toward school with your doors unlocked, you might get carjacked and wind up driving a gun-toting maniac to Arizona (long story, fellow student is safe and on the way home.)

But as far as anything useful that will help me on this 100 question final exam... Nada.

So until my eyes have massaged all the words on 100s of pages of notes, and this horrid class is over and done with, I'm not listening to anyone. Well, except Studly. And Nick and Sassy. And you.

What do you do...

2010-06-27T05:27:00.004-05:00

What do you do when it's been 1000 degrees and horribly humid for days and days?

You run down to the creek, bark at a few turtles and beavers, and come home dripping in mud.

Then you make a puddle on the porch, shake mud onto mommy (that's me) and show her your muddy wiener 'cuz you know you are in trouble.

Then she gets to stand outside in the sun, heat, and humidity to hose off mystery swamp stuff!

The End.

No time

2010-06-25T02:45:00.003-05:00

Cartoon at 2.bp.blogspot.com

Nothing much to say these days. My Pharmacology class ends Friday and the Pathophysiology class starts the next Tuesday. I have 3 exams this week. There are at least 5 chapters of reading due before the first day of Patho. It will require 1 drug from each group just to make it through. One anti-psychotic, maybe 2 pain killers, 1 anti-nausea, 1 antacid....

Update: Went out this morning to get a flat tire found on my car yesterday repaired. Got the tire fixed, drove home, and as I waited for the gate to open I heard, "POP!" Yep, the other rear tire went flat! *Sigh* Back to the tire shop for the second time in one day.

Somebody stop me!!

2010-06-20T14:32:00.005-05:00

Image by myhousedeals.com

By 9:45 AM, I had:

Changed the sheets on the bed, laundered the dirty ones and hung them out on the line.

Swept the floors, vacuumed up the piles of dust and dog hair, and made pancakes and bacon for breakfast (Happy Father's Day!)

Helped carry some furniture down from the office above the garage, and helped carry up a queen size mattress and box springs, all in 90 heat.

Showered and dressed and was in the car on the way to the Walmart for some much needed grocery shopping.

Let's see by a show of hands, how many think I am avoiding reading any more about laxatives and anti-diarrheals?

How many think I am taking some kind of drug other than laxatives and anti-diarrheals??

And how many think I should just take my perky productiveness and go away??

Results soon!

Can I just say...

2010-06-11T04:45:00.004-05:00

Yum!

And also, that I love zucchini...

but that summer school is making it hard to harvest vegetables before they take on pornographic proportions!

Garden update

2010-06-05T15:29:00.016-05:00

After bush-hogging the area behind the orchard, I thought it was time for a little garden update.

The grape vines planted last summer have finally starting taking off.

We have a few tomato plants that are not as big as my neighbor's. Maybe I started them late, and I know I never transplanted them into larger pots. I just stuck the little seedlings into the ground when it got warm enough. In front and to the left is oregano, and between the rows of tomatoes are self-seeding lemon basil plants.

Behind the basil and tomatoes are a few sweet pepper plants.

The broccoli is just about done, but the cabbages are hanging tough.

At the other end of that bed, the celery is doing well. Last year, the celery was a complete failure, but I guess we've had enough rain this spring to make it happy!

Garlic is starting to die back in preparation for harvesting in July.

Out in the orchard, the peaches on one tree are "just about" ready to pick. I seem to have held off the brown rot with frequent spraying of sulfur. I'm not quite sure why the other trees are further behind than this one, since they are the same variety.

The apples and pears are hanging in there, although the pears are still suffering from fire blight, despite the sulfur sprays. One tree is down to a single branch. I hope it makes it, but I don't hold out much hope.

Behind the orchard, I planted my vining species... zukes, cukes, and spaghetti squash. As you can see, the weeds really love the manure I added to the soil!

The 1 remaining spaghetti squash plant is making a run for it!

But its got babies!

Look what is under the jumbo zucchini leaves! I harvested a few that were ready.

Can you tell which one hid from me the longest?? Try hard. See it?

That big boy may not make for good eating, but it has provided hours of giggling and naughty humor. We are, after all, still juveniles around here, and I hope that never changes!

