"Let's go plant some beans into the garden scene..."

Yes, that is a direct quote from Dad today as we were working in the garden.  And yes, it was sung to the tune of "Let's Go Fly a Kite" from Mary Poppins.

So, we planted beans.  Three 15' long rows.  And five 12' long rows of corn.  And three rows of Zenias.  And a row of Bachelor Buttons.  And a row of poppies.  We've got space to plant more corn in two more stages, the idea being that it will mature in stages and you'll have fresh corn longer.  We didn't get around to planting more melon.  That will have to be done next weekend.

My peas are flowering!

They're going nuts!  I planted them too far from the cattle panel so they're not climbing very well.  Lesson learned.  We also have 8 watermelon/squash/pumpkin plants up.  The tomatoes aren't growing very well I don't think but Dad doesn't seem to be concerned.  The potatoes are doing well, but something is nibbling on their tops.

Purse party next weekend -- woo!  Hopefully there will be better pictures because I bought a camera last night!  It was kind of on a whim, but I'd also been looking at them/thinking about one for a while.  Darn you Memorial Day sales!  And yes, I know Mom, the megapixels on this thing are astounding.  I'm going to take pictures of the hairs on the inside of your nose while you sleep and plaster them all over the internet, unless you pay me...one MILLION dollars...(strokes hairless cat).

I have to go back to work tomorrow, le sigh.  But it's a four day week!  And Mom took in my dress which means I can wear it tomorrow!  I need to get a picture of me taken.  Maybe when this camera comes in...

I will spare you more cute puppy photos.  I've been told they make people "feel all warm and fuzzy like" which is apparently a bad thing.

Now, I must bathe.  I smell like a buffalo that's been gardening all day.  Oh give me a home where the buffalo garden, and the deer and the antelope make cider using "house pressure"...  House pressure...a story for another day.

Roadhouse

What a waste of a movie.  Sheesh...

So I'm at home today.  Mom is altering a dress for me (Why is it that my behind and my chest aren't the same size -- WHY?!) and I'm supposed to garden with Dad.  Beans and corn here we come!

I made dinner tonight:

It's a baked sweet potato.  For toppings I made a Mexican chicken goulosh:
1 can chicken
2/3 can corn
1/2 large onion, sliced thin
3-4T tomato paste
cumin to taste
cinnamon to taste
water, enough to thin concoction to desired thickness
shredded cabbage
sour cream (I used light ranch dressing because that's what we had)

It was pretty tasty, if I do say so myself.

The other thing I did today was play with the puppies -- they're getting so cute!

This is the boy.  Name apparently TBD.  I thought we had settled on Boxcar Willie, but there's vacillating again.

I drove to Halltown last night.  It was surprisingly pleasant.

Newton's Laws of Motion

Newton's laws are probably not to be applied as I'm about to.  Do I care?  Nope.

Newton's first law basically states that a body in motion will remain in motion unless acted upon by an outside force.  This is very applicable to life.  We go on our merry (or not so merry, in some cases) way until something forces us to make a change.  As pastor Bob Casady said once in a sermon, "Change happens when the pain of remaining the same is greater than the pain required to change."

Newton's second law basically sucks.  I'm sure it's mother told it it was very important and that the other laws would learn to love it in time.  Maybe.  Or maybe not.

Newton's third law basically states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.  Cause and effect.  What I like about this law is that if I can identify the action I can predict the reaction.  Often I can choose a different action with a better reaction. 

So with that thought I'm going out to comb the local neighborhoods for a walking route that doesn't look too scary.  I want to change, but I don't want to get mugged.

Baseball & Fireworks = Raindrops on Roses & Whiskers on Kittens...

...Why yes, those would be a few of my favorite things...all though I really prefer paws on kittens, but I suppose that's neither here nor there.

And these are a few of my favorite people:

And don't forget these guys:

Ain't they cute?

Today was awesome!  Had lunch at a crepe place downtown (coq au vin crepe?!), then I had to go back to work (boo!) and then a baseball game...with fireworks after!!  It was pretty great.  Even if we did have the Mascot from the Black Lagoon:

This is a primary example of why I need an actual camera...unless I can find a priest to exorcise my phone...

The other reason I need a camera is to take pictures while I'm in CA!!  But who's excited?  I'm going to be there while Aunt BW is there.  She doesn't know yet.  I'm not telling her -- just going to show up at the airport to pick her up...I'm pretty much the best.  Plus Grandpa is going to have to get some Depends to control the excitement.  I might be just as excited.  We'll need to buy them in bulk.

So what's on tap for the rest of the weekend (TGIMD!)?  Perhaps a wedding, definitely some laundry, maybe getting my car serviced, gardening...  Oh yeah, and general thankfulness for the three day weekend!!

Defeat.

Some days you are defeated.

 And the only thing to do is get up tomorrow and do better. 

Le sigh.

Martha Knows Al

I went home yesterday after work to finish up the planting of hilled fruits.  Kristen came with, both for moral support and because gardening is fun!  Plus Tuesday nights are our get together nights.

