excess crop, Ghost, the Evils

A morning prism cast on the wall behind me.

Allison commented on my last post asking if I had changed my font size because it was so small she had to enlarge it to read it. The answer is no, but anyone else have that problem? I write in Avenir Book font size 14, copy and paste into the create-a-post form on Blogger. I can increase the font size but the next largest is 18 which seems too big to me. The other thing I can do is change the size to ‘medium’ from ‘normal’ once it’s in the create-a-post form (which I’m doing this post). So what say you, my readers?

Another weird thing that happened to me on the Blogger dashboard for a few days was the Reading List was only showing me posts from 5 years ago or older. I discovered that I can select specific blogs on the reading list and get the current posts that way but it seems to have resolved itself as I’m getting current posts again.

Yesterday was a food delivery day from the regional food bank at SHARE. They had asked Jan if she wanted carrots and cabbages. She said she’d take two bags of carrots and one of cabbages. They sent 7 or 8 of carrots and at least 8 of cabbage. The mesh bags of carrots must have weighed 30 lbs if they weighed an ounce, maybe more, probably more, and the mesh bags of cabbage had 8 enormous heads each and were so heavy I couldn’t even pretend to pick one up. Just shoving one aside was effort enough. It looked like some local farmer donated his excess crop to the food bank and they were trying to get rid of it. Needless to say, everybody got an abundant amount of carrots and cabbages and we still didn’t give them all away. We also got I don’t know how many 20 lb bags of potatoes and large bags of small apples. Jan had the carrots split up into plastic grocery bags. These are the ones I’m taking to my neighbor. I don't know if you can tell how big that cabbage is in the picture but it was huge.

I may have mentioned that a black feral cat has been slinking up to eat after Robin or I feed the four outdoor cats, Momcat and her three sons. Initially he would wait by the back corner of the shop until the humans left and the four had eaten and he would come eat what was left. Then Robin started talking to him and he has gotten braver, approaching closer and finally coming to eat while she was out there and while the other cats were eating. Then she named him Ghost. Now he’s gotten used to me and Minnie. Minnie would chase him at first but I would call her back. Now he stands his ground when she runs at him which totally perplexes the dog. Tuesday I was over there petting and feeding the four. I put the bag of food back in the shed, turned around to get the water bowls and there he was. Ghost is aptly named.

He came in to eat while I was getting fresh water and setting the bowls back under the porch albeit keeping a wary eye on me. I hope at some point we are able to trap him and get him fixed too.

Tuesday I drove to the Shopping Mecca in Rosenberg. I had bought a 5” x 5” frame at Michael’s earlier for the drawing but I didn’t notice that it was not set up for hanging on the wall which is what I want. Actually what I wanted was a 6” x 6” frame but they didn’t have one. Well, damn. Now I was going to have to go the Evil Hobby Lobby which has a better selection of frames. So, Tuesday I drove out there and dammit, they didn’t have one either. I consoled myself about the wasted trip by reminding myself that at least I didn’t give them any of my money. Then I got our champagne for New Year’s as long as I was in Mecca. Once home I found exactly what I wanted on the Evil Amazon (don’t have a lot of choices out here in the boonies…Evil Empire, Evil Hobby Lobby, Evil Amazon so it’s pick your poison). It’s supposed to be delivered today. It’ll be Monday before I can get it in the mail so I hope it gets to its destination before Christmas.

Tuesday and Wednesday nights were our coldest nights so far, down in the 30s. Warmed up fast on Thursday, not terrible this morning, in the 60s, but overcast and wet with light rain off and on so today’s activity will be to start on my next painting. It’s just an exercise really, an overdone subject of aspen trees just to work on skills and technique so I’m not really invested in the end product. Later I plan on making potato leek soup for dinner.

 

good food, color charts, stupidity

Buddha in the garden.

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Well, damn. No picture of my salad, no picture of the food laden table. Everything was so good…chicken and dumplings, enchilada casserole, clusters of green beans with bacon wrapped around the middle looking like miniature sheaves, corn and rice casserole, fresh fruit, my salad, deviled eggs, and more and that doesn’t even cover the desserts. And it was nice to have all the volunteers there, most all, a few were absent; the Monday group that deals with donations and other stuff but not open to the public and the Thursday group. As usual a prayer preceded the eating. I just stand there quietly and politely without bowing my head. I have no issue with the wishes for good health and being grateful for community and the good things in your life but the submissive appealing to the big daddy in the sky for granting those things or giving him credit for the same is where we part ways. 

