shrimp plant in full bloom
Of course the forecast that said no freezing nights for the foreseeable future has changed now that I uncovered the ponytail palm and the night blooming cereus and moved all but the plumerias back outside Monday. Checked the forecast the next day and my hope (dream) of having a winter that didn’t plunge down to 20˚ or colder shattered. Every day since temps are colder and colder, now Saturday night 25˚, Sunday night 18˚, Monday night 25˚. High chance of rain Friday and Saturday, ice on Sunday. Well poop. The cereus must be brought into the garage, covering it won’t do. So yesterday, Wednesday, all the plants were brought back in the house in more permanent positions
or in the garage and the ponytail is covered once again. Robin is doing child care for Harrison so it was up to me and 4 year old Paisleigh and we got it done. Mikey moved the cereus and the stag horn in for me so I’m ready. The fruit trees will like it I guess since they need a certain amount of cold hours to produce fruit.
My little project is a sewing project. I’ve had this machine for decades, maybe four as I think I bought it in my 30s. I’ve had a sewing machine of my own since my teens though I don’t remember what kind my previous one was or why I bought a new one. The brain has jettisoned that information to make room for more recent stuff. the one I have now is a Riccar, a good solid machine that I’ve only had to have a major repair done on it once but have taken it in several times for cleaning and tension adjustments. Anyway, it was working fine when I when I made Paisleigh’s name blanket and worked fine on Sunday until it didn’t. The stitching on the top was fine, the stitching on the bottom was full of loops. Something became out of whack. So I cleaned and oiled it, something I hadn’t done in a while and hoped it would self correct the next day. It didn’t. It was even worse. There is no one in Wharton and while there used to be a guy in El Campo that did sewing machine repair he closed up shop years ago. So I did a search for sewing machine repair in Rosenberg, found a guy and took my machine in Monday. He called yesterday morning, machine is fixed so I’ll go get it today after SHARE.
Cat helping me iron seams
As long as I was in Rosenberg I made it over to Shopping Mecca and to the Penney’s because I need a new pair of jeans since I only have one that doesn’t have the knees torn out. Yes, I know, people pay big bucks for brand new jeans with the knees already torn out. I prefer to get mine the old fashioned way. I thought I had two pairs but when I went looking for them in the drawer I couldn’t find the second pair. And so miracle of miracles, they had a 6S. S for short. It’s not that I’m short I just don’t wear spike heels with my jeans. I don’t wear heels, spike or otherwise, at all. Of course I found my second pair in the drawer when I got home with the new ones.
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I keep thinking of the Chinese curse “may you live in interesting times”. I have to say living in a time when the stable world order is being purposely trashed by a narcissistic megalomaniac and it has only taken a year for our allies and trading partners to start making new alliances and trade agreements excluding the United States was not on my bingo card. At the World Economic Forum in Davos Switzerland Secretary of Commerce Lutnick is lecturing European countries for investing in solar and wind in an effort to be zero net in 2030 saying they are choosing to be subservient to China because…batteries. Secretary of the Treasury Bessent in a press conference telling other nations re Greenland to basically "sit back, take a deep breath, let things play out" ie, let us do whatever the hell we want, because "the worst thing countries can do is escalate against the United States" ie we will fuck you up. The other world leaders at Davos are not having it. Trump, 3 hours late, gave one of his usual demeaning insulting speeches/tirades towards everyone who opposes him including his list of grievances and slights, full of lies and his ignorance. Apparently he got schooled behind closed doors by the other member nations of NATO who intend to protect Greenland militarily against any US attempt to take it by force because Trump has backed off, for now, saying they have a framework of a plan that gives him what he wants, meaning NATO nations are going to string him along with further talks until he either dies, Congress gets a spine, or he’s removed from office, because they have no intention of handing Greenland over to Trump. For now additional threatened tariffs are off the table.
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One more warm day and then the temperature starts to plummet. Starting Saturday you’ll find me hunkered down on the couch under a blanket.
We keep the plants that we want to keep indoors all winter with the flamingo light on them. They are glad to get outside after weather improves in JUNE! Bright skies today! mood lifted!
ReplyDeleteYeah, everything that's in will now stay in for the duration. Should have left it all in the first time, saved my self some work.
DeleteTACO always caves
ReplyDeleteWhen the big boys give him a talking to or call his bluff. Let's see if he caves on using his personal army in democrat held states.
DeleteThe miserable weather seems fitting lately. Kind of the cat to help with the ironing. Our cats run when they see the ironing board. No idea why. The plants look very happy indoors. Paisleigh did a good job.
ReplyDeleteThe plants are always happy to get back outside. Paisleigh was very helpful; hand me that, hold this here.
DeleteTrump should cast his eyes northward to gaze on our Prime Minister Carney. Then he will get a glimpse of intelligence, decency and vision. But he wouldn’t understand anyway.
