But, really, the dog comes first
Growing Things
Busy as a …
Apr 15th
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Oh how I’ve missed you!
The gardens! The flowers! The wildlife!
I have much to show you.
(Alllmost got a puppy. Still waiting on that.)
Travel coming up!
There’s even knitting. (No, really. Wait till you see!)
So … there have been a lot of bees around this year. Which is rather early in the season but it’s been rather (too) warm for the season.
And then they swarmed. I mean really – one day, thousands of the little things swirling around in the neighbor’s back yard. Oddness.
We called local experts and watched.
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Knitting Content Catch Up, part 1
Feb 5th
I know ya’ll are off watching the Superbowl (I missed a Betty White commercial?!?)
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Cascade Pastaza (grey) and Malabrigo Chunky (Paris Night), in the classic Marsan Watchcap
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And I’ve had these done for weeks, so it’s not all that exciting (unless, maybe, you’re the recipient. And it is actually winter where you live.)
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Cascade Pastaza in the classic Marsan Watchcap
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Also, we have crocus:
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(The weather is too weird to be excited – I am excited about getting some yardwork done before May. Someone had their windows open today. I didn’t think it was quite that warm.)
Gardening will solve the worlds problems
Feb 1st
Today, I am convinced that more gardening would solve all the world problems*.
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(Or maybe it was 65 degrees F in January and I’ve got sun stroke.)
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p.s. Dude’s little kids won a third place award at the FIRST Lego League Maryland State Championships. 74 teams advanced from 13 regional events. The Magnolia Transformers performed well overall, and brought home the 3rd place award for their project presentation! While robotics is the feature competition event, and the only event open to the public, all teams compete for awards in three other categories: core values, robot design, and the research project.
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This year, the research project topic was food safety and each FLL team was challenged to “explore an actual problem that today’s scientists and engineers are trying to solve, develop an innovative solution to that problem, and share their findings.” Magnolia advanced to the finals based on their robotics competition performance on Jan 7th, they worked hard over the last three weeks to revise their research project by developing the idea of using carbon nanotubes to implement sensors to detect salmonella. The key technology behind their idea has recently been discovered by scientists at the University of Pennsylvania, who were happy to share their work with the Magnolia students via a computer teleconference meeting.
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*It is possible that, given the weather (sunny and warm) and the abundance of robots, I simply needed something not-manmade nor electrical nor even-human in my life. And while birds are indeed noisy little things, they are nothing like a few hundred elementary school students and the Cha Cha Slide.
The F – Year
Jan 1st
This year, 2012 is brought to me by the Letter F.
F is for Focus (as in, I really need some).
And I intend to Focus on three basics:
1) Food (growing it, preserving it, cooking it and eating it)
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My garlic is not waiting for spring.
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2) Fitness (that’s both the physical and mental health (yay Retirement!); the workouts and rest)
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Meditation with Sunbeam
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3) Fun (as in: if it isn’t fun, why am I doing it?)
Fun is for friends, family, and furballs; knitting, photography, travel, writing, and work (the stuff you do for money).
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For you I wish you the same – good food and friends and family to share it with; good health to enjoy the good food; a walk – be it in the woods or on a city sidewalk; clear air and some sunshine; something to look forward to, something to learn, something to read, something to make, and something to surprise you.
May the new year be good to you.
p.s. Begin the year as you intend to continue: I just finished a hat. Hopefully that portends a company-wide re-organization with elimination of the UFO Department.
Act II, Scene I
Oct 1st
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What I thought was going to happen during September:
1. massive house cleaning, organizing, decluttering
2. my sister and parents would visit
3. there was a wedding to attend
4. my birthday would come and go
5. my sister was going to take my credit card, go to the best nursery in the area, and plan my landscaping. Then she was going to come back and fix my yard.
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What actually happened in September:
1. my sister chose to have surgery over doing my landscaping
2. my mother decided to break not one but two wrists, at the same time. (This morning she tried to fish the phone out of the toilet with two casts.) (Think on that for a moment.)
