My Gerbera Daisies - May 28, 2010


Word of the Day

Superfluswitch - The one or more light switches in every house with absolutely no purpose whatsoever.

Woodtick Count - 16

It doesn't seem fair that I got a woodtick this morning after vacuuming the deck. This one actually embedded itself in my back. My first embed. Stupid ticks! HTP had to remove it for me because I couldn't reach it. I suppose I picked it up one of the times that I went to dump the contents of the shop-vac onto the compost pile. Oh well...on the plus side...my deck is now free of all the seeds and stuff that has blown in off the trees that surround our house. I won't guarantee that we won't get more of the stuff but right now, my deck looks darn good. I even installed the umbrella so I could sit outside in partial shade. The temperature outside on my deck is 92 degrees, which isn't all that bad if you can find a bit of shade and the humidity isn't too high.

I finally screwed up my courage to get my hair cut this afternoon...to which HTP would say, "Which hair did you let them cut off?" When you have long hair, a loss of three inches in length isn't all that noticeable. Well, I notice but HTP wouldn't notice unless I came back home with something more dramatic like a boys' cut....which I did one time. I liked it, HTP didn't. Actually, I was feeling pretty good about the whole thing until I found out, after my hair-cut, that this was the last day of work for the gal who cut my hair. I hate that. Now I've got to develop a trust for a whole new person the next time I go in for a hair-cut...next month. *sigh*

Kylee and I relaxed a bit out on the deck (in the shade)this afternoon after I finished up my chores (vacuuming the deck, vacuuming the inside, watering all the plants, transplanting my gerbera daisy), and after my hair appointment. As I sipped on iced tea under the shade of the umbrella, Kylee munched on the ice cubes. She kept begging me for them...the ones in my iced tea. She crunching on ice cubes...so do I but it looks like I won't be doing much ice crunching anymore, not when Kylee is around.

I'm going to go fishing tonight. Wish me luck. HTP bought me some bait. Woohoo! Well...I'll probably only go fishing off the dock but it'll only be the second time that I've gone fishing this year.

Random Thought of the Day

In some books, why do they have blank pages at the very end?

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Heirlooms we don't have in our family. But stories we've got.

- Rose Cherin

Vegetable Gardening at The Lake - May 2010

Word of the Day

Superflugraph - Meaningless pictures taken just to use up the end of the roll.

Woodtick Count - 14

It's #1 Son's birthday today! My baby is another year older. *sigh* Where has the time gone?


Happy


Birthday


#1 Son!



It's also my folks' anniversary today!



Happy


Anniversary


Mom and Dad!




Sis and I went over to my folks' place this morning to plant some rose bushes that we purchased for them earlier in the month. Sis' husband and Dad helped dig the holes where and while my Mom directed. Sis manned the water buckets. And wearing my oldest gardening gloves (the ones with the holes in the fingers), I got down on my hands and knees to do the actual planting. I hope the three bushes we planted will do well. The climate here at The Lake isn't exactly friendly toward rose bushes but...it was well worth the effort. As Sis' hubby removed one woodtick as it was crawling up my arm, I suspect that the two woodticks that have added to my woodtick count today came from my folks' place.

Although the temperatures remain pretty warm, the humidity level seems to be a bit lower today which makes things, like digging and planting, lots more pleasant outside. Unfortunately, we only received 0.02 inches of rain from the late afternoon storm that blew through yesterday. So...it's sprinkler dance time once again. I want to make sure my blueberry bushes on Blueberry Hill and my currant bushes get plenty of water and I've got some cucumber and zucchini plants that are looking really thirsty on the hill by my garage...not to mention my raspberry bushes.

Random Thought of the Day

Why can't donuts be square?

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Too many people think only of their own profit. But business opportunity seldom knocks on the door of self-centered people. No customer ever goes to a store merely to please the storekeeper.

- Kazuo Inamori

Cooked Italian Pepper Plants - May 24, 2010

Word of the Day

's up - The question, "What's up?"

It's amazing how the cold virus can keep a person from doing much of anything...much less blogging. Eventually, I hope, someone...anyone...will come up with a cure to the common cold but until then one does one's best. Thankfully, my new Kindle has been helping to keep my "woe is me" feelings somewhat tamped down. I'm currently dealing with the coughing fit stage of my cold which isn't all that bad until I try to sleep through the night. Oh well, as an avowed insomniac, I'm used to sleepless nights.