How to ruin your summer!

2010-06-01T16:01:00.006-05:00

I know I haven't posted lately, but that's because there isn't much to say. Summer school started just today, but we received our first assignment a couple of days ago. 10 chapters of pharmacology information. Ugh! And the schedule shows that my five week first summer session is actually only 4 weeks long! Ugh again!

Class today was a bit confusing, with the instructor only recently learning that she would present the first content. Therefore, the PowerPoint presentation didn't match up with the lecture note. Chaos ensued. And then tonight, another 6 chapters assigned for tomorrow morning's lecture. Double ugh!

So, there you have it. Not much going on outside, either. It rains just about every day at some point. I have the nicest looking weeds in the vegetable beds, and the grass in the lawn can practically be braided. I do run out every so often and move a couple of loads of mulch, but it is a slow process.

Please keep me in your thoughts as I desperately try to learn enough about chemicals and therapeutic drugs to pass this class! On a positive note, my book has a chart that lists street names for the most commonly abused drugs, so at least I can sound cool while hanging with my homies!

I hereby return my super Blogger award!

2010-05-22T15:21:00.004-05:00

Courtney left this afternoon. *Sigh*

She was here almost two weeks, but we were gone part of that time. Still... a week with my first-born is a very rare treat!!

We did stuff, didn't do stuff, took naps, picked endless strawberries, ate, and hung out. And I never had my camera with me. Ever.

I only took one stinkin' picture of her! And it isn't even a good picture! Too dark, no composition, no cooperation either. Brace yourself!

Impressive... no? National Geographic just called and wants me to travel the world taking similarly stunning photos for them. Gotta go pack!

*Double Sigh*

So, the house seems a bit empty and life will return to its normal crazy self. Summer school for yours truly begins June 1. I have 1 class each of the two sessions, each lasting 5 weeks.

5 weeks?!? It takes me longer than that to get a really good point on my pencil! I am in deep scholarly trouble.

Class 1... Pharmacology. We have already received our first assignment, due the first day of class. Ten chapters with study guide pages, each filled with really hard drug names and complicated spellings. 10 chapters. TEN. Oh boy! But now that I think of it, there are 56 chapters and only 5 weeks, so I'm getting off easy by 1 chapter! Whoo hoo!

Thankfully,Courtney made chocolate chip/chunk cookies last night. I will survive. And then there are always ~~pounds and pounds of~~ strawberries if the cookies aren't enough!

Whoo Hoo!

2010-05-17T08:34:00.011-05:00

She did it. Little Lizzy graduated from college on Saturday. And YOU were there. Okay, you weren't there but we were!

This was the first time that Studly and I were in Reno at the same time. Together. It was novel. Stud Muffin got to meet Ray, "the boyfriend" for the first time. It went well. Hands were shook, conversations were had, and no shots were fired. Pretty good for a father meeting his baby's beau.

Aren't they cute together??

This is Liz's best friend Tiffany who came up from Vegas to help celebrate. Liz and Tif were roommates in the dorm and had their first apartment together. Tif's now a first grade teacher in Vegas.

When joined at the hip, they are a formidable two-headed monster of shopping and giggles.

We took everyone out to dinner the night before graduation and ate ourselves silly. In fact, we ate ourselves silly at most meals. I gained weight :(

Before they let you graduate, you have to figure out how to put on the hat! Without messing up the hair. It is serious business.

During the opening ceremony, the University President explained that the class of 2010 was the largest graduating class in the school's history, the most accomplished (by virtue of the number of "laudes" and distinctions bestowed) and had the highest graduation rate of any class.

There weren't nearly enough chairs for all the spectators, what with over 1500 graduates! We tried standing in the shrubs, on rocks and finally settled for sitting within earshot and racing back when the degrees were handed out.

The view from our initial spot.

The canopy is where the dignitaries sat and the speeches were made. The black spot is the President making his comments. Waaaaaay over there!

We wandered around while the degrees for the other colleges within the university were conferred. This a view of Liz's dorm from freshman year. She was on the top floor, in a corner room over to the left. Love the pond!

