Here we are in mid-February and before we know it, it will be time to start thinking about a garden.
My family has planted a garden for the last several years. I must admit, there were a lot of times when the LAST thing in the world I wanted to do was go out and work in the garden. This was especially true last summer when the weeds got away from us. We got the weeds under control, but it was A LOT of work.
My mother and I went out shopping for seed last weekend. It turned out that stores didn't have a lot of variety in terms of seed because it's still a little early in the season. We bought a couple of seed starting trays but the schedule has been hectic this week so we haven't had a chance to start any seeds yet.
We always plant tomatoes. I am NOT a tomato fan, but I will grow them, pick them and share them with friends. I like ketchup and all kinds of things made with tomato sauce but the thought of eating a tomato does not appeal to me at all. My mother announced that we are going to "limit" ourselves to 18 (!!) tomato plants this year. This means I need to build more tomato cages. Lots of fun. This year, I have promised myself that I'm going to label each cage with the variety of tomato. We put out a lot of plants last year and used the little spikes that came with the plants. Long before the weeds went out of control last year, the little spikes were gone. I've got a plan this year.
We've got lots of other things planned for the garden this year. We're going to add several varieties of lettuce and peas that we've never tried before. We're also going to plant sunflowers--just for something different.
It should be fun.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Sunday, February 1, 2009
As I said, random and ocassional
Well, it has indeed been a while since I've written anything. I've found myself busy with lots of little projects that have always ended up taking more time than I had counted on. Isn't that the way of things?
This afternoon will be spent at a Super Bowl party. I'm not a football fan, but I find it hard to pass up an opportunity to get together with friends. Invariably, there are always some in the group who feel as I do and don't care about the sporting event being watched, so I'm not alone in my feelings. The afternoon will no doubt be spent grazing at a table full of wonderful munchies contributed by the group. I've prepared barbequed meatballs and a sizable container of Caramel Chex. I'll go to the gathering with copies of both recipies. In fact, I was told at another get together that if I was planning to come to the Super Bowl party, I had better bring the Caramel Chex. I quietly suspect that entry might be denied if I don't have the goods in hand.
I enjoy sharing the recipies. It seems like the decent thing to do if someone ooohs and ahhhhs over something you've brought. I do, however, get a little ticked off at people who don't share the exact recipie. There are always people who like me, like to share recipes but they don't share the exact recipie. They leave out an ingredient. Or two. Come on gang, if you've gone to the trouble to write down the ingredients and the instructions, share the WHOLE recipie. Leaving out ingredients changes the taste. It's not the same.
OK. Enough about recipies and the sharing of same.
I'll go to the Super Bowl party and I might even watch some of the game. I spent enough years in the marching band in high school and college that my life will not suffer if I never see another football game. Baseball, however, is another story.
If you absolutely LIVE for the Super Bowl, then by all means, enjoy the day. If this is just another day for you, enjoy your day as well. Watch a movie. Read a book. Spend time with family or friends or both.
This afternoon will be spent at a Super Bowl party. I'm not a football fan, but I find it hard to pass up an opportunity to get together with friends. Invariably, there are always some in the group who feel as I do and don't care about the sporting event being watched, so I'm not alone in my feelings. The afternoon will no doubt be spent grazing at a table full of wonderful munchies contributed by the group. I've prepared barbequed meatballs and a sizable container of Caramel Chex. I'll go to the gathering with copies of both recipies. In fact, I was told at another get together that if I was planning to come to the Super Bowl party, I had better bring the Caramel Chex. I quietly suspect that entry might be denied if I don't have the goods in hand.
I enjoy sharing the recipies. It seems like the decent thing to do if someone ooohs and ahhhhs over something you've brought. I do, however, get a little ticked off at people who don't share the exact recipie. There are always people who like me, like to share recipes but they don't share the exact recipie. They leave out an ingredient. Or two. Come on gang, if you've gone to the trouble to write down the ingredients and the instructions, share the WHOLE recipie. Leaving out ingredients changes the taste. It's not the same.
