Song of the day: “My favorite things” by Julie Andrews. Yes, I am able to do Julie Andrews again. Guess to stop smoking DOES have SOME advantages. Hah. But seriously, sometimes I’m amazed at how the brain is able to remember obscure lyrics from movies that you watched a millions times when you were a kid. *sigh* Guess I get to file that under useless information too, huh?
Yesterday I had some classics going through my brain, including Jackie Wilson with Reet Peteet, which is an absolutely hilarious song.
Right. The past couple of days. Well, yesterday was grocery shopping day. Much to our regret we didn’t make it to week four this month, which is a total biatch all things considered. On the other hand, now it’s over and done with again for (hopefully) another months, so YAY!
So yeah. Yesterday started early because we had to bring Chamea to the vet. She got spaded, and they took out part of her left-side milk gland. I saw both her ovaries and the strangely mottle growth that was removed and...well, I was properly grossed out. *sigh* Seriously, there is something distinctly uncomfortable about seeing flesh with a small puddle of blood around it, lying on a stainless steel dish. Yuck.
But anyway, turns out (not surprisingly) that Chamea (Irish Setter) is a very sensitive dog, meaning that she can’t handle the pain as well as, for instance, labradors, who stoically continue on with life as usual after an operation. Nope. Poor thing has to be doped up with a hundred milligrams of rimadyl, part anti-inflammatory, part pain killer. She’ll be on that for the next five days, probably.
Amri...is not doing too well. His swelling has been increasing for the past couple of days and by now (regardless of the medication) his face is almost twice the normal size. Seriously, if it gets any bigger I’m going to bring him to the vet again, because already he is starting to have difficulty drinking. Strangely enough his mood is not all that bad.
We did ask about Kenneth, and her having a growth in her glands as well. There is of course the option of having it removed, but on the other hand, what with her being blind and her abilities tenuous at best, we don’t think she would manage an operation. Seriously, coming out of anesthesias, in a strange place, with nothing familiar there, it just might break her.
After doing groceries in record time yesterday (4 hours and a half...seriously, I was astounded...for six stores) we barely had time to have a quick meal before we had to head out again to pick Chamea up. She wasn’t happy about the situation, but at least she was happy to see big brother. She couldn’t get out of the hospital fast enough, I know that much.
Afterwards I tried to do some writing during the course of the evening, but after reading through the query letter again, and then the synopsis for DITGW, I was seriously wiped out for the day and decided to go to bed at one for a change. I think I’m getting too young for this shaite, Hah.
But anyway, after all that running back and forth yesterday, today was wonderfully relaxing.
Since we have been slacking with the wall a lot this past week or so, we decided to use the cloudy weather to its best advantage, and went down for some masonry.
Since grandpa first had to mix cement (he insists on this particular task) I could spent about fifteen minutes in the greenhouse to sow broccoli and more herbs. Since my drying cupboard is as good as done, I decided to go for more thyme, basil, parsley, chives and marjoram. Not too much, just a few more to plant in various spots of the yard where I can harvest them for drying.
Then, cement mixed, I could get started on the wall. Got quite a bit done, too (managed to get a 1 foot by 4 feet, by 7 inches rock in at a height of 5’ 10” at least. It took some effort, and it took three of us to get it there, but boy does it look great. Hah. The stairs are coming nicely. Five steps in one direction, three in the other, meaning that it is starting to look really interesting over there.
After that bit...we added a good 5 by 5 feet to the entirety of the wall...it was time for lunch. Opted for a lentil paste with fresh veggies from the yard. Tomatoes, zucchini, red cabbage, onion, garlic, with two pots of lentils, a can of sweet corn and a pot of mushrooms. All in all it was a colorful little mix, not to mention tasty due to the handful of garden herbs that made the whole absolutely delicious and healthy.