And then her turn came. I tried to get a picture of her walking, but my camera didn't like being zoomed in that much and wouldn't fire when I wanted! But this is how she looked after it was all over.

The BFFs:

And the parental units:

And then it was time to go home. Visiting is nice, but there is nothing like sleeping in your own bed. Courtney did a great job taking care of the dogs and the property. She has been picking strawberries like crazy and they are still coming! I froze a bunch this morning.

Courtney hadn't harvested any lettuce, so I cut some this morning, along with the first of the broccoli!

So that's it! All children graduated from college and ready to support me in the style to which I would like to become accustomed. Now they have to prepare to come to MY graduation in 1 1/2 years!

Pick your breakfast

2010-05-10T12:26:00.003-05:00

Barefoot Gardener avert your eyes. I can't be held responsible for any more head injuries that you sustain!

I ran out this morning, in my bathrobe, in the rain (yes, again) to harvest the first of the strawberries.

I washed them, sliced them into a bowl, and topped them with yogurt.

Yummy!

Yes, Courtney, there are plenty left for your breakfast!

I got a Harley!!

2010-05-08T15:16:00.015-05:00

Image by 4.bp.blogspot,com

Now before you get all excited, this is not it. Never was much of a Soft Tail girl anyway. I had a 1200 Sportster years back which I kinda liked. But this is not the Harley that has come into my life. This is:

Notice the weed mat that he has shredded before I got the mulch down?

This is my neighbor's dog, Harley. He is less than a year old and sweet as can be. The grandson who really owns him should have called him Tiger, because that's exactly what he looks like. Orangey-brown down the back with black stripes all over. And yes, MIL, he is a pit bull.

Harley came through the bars of the gate one day when Studly and I were walking on the drive with Nick and Sassy. Nick was skittish but intrigued, whereas Sassy got her hackles up. Harley is very submissive and rolled over for my two to check him out. Eventually, he and Nick started playing, while Sassy put on her bib and got out a knife and fork.

Ever since, Harley has been spending his day at our house. Nick enjoys him, but Sassy barely tolerates him and runs him to ground frequently. He is quite happy trying to get them (or us) to play, but he is a rambuncious puppy and chews on everything! I've had to bring my gardening slippers in because he kept taking them to sleep with. He has dragged my weeding bucket all over the yard and chewed the bottom off of the water bowl.

Last night, Harley didn't go home when the sun set. He just sat outside on the lawn, barking at phantom things. That, of course, got Nick and Sassy growling and barking. Stud Muffin and I tried to take him home, but nobody was there. I tried both back gates, but they were locked up tight. There were two food bowls out for him. Uh oh. Sometimes the neighbor goes out of town for weekends to preach at small churches, and this was only Friday night. It could be a long weekend! Back Harley came as we drove the buggy home.

Harley spent the night on and off the porch, barking at things, then stomping back onto the porch right outside my bedroom window. When he'd return, Nick and Sassy would start up growling again. I had visions of Harley eating the wicker furniture and shredding the cushions before daybreak. Needless to say, I didn't sleep very well. Eventually everyone settled down for the night, but I kept listening for porch furniture in the throes of death.

Thankfully, Harley's parents came home this morning and I could return him. They have a kennel for him out behind their fenced yard. Wish I'd known that last night. Shame on me for not snooping around back more. They were very sorry that he'd been causing trouble. They are caring for him because he ate the front pillars off of the grandson's house and he needed a break from puppy rearing. Everyone is hoping Harley outgrows this period, but I'm no dog trainer, so who really knows.

Note to self: Do not be nice to neighbor's dog (or any other) who come on your property. Don't pay them any attention, no matter how sweet and cute. Run them off by whatever means necessary... yelling, water hose, or bazooka. Otherwise, they will never leave!

I went out to take pictures of the garden. According to a not-very-happy Barefoot Gardener, there is snow falling in Minnesota. I thought she would like ~~to throw snowballs at me~~ to see the strawberries that are ripening.

Courtney is going to have fresh strawberries when she gets here next week!