OK. Enough about recipies and the sharing of same.
I'll go to the Super Bowl party and I might even watch some of the game. I spent enough years in the marching band in high school and college that my life will not suffer if I never see another football game. Baseball, however, is another story.
If you absolutely LIVE for the Super Bowl, then by all means, enjoy the day. If this is just another day for you, enjoy your day as well. Watch a movie. Read a book. Spend time with family or friends or both.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Treat yourself
As I sit at my desk, pausing ocassionally to look around the room, I see music and books. I have lots of music--I have a couple of degrees in music. I also have a lot of books.
Treat yourself! Go to your library. If you don't have a library card, apply for one. If you have a library card...what are you waiting for? Use it! If you can't get to your library, pick up the phone and call. Ask if your library has a website. Make a note of the web address.
Many libraries have their catalog online. Larger libraries will mail books and other materials to patrons. Browse the catalog and choose a book. Enjoy.
Reading requires discipline. Set aside time each day to read. It can be as little as 15 minutes a day. It's a good habit to get into. I'm a big reader. I always have a book going. I don't always read every day, but I always intend to.
Reading is a diversion that lets you forget the stresses of the day and just let your mind wander through the pages.
Treat yourself! Go to your library. If you don't have a library card, apply for one. If you have a library card...what are you waiting for? Use it! If you can't get to your library, pick up the phone and call. Ask if your library has a website. Make a note of the web address.
Many libraries have their catalog online. Larger libraries will mail books and other materials to patrons. Browse the catalog and choose a book. Enjoy.
Reading requires discipline. Set aside time each day to read. It can be as little as 15 minutes a day. It's a good habit to get into. I'm a big reader. I always have a book going. I don't always read every day, but I always intend to.
Reading is a diversion that lets you forget the stresses of the day and just let your mind wander through the pages.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Gray Monday
It's a grayish Monday with lots of folks having the day off and still other folks wishing they had the day off.
There are lots of things I could be doing today, but nothing is earth-shattering, so I'll wait until tomorrow. The world will not come to a screeching halt if I do not go the grocery store today. Banks are closed, so I'll put off my contribution to world commerce until tomorrow.
On ocassion, the day without mail delivery is welcome. It seems as if I am inundated with credit card offers or catalogs that I no longer subscribe to. I've tried calling. I've tried writing. A word of advice: don't bother writing. Your message to be removed from the mailing list never gets past the person you opened the envelope with your request in the first place. Calling is a no-go as well. Your call goes to the wrong place when you've been handed up the ladder, or your call is lost in switchboard limbo. On the chance that you actually talk to a real person who is in a position to help, you will spend entirely too much time explaining your circumstances just like you did to the person that answered the phone the first time. Returning catalogs marked "recipent deceased" might set off bells somewhere that you would prefer to have been left unrung. I guess the easiest thing to do would be to save up all your unwanted catalogs and burn them when you are really cold. This accomplishes several things. First, it frees up space for you to save up more catalogs to burn at the next cold snap. Next, the resulting fire will keep you warm. This provides an environmental benefit because the ashes from the burned catalogs take up a lot less space in the landfill.
There are lots of things I could be doing today, but nothing is earth-shattering, so I'll wait until tomorrow. The world will not come to a screeching halt if I do not go the grocery store today. Banks are closed, so I'll put off my contribution to world commerce until tomorrow.
On ocassion, the day without mail delivery is welcome. It seems as if I am inundated with credit card offers or catalogs that I no longer subscribe to. I've tried calling. I've tried writing. A word of advice: don't bother writing. Your message to be removed from the mailing list never gets past the person you opened the envelope with your request in the first place. Calling is a no-go as well. Your call goes to the wrong place when you've been handed up the ladder, or your call is lost in switchboard limbo. On the chance that you actually talk to a real person who is in a position to help, you will spend entirely too much time explaining your circumstances just like you did to the person that answered the phone the first time. Returning catalogs marked "recipent deceased" might set off bells somewhere that you would prefer to have been left unrung. I guess the easiest thing to do would be to save up all your unwanted catalogs and burn them when you are really cold. This accomplishes several things. First, it frees up space for you to save up more catalogs to burn at the next cold snap. Next, the resulting fire will keep you warm. This provides an environmental benefit because the ashes from the burned catalogs take up a lot less space in the landfill.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Do Yourself a Favor
I've only recently discovered Facebook. I had heard about Facebook for several years before I even looked at the homepage. Some of my friends were longtime users that see each other every day. I couldn't understand the lure of a venue for friends to post casual goings-on in their lives who spent hours together each day. Why in the world would anyone care that I have just returned from Christmas shopping?
