Saturday's Putterings (& Thurs. Fri.)
Topics contained herein:
Well there’s a fair bit of piss and blood and scary tree-shrouding webs. Once you get as far as the gratitudes section though there are books, bread and a cat.
Weather / Phenology:
I guess we have a good chance of getting rain and thunder tonight and tomorrow. R-mowed the yard today so I say “bring it on”. The evenings are getting quite cool - I wouldn’t want to be outside without a sweater and a fire. That does not mean that all the mosquitoes are dead however. While I filled chicken waterers I got swarmed.
I’m pretty convinced that something is creeping into the tractor to steal eggs from our big chickens. I thought that the heat was preventing them from laying but I haven’t gotten a single egg out of that “coop” in weeks. I suppose it’s possible that they are eating their own eggs but I’ve not found any shells or smears of yolk.
Hey! Good news - my son found two intact pumpkins in the center of the patch. There may be another, closer to the edge, but it isn’t very big. We’ve taken to allowing Boo to pee around the edges of the vines … and my men-folk are doing their share too :) (I hope that doesn’t gross anyone out but we do live in the country and urine is a source of nitrogen … and a darn good deer repellant. Organic doesn’t mean sterile - just natural.)
[EDIT] I almost forgot to mention: As we returned home from grocery shopping today, I noticed a roadside tree that looked to be in serious trouble. A tent-like web covered several of its limbs and most of the leaves had been eaten down to the vein. The tent was situated in the high branches -- maybe 15-20 feet above the ground. The web itself was probably 4-5' high and 2 1/2-3 feet across. I could see dark spots inside the web. My first thought was of gypsy moths. (Well, okay, my first thought was of an X-Files episode I saw a few years ago but I recovered quickly.)
I hit the internet as soon as I got home. After doing some extensive reading about sourdough bread starters, (I'm easily distracted) I looked for an explanation for the web we'd seen. It turns out that gypsy moths do not make tents but fall webworms do. Apparently it is a fairly common occurrence. A female fall webworm (in its plain white moth form) lays upwards of 500 eggs on a leaf. All the eggs hatch into caterpillars. They work together to enclose their feeding grounds in this webbing in order to gain protection from predators. As the individual caterpillars grow, and they need more food, they expand the web. They can pretty much defoliate a tree but it happens late enough in the season that it doesn't hurt the tree much. I guess it's a different story in the south where they go through several generations, one of which feeds in the growing season -- especially on pecan trees. So. No X-Files. No gypsy moths. (They are coming though ... we're awfully close to WI where they have already colonized.) [END EDIT]
Mood Summary:
Period talk from here to gratitudes.
(That’s a warning so that the squeamish can skip this section should they be so inclined. Gee this is an earthy journal entry.)
The last time I updated, I was methodically working my way through a long list of housekeeping chores. I worked into the night and got a fair bit done. When I awakened the next morning, I was in full-on bleeding mode. Heavy flow and bone-deep fatigue knocked me down for about a day and ¾ -- I started feeling fairly good again last night. (This particular cycle even featured some “cramps” - the abdominal kind that other women get and that I don’t usually have. I also got my normal set of symptoms: aching pelvic girdle, low back pain, cancer-chondria, skin irritation and mild cold-like symptoms. It was a joy.)
I know I slept for about 12 hours on the first day. Yesterday I got OCD on my Mission 101 list which is now a marvel. I woke up this morning with my energy restored. I finished all the house-tasks I set for myself on Thursday, though I may have jumped the gun by a day or so … I had a bad bleed-through just after I finished vacuuming the main floor and the stairs. There was a clot. It was a horror show. My jeans are soaking in cold water in the washing machine. (More than) ‘nuff said.
Five Gratitudes:
[EDIT #2] Bonus gratitude: After I finished the first version of this putterings, Ch-- did indeed finish his reading of Watership Down. He loved it. Of course I knew that he was enjoying the book in these last days but I was a little worried because it took him so long to finish it. (He's been carrying it around for a couple of weeks.) Tonight he pressed on until after midnight because he just had to get to the end. When he came to talk to me, his eyes were all soft and sweet. I'd warned him that I thought it was a sad book and that I was pretty sure some of the characters die. (I last read it when I was 10-11.) He was pleased to inform me that no one dies. Well, not in a bad way anyway.