After lunch, which was served with whey pancakes, it was time to head down into the yard. Managed to water the upper terraces with the basin, which took me about three hours, meaning that tomorrow we’ll have to water the lower terraces as well. That basin is worth it’s weight in gold, so to speak. We barely used any tap water so far. Sure, we won’t be able to keep it going all through the summer, but it will save some money at least.
Writing wise there is very little news. In particular because I had no time, nor the inclination to write last night, meaning that I barely added half a page, darn it. Let’s hope I get some down today.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Into the wild wild yard
Song of the day: “My girl” by the Temptations...I think. Darn it, now I’ve gotta go check. Yep. The Temptations. Phew.
Okay, let’s get this over and done with. I wanna go write and am impatient to get to it. Sorry.
For the most part there has been yard work. Considering the weather today was absolutely uncalled for in June, we decided to make use of the morning’s rain and headed down to plant some more plants (did the same yesterday afternoon btw). Zucchinis, peppers, pumpkins, cucumbers and lettuce. I can assure you that all were exceedingly happy with the wetness. Hah.
The green beans are doing excellent, and I have added constructions to the last section of the climbers. The one I built the other day is already being climbed over. Boy are those plants happy with the support. If I didn’t know any better I’d say I hear cheering every time they touch a reed stem against which to climb. It takes a couple of hours, but then they’re holding on firmly and always climb up clockwise. Weird how that works, eh?
We had a salad today of our own tomatoes with fresh garden herbs, light green chard, and some fresh onion. It went really well with the fries we were in the mood for today. It went down rather well actually.
It was a bit chilly what with the cloud cover, but still it was also downright wonderful to spent the majority of the day in the yard. In particular the occasional cloud break that allowed the sun to come through. Then it was absolutely wonderful. Tenant can attest to that too, since she opted to join us down in the lower yard and read her book in what little sunshine there was.
We’ve been hauling out a lot of garbage, what with the courtyard room needing to be cleared out. Seriously, it amazes me how much accumulation of messes we have ‘round here. We spent the majority of yesterday morning sorting through it and hauling it up to the car. Which meant we had to go out later in the evening to get rid of it all. I did get to bed in time for a change, which had me like totally ecstatic until I woke up eight times during the night and at one time freaked out because I was convinced there was something in my ear. Aaaargh. There wasn’t of course, it was just a leftover of the dream, but seriously, I was freaked. Hah.
Big brother is still working on the door for the future bathroom. I don’t get where the days go these, but it is so hard to get everything done that needs to be done during any given day. Seeing as that takes time and effort, Dani offered to work the yard with me for the past couple of days, so he can actually get it done. Maybe I should offer to do it, seeing I usually do most of the woodwork round here, but I kinda like the yard part better at the moment. Hah.
Writing wise it's going well. I'm seven pages into the beginning, and though some unexpected stuff happened, I'm pretty happy with the results. The weirdest thing was that I had already thought out a complete dialogue and when I was about to get into it, a third character (funny old geezer) suddenly arrived. He had with him the hero's dog (hadn't known he had one until then)cutting off further conversation. So weird, how a scene can change like that. But that's writing for you; the characters will take you where they are meant to go, whether you want them to or not. I am most curious as to where they will take me next. Hah.
Okay, update on Amri. We took him to the vet the other day and she took X-rays. Nothing wrong with his jaw bone, so that’s a relief at least. I got a strip of anti-inflammatory pills for him, and I’m supposed to look how things go with that. Problem is, I messed up and mistook normal paracetemol for the strip I got, so he got two of the wrong ones before I realized my error. *Sigh* Luckily he is a big dog, so the paracetamol shouldn’t be too big a disaster. I gotta admit that he was remarkably cheerful with them in his system (he’s usually a grouch) and didn’t even snarl at the other dogs throughout. Stupid, I know, but I did warn that I often have brain leakage. Hah.
Chamea, Big brother’s Irish Setter, will be going in to be spaded tomorrow. Though her problem doesn’t appear to be cancer, it is hormonal, meaning that the easiest way to solve it will be to remove the entire mess. I can sooo get into that. It will cost a mint, however, but then, who needs food anyway. Hah.