We planted 5 hills of pumpkins and 14 hills of various kinds of squash (butternut, patty pan, spaghetti, zucchini, etc.).  All told, including the watermelon I planted on Saturday, we have 24 hills planted.  If you figure 4 plants per hill and two fruits per plant we're talking a hundred melons.  Even if you cut it down to two plants per hill...sheesh...  Dad said, "Well that's not even enough for sharing."

Kristen was a big help though.  I was in charge of the cutting of the carpet (don't ask...) because it's a horrible job and because Kristen can't be trusted with sharp objects.  She bleeds and I laugh -- it's a bad combo.  Anyway, on Saturday I was cutting circles in the carpet.  Dad suggested yesterday that it might be easier to cut squares, until Kristen said, "Just cut an X -- then you're only making two cuts."  GENIUS!

Even with that it took us 2+ hours.  We were finishing by the light of the moon (through the clouds).  It's a good thing the seeds were white otherwise we'd never have been able to see them.

I still have to plant corn and beans this weekend.  Anybody want to sign up now for a share of the crop?

In other news, I made a delicious dinner tonight:

It's "Greek Chicken".  Basically chicken, kalamata olives, grape tomatoes, mint, and feta cheese -- YUM!  I got the recipe from here.  Martha knows al.  Heh, I'm leaving that typo.  But seriously, Martha really does know all.  She even knows what you did last summer.

And yes, I use paper plates and plastic forks.  Don't judge me.  When you come over I'll get out the real dishes.

Having a John Denver Kind of Night

This has always been one of my favorite, if not my favorite, John Denver songs.  The harmony part is really beautiful which has always been the attraction for me, but lately the words have felt very applicable to my life.  I want to get over the "more than enough to just be here today" part though.

Sweet Surrender

Lost and alone on some forgotten highway
Traveled by many remembered by few
Looking for something that I can believe in
Looking for something that I’d like to do with my life

There’s nothing behind me and nothing that ties me
To something that might have been true yesterday
Tomorrow is open and right now it seems
To be more than enough to just be here today

And I don’t know what the future is holding in store
I don’t know where I’m going I’m not sure where I’ve been
There’s a spirit that guides me a light that shines for me
My life is worth the living I don’t need to see the end

Sweet sweet surrender
Live live without care
Like a fish in the water
Like a bird in the air

April Showers Bring May...Tornadoes?

We're apparently having tornadoes mucho.  Awesome.  I really hate wind.

In other news, the gardening yesterday was pretty much like I expected it to be -- unexpected.  I got my peas weeded and that was my main goal.  I planted another 24 tomato plants.  We also planted 5 hills of watermelon.

It always starts out as a team effort.  Dad says, "If you do this part I'll do this part," and then he gets involved in 15 other projects and it turns into, "hey I've got to go do this -- can you take care of finishing this up?"  It doesn't bother me, I just think it's funny.

Then I went to Em and Jim's house for a backyard firepit party.  It was a good time.  Em is silly and hilarious.  And I discovered that if you put peanut butter on s'mores they become delicious.  One of Em's work friends from Michigan introduced us to them.  I have never liked s'mores before.  Not cool, Michigan, not cool.

**edit**

If anyone ever tells you that gardening is not a good work out please make sure to call them a liar.  To their face.  From me.  I feel like I've been hit by a truck.

Weekend!

Headed home tomorrow to work in the garden with my Dad.  We've got onions, peas, potatoes, and tomatoes planted.  We've got more tomatoes, corn, green beans, watermelon, and pumpkins still to plant.  There may also be assorted other thing -- when I go home I never know what I'm going to find...or get roped into...

Peas are my favorite, but I've never grown them before.  That's probably my favorite part so far.

So here's to hoping that a.) the rain stops, b.) the cows haven't escaped and trampled the garden, and c.) I wake up early enough in the morning.

So on that note, I retire.

Why is this so awkward?

So, um, hi interwebs...

Those of you who know me don't need the intro and those of you who don't know me will learn as we go, so I'm skipping the awkward "this is who I want you to think I am" post.

I'll be 27 in 6 months.  That seems unreal to me.  I still feel like a kid yet I've never actually been one.  I always assumed I'd have my life sorted out by now.  Obviously that was foolish, but it's funny how what you always planned can become what you never wanted.

So, with that thought in mind here is what I do want to accomplish in the short term:
1.) Keep a clean house.  I'm a mess and I hate it.
2.) Do a better job of keeping up with my family and friends.
3.) Spend less time on the internet.  Strange given that I'm starting a blog...
4.) Do a better job of reading my Bible every day.
5.) Spend at least an hour every day outside.
6.) Finish reupholstering my chair.  (before and after pictures to follow)

And here is what I want to accomplish in the mid term:
1.) Find a grad school, apply, and get in.
2.) Record a CD.

I'm still working on the long term stuff.  Or rather, I'm still trying to figure out if what I want to do in the long term is plausible and actually what I'm supposed to do.

As far as real life goes, I did laundry while drinking wine tonight.  Not exactly exciting, but wine makes anything a good time.  A friend of mine who just finished his undergrad degree told me his graduation celebration had been pretty tame and that he wasn't sure if "that shows maturity or just lack of intensity".  I told him I thought that the two just get more and more intertwined with age.

So, that's post #1 out of the way.  Now it's off to read my Bible and sleep.