3. my house did not get cleaned, organized, or decluttered
4. my landscaping did not get done
5. my birthday was over-the-top awesome
6. I retired*
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And what I’ve learned so far in Act II, Scene I (oh and it is draw-jopping huge. HUGE, I tell you):
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1. I do NOT have to do the food shopping and meal prep on the weekend. (Oh the luxury!)
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2. Just because I’m not going to work doesn’t mean I can ignore the calendar. (O.k. we did NOT miss any major events. But it was close.)
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Expect blogging to resume, post-haste.
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*That would be, oh, yesterday. My mind reels. And often squeeeees.
These things I know to be true*
Jul 29th
1. ”The best laid plans of mice and men / Often go awry” **
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2. Few things are sadder than a garden of wilted sunflowers.
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3. I should never guild trip an Irish Catholic my mother, even in jest. She won’t realize it, and it is just mean.
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4. Aurora is fine.
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*Isn’t that an Oscar Wilde quote? Why is google having so much trouble? /puzzled
**That is from Robert Burns poem, written in 1785.
Miscellaneous Sunday
Jul 24th
Because:
1. It is 7 a.m. 7:20 7:37 7:47 and 84 87 89 90 degrees out*.
1. a. and humid
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2. I really really really need to clean off the kitchen island
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2a. I made pickles; the canning pot is still warm.
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3. I have now harvested 59 pounds of zucchini (My goal was 60 pounds put up for the fuzzball for the year for food. That’s not quite enough for a year, but if I’m using fresh zucchini through September, it should be good until March or April.) (Note the unspoken unwritten comment.)
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4. At 5 a.m. Aurora came up with low blood sugar.
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I was literally outside with her thinking of all the stuff I had to run around and do today and it was o.k. because she was o.k. and Dude needs to work on robots and he’d be home with her … It’s a kick in the gut and a reminder to live one day at time…
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in air conditioning.
*In the time it took to write this post, I have: let Nickie out on the porch, trimmed Ned’s nails, changed the batteries in the camera, let Nickie in from the porch, brushed Ned, discussed battery recharging system with Dude (it’s robot-build season, there are a lot of batteries), broken up a cat squabble (about my feet), brushed Nickie, fought Ned for the brush, rubbed Aurora’s (jealous) belly, broken up a second cat squabble, refilled the dog water bowl … and there are times when I wonder why nothing got posted.
10 on Tuesday: The Beach Music Edition
Jul 19th
I started today’s 10 on Tuesday quest with the usual routine. (That would be grousing: ”Ten what??? I don’t know anything about music. Or music on the beach. I’m IRISH. I don’t hang out on the beach – I sunburn. You can’t hear music while you’re swimming anyway. Ipod’s aren’t water-proof… I listen to the sounds of the waves and screech of gulls stealing my sandwich.”
Being, however, stubborn determined to participate, and resourceful, I thought I could google it.
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And what do you know? There are lists of beach songs.
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Unfortunately, I recognize few of them (Gawd my music vocabulary is pitiful!)
This made me google yarn songs. Not so much.
What about knitting songs?*
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httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLgCh7GELtw
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By then I was bored. What about songs about dogs?
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Wait. Some of these I actually recognize.
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Ten Songs about Dogs (that I recognize):
(That would be canines, not promiscuous men or any other unflattering synonyms for man’s best friend.)
10. The (now) politically incorrect: How Much is That Doggy in the Window – Patti Page
8. Hound Dog – Elvis Presley
6. Blue – Peter, Paul and Mary
5. Old King - Neil Young
4. I Love My Dog – Cat Stevens
3. Old Blue – Layne Brooks
2. The Dog Song – Nellie McKay (a TED video!)
1. You and Me and Dog Named Boo (I used to sing this to Aurora as we were going to pick up Bella for a walk. There’s no actual proof – it’s not like I would let anyone hear me.)
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*Full disclosure: There’s an Australian song “Click go the Shears” – music here and lyrics here.
And a number of parodies, the most famous here.
