On Thursday, I uprooted dead, dying, and struggling plants from my garden then replanted seeds for one last harvest before frost. Today there are radish & lettuce sprouts visible. Neato!
On Friday, I spent the morning applying in person for jobs here in town. I was hired at a call center, second shift (4pm to 12:30am), at the low pay rate of $8.50/hr. which will rise to the low pay rate of $9/hr. after 10 weeks of training. It's not enough to pay my bills given my house mortgage. Still, for the time being I will take the job and continue to look for better-paying work so that I don't deplete my savings and lose my house. Fortunately, health insurance is included. I start this Monday or next. We'll see.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Thursday, August 12, 2010
House Showing
Relatives came to visit us from several states for a short time. They stayed with my parents but came to see my house. Thanks to several days of work and help from my mom, I managed to get some boxes unpacked, the clutter confined to my "office," and most of the house decorated. Here are a few pictures of the living room and dining room. Pardon the poor lighting.
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| Corner of Living Room |
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| The front door opens in front of the coffee table. |
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| Dining Room |
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Thoughts on Gardening
Now that spring euphoria has worn off, I find that I still want to garden, but there are pros and cons.
I have harvested radishes, lettuces, spinach, green beans, chard, baby zucchini, and herbs. So far my favorite crop is lettuce. Mixed salad greens from the garden aren't costly yet are fresh, organic, and washed thoroughly clean by yours truly. Harvesting lettuce also allows some flexibility-- I can use the leaves at the baby stage or leave the plants to grow if I'm not in need of them yet; they don't "expire" according to strict "use by" dates. Lettuce is even more flexible than green beans, zucchini, or cucumbers which must be continually harvested if production is to continue. Mostly pest-free (an occasional spider web or flea beetle), lettuce just needs regular watering. Low-maintenance is nice! ;-)
Kentucky summers are not particularly pleasant for gardeners though. Early morning is the best time to be out there, but that doesn't always work for my internal time clock, and if I were working outside the home, it would likewise be difficult. That leaves early afternoon when temperatures are still high-- by the time it cools down, the biting insects come out. It's tempting to put off watering and other maintenance such as pulling up expended plants and replanting seeds. The garden can grow unkempt or the soil lie unproductive; it's a shame not to get good use from prime ground right out the back door.
Another difficulty is that harvest times are not easily predictable-- so, do I buy radishes at the store or can I count on a supply from the garden? Will the lettuce last or will it bolt in the heat? It's a bit of a gamble making these decisions. (I usually plan meals and do my grocery shopping on a weekly basis.) The seed package dates aren't very reliable, and if we have spells of unusually hot or unseasonably rainy weather, maturity times can vary considerably from the norm.
I'm also learning more about timing for succession crops and about planting quantities that suit my eating habits. For example, I've found that I need to plant 18 bush bean plants (2 square feet) at a time if I want to be able to harvest a serving size of green beans for dinner. I'll also definitely plant more squares of spinach at a time than I did this year.
I also want to cease growing crops in containers because I find the soil there dries out too quickly-- rosemary being an exception and of course mint has to be contained! I may need to build a deep bed to handle some of these crops (carrots, for instance).
I also would like to grow beans near the edges of the beds so that it's easier to examine them for mature pods. I may resort to runner beans now that I've discovered how easy and inexpensive it is to construct a large & stable trellis from electrical conduit.
In short, I'm not giving up but doing lots of brainstorming about how to make things better for next year. And meanwhile, I'm still harvesting! ;-)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
I have harvested radishes, lettuces, spinach, green beans, chard, baby zucchini, and herbs. So far my favorite crop is lettuce. Mixed salad greens from the garden aren't costly yet are fresh, organic, and washed thoroughly clean by yours truly. Harvesting lettuce also allows some flexibility-- I can use the leaves at the baby stage or leave the plants to grow if I'm not in need of them yet; they don't "expire" according to strict "use by" dates. Lettuce is even more flexible than green beans, zucchini, or cucumbers which must be continually harvested if production is to continue. Mostly pest-free (an occasional spider web or flea beetle), lettuce just needs regular watering. Low-maintenance is nice! ;-)
Kentucky summers are not particularly pleasant for gardeners though. Early morning is the best time to be out there, but that doesn't always work for my internal time clock, and if I were working outside the home, it would likewise be difficult. That leaves early afternoon when temperatures are still high-- by the time it cools down, the biting insects come out. It's tempting to put off watering and other maintenance such as pulling up expended plants and replanting seeds. The garden can grow unkempt or the soil lie unproductive; it's a shame not to get good use from prime ground right out the back door.