We've been suffering a series of unseasonably HOT AND HUMID temperatures here at The Lake. HTP and I have been enjoying and depending upon our air-conditioning. I woke up this morning to 70 degrees. The rocks that support my the terraces holding the hill by my garage and supporting Blueberry Hill were sweating. Weird...really weird! The mosquitoes have been loving this atmosphere. Me? Not so much.

Regardless, HTP and I drove into The Big City on Saturday to visit with HTP's Mom and help HTP's Sis and Bro write Thank You notes to those who sent gifts and flowers for HTP's Dad's funeral. Afterwards, HTP and I attended an Open House at our nephew's house to celebrate our niece-in-law's MBA. And then...HTP and I and #1 Son enjoyed an All-You-Can-Eat Sushi dinner before HTP and I (and Kylee) headed on back to The Lake.

I was excited to receive my Burpee Italian Pepper plants on Monday but... Our unseasonably HOT temperatures cooked the plants. I'd ordered three Giant Marconi Italian pepper plants and three Godfather Italian pepper plants. *sigh* The three Godfather Italian pepper plants didn't make it. They arrived in a gooey, slimey, mushy state. The Giant Marconi peppers arrived...damaged. I'm not sure they'll make it or not. I called Burpee this morning and they promised to replace my plants but...they don't have any more of the Giant Marconi pepper plants. *sigh* However, they will ship out six Godfather pepper plants (because they don't have any more Giant Marconi available)...after Memorial Day. *sigh* OK. I went ahead and planted the three Giant Marconi pepper plants, knowing that they may not thrive...and I even planted one of the three Godfather pepper plants that didn't look quite as cooked as its brethren. If they grow, they grow...if not...oh well...at least I tried. I also planted the remainder of my container gardens. I still need to plant the Kaleidoscope carrot seeds (shipping pending), the garlic, the Swiss Chard and my six replacement pepper plants (after Memorial Day). I noted that my peas and some of my beans are starting to sprout. At least the hot and humid temperatures are good for something.

A late afternoon rain helped lower our temperatures dramatically. Before the rain...88 degrees...after the rain....70 degrees. Nice. 70 degrees with high humidity doesn't feel nearly as nasty as a humid 88 degrees....97 degrees on my south-facing deck. However, the mosquitoes...well...the mosquitoes are LOVING the humidity and are growing into enormous, man-eating, blood-sucking creatures. I started out the morning, wearing capris. I discovered that it was just too warm to wear capris so I changed into shorts (really brief short, shorts), and now...I've changed into sturdy jeans...with socks and shoes...because I'm not willing to expose that much bare skin to our local man-eating mosquitoes.

Random Thought of the Day

Why put a towel in the dirty clothes basket if when you get out of the shower you are clean?

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Gratitude is merely the secret hope of further favors.

- Francois de La Rochefoucauld (1613 - 1680)

Ms. En

Word of the Day

Summer teeth - Teeth that do not grow in a uniform direction, such that some are here and some are there.

Woodtick Count - 12

Has it really been over a week since I've blogged? Well, sometimes things happen to make blogging impossible and irrelevant. HTP's father passed away on May 12th. We've known for quite some time that his passing was imminent but still....

DD Daughter, GI Joe, Ms. En, and Mr. T drove up on Thursday, May 13th, so they could be here for the visitation and funeral. Sarge and D Buddy drove up on Saturday, May 15th. #1 Son came to lend his support here at The Lake, at the visitation and at the funeral on Saturday and Sunday nights and on Monday, heroically spending a couple of uncomfortable nights on our basement couch because HTP and I only have limited space here at The Lake.

The visitation was held in The Big City, in Minnesota, on Sunday, May 16th. There was a brief visitation before the funeral mass and burial ceremony, held the following morning at the church which both HTP's Dad and Mom attended, in the small town in Wisconsin, where HTP's Dad and Mom were born, were married and spent most their lives. #1 Son, DD Daughter, Sarge, D Buddy, and one of HTP's nieces acted as pall-bearers at the funeral. The VFW turned out to give HTP's Dad (a WWII veteran) a final salute and farewell, complete with honor guard, a bugle playing taps and 21 gun salute.