He tried to go to bed but he couldn't sleep. He wandered into the studio and asked if warm milk really helps you get tired. I asked if wanted some cocoa. He did. We went downstairs together and made two cups. We sat at the table and chatted. For the first time in a long time, he seemed ... interested and apt. He talked about the importance of environment ... how well we each function at different levels of warmth and cold in particular. He looked through his cookbook and we discussed recipes. He shared with me that he took that quality of life meme again and that his score improved. He said that adding daily exercise bumped it up. (Additionally, he feels that he's recovered from his "break-up" with Erin which improved his love score.) I think he's an odd bug but he's very cool too. Maybe all nearly 11 year olds contemplate their quality of life. It was all just nice. [END EDIT #2]
1) Huge thank you to R- for mowing the lawn. I feel so much better now that it is done and I don’t think it would have been a good idea to do it myself. And the yard looks great. We really should have our first fire (?!?) if it’s not raining tomorrow night. (We have marshmallows.)
2) A great conversation with Mz D-yesterday afternoon. It was nice to really catch up and her input was very useful.
3) Home-made egg McMuffins - all the flavor, none of the guilt.
4) The sense of excitement that I have in relation to Ch-‘s education. I can’t remember the last time I was so looking forward to the first day of school. Too often, back to school time has been tinged with worry about the quality of education my child(ren) would be subjected to … and the anticipation of seemingly inevitable conflicts with school staff and other students. (Why is it that one or two “enemies” can wreak havoc in your child’s life even when he has a half-dozen school friends?) This year, in contrast, I am satisfied with Ch-‘s curriculum and he’s going to be in a situation where he retains his old friends and has the opportunity to make new friendships that are based on common interests & abilities. For the first time ever, he will be able to work at his own pace without hurting the classroom dynamics or stressing a teacher. I am just gleeful. NOTE: Remind me of this when I’m freaking out about the daily grind of getting him to learn an entirely new way to function.
5) My weird Toby-Cat. He is such a good communicator. Our dog has been bringing sticker-burrs into the house for weeks. (He can’t help it.) Apparently Toby laid down on one. He approached R- and I in the kitchen this morning and insisted on being picked up so he could give hugs. (No really. He does that. It’s hard to explain exactly how specific his “request” is.) When he was in my arms, he twisted and squirmed, which isn’t like him. He usually just wraps his paws around the back of my neck, purrs and rubs the corner of his mouth on my face. I was having a hard time hanging onto him and I had to adjust my grip. It was then that I felt the sticker that was wound up in his fur and pricking his stomach. R- and I removed it. Once it was out, I got a short additional cuddle and then he leaped away. “Thanks. Now I’ve got pressing cat-business elsewhere.”
Accomplishments:
What do you know - I actually got through the entire daily dozen today.
Aside from perfecting my 101 list yesterday, I also created a good template for tracking all of the ongoing projects contained therein.
I researched bread-baking in general and sourdoughs in particular. I need some organic rye flour to start my starter. I also found an interesting no-knead recipe for English muffin toasting bread. I think tomorrow will be a cooking day.
We organized all of Ch-‘s books and materials (for school) today. We had to clear space on the dining room bookshelves. In the process, we gathered and sorted all of the stuff we already had. He’s got quite a resource center right here at home.
I’ve been doing really well in confining my smoking to my studio, the outdoors and away from home. This is my second day of having no more than two Diet Pepsi sodas. (I know that doesn’t sound like a big deal but most of you don’t know how addicted I am.)
We tried to take Ch- to enroll in karate but the studio is closed for the holiday weekend.
I didn’t do a lot of writing but I touched on it and that’s the first habit I suppose. All in all I had a good productive day. Ch-is just about to finish Watership Down. I want to be finished with this so I can talk to him if he wants.
Daily Dozen
My Mission 101 List
My Evil-Twin Mission 101 List
Start Date: July 27, 2006 10:00 pm ---- End Date: April 24, 2009 10:00 pm
Goal Level Behaviors
Routines
Cleaning: zones & weekly schedule
Well there’s a fair bit of piss and blood and scary tree-shrouding webs. Once you get as far as the gratitudes section though there are books, bread and a cat.