Then I thought about it. Not about telling people that I had just returned from shopping or that I was leaving for the barbershop. I thought about all the people that I have grown up with that I have lost track of over the years. A lot of my friends are folks that I went to high school with. There are even some folks that I've known since grade school. We went our separate ways after high school and we just drifted apart. I missed my friends, but we had lost track of one another.
It really hit me that people can fall out of touch because of distance when friends moved to the East Coast. Sure, there are cell phones and web cams. I've got a cell phone. I use it when I'm out shopping and for emergencies. It is not attached to my head 24/7. I don't have a web cam. Maybe someday...when I get a faster internet connection. There's just something about seeing the face of a friend and reading one or two lines about what they're doing just now. Or yesterday. I think it's a bit more personal than an e-mail message. People who haven't seen each other for years are suddenly reconnected and sharing family pictures or pictures and memories from grade school. The falling out of touch wasn't intentional...it just happened.
I decided to take the plunge. I logged on, submitted my information and sent out requests for friends. I waited. I got a response. I don't remember who was first. As my friend list grew, I remember how much fun it was to hear from folks I hadn't seen for a while. For some it had been 5 or 10 years since we'd seen or heard from each other. For others, it had been 20 or 25 years. I have friends that live just down the street from me and it's easier to browse Facebook for a few minutes and keep up with them than it is to wait until one of us comes out of our house and we see each other on the sidewalk. Our schedules just conflict.
So, do yourself a favor. Set yourself up on Facebook. It just takes a minute. You can give as much or as little information about yourself as you like. You can edit the information anytime. Make a list (I'm a list maker) of friends you haven't seen in a while. Look for them on Facebook. Add them as a friend. Reconnect. I'm glad I did.
Then I thought about it. Not about telling people that I had just returned from shopping or that I was leaving for the barbershop. I thought about all the people that I have grown up with that I have lost track of over the years. A lot of my friends are folks that I went to high school with. There are even some folks that I've known since grade school. We went our separate ways after high school and we just drifted apart. I missed my friends, but we had lost track of one another.
It really hit me that people can fall out of touch because of distance when friends moved to the East Coast. Sure, there are cell phones and web cams. I've got a cell phone. I use it when I'm out shopping and for emergencies. It is not attached to my head 24/7. I don't have a web cam. Maybe someday...when I get a faster internet connection. There's just something about seeing the face of a friend and reading one or two lines about what they're doing just now. Or yesterday. I think it's a bit more personal than an e-mail message. People who haven't seen each other for years are suddenly reconnected and sharing family pictures or pictures and memories from grade school. The falling out of touch wasn't intentional...it just happened.
I decided to take the plunge. I logged on, submitted my information and sent out requests for friends. I waited. I got a response. I don't remember who was first. As my friend list grew, I remember how much fun it was to hear from folks I hadn't seen for a while. For some it had been 5 or 10 years since we'd seen or heard from each other. For others, it had been 20 or 25 years. I have friends that live just down the street from me and it's easier to browse Facebook for a few minutes and keep up with them than it is to wait until one of us comes out of our house and we see each other on the sidewalk. Our schedules just conflict.
So, do yourself a favor. Set yourself up on Facebook. It just takes a minute. You can give as much or as little information about yourself as you like. You can edit the information anytime. Make a list (I'm a list maker) of friends you haven't seen in a while. Look for them on Facebook. Add them as a friend. Reconnect. I'm glad I did.
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