Another difficulty is that harvest times are not easily predictable-- so, do I buy radishes at the store or can I count on a supply from the garden? Will the lettuce last or will it bolt in the heat? It's a bit of a gamble making these decisions. (I usually plan meals and do my grocery shopping on a weekly basis.) The seed package dates aren't very reliable, and if we have spells of unusually hot or unseasonably rainy weather, maturity times can vary considerably from the norm.
I'm also learning more about timing for succession crops and about planting quantities that suit my eating habits. For example, I've found that I need to plant 18 bush bean plants (2 square feet) at a time if I want to be able to harvest a serving size of green beans for dinner. I'll also definitely plant more squares of spinach at a time than I did this year.
I also want to cease growing crops in containers because I find the soil there dries out too quickly-- rosemary being an exception and of course mint has to be contained! I may need to build a deep bed to handle some of these crops (carrots, for instance).
I also would like to grow beans near the edges of the beds so that it's easier to examine them for mature pods. I may resort to runner beans now that I've discovered how easy and inexpensive it is to construct a large & stable trellis from electrical conduit.
In short, I'm not giving up but doing lots of brainstorming about how to make things better for next year. And meanwhile, I'm still harvesting! ;-)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Yard Work
I'm hoping to get some things done outside today. A bit of gardening, of course-- some squares are ready to harvest & be replanted. But I also need to do some less pleasurable work-- pruning suckers and a branch with an old leftover tent worm residence, dig up some plants I dislike, etc. The weather's not ideal for such labor, and I'm certainly not getting an early start; I may not get far, but at least I don't have appointments or crucial errands today. Hopefully, I'll make some progress. ;-)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Monday, May 17, 2010
A Full Rich Day
I love the M*A*S*H TV series, and watch the DVDs far more often than any sane person should/would. This post title is taken from one episode of the series.
But, it has indeed been a full, rich day for me. (Or rather yesterday was-- I can't sleep and am taking advantage of my insomnia to write this, but I can't keep my tenses straight, so bear with me.)
I got to church this morning, which was great. Moved to tears by the very first worship song-- a fast-paced old hymn. I can't even say why, but it really got to me (in a good way). First message from the new senior pastor too. I'm looking forward to having him; apparently he'll start officially at the beginning of June (after leaving the church where he presently ministers and moving his family up to Kentucky). Yay! The long search and wait is over.
A good friend shared some personal information with me privately on Facebook; I was glad she opened up and honored to have been trusted.
My brother and sister-in-law are moving to a new apartment. Their new duplex neighbors are people they go to church with, and they won't have to commute any more. So awesome.
I did lots of cooking and baking as well: granola, crustless pumpkin pie, and a pseudo-Thanksgiving meal of turkey meatloaf, scallion mashed potatoes, and green beans. I had so much fun playing in the kitchen. I was singing at the top of my lungs and doing my private "funky chicken" and booty-shaking dances between chopping and measuring and stirring. It was gray & raining outside, so it was the perfect way to spend a drippy day: celebrating life, life, life-- and that more abundant! The giving thanks of my pseudo-Thanksgiving was real. ;-)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
But, it has indeed been a full, rich day for me. (Or rather yesterday was-- I can't sleep and am taking advantage of my insomnia to write this, but I can't keep my tenses straight, so bear with me.)
I got to church this morning, which was great. Moved to tears by the very first worship song-- a fast-paced old hymn. I can't even say why, but it really got to me (in a good way). First message from the new senior pastor too. I'm looking forward to having him; apparently he'll start officially at the beginning of June (after leaving the church where he presently ministers and moving his family up to Kentucky). Yay! The long search and wait is over.
A good friend shared some personal information with me privately on Facebook; I was glad she opened up and honored to have been trusted.