Actually, here’s what’s left of my salad moved into a much smaller bowl. I didn’t bring home very much.

I haven’t started on my painting yet but I have been working on getting the last box of paints my friend sent me added to the color chart…a rectangle with straight pigment on dry paper and one with diluted pigment on wet paper. It helps me choose what colors to use in a painting. This last box, the pigments are very strong, dense.

This was the first chart I made of the three small tins. I need to redo it with the larger format.

I looked out the back door the other morning to see half a dozen or so inca doves all fluffed up on the little patio right outside the door in plain sight. I snuck away to get my phone/camera but when I looked again they had moved to the left among the pots there so they’re a little obscured.

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News is that the man who shot and killed the CEO of UnitedHealthcare has been arrested. I can only surmise that he wanted to be caught and arrested. They found the gun, the suppressor, the fake ID, the clothing, and a 3 page ‘manifesto’ on his person when approached and arrested, well maybe not the clothing but they did recover that also. Clearly the man has never watched a crime show. The first thing he should have done was dispose of the weapon, ID, and clothing and for all the gods’s sakes don’t carry around a 3 page manifesto. If I have learned nothing from watching General Hospital it’s how to dismantle and dispose of a gun after a shooting. So how did health insurance companies react to the killing of a CEO? Did they send out orders to stop denying tests, procedures, and care recommended by doctors? Oh, hell no, they beefed up security around their board members.

And last from the Department of  Disconnect, Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk are going around spouting about the ‘deep state’ in government, the unelected bureaucrats running this country into the ground, and how they are going to purge the government. They seem to have completely missed that fact that they are themselves unelected bureaucrats.

 

wet winter weekend

The weekend was cold and wet, Sunday not as cold but still unpleasant and I rarely ventured out. Wasn’t really raining, just drizzly, wet. Saturday the dog and cat went out briefly a couple of times, relieved to come back in. Sunday Minnie stuck her nose out the back door a couple of times and, nope. Cat on the other hand wanted out until I let her out and 20 minutes later dashed in when I checked on her and then about an hour later wanted out the front door, convinced there would be different weather out that door. She was sorely disappointed, came in and fussed at me. This is how Minnie spent the weekend.

Saturday I only went out twice, once with the dog long enough for her to take care of her business and then later to go feed the outdoor kitties, Sunday only once for the same reason (three of the four in the picture…Momcat, Handsome Boy, and Lovey.) 

In between I finished the drawing I was working on and tried to make headway in my book. I’m reading The Book Of Elsewhere by Keanu Reeves and China Milville about a timelessly old warrior who cannot be killed, who has seen the rise and fall of empires so old no trace or memory is left. Well, he can die but he resurrects forming a whole new body. I picked it out at the library, thought it would be interesting but it’s hard going to get invested in. The writing style is a little difficult and a little hard to follow, starting in modern times with zero explanation, though it seems to be getting a little easier, she says, until the next segment I read from sometime in the far past. I’m only 80 pages in out of 337 at this point.

Sunday I got out my watercolors and prepared to do another painting, another landscape, transferring the major vertical lines to the paper though I didn’t actually start the painting. Today is the annual holiday potluck lunch at SHARE and I still have to make my contribution this morning.

Also today, I have to call the dentist to reschedule my teeth cleaning…again. They called and canceled the first time because the hygienist wasn’t coming in that day and rescheduled me for last Wednesday 3 pm. I got there on time, waited half an hour and decided if I waited any longer I would not have the time to get to yoga that evening so I told them I couldn’t wait any longer and rescheduled it for 11 am Tuesday. But it’s not a good time or day either since that’s the day I do my grocery shopping in the morning. I’m a little annoyed about it all anyway since last time I had to wait about 45 minutes. I’m going to tell them that if she’s running more than a half hour behind again to call and tell me before I show up on time as the office is only about 5 minutes away. As it turned out, I didn’t go to yoga last Wednesday because although I checked the radar in advance when I started out it was drizzling and getting heavier, not a condition I want to drive on the highway in the dark in. So I turned around and came back and I’d only gone the equivalent of a few blocks. It’s still overcast and heavy with fog and dew outside today with rain predicted but it’s going to be warm, low 80s. And now I need to go make the salad I’m taking.

The picture at the top is the pink trumpet flower shrub still blooming profusely. This is the best it’s ever done, just as full of blooms on the other side.