And here is some baby broccoli!

Let's see how the lettuce is doing. Oh, no!!

Looks like Harley thought this was a good place to lie down. Right on top of the shade cover over the lettuce bed.

Does that look like a puppy butt-print to you?? I haven't decided what to do with this flatten lettuce. I will be watering tomorrow and see if it perks back up. On the other hand, do I really want to eat lettuce that tastes like a$$?

Revenge of the Beavers!

2010-05-03T14:21:00.011-05:00

Click on any picture to get the real view!

Dang and Drat! I went out to see the bridge and beaver dam Thursday before the great TN flood of 2010. It wasn't lookin good. Squished my way over there today to check again. Even worse.

Yeah, the bridge is listing even worse that this appears. It is also sitting about 18 off of the water level.

If you look closely in the center of the photo above, you can barely make out the edge of the ground on the other side... about a 24 inch drop to the bridge.

The over-grown rodents stole all of the mud and dirt supporting the bridge and used it to line their swimming pool!

I think the only way to deal with this is with dynamite and some beer. Will have to consult with Rick, the resident dam blower-upper.

Studly and I had to run errands this morning and ended up going past the area where some of those photos in the paper where taken. There is water everywhere water normally isn't!

Since we were whizzing by in the car, the pictures are very blurry, but here they are!

This is a dental office that had emptied it's office into the parking lot. They were hosing out mud!

The Sonic had lost all of its concrete parking lot. Just raw dirt (mud) was left.

The Country Auto lot was completely underwater, with cars floating in the lot. Even a yellow corvette didn't escape!

Need a carport?? It's for sale.

We drove past the Clayton lot where Studly used to work. It sits at the edge of a very large pond, except now you can't tell where the pond ends and the lot begins. According to the boss, there are at least 3 homes completely destroyed, as many as 10 damaged, and he was out there filling sand bags trying to keep the water out of the office. No way to tell when the water will recede.

The fairgrounds are completely underwater and many roads we drove past are closed. There are bridges out that leave residents pretty well stranded. I don't know how long it will take for the area to recover,

I know I may gripe, but really things are pretty good here. One of my fellow students has been flooded out of her house. She escaped with the clothes on her back and a pair of flip-flops. We are trying to organize some kind of collection to get her family some supplies and locate furniture.

Hope your days are dry and sunny!

I've had enough!

2010-05-02T13:55:00.012-05:00

This pretty much says it all. We have suffered with thunderstorms and tornado warnings since Friday night. And I mean ALL DAY AND NIGHT LONG.

This shows how the water ripped away the road bed, leaving gas pipelines hanging.
All pictures from the Jackson Sun newspaper.

This is from right by the hospital where I did my clinical rotation. The hospital is just past the red cones at the top of the photo. Some students had a makeup day yesterday. One girl tried about 4 different approaches to the hospital and couldn't get through any of them. She posted a picture taken with her phone that showed this truck when the hole was about 1/2 the depth of the vehicle and not much bigger around. Now look!

They had to rescue people from businesses in South Jackson with a city dump truck!

And these people? Well, they are just screwed.

We finally made it out on to our own property just now. To the right, one stream is swirling around trying to make it through the drain pipe to the other side of the road.

This is the exit from the pipe.

At some point, the pipe must not have been able to keep up with the flow and the water ran over the roadway. It took a bunch of reinforcement rock with it.

We have a tree stuck in the gazillion dollar pipe we had to put in at the other creek two years ago when the creek took the road .

The exit to that pipe.

See all that whitish rock? It's supposed to be covering the road not the grass!

Let's just say I won't be mowing any time soon.

Psychosis will be setting in soon, since I can't get more than a nap without the weather radio blasting me out of bed. I have yet to recover from studying for my nursing final. The test itself was okay, but they won't tell us the scores or our final grades until tomorrow. Maybe.

There was a bit of confusion right before the test when the only guy in my clinical group hadn't shown up for the test. Definitely NOT like him. Turned out, he rolled his truck on the way to school. He has been transported to the trauma hospital in Memphis and is in the ICU with a broken hip and leg, skull fractures and swelling and bleeding in his brain. I hope this all works out soon and that he will be okay.