Well, I’ve got a book to write and too little time to do it in, darn it. Gotta go, but I will try to do better the next time.
Okay, let’s get this over and done with. I wanna go write and am impatient to get to it. Sorry.
For the most part there has been yard work. Considering the weather today was absolutely uncalled for in June, we decided to make use of the morning’s rain and headed down to plant some more plants (did the same yesterday afternoon btw). Zucchinis, peppers, pumpkins, cucumbers and lettuce. I can assure you that all were exceedingly happy with the wetness. Hah.
The green beans are doing excellent, and I have added constructions to the last section of the climbers. The one I built the other day is already being climbed over. Boy are those plants happy with the support. If I didn’t know any better I’d say I hear cheering every time they touch a reed stem against which to climb. It takes a couple of hours, but then they’re holding on firmly and always climb up clockwise. Weird how that works, eh?
We had a salad today of our own tomatoes with fresh garden herbs, light green chard, and some fresh onion. It went really well with the fries we were in the mood for today. It went down rather well actually.
It was a bit chilly what with the cloud cover, but still it was also downright wonderful to spent the majority of the day in the yard. In particular the occasional cloud break that allowed the sun to come through. Then it was absolutely wonderful. Tenant can attest to that too, since she opted to join us down in the lower yard and read her book in what little sunshine there was.
We’ve been hauling out a lot of garbage, what with the courtyard room needing to be cleared out. Seriously, it amazes me how much accumulation of messes we have ‘round here. We spent the majority of yesterday morning sorting through it and hauling it up to the car. Which meant we had to go out later in the evening to get rid of it all. I did get to bed in time for a change, which had me like totally ecstatic until I woke up eight times during the night and at one time freaked out because I was convinced there was something in my ear. Aaaargh. There wasn’t of course, it was just a leftover of the dream, but seriously, I was freaked. Hah.
Big brother is still working on the door for the future bathroom. I don’t get where the days go these, but it is so hard to get everything done that needs to be done during any given day. Seeing as that takes time and effort, Dani offered to work the yard with me for the past couple of days, so he can actually get it done. Maybe I should offer to do it, seeing I usually do most of the woodwork round here, but I kinda like the yard part better at the moment. Hah.
Writing wise it's going well. I'm seven pages into the beginning, and though some unexpected stuff happened, I'm pretty happy with the results. The weirdest thing was that I had already thought out a complete dialogue and when I was about to get into it, a third character (funny old geezer) suddenly arrived. He had with him the hero's dog (hadn't known he had one until then)cutting off further conversation. So weird, how a scene can change like that. But that's writing for you; the characters will take you where they are meant to go, whether you want them to or not. I am most curious as to where they will take me next. Hah.
Okay, update on Amri. We took him to the vet the other day and she took X-rays. Nothing wrong with his jaw bone, so that’s a relief at least. I got a strip of anti-inflammatory pills for him, and I’m supposed to look how things go with that. Problem is, I messed up and mistook normal paracetemol for the strip I got, so he got two of the wrong ones before I realized my error. *Sigh* Luckily he is a big dog, so the paracetamol shouldn’t be too big a disaster. I gotta admit that he was remarkably cheerful with them in his system (he’s usually a grouch) and didn’t even snarl at the other dogs throughout. Stupid, I know, but I did warn that I often have brain leakage. Hah.
Chamea, Big brother’s Irish Setter, will be going in to be spaded tomorrow. Though her problem doesn’t appear to be cancer, it is hormonal, meaning that the easiest way to solve it will be to remove the entire mess. I can sooo get into that. It will cost a mint, however, but then, who needs food anyway. Hah.
Well, I’ve got a book to write and too little time to do it in, darn it. Gotta go, but I will try to do better the next time.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
The hammer incident.
