I had today off because of Veterans Day. It couldn’t have been a nicer day to have off. After wearing out the dog and helping (watching) my sister get her new iMac, we tackled more yard work. The dry weather meant we could shred leaves. So we raked, Barley played, and I mowed the leaves up. It was nice having things be mostly dry. Spent several hours in the yard, which always feels good for the soul. Gorgeous weather too.
Last night our stove problems were finally finished. Only 3 months after first notifying the landlord of the problem. Woohoo!
Anyway, its nice to have a stove that has more than 1 burner. A burner that doesn’t require you turn it on, then jiggle the element until the connection gets seated. And an oven that stuff fits in to.
The beds have been thinned and are soon to be dressed for the winter. Pots have been moved from off the deck and into the shed. Leaves are ready to shred. Lets hope this authentic fall weather holds out a bit longer.
We’ve been without a stove for 2 months now. Well, one burner has worked periodically, but not in a predictable manner. Plus, its the small one in the back that isn’t level so if you try and fry an egg or something, it all runs down to the side of the pan.
Anyway, the landlord finally found a contractor that was willing to take some time out of their prosperous and profitable schedule to fix it. Starting Sunday.
The existing unit is a 30 year old POS with a grill on the left side. Who really grills indoors? Well, we started to once we realized it was going to get removed and we wouldn’t have to keep cleaning it. Plus, there aren’t any stove top replacements that fit the existing hole, so we’re getting a whole oven/stove combo, which is nice because our oven is probably 40+, too small to cook much, and occasionally starts things on fire.
We’re moving up.
Three trees that have lost favor with me in the last 12 months:
|
Tyranny of bedroom linen. Its probably a problem in many homes. I’m just perplexed at the constant need for change in decor when all I want is to be moderately comfortable with livable temperature. My mom made me a comforter out of 200 weight polar fleece that I’ve had since high school. It was perfect in the spring/summer/fall, and adding a wool blanket underneath provided the additional insulation during the winter. Like most of my belongings, its a very functional, utilitarian item. It isn’t meant to be attractive unless you’re the kind of person who is drawn to utility as a style. |
 |
|
After Michelle and I were married, we started using a down comforter. It was great during the winter, but a little warm for the spring, summer, and fall. Michelle, who is always cold, needed additional blankets during the winter. It took some time to agree upon a duvet cover, and the denim was both attractive and provided some utility (resistant to dog puncture). But its kind of dark, and blue isn’t everyone’s favorite color (losers). |
 |
|
For Christmas this last year, Kathy made us a beautiful quilted comforter. Its absolutely gorgeous, and looks great in our room. The colors please both Michelle and me, but during the coldness of winter (we only heat to 62F), additional blankets were needed. Now that spring is here, its the right weight without any extra blankets. Which is why I was surprised to come home one day to find the down comforter back on. |
 |
|
It turns out that one comforter is too fall/winter, despite looking good and being the appropriate weight for spring/summer. The Spring duvet cover may look more like spring, but I’m sweating like a cell mate on death row in my sleep. And its not even summer yet! The tyranny part is that my sleeping comfort is completely at someone else’s whim. Not only that, but the reasons for the changes are rarely about utility – something I can understand. |
 |
|
This fits into my “Snuff Films for Ethnobotanists” collection. Its a collection of images depicting violent power struggles between invasive plant species. Today’s image is a Dandelion seed head that is being choked by a growth of bindweed. I found it just down the street while walking Barley the other morning. The relationship in this picture is much more blatant that some of the other images, which are more difficult to identify because of the prevalence of chlorophyl. Not to mention the poor planning in shooting the images. Regardless, they all look green! I feel like I’m seeing more and more invasive plant species around the neighborhood this year. I’m not sure if I’m just noticing it for the first time with the eyes of a gardener, or if the noxious plants are worse this year. Anyone else notice any differences? |
 |
|
I spent over an hour popping dandelions out of the south side of the yard because it still shows some hope of not being overrun. While using a standard issue dandelion popper (rather than the de-luxe model), I had plenty of time to contemplate the irascible flower. Many consider it to be a weed, some can ignore it, some even like it. Though I have eaten its leaves in salads, and get some enjoyment popping the flowers or blowing the seed pods, I’m working to reduce the number in our yard. Mostly because there is so much of it. But I started to think about why its such a hated plant and came up with a truly absurd explanation – dandelions are a threat to human male sexuality. These plants flaunt their indiscretions with unnamed and uncounted other pollinators, and their fecundity leaves a yellow score card on the lawn. Then you go to remove them by hand and you’re taunted by their well-developed root system. Not only have they developed into unchecked casanovas, but they seem to foil any attempt to chastise them. Their continued success is just a mark of our failure. Truly, I think I may be on to something. Or maybe its just because I watched The Ladies Man last night. |
 |
Metro and the Far Southwest Neighborhood Association put on a Basic Naturescaping Workshop at PCC. It was a free workshop that introduced the concept of naturescaping, which Betty, one of the presenters referred to as “Ecological restoration on a personal scale.”
It was similar to Xeriscaping, though less concerned with water conservation, and more concerned with reducing work, reducing pesticide use, increasing habitat, improving water quality, and using native plants.
It was a wonderful workshop that refocused a lot of the concepts I’ve been gleaming from other sources. Now I’ve just got to remember that I don’t own the house I live in, so I shouldn’t invest too much time or energy into it.
Metro offers a number of the classes throughout the year, so catch one if you can.
With two unusually sunny days in a row, Michelle and I were able to fit in some yard work. She ditched out early to “study” for her ethics exam, but I managed to get a drastic pruning in on some long neglected shrubs. If they die, well, no loss. If they live, they deserve it.
I did some more trimming during lunch today, and my allergies have flared up. Now I’m a zombie of sorts. I figure it was the Douglas Fir, but it may have been the soil, or rotting leaves, or compost. Regardless, I’m glad spring is here.