 

side eye and laying low

We’ve been in a news blackout since shortly after the election. The TV is off until later in the day when all the ‘news’ shows are over. We’re not totally ignoring what’s going on, just sick of the appeasing in advance mainstream media who only seem to find fault with democrats. While I’ve been keeping a side eye on the republican creepy clown show and the devastation they plan once in office with not one appointee actually being qualified for the intended office (if you want to destroy something put idiots and enemies in charge), via social media accounts that refuse to appease and actually report what’s going on, I’ve not wanted to get down in the muck to write about it, for now at least, trying to enjoy the last few weeks of an administration that actually cares about this country and the people in it. Although I have to say that the thieving drunken rapist Hegseth getting his mommy to make phone calls and do interviews to tell everyone that, really, he is a very good boy and promises not to drink if appointed to head the vast military complex is the height of infantilism. What is this, the Romper Room? And he’s complaining that he’s being ‘Kavanaughed’. By that I guess he means people are pointing out his drunkenness. Well, Kavanaugh got the appointment so there is that.

It’s been cold here, dipping down in the 40s at night with highs varying from 40s to 60s and will continue in that vein so, yeah, it’s what passes for winter here. Our 5 days of predicted rain materialized one day of light rain and drizzle. Almost an insult. We do need rain.

Another busy day at SHARE yesterday. We filled 41 food orders, our second busiest day since I’ve been there I think. Our busiest day? The Thursday before Thanksgiving. I had not asked how many food orders we filled before I flew out to get to my mammogram appointment (which if you recall was postponed to the next day because their computer system went down), so I inquired yesterday. 61. Busiest day ever. For now. A year or two into the next administration might put that number to shame.

I haven’t been doing much otherwise, walking the dog, going to yoga. I’m working on a new drawing but I won’t post a picture yet because the person for whom it is intended reads here sometimes I think and I want it to be a surprise.

I don’t even have any good pictures to post. Here’s Cat laying on some paperwork I needed to fill out

and a garden spider who set up housekeeping over at Pam’s house.

lazy post-holiday days

Mostly in the three days following Thanksgiving, I have done little to nothing, mostly we've been binge watching the two seasons of Troppo. Friday I dug up my poor whitefly infested camellia that I have tried in vain over the years to rid of the pest. It is stunted, not really growing and hasn’t bloomed in the last two years and the year before I got one flower. I have used insecticidal soap to no effect, then tried another stronger insecticide but still on the ‘safe’ side and nope. Clearly it does not like where it’s planted. So I dug it up, put it in a pot with good dirt, gave it some fertilizer, and rubbed the back of every single leaf with my thumb and next plan to do Steve Reed’s trick with rubbing alcohol and a cotton swab.

The next day I dug up the japanese azalea from the same bed which, while it hasn’t died like the first one, looks to be barely hanging on. It also does not grow or bloom. It’s now also in a pot with good dirt and fertilized. Both these plants were terribly root bound when I bought them three and four years ago and despite having basically bare rooted them and spread out the roots and put them in the ground, they have failed to prosper. So I’m hoping they’ll recover and grow in pots where they’ll get more attention.

Sunday I finally transferred the growing pile of fallen branches, continued damage from hurricane Beryl, things that broke and died but did not fall, to the back of the truck to move over to the burn pile, something I had refrained from doing because I want to take all the metal to the scrap yard, the aluminum and steel cans and other scrap, about 6 tubs worth, but it just hasn’t happened. Then I hammered nails in the studs in the barn as high up as I could reach and hung the tomato cages to get them off the floor and out of the way and used the leaf blower to clear the garage, barn, and concrete apron part of the driveway. And Minnie finally got a long walk, her first of last week I think. 

Now the holiday weekend is over and I need to get back in motion. It’s been getting down in the 40s all last week and overcast, only warming up to the 50s but today is sunny and supposed to get up to 70. I’ve been out doing some much needed watering. Three winter bloomers are still blooming.

what we've been watching

Tales From the Loop - a sci fi series of 8 interconnected episodes. The townspeople who live above ‘The Loop’, a machine built to unlock and explore the mysteries of the universe, experience things previously consigned to the realms of science fiction. In episode one a young girl comes home from school one day to find her mother, who works at the Loop and was conducting an experiment, and her house have disappeared. While searching in the woods she meets a boy her same age who sets out to help her find her mother. He takes her home to see if his mother who also works at The Loop can help. I really enjoyed this series. The episodes are quiet and thoughtful about human interaction under bizarre circumstances. Available on Amazon Prime.

Phillip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams - a sci fi series of 10 stand alone episodes based on Dick’s short stories, each very different from the others. I’m a sci-fi fan so I liked this series. Available on Amazon Prime.