My brother and sister-in-law are moving to a new apartment. Their new duplex neighbors are people they go to church with, and they won't have to commute any more. So awesome.
I did lots of cooking and baking as well: granola, crustless pumpkin pie, and a pseudo-Thanksgiving meal of turkey meatloaf, scallion mashed potatoes, and green beans. I had so much fun playing in the kitchen. I was singing at the top of my lungs and doing my private "funky chicken" and booty-shaking dances between chopping and measuring and stirring. It was gray & raining outside, so it was the perfect way to spend a drippy day: celebrating life, life, life-- and that more abundant! The giving thanks of my pseudo-Thanksgiving was real. ;-)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Tax Refunds
I'm so grateful to God. My federal tax refund has been deposited into my checking account. It's a big fat one this year because I am a first-time home buyer who qualified for the $8,000 credit. With my being unemployed, this "cushion" could not have come at a better time. I know there are politicians who'd like to take the credit, but I see it differently. I try to honor God with the money that passes through my hands, and I believe He is faithful to provide for me through many methods-- in this case it just happened to be through a government tax law.
I still don't know what's going to happen with my job situation, but I am assured that God knows and has matters well in hand. To me, this "windfall" is just proof of His care for me. It's His lovingkindness and His thinking of me that really blesses me far more than the money itself.
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I still don't know what's going to happen with my job situation, but I am assured that God knows and has matters well in hand. To me, this "windfall" is just proof of His care for me. It's His lovingkindness and His thinking of me that really blesses me far more than the money itself.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Saturday, May 8, 2010
What to Say?
I feel the need to write this morning, but I don't have a lot to say! I haven't been feeling well for the past few days and have limited my activities accordingly.
I did start reading P.D. James' The Private Patient and am enjoying it so far. It's an Adam Dalgliesh mystery. I've never read anything else by the author until now. (Summary: After thirty-four years, a newspaper journalist elects to have a disfiguring facial scar removed at a private surgical clinic for the wealthy housed in a Tudor-style home in Dorset, England, and is murdered while recuperating. Adam Dalgliesh's team is called in to solve the crime.)
While I was in school for my Master's or dealing with books all day at the library, I preferred fast reads over slower, better developed works such as this (even if the quality wasn't great)-- the books were just a break from routine, a needed escape.
I don't read fiction that often these days; I prefer nonfiction books that give me information and ideas for my personal projects such as gardening or cooking or knitting.
I am waiting on the new P.J. Tracy mystery though-- I requested it from the library but didn't get my name on the list early enough so must wait for a turn. The "author" is actually a mother-daughter writing team. The books are set in Minnesota and feature a quirky cast of characters who work with the police to solve unusual crimes. My favorite was the most recent where victims were hid as snowmen. I can recall the cover but can't remember the title-- maybe Snowblind? Anyway, I like and am looking forward to the newest-- I think the back history of Grace, one of the main characters, will be unfolded a bit. It should be interesting.
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I did start reading P.D. James' The Private Patient and am enjoying it so far. It's an Adam Dalgliesh mystery. I've never read anything else by the author until now. (Summary: After thirty-four years, a newspaper journalist elects to have a disfiguring facial scar removed at a private surgical clinic for the wealthy housed in a Tudor-style home in Dorset, England, and is murdered while recuperating. Adam Dalgliesh's team is called in to solve the crime.)
While I was in school for my Master's or dealing with books all day at the library, I preferred fast reads over slower, better developed works such as this (even if the quality wasn't great)-- the books were just a break from routine, a needed escape.
I don't read fiction that often these days; I prefer nonfiction books that give me information and ideas for my personal projects such as gardening or cooking or knitting.
I am waiting on the new P.J. Tracy mystery though-- I requested it from the library but didn't get my name on the list early enough so must wait for a turn. The "author" is actually a mother-daughter writing team. The books are set in Minnesota and feature a quirky cast of characters who work with the police to solve unusual crimes. My favorite was the most recent where victims were hid as snowmen. I can recall the cover but can't remember the title-- maybe Snowblind? Anyway, I like and am looking forward to the newest-- I think the back history of Grace, one of the main characters, will be unfolded a bit. It should be interesting.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
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