Song of the day: “This woman’s work” by Kate Bush. Second, or third day in a row, I think, and still going strong. Maybe it is some sort of record. Hah.
In the writing section of Samaya Young’s life (snort) yesterday I officially started writing on a new project, which will, as of today be called “V.L.”
So, I am only one page into the story, but am definitely looking forward to diving in feet-first. I’ve got the characters, I’ve got the setting, so I’m all set. YAY!
Right, there’s another bit of dialogue to share, which occurred the other day when big brother and I were taking apart this huge wooden structure. To give you an idea of what’s what, I’m wielding this big-ass hammer, and big brother is holding the structure steady so I can hit sections out. We’re at the fourth beam, I think, when big brother swears and jumps back.
Me: “What? What?” I watched him swear and glare in the darkness.
Big Brother: “You hit me!”
Me: “What?”
Big Brother: “You hit me.”
Me: “No I didn’t.” He glares some more.
Me: “Really? How? Where?” I frowned, replay the scene in my head. Nothing.
Big Brother: “My finger. The other one. Fuck, I better not lose a nail again.” He slipped his left hand under the opposite armpit, moved around restlessly.
Me: “Bad?”
Big Brother: “Not as bad as the last time...I think.” He mumbled, moving to the light to check the damage. I whack at the wood again, keeping half and eye on him.
Me: “Why’d you put your hand there anyway?” Another whack.
Big Brother: no answer, he just glared at me. *snort*
Me: “Seriously. How’d you get your finger there. I was whacking it for crying out loud!” Another whack and the small beam went down. Big brother picks it up.
Me: “Sorry.”
Big brother: A grunt. And then yanks a beam off the construction to put it away. I whacked at another beam.
Me: "Don't look that way. I didn't do it on purpose." Still glaring.
Me: “Really. I’m sorry. I didn’t notice you took hold of the beam.” Another beam landed...an inch from his feet. He ground his teeth.
Big Brother: “Just be careful.”
Me: “Right. How’s your finger?” Though I still didn’t get it, I felt bad.
Big Brother: “Not too bad. Let’s hurry up.”
Me: “Okay. This one too...?”
And so it went on as we systematically went through the wood, until we could finally get it to the storage up at the old horse paddock. *sigh* Big brother ended up with his middle finger’s (I swear, when he showed the damage he flipped me off, hah) nail purple, blue and black, but other than that all is well.
The job interview...if it can be called such, went well, I think. We should know wen we start ‘round next week. We went there yesterday and found out that even though it is not going to be as bad as we feared. The digging is getting out rubble more than anything, and that is something we are intimately familiar with. It was a relief to see, really, since in my mind I was already imagining working in the full sunshine on some rocky mountain slope. Instead we’ll be under trees, digging out stuff from under a house that will provide ample shade. So we’re going to have to wait and see how it is going turn out. If we get the job, we’ll be out there five times a week, so...
There were another two training sessions since the last blog. What with the possibility of lots of physical labor, big brother and I are both pumping iron a bit again, making sure that the ol’ bod is up to par when the time comes. The sessions went rather well, if I do say so myself, and last up to an hour and a half. Heck, I’m not even sore today, and really, I kicked/punched some serious butt yesterday. Hah.
Now if only the knee wasn’t such a winer, I could start jogging again. I do miss it, and Knight II could use the movement. Darn it!
There was sand hauling, naturally,but no rock hauling for a change. Did sleep too little again these days passed, which isn’t smart. Nor have I been eating enough, which is a hard thing to overcome, not to mention a little dangerous. I’ve gotta watch those nutritional values like a hawk, in particular because I have no intention whatsoever of ending up with that low iron/magnesium/calcium/B12 crap again. Just the other day my muscles were cramping somewhat fierce. Ah well, nothing to do except watch what I eat.