Weather / Phenology:
I guess we have a good chance of getting rain and thunder tonight and tomorrow. R-mowed the yard today so I say “bring it on”. The evenings are getting quite cool - I wouldn’t want to be outside without a sweater and a fire. That does not mean that all the mosquitoes are dead however. While I filled chicken waterers I got swarmed.
I’m pretty convinced that something is creeping into the tractor to steal eggs from our big chickens. I thought that the heat was preventing them from laying but I haven’t gotten a single egg out of that “coop” in weeks. I suppose it’s possible that they are eating their own eggs but I’ve not found any shells or smears of yolk.
Hey! Good news - my son found two intact pumpkins in the center of the patch. There may be another, closer to the edge, but it isn’t very big. We’ve taken to allowing Boo to pee around the edges of the vines … and my men-folk are doing their share too :) (I hope that doesn’t gross anyone out but we do live in the country and urine is a source of nitrogen … and a darn good deer repellant. Organic doesn’t mean sterile - just natural.)
[EDIT] I almost forgot to mention: As we returned home from grocery shopping today, I noticed a roadside tree that looked to be in serious trouble. A tent-like web covered several of its limbs and most of the leaves had been eaten down to the vein. The tent was situated in the high branches -- maybe 15-20 feet above the ground. The web itself was probably 4-5' high and 2 1/2-3 feet across. I could see dark spots inside the web. My first thought was of gypsy moths. (Well, okay, my first thought was of an X-Files episode I saw a few years ago but I recovered quickly.)
I hit the internet as soon as I got home. After doing some extensive reading about sourdough bread starters, (I'm easily distracted) I looked for an explanation for the web we'd seen. It turns out that gypsy moths do not make tents but fall webworms do. Apparently it is a fairly common occurrence. A female fall webworm (in its plain white moth form) lays upwards of 500 eggs on a leaf. All the eggs hatch into caterpillars. They work together to enclose their feeding grounds in this webbing in order to gain protection from predators. As the individual caterpillars grow, and they need more food, they expand the web. They can pretty much defoliate a tree but it happens late enough in the season that it doesn't hurt the tree much. I guess it's a different story in the south where they go through several generations, one of which feeds in the growing season -- especially on pecan trees. So. No X-Files. No gypsy moths. (They are coming though ... we're awfully close to WI where they have already colonized.) [END EDIT]
Mood Summary:
Period talk from here to gratitudes.
(That’s a warning so that the squeamish can skip this section should they be so inclined. Gee this is an earthy journal entry.)
The last time I updated, I was methodically working my way through a long list of housekeeping chores. I worked into the night and got a fair bit done. When I awakened the next morning, I was in full-on bleeding mode. Heavy flow and bone-deep fatigue knocked me down for about a day and ¾ -- I started feeling fairly good again last night. (This particular cycle even featured some “cramps” - the abdominal kind that other women get and that I don’t usually have. I also got my normal set of symptoms: aching pelvic girdle, low back pain, cancer-chondria, skin irritation and mild cold-like symptoms. It was a joy.)
I know I slept for about 12 hours on the first day. Yesterday I got OCD on my Mission 101 list which is now a marvel. I woke up this morning with my energy restored. I finished all the house-tasks I set for myself on Thursday, though I may have jumped the gun by a day or so … I had a bad bleed-through just after I finished vacuuming the main floor and the stairs. There was a clot. It was a horror show. My jeans are soaking in cold water in the washing machine. (More than) ‘nuff said.
Five Gratitudes:
[EDIT #2] Bonus gratitude: After I finished the first version of this putterings, Ch-- did indeed finish his reading of Watership Down. He loved it. Of course I knew that he was enjoying the book in these last days but I was a little worried because it took him so long to finish it. (He's been carrying it around for a couple of weeks.) Tonight he pressed on until after midnight because he just had to get to the end. When he came to talk to me, his eyes were all soft and sweet. I'd warned him that I thought it was a sad book and that I was pretty sure some of the characters die. (I last read it when I was 10-11.) He was pleased to inform me that no one dies. Well, not in a bad way anyway.