In Your Dreams -  set in South Africa, best friends Lloyd and Marcus reconnect with childhood friend Dineo who is now an antiquities dealer. She has recently found an ancient artifact that when held and magic words are said cause the person’s next three dreams to come to life and which they have to vanquish only to be faced with their greatest fear. If they survive that, then their greatest wish will be granted. I really enjoyed this six episode series. Available on Amazon Prime.

Interior Chinatown - the plot is a little hard to follow and some of the action seems far fetched but I guess not for the premise which is that everything that happens is being orchestrated as a TV show by a mysterious group of Chinese mystics in this 10 episode series. Willis, a waiter in the family Chinese restaurant in Chinatown, is bored with his life and sets out to find out what happened to his brother, the Kung Fu guy, who disappeared 12 years previous while working with the police. Willis teams up with ‘Chinatown expert’ Lana who is assisting the famous detective duo of Green and Turner to solve crimes in Chinatown. It has a great cast and worth watching. Available on Hulu.

Troppo - season 1, set in Australia. In season 1 Amanda, recently released from prison for a murder she committed at 17 is trying to rebuild her life as a tattoo artist and private investigator in her hometown where she is reviled by just about everyone. She is hired by a woman who wants her to investigate the disappearance of her husband. She teams up with another outcast, Ted, an ex-detective falsely accused and held in jail for a horrible sexual crime against a 13 year old girl. Released finally for lack of evidence he eventually fled his family and job because of continued verbal attacks and threats. Ted, who just wants to drink his misery away, reluctantly agrees to assist Amanda and is slowly drawn into their collaboration. Amanda is also investigating the apparent suicide of one of her few friends. As she and Ted make headway in their cases they are constantly harassed and threatened by the local police officer. We’re enjoying this one a lot as the truth about Amanda’s crime is revealed. Available on Amazon Prime.

Troppo - season 2. Amanda, freed of the crushing guilt about the night she killed Lauren, has become less caustic, Ted has found purpose in life again and their partnership and friendship has become solid. They are hired to prove the innocence of a murdered man’s son by finding the real killer, Ted is trying to reconnect with his family, and Amanda wants to prove Ted’s innocence. Available on Amazon Prime.

Only Murders In The Building - we’ve watched all four seasons, starring Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez. How can you go wrong with a cast like that? Three true crime aficionados band to gather to solve murders in their building and the last two seasons also starred Meryl Streep. It’s very good. Available on Hulu.

Thanksgiving and the days leading up to it

It’s been a busy week. While we have gathered at my daughter’s house for Thanksgiving for at least fifteen years, either in the city or here in the country, this year everyone is coming here again, same as last year. Grocery shopping done and housecleaning started on Monday, food prep and more house cleaning on Tuesday, more food prep and house cleaning and cranberry sauce and pie making on Wednesday. I made a chocolate fudge pecan pie, having been inspired by Mary Moon. I dug out my Aunt Mimi’s heritage very basic seven ingredient recipe with minimal instructions and no sister to ask about it, my first time to make this pie. It turned out a little over cooked even though I set the timer for the lower end of the cooking time, and then at dinner I learned from my daughter, who has made it before and did ask her aunt about how to make it, that I was supposed to melt the butter and sugar and chocolate together, not just the butter and chocolate, which I didn’t do. It was still fudgey and rich if a little sugary crunchy against the pie crust. Oh well, next time.

Yesterday I put together and baked the dressing and the butternut squash and cranberry casserole. 

Sarah will bring the rest of the food; turkey, ham, sweet potatoes, broccoli rice casserole, green beans, mashed potatoes with a small vegan version, brussels sprouts, eggplant; Autumn will make and bring the dinner rolls.

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We were expecting 10 adults and one three year old but Robin and her boyfriend got delayed at his mother’s house and Audra and Paisleigh were stuck in Arkansas where she had gone to visit her family last weekend and Mikey elected not to join us. It ended up being just the six of us; Marc and I, Sarah and Mike, and Jade and Autumn who came from Austin, and way too much food. It was a fun evening sitting around the table eating way too much with no drama.

After four full days, I’m being a couch potato today. I'll get back out in the yard tomorrow.

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I have a correction on my object #3 post. Marc reminded me that my father not only co-signed the loan papers, he loaned me the 10% down payment so the loan was for $17,100 plus interest. Still an astronomical amount to me at the time. He never asked me to pay that money back but it all worked out later when my siblings and I bailed our parents out of a financial bind many decades later that they never paid back. Also, an addition. I forgot to add that Marc and I got married in that house, a quick little ceremony by a friend and then a big party.