The only good news in all of this is that I harvested the first of the lettuce the day before the storms started.

They were yummy in a salad. I hope there will be more, but I'm afraid to go look at the vegetable garden. From the window, I can see that the garlic is blowing up some water wings, so maybe there will still be something left to grow for later!

Last week

2010-04-27T06:52:00.004-05:00

Photo by farm3.static.flickr.com

Last week of the school semester. I have 4 hours of exams spread over two days.

Let's see by a show of hands, who thinks it is ~~fair~~ ~~reasonable~~ nice to email extra lecture content to be included in the exam the day before test??? Anyone??

I didn't think so.

Update: The critter contest is officially cancelled. Before the hole could be dug, after the storms and tornadoes passed, some other animal hauled the carcass away!

Busy last couple of days

2010-04-24T10:53:00.005-05:00

So yesterday was my last unit test in nursing 110. I had been studying like crazy, but still woke up in a panic at 2AM. (Sad, huh?) Anyway, I went and took the test, and as usual, I did okay but not as well as I thought I should have. I was way too tired and marked answers I KNEW were wrong!

Since the exam was the only thing on the school calendar, I got out of school early. Stud Muffin met me at school and took me out to lunch. Then he dropped me back at school to get my car and I followed him home. I had to stop for gas so I came in some time after he did.

Apparently, I missed the action. Studly let the dogs out and they took off after some forest critter, which climbed a tree. I don't know what kind of animal it was, but Studly shot it out of the tree and killed it before I got home. We need to dig a hole and bury it.

I was so tired that all I wanted to do was take a nap. I ran the dogs down the hill and back for some exercise, and Nick took off to do whatever dogs do in the forest.

This is how he looked when he came home:

Covered in creek water and rolled in bovine excrement. He smelled worse than old gym shoes, with chunks of cr*p hanging off of his fur. Oh joy. Time to get out the hose and the dog wash. No nap for me.

We were warned that we were in for some severe weather last night, and Mother Nature didn't let us down. Violent storms, lightning, and house-shaking thunder. Sassy hates storms and jumps around the bed barking, growling loudly and generally warning the noise off. Back up at 12:30Am hoping to find the radar map on TV so I knew how much longer it would last. No satellite reception, no internet. Nothing but flashes and thunder, with cracking tree sounds mixed in. It was like trying to sleep during a Guns 'n Roses concert.

Today was my last clinical session at the nursing home for the semester. I REALLY didn't want to go. But I did, and everyone brought food. The workload was light, and fun was had, but it was scary with the storms strengthening. There were radios blaring at every nurse's station, and I overheard the staff discussing emergency plans if the tornado sirens started.

The group with our instructor in red. I'm the tired person with her hand on Whitney's shoulder.

Seems like we are one of the few clinical groups that haven't lost any students! Another accomplishment to go with our nutrition win.

So, I am back home now, the storm has subsided for the moment, but there are tornadoes down in Mississippi. We are in for it through Sunday some time. Hope I don't have to take my nap in the storm shelter!

Let's hear it for the high-fiber diet team!!

2010-04-21T16:26:00.008-05:00

Well, we did it! We took first place in the Nursing 110 Nutrition activity!

The other vases are filled with berries and nuts (left) and beans, peas, and lentils (middle)

I am so proud of how well this group of 9 people worked together to pull off a gorgeous table display!

What hospital patient wouldn't want a breakfast tray as beautiful as this??

We were awarded Starbucks gift cards, a pair of flip-flops with the hospital logo on it, and a first place ribbon for each. I would have preferred extra points or (my real wish) not to have to take the final, but I just glad that we won. The moral of the story, children, is play with your food!

In a related story, another team was all wearing the same custom t-shirt. On the front was a logo and on the back was the saying, "Riding the ship all the way to the bottom." I didn't understand so I asked my seat-mate who was wearing one.