As for projects in the past couple of days Dani helped me hang the closets in the courtyard. The storage facilities being short as they are, three shelving units that take up a nine by six feet wall, will be more than useful. It looks neat too, which is part of the attraction for me. Hah. It took two days of work, but they’re in place and already half full. *sigh*
While we were doing that, grandpa and big brother worked on the new door for what will, at some point in the near future be our new bathroom. There’s a door frame to make, a door to sand and cut to size, and all and all, the doorway to prepare. It will be fascinating to see the dogs staying out of that place once the door’s in. Hah.
Lots of watering going on, in particular since the promised rain never showed, and the plants are getting big enough to need proper nourishment. As for harvesting, tomatoes are steadily ready for consumption now. For the past three days or so we got four or five a day, which is good what with all the messes going on in Europe with the E. Coli effected veggies. Now, more than ever, I’m incredibly happy the yard (and our veggies) are doing so well. No chance of infection there. Hah.
Boy, that is some disease you can get there. Phew.
Right, and on that cheery note, lets wrap this up. I’ve got a book to write and chili to eat (made fresh chili-sin-carne for lunch, btw) so, what else.
Ah crap, the bad news. There’s another visit to vet in the near future, because Amri has a big lump under his chin. I wish I could say since when he has it, but since Amri has issues with being touched especially on his head, I didn’t notice it until the day before yesterday. Seriously, if that turns out to be cancer as well, I’m going to do...something. Hmmm. I’ll just have to wait and see.
Well, gotta go.
In the writing section of Samaya Young’s life (snort) yesterday I officially started writing on a new project, which will, as of today be called “V.L.”
So, I am only one page into the story, but am definitely looking forward to diving in feet-first. I’ve got the characters, I’ve got the setting, so I’m all set. YAY!
Right, there’s another bit of dialogue to share, which occurred the other day when big brother and I were taking apart this huge wooden structure. To give you an idea of what’s what, I’m wielding this big-ass hammer, and big brother is holding the structure steady so I can hit sections out. We’re at the fourth beam, I think, when big brother swears and jumps back.
Me: “What? What?” I watched him swear and glare in the darkness.
Big Brother: “You hit me!”
Me: “What?”
Big Brother: “You hit me.”
Me: “No I didn’t.” He glares some more.
Me: “Really? How? Where?” I frowned, replay the scene in my head. Nothing.
Big Brother: “My finger. The other one. Fuck, I better not lose a nail again.” He slipped his left hand under the opposite armpit, moved around restlessly.
Me: “Bad?”
Big Brother: “Not as bad as the last time...I think.” He mumbled, moving to the light to check the damage. I whack at the wood again, keeping half and eye on him.
Me: “Why’d you put your hand there anyway?” Another whack.
Big Brother: no answer, he just glared at me. *snort*
Me: “Seriously. How’d you get your finger there. I was whacking it for crying out loud!” Another whack and the small beam went down. Big brother picks it up.
Me: “Sorry.”
Big brother: A grunt. And then yanks a beam off the construction to put it away. I whacked at another beam.
Me: "Don't look that way. I didn't do it on purpose." Still glaring.
Me: “Really. I’m sorry. I didn’t notice you took hold of the beam.” Another beam landed...an inch from his feet. He ground his teeth.
Big Brother: “Just be careful.”
Me: “Right. How’s your finger?” Though I still didn’t get it, I felt bad.
Big Brother: “Not too bad. Let’s hurry up.”
Me: “Okay. This one too...?”
And so it went on as we systematically went through the wood, until we could finally get it to the storage up at the old horse paddock. *sigh* Big brother ended up with his middle finger’s (I swear, when he showed the damage he flipped me off, hah) nail purple, blue and black, but other than that all is well.
The job interview...if it can be called such, went well, I think. We should know wen we start ‘round next week. We went there yesterday and found out that even though it is not going to be as bad as we feared. The digging is getting out rubble more than anything, and that is something we are intimately familiar with. It was a relief to see, really, since in my mind I was already imagining working in the full sunshine on some rocky mountain slope. Instead we’ll be under trees, digging out stuff from under a house that will provide ample shade. So we’re going to have to wait and see how it is going turn out. If we get the job, we’ll be out there five times a week, so...