Day is done, gone the sun,
From the lake, from the hills,
From the sky.
All is well, safely rest,
God is nigh.

Fades the light; And afar
Goeth day, And the stars
Shineth bright,
Fare thee well; Day has gone,
Night is on.

Thanks and praise, For our days,
'Neath the sun, Neath the stars,
'Neath the sky,
As we go, This we know,
God is nigh.


Sis and her husband saved my sanity by taking care of Kylee for us during all this. Kylee LOVES people and children but she's still a puppy and she doesn't quite understand the proper etiquette when it comes to children and company.

#1 Son headed back to The Big City on Monday afternoon. DD Daughter, GI Joe, Ms. En, and Mr. T. packed up and hit the road on Tuesday morning. Sarge and D Buddy packed up and hit the road on Tuesday afternoon.

And...life continues here at The Lake. HTP tilled my garden for me on Tuesday so...I planted my garden on Tuesday...so...I put off doing laundry until Wednesday...today. The weather has been warming up so much (upper 70's) that we actually had to resort to using the air-conditioner today. Snow at during the first week of the month and summer heat and humidity by the end of the month. Global warming? LOL.

Random Thought of the Day

What happens to an irresistible force when it hits an immovable object?

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

I know that there are people who do not love their fellow man, and I hate people like that!

- Tom Lehrer (1928 - )

Kylee Likes Snow...but...I really hope we don't get any more snow until we're well on our way back to Arizona this fall.

Word of the Day

Sulduxy - Describing something that is sultry, seductive, and sexy.

No more woodticks, except the one I took off Kylee, despite the fact that I picked, cleaned, and froze my final two quarts of dandelion blossoms. It didn't take me long to pick this final batch of dandelion blossoms. There's a field by our mailbox out at the main road that has LOTS of HUGE dandelion blossoms. It didn't take me long to pick more than enough blossoms for this final batch. I ended up throwing away the excess. Sis will be happy to know that we now have enough dandelion blossoms to make four batches of Dandelion Wine. Although she likes the wine, picking and cleaning dandelion blossoms isn't exactly fun. However, on the plus side, latex gloves ward off dandelion stains on one's fingers...too bad Sis is allergic to latex.

I cooked up the ten pounds of chicken wings that I purchased when HTP and I were in The Big City last week. I made four different variations. Taking in account the fact that I over-cooked (burned) one batch of wings....HTP and I decided that we liked the Old Bay and the Monterrey chicken variations.

Random Thought of the Day

If there's a speed of sound and a speed of light is there a speed of smell?

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

It is a sadness of growing older that we lose our ardent appreciation of what is new and different and difficult.

- Elizabeth Aston

Snow at The Lake - May 2010

Word of the Day

Suffixification - The process by which an unword is made by adding a suffix to a real word.

We did get snow. I'm not sure exactly how much snow because there really was no way to measure it. There wasn't enough accumulation to enjoy a snowgarita, but there was enough that it didn't all melt away until noon on Saturday. Adding insult to injury, the overnight temperatures on Saturday night dropped in the hard freeze range. I dragged all my potted tomatoes into a huddle under my patio and reinforced the pot covers with an old quilt. Brrrr!!!! #1 Son braved the cold to grill our steaks for dinner and I stayed inside to make salt-crusted baked potatoes which I served with some of the compound butter I'd made with wild leeks. We also enjoyed wild leeks in our garden salad. Then...I made some fresh brownies which would have tasted a lot better with a scoop of ice cream but...I forgot to ask #1 Son to buy some ice cream for me while he was at the store.

Happy


Mother's


Day!


#1 Son made me some wonderful cinnabon-style cinnamon buns this morning. Early this morning. He was just finishing up drizzling on the frosting when I walked into the kitchen at 6 AM. Wow! He either stayed up all night to make them or he got up REALLY early. Lots earlier than me...and that's saying something. We each inhaled one of the cinnamon buns before #1 Son toddled off for a quick nap. Me! I was bouncing off the ceiling as I made coffee and took Kylee for our morning perimeter check. However, I was hungry again for the Mother's Day buffet at one of the local resorts where HTP and #1 Son took me at 10 AM. It wasn't the best buffet in the world but...it was the first breakfast that I haven't had to cook in a really long time. That counts for a lot. Hearing from both DD Daughter and Sarge made my Mother's Day complete.