Cindy explained that their clinical group started with the usual 10 or 11 people, but one by one, people dropped out of the program and now they were down to 5 remaining members. One girl had complained that she thought she was going to fail the program and another girl told her not to quit, but to make them throw her out if they wanted to. She said to "ride the ship all the way to bottom, just like Titanic." And that became their team motto.

I thought it was perfect!

Off to study for my last 3 tests, all happening in the next week!

Homework you can eat!

2010-04-20T04:44:00.011-05:00

Like Liz, I'm racing towards the finish line for this school semester. Except she gets to graduate and be done and I don't.

With 1 week to go before finals, we were given a nutrition assignment. A mandatory competition, actually. Each clinical group pulled a slip of paper from a cup, and on it was the name of a diet that might be ordered for patients in the hospital. Our goal was to make a PowerPoint presentation, a tri-fold brochure, a stand-up information board, and a table display with a tray of food for our diet. We got the High-Fiber diet.

My contribution, other than research, was a vegetable arrangement in a vase provided by one of the other girls in the group. This is what I came up with.

Fear not, I did tuck the errant lettuce leaf back into the vase! Stud Muffin removed 2 half shelves from the fridge so this whole thing could spend the night staying cool. Tomorrow I will belt it into the front seat of my car and head for school. I hope we win. It will make being tested on the content of everyone's presentation come Friday all worth while. Plus, I get to bring it home and eat it when I'm done!

The garden continues to improve. This is going to be a good year for fruit! Baby strawberries forming.

"Puzzy" peaches on the trees. I have sprayed with sulfur to try and cure the brown rot that plagued them last year. I want to actually eat a peach from these trees this year!

There will be apples and pears too.

I planted some of the vining plants out behind the orchard. The soil there is mostly clay, but I added some composted manure, and am hoping for the best. That is, if the deer don't eat the plants.

All-in-all, things are starting to look pretty good!

The view from my window

2010-04-12T17:05:00.009-05:00

and my garden and my porch, and, and, and.

Just a few ~~thousand~~ pictures of the outdoors this week.

Steve the Shed has some new finery.

Got some baskets for the front porch. The price was too good to bother planting my own this year!

In the garden, the garlic is looking mighty fine.

I planted out the cabbages and broccoli, with celery at the far end.

Last year, my celery didn't do very well. I think they need much more water than most other plants, so I ran soaker hose around these. Next to the celery you can barely see the carrots I planted using those paper strips I made this winter.

The lettuces, spinach, beets and chard have started sprouting.

Do you think the strawberries need thinning??? When should I do that? These plants are covered with flowers so I expect some good eating soon.

The apple trees are in full bloom.

A little friend even dropped by to visit!

Well, I had a few more photos to share, but Blogger is being painfully slow to load, even at o'dark thirty in the morning!

I will tell you that Stud Muffin has been mowing and mowing and mowing! He fertilized the lawns, and we both have been taking turns weed-whacking the flower beds. This morning (after the sun rises) we are going to drag a cedar log from the woods behind my studio to help control water drainage in front of veggie garden fence. I have been pondering how to keep rainwater from washing the mulch out of the beds and this is what I have come up with. If this works as I hope, the water will be directed onto the grassy area above the raised beds, instead of detouring through the bed area where it currently creates long trenches for me to trip in.

Hope everyone has a great day!!

To update my daughter...

2010-04-08T05:46:00.005-05:00

Dear Courtney,

Thank you for your kind words of concern. I am indeed still alive (contain your disappointment, please!) Since my last post, the following has occurred, in no particular order:

1. The seedlings are still on the porch hardening off. Well, I think they are pretty hard right now, but haven't had the time to plant them out in the beds.

2. Turned on the vegetable bed sprinkler system to find that two riser/valve/spray head assemblies had cracked in the winter weather. This in spite of closing and draining the system for the winter.

3. Tried to fire up the garden tiller for the first time this season. Won't start. Yanked manual starter until my arm hurt. Pushed, shoved, and cajoled tiller back into the shed.

4. Replaced dull chain on chain saw. Cleaned endless oily sawdust out of crevices on saw. Attempted to diagnose source of bar oil leak. Failed at diagnosis. Put chain saw on newspaper to prevent oil leak from staining concrete.