There were another two training sessions since the last blog. What with the possibility of lots of physical labor, big brother and I are both pumping iron a bit again, making sure that the ol’ bod is up to par when the time comes. The sessions went rather well, if I do say so myself, and last up to an hour and a half. Heck, I’m not even sore today, and really, I kicked/punched some serious butt yesterday. Hah.
Now if only the knee wasn’t such a winer, I could start jogging again. I do miss it, and Knight II could use the movement. Darn it!
There was sand hauling, naturally,but no rock hauling for a change. Did sleep too little again these days passed, which isn’t smart. Nor have I been eating enough, which is a hard thing to overcome, not to mention a little dangerous. I’ve gotta watch those nutritional values like a hawk, in particular because I have no intention whatsoever of ending up with that low iron/magnesium/calcium/B12 crap again. Just the other day my muscles were cramping somewhat fierce. Ah well, nothing to do except watch what I eat.
As for projects in the past couple of days Dani helped me hang the closets in the courtyard. The storage facilities being short as they are, three shelving units that take up a nine by six feet wall, will be more than useful. It looks neat too, which is part of the attraction for me. Hah. It took two days of work, but they’re in place and already half full. *sigh*
While we were doing that, grandpa and big brother worked on the new door for what will, at some point in the near future be our new bathroom. There’s a door frame to make, a door to sand and cut to size, and all and all, the doorway to prepare. It will be fascinating to see the dogs staying out of that place once the door’s in. Hah.
Lots of watering going on, in particular since the promised rain never showed, and the plants are getting big enough to need proper nourishment. As for harvesting, tomatoes are steadily ready for consumption now. For the past three days or so we got four or five a day, which is good what with all the messes going on in Europe with the E. Coli effected veggies. Now, more than ever, I’m incredibly happy the yard (and our veggies) are doing so well. No chance of infection there. Hah.
Boy, that is some disease you can get there. Phew.
Right, and on that cheery note, lets wrap this up. I’ve got a book to write and chili to eat (made fresh chili-sin-carne for lunch, btw) so, what else.
Ah crap, the bad news. There’s another visit to vet in the near future, because Amri has a big lump under his chin. I wish I could say since when he has it, but since Amri has issues with being touched especially on his head, I didn’t notice it until the day before yesterday. Seriously, if that turns out to be cancer as well, I’m going to do...something. Hmmm. I’ll just have to wait and see.
Well, gotta go.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
New project? I think so.
Song of the day: “Love is in the air” by...hmmm, will have to look that up. Ah, John Paul Young. Okay. For some reason I’ve been thinking about “Strictly Ballroom” a lot. I really need to see that movie again some day. *sigh*
Okay, let’s get this over with. There is still some work to do on the in-between project, but on the overall it is done, yay, yay and YAY! It turned out all right, nice characters (however short the story), good, rounded story, and great setting. I’m definitely going to keep my mind open for a full length novel in the 1920s. It would be fascinating, really, bootlegging, mooch, goons, and tommy-guns. *sigh* Can it get any better than that?
Ah well, what else? Gardening, of course. Tomatoes in the greenhouse are really turning red now. Seriously, we’ve had several already, but by now we’ve got like fifteen almost done, along with a daily dose of cherry tomatoes. Yay! Got our first real batch of strawberries, meaning yogurt with cream, sugar and pieces of strawberries through it. Absolutely yummy and hopefully there’ll be another batch in the near future for more of that goodness.
Also had our first batch of broccoli, which was unlike any broccoli I ever tasted before. It was tender, almost sweet and nicely crunchy. Seriously, I was never a big fan of broccoli (cauliflower is more my thing) but this way, I can definitely eat it. Hah.
