And we've already got our tickets
The Renewable Energy Roundup folk learned their lesson last year and scheduled this year's festivities for the next weekend.
(and yesterday I killed 23 flies)
Okay. The fly and flea killing is getting obsessive. I know. And I'm coming to terms with the need to get rid of things and the problem of having things that no-one wants (not clutter), so I have to absolutely throw them away. Even the perpetual listing on half.com doesn't work.
It's hard to throw away books. Maybe I should just burn them instead.
Yesterday I killed 23 flies and N&D ate dinner at the Headliners Club (and wore a jacket. He really does clean up well). He said the food was adequate, but the view was fantastic. In explaining the food, he said that I was an amazing cook (when I did actually cook), so he had high expectations (isn't he sweet?). He had some sort of stuffed chicken dish on risotto, giant stringy asparagus and an overly dry strawberry shortcake.
We then started talking about Wink and how the food is exceptional (for the most part -- I haven't yet had an adequate meal, but we don't eat there often), but the atmosphere is crowded and loud. Granted, we usually get a little tipsy and are part of the reason it's so loud, but there's too many tables for the space.
Food? Yum. Since Clee and I (and TAH and Topher) are such amazing cooks, and we get together frequently anyway, I'm initiating a grub club and I'm spending the day working on a logo (on top of applying for jobs and patching and painting the drywall in the bathroom). This Thursday I want to try some tapas recipes so the theme is going to be "Little Victuals". I like the rhyming factor.
Love your mother!
Actually, Kill FLIES! So far, 18. There will be more.
UPDATE: Nine more flies and I discovered why the bedroom smells bad. Nuncle pissed on my yoga mat. So far, in the last three days, that's: The Technology Review magazine (not even opened as it had come in the mail that day); the cardboard cat scratches (all three at the same time because I was vacuuming); just outside the litterbox; the watering fountain; and now my yoga mat. I would think this was a sign of sickness, except I know it's all him being a little pisser. Literally.
Why, why did I spend so much saving this cat's life? Sometimes I think liver failure was nature's way of sparing me this pain and I should have paid attention to nature rather than paid to save his life. Now I'm paying with stinky house and Nature's Miracle. It's good, but the cat has got to stop!
UPDATE: THIRTY ONE MORE FLIES!!!!!! And windows in the bedroom that I can actually see through.
UPDATE: THREE more flies (that makes 61 flies. All because of the rotting loquat, fermenting chinaberry, and the dog poop. I hate flies. Clarification -- flies are okay. I hate BZZZZZZ ZZZZZ ZZHBAHZZZZZZ). Also, spread out the mulch, including around the pear tree (again) and moved the small Senecio mandraliscae to the front. The full sun and no water it was getting with the other succulents was leaving it rather sad looking. So less sun and more water and hopefully it will improve.
Trudy's for a birthday cake in a glass. I had a frustrating day, especially since all I really wanted to do was go to Pedernales and sit with my feet in the water, eat some chocolate cake and think about life. *sigh*
Carolee and Christopher are ver' cool though. Two amazing books (one fun, one supercool), christmas lights, mints, a fabulous butterfly dish (not a butter dish, but the butterfly named "Figure 1"), night blooming jasmine and a rather cool pot. They're so cool. *sigh*
THIS WILL NOT BE A FEEL SORRY FOR ME POST!
N&D's been amazing these past few days. He's watered all the plants that needed watering, built a Chuy fence, helped me build a new door to the crawlspace under the house so we can get rid of the pile of bricks and rather large plant keeping the dogs out, and he created an extension to our side fence to keep people from jumping over it.
The Story with Caveat: I have no concrete evidence; this is based on impressions of the event and it could have actually been something completely innocent.
Thursday night at about 1:30am N&D and I were jolted out of bed by the dogs barking furiously, a loud thunk and a
weird metal sound, and then the 70# dog squealing horribly (she squeals
anyway when she's nervous -- she's a diva -- but this was more of a
pain squeal). After five minutes of "time out" to calm her down, she
didn't jump up to greet me, was breathing irregularly and licking her
side as if it hurt. No obvious broken ribs, but she was acting as if
they were bruised.
In the morning, over on the only side of the house without a motion
sensor light, where I cleared out the hedge so we can fix the metal on
the chain link fence that is bent and loose, I saw the mulch
underneath the tree on the non-dog side completely mushed up in about
a four foot-long swatch. Just large enough for a person jumping a
fence rather quickly to land.