5. Acquired replacement sprinkler parts, in between registering for summer and fall classes and returning to school for lab.

6. Cut off and reassembled sprinkler system (gluing two fingers together), only to find another crack, requiring more parts. The dogs drove me to Simmons Lumber for more parts even before Dad woke up for the day.

7. Installed more sprinkler parts. Let dry, tested system. Applied more plumber's tape to leaking spray heads.

8. Watered strawberries for the first time this season. Sprayed the fruit trees with sulfur to prevent brown rot on fruit.

9. Attended lecture, lab and clinicals since my last post. Got sprayed full in the face by nursing home resident who wanted to rinse off by herself during shower. Continued clinical day with dripping hair and wet uniform.

10. Wrote questionable paper on useless article due the day of exam.

11. Studied my a$$ off for exam yesterday. Passed exam okay, but not with the grade I wanted (or thought I deserved.)

12. Provided quicky meals from limited menu, including frozen pizza and frozen chicken piccata, for Dad and myself.

13. Washed dogs, including one swamp- and sand-covered Nick, out in yard. Watched Sassy roll in grass to get shampoo smell off and put "good" bug and dirt smell back on.

14. Determined that the generator still not maintaining battery power. Worked with Dad to test system, then listened while Dad "discussed" with generator expert as to what was wrong and how to fix it. Got bit by bugs standing by generator in sandals.

15. Suffered through a couple of nights of bad, loud, sleep-disturbing weather, forced to listen to squawking emergency radio.

16. Enjoyed sunshine (see previous post), fresh air, cool breezes and opened windows for most of the week.

17. Watched Dad stub his baby toe on the sofa leg. Toe broken, Dad limping. Toe better now.

18. Missed a call from you. Was in school. Again. Talked to your sister lots (she calls more frequently!)

19. Participated with at least half a mind to general activities of daily living.

20. Wrote this post.

So there you go. My top 20 things since my last post. Your turn. What's up in your world?

As always, it was a pleasure to hear from you. My best to you and yours.

Sincerely,

Mother

Playing with dirt!

2010-03-27T04:48:00.007-05:00

The last week or so has brought a variety of weather. We've had plenty of rain and thunder, and I think it snowed one day, but that may have been the previous week. Anyway, there was one day that was absolutely beautiful! Sunshine, soft breezes and the tweeting of birds. So I took the opportunity to transplant some more little seedlings into bigger pots.

I decided to set up on the porch, but first, I brought out the last group of transplants for a little time in the shade and breeze. These are the broccoli, cabbage and celery plants enjoying the "shadeshine."

After shlepping through the mud to Steve the Shed for potting soil and more pots, I turned on the radio to the classical station and started filling pots.

What fun I had playing with the soil, lovingly moving squash, zucchini and cucumber sprouts into bigger digs (get it? "Digs?")

Nick split to do what boy dogs do an a farm (don't ask, don't kiss) but Sassy hung around and brought me Frisbees to throw. I flung one off of the porch and a wind gust carried it quite far into the woods. She dove in after it and ... nothing. I waited, and waited, then went back to my work. I figured she was either still trying to find the toy, off chasing deer, or been swallowed by the "holler" monster. Either way, I had seedlings to attend to.

Sassy eventually showed up, covered in grass and leaves, and panting hard. She plopped the Frisbee down, had a nice long drink of water, and was ready for more. There is no quit in that dog!

I was almost sorry when I ran out of plants that needed repotting. Everyone is back inside under grow lights. I am dying to get them into the garden, but our last frost date isn't until the middle of April, and I don't trust Mother Nature. So my studio will continue to be "plant central" with lights glowing into the night.

Soon, though. Very soon. Till then, I will be picking dirt out from under my nails, and dreaming like every gardener does.

Okay, I've said it

2010-03-18T07:23:00.003-05:00

Out loud. Where people can hear me. I'm fifty years old. There.

"Hello, my name is Lisa, and I'm fifty." ("Hi, Lisa!")