I picked, cleaned and froze another two quarts of dandelion blossoms....and...no woodticks...yet. HTP and I will have to split some logs. With all the fireplace fires we've been having, our fireplace wood in the garage is dwindling rapidly.

Random Thought of the Day

Do people in prison celebrate halloween.... if so how?

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Americans adore me and will go on adoring me until I say something nice about them.

- George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)

It's SNOWING! Well...not quite as much as is shown in this old photo of Sarge and #1 Son but...it IS snowing.

Word of the Day

Sudoopooscoo - A super-duper-pooper-scooper; A device used to pick up one's dog's poop.

Kylee got her new dog tag and some more puppy kibble yesterday as well some dog treats and a couple of fun toys. Everyone at PetSmart came over to admire Kylee and give her a pat. She loved it. I also stumbled across a new toy for my folks' dog Sandy....one that I don't think she'll be able to destroy. I noticed that she was already having a great deal of fun with it this afternoon after I helped Sis unload her purchases from the Gator and before I headed back home to take care of my own purchases. Hey! I'm allowed to spoil my folks' dog. I think the rule falls under the same classification as the rule where grandparents are allowed to spoil their grandchildren.

Today? Sis and I went out to our local nursery and purchased bedding plants. Of course, with the frigid temperatures and a prediction of 2 to 4 inches of snow tonight...those bedding plants are going to be sitting in my garage for a while. As it is, I covered my tomato plants an hour after I uncovered them this morning and it's doubtful that I'll even bother uncovering them tomorrow. The temperatures outside have steadily dropped. It is currently 36 degrees outside so our precipitation is cold...very cold...rain but we're only four degrees from snow.

Random Thought of the Day

Do the security guards at airports have to go through airport security when they get to work?

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

The only normal people are the ones you don't know very well.
Joe Ancis

Snow at The Lake?

Word of the Day

Sudoopoo - A super duper pooper; extremely downhearted feelings.

Woodtick Count - 11

I thought I'd get away without adding the woodtick count but...I just found the latest one walking across the screen of my laptop just now as I blogged. *sigh* Gotta love live here in the big woods.

It's been one of those days which doesn't encourage a body to go outside. Of course, when that body owns a dog, going outside isn't exactly a choice. Rain or Shine. Maybe if we were back in Arizona where we have a fenced backyard...but...come to think of it, Kylee would probably find a scorpion, a black widow, or even a snake if I didn't go outside with her, even if I were outside with her.

Today was cold, windy, and off and on rainy. Tomorrow? I hear that we may even get some snow? I don't think I'll bother uncovering my plants tomorrow. HTP and I are going to be heading to The Big City right after breakfast and it doesn't look like the temperatures will rise higher than the low 50's with the possibility of snow tomorrow night.

HTP's got an eye appointment tomorrow. Me? Kylee and I plan to make a stop at PetSmart. She needs an ID tag and some more puppy kibble. Aside from that, we plan to make a Costco run. I'll probably bring along a book to read while HTP is having his eyes examined.

Random Thought of the Day

Why are all of the Harry Potter spells in Latin if they're English?

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Men, it has been well said, think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, and one by one.

- Charles Mackay

Word of the Day

Succubeebish - The gelatinous substance found surrounding canned hams and vienna sausages.

Woodtick Count - 10

When I woke up this morning, the lake was still as glass. I know. That's a pretty trite way of phrasing things but...I can't think of any other way to put it. Kylee and I went down to the dock and I was afraid that she was going to jump right off the end of the dock, mistaking the surface of the lake for something solid that could be walked on. Never fear, I kept her leash tightly in hand.

Now...here's the deal. Today was laundry day. *sigh* I REALLY wanted to take advantage of the quiet lake to go out fishing...but...I was feeling guilty about putting off chores in order to go fishing. Chores vs. Fishing. Fishing won out...for a bit. Nothing was biting and the wind started to pick up. *sigh* So...I rowed back to shore, stowed my gear, and did the laundry. But...that's not all...