ReplyDeleteCarney gave a cogent and insightful general view of the world that Trump is incapable of, and he pretty much nailed it.The USA was Number 1, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, but then we squandered all our good fortune away on bad decisions, the inevitable "nowhere to go but downhill". The USA is just another great power, and the empire ended probably in 2008.
DeleteDavid - He wouldn't recognise it if it stuck it's tongue down his throat.
DeleteJohn - They say empires last only 200 - 300 years so we've hit our due date.
Oh my god, Ellen. I just looked at our forecast which has changed considerably since yesterday and starting Sunday we're supposed to get temps down into the twenties and low thirties for at least a week. WTF?
ReplyDeleteYep. Get those plants in and let them stay there.
I can't face the news. I can't. It's gotten so far from Planet Reality that I am literally in panic half the time. I keep feeling like someone has to do something, now, come on, or maybe I have to do something? I'm in flight or fight all the time or maybe freeze. Or swing from one to another.
How can this be happening?
I buried my head in the sewing machine after hearing the news Saturday morning. I'm just numb.
DeleteIt's very cold here but I don't have to go anywhere so I don't mind. The children have online learning so the schools are closed and they all do lessons on their laptops at home. I'm glad my kids are grown and I don't have to coordinate "online learning" for my 5 kids!?!
ReplyDeleteHope you stay safe and warm, Ellen!
That's nice that your schools accommodate this frigid arctic weather.
DeleteI've stocked up on birdseed and peanuts, but made the obligatory HEB run only for some things I was wanting anyway. For some reason, I take a certain perverse pleasure in visiting that store before bad weather. I think it's because everyone is chattier and more social than usual, and more pleasant. There's almost some relief in dealing with something real that we can deal with -- like weather.
ReplyDeleteThe plants will come inlater today, I guess. I was going to put it off until tomorrow, but our rain is predicted to start tonight, so I might as well get with it. Everything else is done: car filled with gas, zero-degree washer fluid, etc. It's foggy as can be here, so no regular work today, I don't think.
The white wing doves are eating most my birdseed. They've already emptied it today.
DeleteIt feels like the country is holding its breath. Terrible weather on the way, and what will the orange moron do next? I did not realize the Queen of the Night was in a pot, that's good. I would hate for her to perish in the cold.
ReplyDeleteFortunately my grandson can still maneuver her pot into the garage but she's enormous. May have to prune her back before next winter. I think things here are on the verge of total chaos if those ICE goons fire on the Minnesota National Guard.
DeleteCodex: The prediction by climate scientist was that the weather would become unpredictable.
ReplyDeleteLove the cat Pic. I've had help in the form if a paw print on drying water color.
Not so unpredictable. Summers are getting hotter, winters are getting colder. Well, maybe not colder overall since it's been very mild so far but these arctic fronts are a new addition.
DeleteI keep telling people that even Jim Cantore doesn't know what's going to happen here in NC. 17" of snow! No, 2" of ice! No, 6" of sleet! No, just rain! OK back to snow! I'm getting whiplash. Fortunately, our only child (Ms. Pinky) has been inside for over a month now. We just have to worry about Mike's dad going outside to feed the cats & slipping on ice.
ReplyDeleteAt least we don't get snow except on rare occasions and then not very much. 4" is about the max.
DeleteWith the weather we have coming I hope my efforts in putting plastic sheeting over the screens on the back porch. I have all my ferns up on a table with more plastic sheeting draped over it and all the smaller plants that won't fit inside are in small greenhouses are also inside the back porch. I suppose we will see what survives! I have blueberry bushes budding!
ReplyDeleteToo late for right now but you might think about getting one of the radiator type heaters to put out there.
DeleteHi Ellen, clarification from my blog. The only thing I liked about NFTs, the only aspect, was the idea of royalties. If I sell a bronze, I should get a cut of each resale. Seems only fair since I made it, and it is an idea made real.
ReplyDeleteSure, who wouldn't want royalties every time a piece resold. Though I imagine most only get sold off when the owner dies.
DeleteAnd I meant to reply to another of your comments. I can't remember if we ever met face to face at SOFA those three years we were there, but online I liked you immediately and count you as a friend.
DeleteYes I met you and Mark at SOFA and also liked both of you immediately. You're part of the love part of my love/hate relationship with Texas.
DeleteWell, it's Saturday, so I suppose you're in the deep freeze now. I'm glad you brought the plants back in, but still, what a hassle! I told Dave if we ever have a storm as bad as what's hitting the states right now, that avocado tree is coming inside, one way or another.
ReplyDelete"Until he either dies, Congress gets a spine, or he’s removed from office" -- from your lips to God's ears!
Yeah, foolish of me to take them backout the first time.
Delete