Guess I can no longer pretend I'm young anywhere but at heart. But I swore on my Mother's grave (she doesn't have one!) that I would never grow up, so you all are stuck with that.

Image at www.flatrock.org.nz

We had a lecture a few weeks back in school concerning ageism. The instructor asked us to write on a slip of paper, the age at which we considered a person to be "old." Two students wrote "30". The consensus was between 80 and 85, but a good 1/3 or more of the whippersnappers picked numbers under 60. *Sigh* But I have a new boyfriend at school who guessed me to be 44. His wife has trained him well!

Liz's appointment at the orthopedist went very well. He doesn't see any need to replace her hips now or in the foreseeable future, and we are thrilled with that diagnosis. She's out having an MRI to check on her very-limited cartilage to see if anything needs removing there, but otherwise, she is just to manage the pain and get on with her life.

Liz got a call from her boyfriend Ray last night, to say that he'd been bit at work at the animal clinic. Now bites aren't uncommon in a vet practice, but apparently, this was a 130 pound mastiff who bit him in the face and arm. It wasn't the dog's fault, it was scared and people were trying to put a muzzle on it.

Image by www.gentlegiantsrescue.com

Poor Ray needed 14 stitches to put his nose back on. I don't know about you, but I think he's going to hurt this morning!!

The weather here isn't what I ordered up for Liz's visit. Cloudy and cold is not the antidote for winter weather that I had hoped for. But we are having fun and she is kicking-back and resting up. I am trying to hide her ticket home, but if she doesn't graduate from college, she won't be able to support me in my old age. Cr*p! According to my fellow students, I'm already am old! Liz had better hurry!

I am also looking forward to May. Not only will Liz graduate, but Courtney is coming home and she was able to get more time off from work to make her visit really count! Originally, we were only going to have a day or so on either side of the trip out to graduation to visit with her. Now I can really snuggle her good!

My seedlings are doing very well. Sorry, no pictures. I had to rig up some grow-lights from chairs to accommodate the now-very-large celery, broccoli, and cabbage plants. They were too tall to stay on the shelves any longer. Must Google when to set them out in the raised beds. This winter has had some odd weather, so I am hesitant to go strictly by the old planting charts.

Guess that is it. I am off to shout my age from the rooftops, thereby guaranteeing my admission to the nursing home or the funny farm. Depends on who catches me first!

It was a very good day!

2010-03-15T07:20:00.007-05:00

Hello, my peeps! I hope you had as nice a day yesterday as I did. Yesterday was the Red Letter Day, the day that Not Quite Grown (also known as Liz) came home for her Spring Break. Even though it was gray and rainy, I didn't mind the long drive into town to the airport.

But first, a detour to find something that Stud Muffin had located on a previous trip to the big city.

A Joann's fabric store!! In Memphis! I never knew this was here! I gave up hoping and pestering corporate headquarters long ago.

But now I don't have to drive 150 miles just to wander the aisles and fondle the fabric and squeeze the yarn! And squeeze and fondle I did. The day was perfect.

But that's not all, Bob! After a drive up some streets I haven't been on in 16 years, marveling at what had and hadn't changes. we headed to the airport.

I love our little airport. You can practically park at the front door, there's a Starbuck's, Backyard Burger, and magazine stores, and after a few minutes wait, you get a kid back!!

And then she hugs her Daddy.

And then her Mommy grabs her, buries her face in her hair, and hangs on for dear life. Me, not her. Makes it difficult to walk, but that's where the close parking comes in real handy!

We talked the whole way home, and then the dogs took over the welcoming. Nick was just beside himself with joy, then he was beside Liz, on Liz, under Liz and forgot all about Joy.

Liz recovering from having her nose picked by a dog!

Sassy wouldn't pose. She was much too busy bringing every toy she owns for Liz to throw for her. Nick decided to put his ~~foot~~ feet down and block Sassy's way with his big body. He wants Liz all to himself!

Eventually, everyone settled down and ate a whole pan of homemade macaroni and cheese and watched a movie together.

Yes, it was a perfect day. And yours?? I know it wasn't nearly as good as mine, but go ahead and share anyway!