Productivity

Taking 3 full classes and working full-time takes up most all of my spare time. I have sooo many things that have gone neglected around my house, so yesterday I made a list of things to do. I didn't have class and even though I had homework to do, as usual, I put the homework aside while the sun was out to hammer out a few things. I finally feel like I've been productive for the first time this year.

Done:
Trim blackberry plant (I transplanted it last weekend and the ends curled up and died)
Check on garlic plants on the back row (nothing growing as of 4/29)
Apple trimmings to the street (we never used the apple wood so I'm letting the recycle guy take it)
Trim tree in front (it's some inedible fruit bearing specimen covered in aphids - my ladybugs are FAT)
Weed/weedwhack front sidewalk area
Empty clippings in yellow bins

Still on the list To-Do:
Move seedlings to bedroom side of the yard
Process lemons (thanks CI for a bagfull of meyers!)
Do something with the red rocks in the strip in front of the house, plant something less ugly there
Move rose bushes from front window to somewhere else, replace with something else

You can see that I finally got some seeds started over the weekend. It was quickly done, haphazard. I opened my toolbox that holds all my seeds, looked at each packet, thought "this sounds good" and scattered seeds in my little seedling starter pots. I didn't label, or make maps. I planted zuchinni, yellow squash, japanese tomatoes, dill, lots and lots of basil (I never had enough last year,) and a few other items I can't think of at the moment. Yes, it was fairly disorganized but it was all the time I had and I figured disorganized was better than nothing at all. So, as the ever-witty ML says, "ch-ch-chill."

we were swarmin'

A few weeks back I returned from a vacation in Texas and realized I didn't have my keys. Everyone with a key was at school or work and I was tired and in need of a hot shower and a nap. Because we keep the back gates locked I had to creatively scale the back fence and then find an open window to slide through. While I was in the backyard, I heard this high-pitched humming. We are not far from the freeway and frequently hear freeway noise. Since it was 3pm, I figured rush hour traffic was starting. And yet, it sounded different. Maybe some rice-rockets were racing around? Or is that a remote control car/airplane I hear? I brushed it off, slid through my window successfully and went around to the back door to retrieve my purse and suitcase.

As I came out the back door, I heard he humming again. We have carpenter bees in our overhang but this was slightly different. I saw a smaller bee fly by, then another, and then another. I looked around and saw thousands of bees in my neighbors yard - one house over and one house behind. I guess this is what they mean when bees swarm. I had never seen anything like this in my life and though I'm not afraid of bees, it was a bit intimidating. They were buzzing everywhere and in a frenzy so I quickly picked up my gear and got back in the house. By the time I got out of the shower and peeked out the back window, they were completely gone. Very strange indeed.

Late with summer seeds

I'm late - really late - in planting seeds for my summer garden. I typically do this in March but because I'm taking 3 classes on top of my full time job and I haven't had the time nor the energy. I barely had time to put some compost in the pot of my lemon tree, since it needed some food, was looking sad, and there was no time to make compost tea. My compost worms were traumatized during the move so I added some shredded paper for them to hide under. Within three weeks, I noticed something growing from under the shredded paper and was pleased to find tomato plants! Now I can transplant these seedlings into pots until they can hold their own. Pray they are not the pear tomatoes I planted last year as they are the only breed I didn't like. I am also thankful that I saw some volunteers growing where my japanese tomotoes were last year. Keep my fingers crossed and my hands folded in prayer.

My garlic is growing in leaps and bounds. It's thick and strong and I'm quite pleased. I know it's, again, really really late, but I planted some more two weeks ago. They will just be smaller cloves and I can use the leaves for chives in soups or salads.

My cotton is doing well. I have lots of sprouts on the main branches and I plan on adding some compost soon to feed them.

April 22, 2008 - Earth Day!!

Welcome to Earth Day! A day in which we celebrate Mother Earth and all she has given to us. It's a time we should use to contemplate how we can give back to her, then put those ideas into action.

Small and easy lifestyle changes can make a big difference. Turn off the water while you brush your teeth, start a carpool, recycle your cans, bottles, plastics, glass, paper, and cardboard, turn off the tv and go outside to play, use a fabric grocery bag instead of their plastic bags (many stores give you 5cents off your bill which quickly pays for the measly $1 they charge you for it,) or compost your kitchen scraps.

Fat Maow was enjoying the outside just the other day. Here she is in my apple tree. The blossoms must be the most wonderful thing to smell!

Today's poetry

Written in the fall during my last English class:

"little yellow natives"
falling from the trees
dancing wildly to the silent songs of the wind
the only sound
a tac tac of the dance
spinning
dancing
gathering together
little yellow natives

RIP Double Trouble

There are goods n bads about visiting old friends that you haven't seen in a long time. One of the bads is catching up and learning that some people, who were at one time critical in your life, have since passed on. This was my experience this week as I visit an old friend I haven't talked to in 15 years.

Back in the mid 80's I had just graduated from high school and drove down south to visit my friend for the summer. As responsible as I was, a couple of hundred dollars still didn't last me long, and soon I was broke & out of food. Living alone in a house in the country while my roommate was working the oil rigs, I was unnerved when I saw some tall, lanky, dark haired stranger coming up my back walk. I watched him lean down to get a better look at me through the windows and I met him at the door in attempts to keep him outside, because we never locked our doors.
"Who are you?" I asked. He replied, "I'm more welcome here than you are." I highly doubted that, but since he was my roommates friend, I let him in after introductions. His name was Terry and I figure he was a little more than 10 years older than I was. I must have been a sight, sunburnt and hadn't eaten in two days, and he noticed it all. Since my kitten was crying, I told him my woes of being broke and hungry. He proceeded to take me to the local convenience store and buy me enough cat food to last a week. After feeding the cat, he took me for a long drive in his old black Peterbilt.
It was a beautiful truck, all black with chrome, shiny and loved, with a triple wide sleeper. It had the old-style square nose, before they turned ugly and started to round the noses. "I'll teach you how to drive if you want to." *Well, how many gears does this thing have?* "Eighteen," he answered. "15 going forward and 3 in reverse." I remember the seats bouncing as we drove, and he told me he had the best shocks on those seats; other trucks were worse.
That day we went to some cafe in the middle of nowhere and he promised me they had the best food around. After eating a very large breakfast, I started on Terry's fries, all the while his dark eyes smiling at me as I could see his thoughts, "this girl can EAT!" He paid for our food and as he helped me back up into the truck, he leaned in for a kiss but I pulled back and refused. He smiled again and said he was OK with that. After stopping at his friend’s house, where I promptly fell asleep happy and full in the sleeper cab, he drove me home and remained a perfect gentleman. He would come by at least once a week to check on me, make sure I had enough to eat and that my roommate and his friends were behaving and minding me with respect. It was always a treat to hear that truck pull up out back and that drawl yell out "Blondie, I'm back! Where are you?"

So when I recently saw my old childhood friend, I had to ask, "Remember Terry the trucker? What ever happened to him?" Nonchalantly she answered, "Oh, Terry G, he died. I think his body just wore out."

R.I.P. Double Trouble