Had to build a couple of constructions of reed for the green beans that are shooting up into the air. Seriously, they barely got high enough to reach the first horizontal stem I put up when I place it the day before yesterday, and just this morning I saw that they’ve already grasped on. That means they grew over three inches in two days, for crying out loud.
Today is fondue day, by the way, on an old champagne base, no less, so that’s going to be interesting at least. Gotta get rid of that champagne one way or other, and the way I figure, it might as well be this way.
There was sand hauling in the past couple of days. Seeing as big brother and I might get a job this summer, we really gotta double on that sort of thing, rather than risk running out while we are too busy doing other stuff. Though the job (if we get it) will be a tough one (digging out a basement) four hours a day, five days a week, it’s going to be interesting to see if we’ll manage it. Guess I’ll have to keep you posted whether or not it is going to go through.
Right, new project is in the making. No, not the writing kind, but more like the building kind. The problem at the moment is that the temporary shower cell that we build in ‘98 is really running on its last legs, meaning that we’ll be without a bathroom soon. Yikes. That is not good, so besides the wall, a genuine bathroom has been shoved higher onto the priority list. The place that used to be the dog-food kitchen, has now been designated as the future bathroom This means that we need to break out the old (chest high) bath tub. It is a relic from back in the day when we still only had fifty dogs, and when we still could make healthy food for them. *sigh* We had so much less cancer with the dogs when they got home made food. Darn it.
But anyway, we have to break out the old bath tub, chop out old tiling, put in a door and post, and cut out a part of the wall for a window. Then we put in a shower-cell, plumbing, maybe a wash-basin, big closet for towels and everything. Easy as pie...or at least it would be, whenever we could squeeze in a hour or two here and there.
Another thing is that we’re going to have to spend some time in the courtyard, clearing out clutter, so we have space to hang up this big shelving section that will cover the entire wall, if we’re lucky.
That should allow for some serious storage, hopefully. But then, knowing us, it’ll be so full soon, that we’ll end up having to make more of the shelving after all. Aaargh.
Scary thing yesterday is that we found a massive amount of termites near the storage. Turns out a stack of our wood was infected with the buggers, so we sprayed the pile with anti-insect stuff, and hauled the wood as far away as possible from our supplies. Jeez. Let’s hope we got it all, because let’s face it, if that stuff gets into the house we’d be sooooo screwed! We looked the buggers up on the Net this morning, and jeez. Talk about horror. Did ya know that their “queen” is the same as the queen of Alien (you know the movies, right). I’m not kidding. I saw a picture of this fly-sized bug, with a sack the size of a hand behind her. Yowsa! Suddenly the Alien concept is no longer as original as I always thought it was. Hah. Just kidding.
Last night I had a really good work-out session of an hour and a half. Sure I was properly sore this morning, but it was a good session anyway. I’m getting better at the bag-pounding. Heck, the fabric is even starting to show wear, and I’ve already had to repair it with duct tape. Very “real” boxing gym look. Hah. I’m proud to say that I can now do eight push ups, which is like totally unheard of for me.
I did manage to do a bit of writing on the new project, which is good, seeing as the in-between is as good as done. It should stave off the post writing blues a bit at least. The characters are gradually taking shape, and that is an auspicious beginning any day. Hah.
Okay, I’ve got a letter to write, maybe some more novel writing to get down, and this fondue to digest before it comes back up. Yikes. I ate way too much that’s a fact.
Okay, let’s get this over with. There is still some work to do on the in-between project, but on the overall it is done, yay, yay and YAY! It turned out all right, nice characters (however short the story), good, rounded story, and great setting. I’m definitely going to keep my mind open for a full length novel in the 1920s. It would be fascinating, really, bootlegging, mooch, goons, and tommy-guns. *sigh* Can it get any better than that?