He tried to go to bed but he couldn't sleep. He wandered into the studio and asked if warm milk really helps you get tired. I asked if wanted some cocoa. He did. We went downstairs together and made two cups. We sat at the table and chatted. For the first time in a long time, he seemed ... interested and apt. He talked about the importance of environment ... how well we each function at different levels of warmth and cold in particular. He looked through his cookbook and we discussed recipes. He shared with me that he took that quality of life meme again and that his score improved. He said that adding daily exercise bumped it up. (Additionally, he feels that he's recovered from his "break-up" with Erin which improved his love score.) I think he's an odd bug but he's very cool too. Maybe all nearly 11 year olds contemplate their quality of life. It was all just nice. [END EDIT #2]
1) Huge thank you to R- for mowing the lawn. I feel so much better now that it is done and I don’t think it would have been a good idea to do it myself. And the yard looks great. We really should have our first fire (?!?) if it’s not raining tomorrow night. (We have marshmallows.)
2) A great conversation with Mz D-yesterday afternoon. It was nice to really catch up and her input was very useful.
3) Home-made egg McMuffins - all the flavor, none of the guilt.
4) The sense of excitement that I have in relation to Ch-‘s education. I can’t remember the last time I was so looking forward to the first day of school. Too often, back to school time has been tinged with worry about the quality of education my child(ren) would be subjected to … and the anticipation of seemingly inevitable conflicts with school staff and other students. (Why is it that one or two “enemies” can wreak havoc in your child’s life even when he has a half-dozen school friends?) This year, in contrast, I am satisfied with Ch-‘s curriculum and he’s going to be in a situation where he retains his old friends and has the opportunity to make new friendships that are based on common interests & abilities. For the first time ever, he will be able to work at his own pace without hurting the classroom dynamics or stressing a teacher. I am just gleeful. NOTE: Remind me of this when I’m freaking out about the daily grind of getting him to learn an entirely new way to function.
5) My weird Toby-Cat. He is such a good communicator. Our dog has been bringing sticker-burrs into the house for weeks. (He can’t help it.) Apparently Toby laid down on one. He approached R- and I in the kitchen this morning and insisted on being picked up so he could give hugs. (No really. He does that. It’s hard to explain exactly how specific his “request” is.) When he was in my arms, he twisted and squirmed, which isn’t like him. He usually just wraps his paws around the back of my neck, purrs and rubs the corner of his mouth on my face. I was having a hard time hanging onto him and I had to adjust my grip. It was then that I felt the sticker that was wound up in his fur and pricking his stomach. R- and I removed it. Once it was out, I got a short additional cuddle and then he leaped away. “Thanks. Now I’ve got pressing cat-business elsewhere.”
Accomplishments:
What do you know - I actually got through the entire daily dozen today.
Aside from perfecting my 101 list yesterday, I also created a good template for tracking all of the ongoing projects contained therein.
I researched bread-baking in general and sourdoughs in particular. I need some organic rye flour to start my starter. I also found an interesting no-knead recipe for English muffin toasting bread. I think tomorrow will be a cooking day.
We organized all of Ch-‘s books and materials (for school) today. We had to clear space on the dining room bookshelves. In the process, we gathered and sorted all of the stuff we already had. He’s got quite a resource center right here at home.
I’ve been doing really well in confining my smoking to my studio, the outdoors and away from home. This is my second day of having no more than two Diet Pepsi sodas. (I know that doesn’t sound like a big deal but most of you don’t know how addicted I am.)
We tried to take Ch- to enroll in karate but the studio is closed for the holiday weekend.
I didn’t do a lot of writing but I touched on it and that’s the first habit I suppose. All in all I had a good productive day. Ch-is just about to finish Watership Down. I want to be finished with this so I can talk to him if he wants.
Daily Dozen
My Mission 101 List
My Evil-Twin Mission 101 List
Start Date: July 27, 2006 10:00 pm ---- End Date: April 24, 2009 10:00 pm
Goal Level Behaviors
Routines
Cleaning: zones & weekly schedule