I also picked, cleaned and froze another 2 quarts of dandelion blossoms. Ergo, the addition of three woodticks to the woodtick count. However, I now have enough dandelion blossoms to make two batches of dandelion wine...though...I'd like to pick more blossoms, but, not today. There's a field by my mailbox out on the main road that had LOTS of huge dandelion blossoms. I may try picking there next time. One thing that made the whole process easier this time was the introduction of latex gloves which almost completely eliminated the problem of finger stains.

All my fishing gear is down at the dock, stowed in our big boat. It'll be a lot easier for me to run down to the dock to see if the bass are biting...next time.

Random Thought of the Day

What do Greeks say when they don't understand something?

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

One of the keys to happiness is a bad memory.

- Rita Mae Brown

My Mom says that Kylee always looks so serious. She should have seen Kylee racing around the yard with a huge stick in her mouth...or watch as she rolled down the hill. It's kind of hard to take pictures of that sort of thing.

Word of the Day

Submitication - To submit an entry to an online dictionary or other collection in hopes that one's entry will result in a communication between the submitter and the administrators of said website.

I'm having a lazy day. Aside from making a couple loaves of banana bread and re-filling my two squirrel buster bird feeders, I haven't done anything other than sit and watch TV while holding a chew toy for Kylee (so she wouldn't bite my hands raw). It's been overcast the entire day and it feels like fall and my energy level has been low. On the plus side, I didn't add to my woodtick count. However, HTP claims that he found one crawling on the bathroom floor and I removed a couple that I found on munching on Kylee. I do plan on making some homemade pizza for supper tonight. It's Monday TV night. I'm thawing out some pepperoni that Sis gave me and my last container of homemade pesto.

Random Thought of the Day

Do all-boys schools have girls bathrooms? Conversely, do all-girls schools have boys bathrooms?

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

The place where optimism most flourishes is the lunatic asylum.

- Havelock Ellis (1859 - 1939)

My Boat is Waiting

Word of the Day

Submiss - To click a "submit" button that fails to function properly.

Woodtick Count - 7

Yesterday was the first day of fishing here at The Lake. Sadly, the first day of fishing was definitely a bust....at least for me. There's no way that I'd ever consider going fishing with the wind blowing so hard out there. However, there are some die hard fishermen out there in boats. I know that Sis' hubby and his friend have been out too. Brrrr. I'm not sure how anyone was keeping anchored with all that wind. White caps and huge waves. It was definite rock the boat weather. Our thermometer read 59 degrees outside. I'm not sure what the wind chill was but it felt darn cold. I was hoping that things would calm down a bit by supper time but they didn't.

Instead, despite the fact that it's still too cold to plant anything outside, I did plant another four tomato plants in containers outside down off my lower deck (2 Best Boys, 1 Italia, and 1 Mexicana -- four of the ones that I grew from seed and these four were getting a bit leggy and toppling over in their inside pots -- the rest aren't so big and can wait until Mother's Day?). I'll cover my eight pioneering tomato plants with empty pots (just in case) when I take Kylee out for our last perimeter check each night. I've got more tomato plants that I can possibly use this year so I'm hoping that Sis and Mom are going to take some of my surplus. As it is, I'll be planting more than twice as many tomato plants this summer than I planted last summer. If they all do well, I'll be canning lots of tomatoes and making lots of V-8 Juice.

Things looked a bit more promising, fish-wise, today but, alas, the wind resumed to the extent that I decided it would be best to see if things will get better tomorrow. Instead, I picked, cleaned, and froze two quarts of dandelion blossoms with the making of Dandelion Wine on my mind. In the course of picking the dandelion blossoms, I also acquired four woodticks. One must pay a price for one's art...hobby. I tasted a bit of the dandelion wine Sis and I made a couple of years ago. At the risk of breaking my arm, patting myself on the back, I must say that Sis and I did a terrific job on that wine. Yummm!!! So yummy that I'll probably risk more woodticks in the coming days (and green and yellow finger syndrome) to collect and process another pound and a half of dandelions. Also, ecologically speaking, every dandelion blossom that I pick lessens the amount of dandelion seeds blowing all over my lawn and I won't need to worry so much about using weed-killer.

Random Thought of the Day

Are children who act in rated 'R' movies allowed to see them?

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

I haven't spoken to my wife in years. I didn't want to interrupt her.

- Rodney Dangerfield (1921 - 2004)