Ah well, what else? Gardening, of course. Tomatoes in the greenhouse are really turning red now. Seriously, we’ve had several already, but by now we’ve got like fifteen almost done, along with a daily dose of cherry tomatoes. Yay! Got our first real batch of strawberries, meaning yogurt with cream, sugar and pieces of strawberries through it. Absolutely yummy and hopefully there’ll be another batch in the near future for more of that goodness.
Also had our first batch of broccoli, which was unlike any broccoli I ever tasted before. It was tender, almost sweet and nicely crunchy. Seriously, I was never a big fan of broccoli (cauliflower is more my thing) but this way, I can definitely eat it. Hah.
Had to build a couple of constructions of reed for the green beans that are shooting up into the air. Seriously, they barely got high enough to reach the first horizontal stem I put up when I place it the day before yesterday, and just this morning I saw that they’ve already grasped on. That means they grew over three inches in two days, for crying out loud.
Today is fondue day, by the way, on an old champagne base, no less, so that’s going to be interesting at least. Gotta get rid of that champagne one way or other, and the way I figure, it might as well be this way.
There was sand hauling in the past couple of days. Seeing as big brother and I might get a job this summer, we really gotta double on that sort of thing, rather than risk running out while we are too busy doing other stuff. Though the job (if we get it) will be a tough one (digging out a basement) four hours a day, five days a week, it’s going to be interesting to see if we’ll manage it. Guess I’ll have to keep you posted whether or not it is going to go through.
Right, new project is in the making. No, not the writing kind, but more like the building kind. The problem at the moment is that the temporary shower cell that we build in ‘98 is really running on its last legs, meaning that we’ll be without a bathroom soon. Yikes. That is not good, so besides the wall, a genuine bathroom has been shoved higher onto the priority list. The place that used to be the dog-food kitchen, has now been designated as the future bathroom This means that we need to break out the old (chest high) bath tub. It is a relic from back in the day when we still only had fifty dogs, and when we still could make healthy food for them. *sigh* We had so much less cancer with the dogs when they got home made food. Darn it.
But anyway, we have to break out the old bath tub, chop out old tiling, put in a door and post, and cut out a part of the wall for a window. Then we put in a shower-cell, plumbing, maybe a wash-basin, big closet for towels and everything. Easy as pie...or at least it would be, whenever we could squeeze in a hour or two here and there.
Another thing is that we’re going to have to spend some time in the courtyard, clearing out clutter, so we have space to hang up this big shelving section that will cover the entire wall, if we’re lucky.
That should allow for some serious storage, hopefully. But then, knowing us, it’ll be so full soon, that we’ll end up having to make more of the shelving after all. Aaargh.
Scary thing yesterday is that we found a massive amount of termites near the storage. Turns out a stack of our wood was infected with the buggers, so we sprayed the pile with anti-insect stuff, and hauled the wood as far away as possible from our supplies. Jeez. Let’s hope we got it all, because let’s face it, if that stuff gets into the house we’d be sooooo screwed! We looked the buggers up on the Net this morning, and jeez. Talk about horror. Did ya know that their “queen” is the same as the queen of Alien (you know the movies, right). I’m not kidding. I saw a picture of this fly-sized bug, with a sack the size of a hand behind her. Yowsa! Suddenly the Alien concept is no longer as original as I always thought it was. Hah. Just kidding.
Last night I had a really good work-out session of an hour and a half. Sure I was properly sore this morning, but it was a good session anyway. I’m getting better at the bag-pounding. Heck, the fabric is even starting to show wear, and I’ve already had to repair it with duct tape. Very “real” boxing gym look. Hah. I’m proud to say that I can now do eight push ups, which is like totally unheard of for me.
I did manage to do a bit of writing on the new project, which is good, seeing as the in-between is as good as done. It should stave off the post writing blues a bit at least. The characters are gradually taking shape, and that is an auspicious beginning any day. Hah.
Okay, I’ve got a letter to write, maybe some more novel writing to get down, and this fondue to digest before it comes back up. Yikes. I ate way too much that’s a fact.
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