N&D's been leaving the dogs access to the backyard at night as he's been feeling as if someone's been scoping the house. The last time he felt this way, we found out someone had actually been using our yard to dump stolen wallets.
We didn't actually see anyone ... The dogs bark at cats ... and dogs
... and squirrels ... and people walking by ...
... but we're pretty sure someone tried to break in to our house
Happy Easter/Mid-Pesach/Seasonal Holiday of your Denomination!
This weekend was beautiful. Literally. Gorgeous Saturday, and N&D and I spent the morning and early afternoon at the mosaic-jam. Two mosaic-people, two mosaic-flowers, and only one more mosaic-person to go. Yay! And then Aaron and I worked on the brochure, and I cooked really nasty carrot cake that was way to healthy (ew).
Sunday, up early. Aaron washed clothes while I spent the entire morning looking for my keys. Nowhere in the house. I don't know where they are. Watered the plants in the island. Sad to be missing such another beautiful day that I could spend with puppies in the park but the brochure is mostly done (there are some image issues, and it really needs to be printed ... but whatever). And then found out that Lily was PTS. Sweet, sweet, majestic loving girl. 108 in human-equivalent of dog years. She was tired, I bet. Sweet, gentle, grey furred girl.
My heart aches for Sonja. It really does. I hope her spirit flies with Lily tonight in her dreams and she feels that soft warm body next to hers when she's curled up in bed.
poppy mosaic #3
Originally uploaded by carabou. Playing around with flickr.
Again, please feel sorry for me. The garden really is looking much nicer, with very happy poppies, but the dogs tried to kill one of their own last week, and I'm two thousand dollars poorer because of it.
That's a lot of sudden debt. But I've gotten a little joy from the happy flowers in our sideyard, and the rain. Even with all of the mud, the rain is quite nice.
So now we have a permanently inside dog (christened "Cat") and three muddy monsters that insist on laying on top of my tomato plants. But life ... yeah.
Sorry for the graphic disgusting thing that follows (don't read it if you're eating, or plan to ever eat again). I just need a little sympathy thrown my way.
Every thirty minutes or so I've been going into the dog porch and cleaning up gobs of diarrhea. I can't let any of the dogs out into the yard because tree guys are here (gate wide open=dogs on walkabout), and although they're tolerant of dogs, falling tree branches aren't the safest environment for sniffy, nosey, barky beasts.
So. Four contained dogs. One with diarrhea. Who keeps licking his nasty sticky butt. And then throwing up.
I feel soooo sorry for him. Vet is closed today, and I wouldn't take him anyway without waiting for at least 24 hours to see if it goes away on its own. But still.
He's spread diarrhea over EVERYTHING! The couch cover, the ottoman cover, the floor (and the floor again - and again - and again (repeat several more times) - the floor hasn't been cleaned this much since we moved in).
I gave him a bath. He spread diarrhea all over our bathtub (ew!)
In short, IT STINKS!
And I can't clean thoroughly or disinfect anything until tree guys go away (b/c there's no place to put the dogs other than the dog room. The cats are freaking out enough as it is without having to share their space with dogs that smell like diarrhea)
So. I'm sick dog mom today. At least the trees are getting trimmed.
I'm almost glad I decided to stay home today, but it sucks because it's -- shitty. He's in the kennel right now. It means an even nastier bath later, but at least I can remove the cover from the couch so two Black dogs have a place to chill. Brown dog hasn't left her kennel all morning.
Poor Red dog. And yet, I doubt he'll learn to avoid whatever he ate to cause this.
FEEL SORRY FOR ME!!!!!
*sigh*
At least I have black pansy sorbet (unless N&D ate the last of it last night). Once I shower (again), I'm having me a pansy margarita.
Mmm. margaritas are such a wonderful panacea.
Some Recipes for Herb/Flower Sorbets which would explain the beautiful picture up top.
Ok. There's still some weirdness with posting that I still don't understand, but it seems to be working.
Anyway. Lots going on in the yard. The irises are up. The anemones are up. The bulbine is blooming. The daisy is still kickin'. And everything is just, well, moving along. Planted some clumping shallots, a different type of buddleia (purple!), a couple of bronze fennels (the bulbing fennel that I bought by accident is HUGE!).
I took a whole bunch of free pansies and snapdragons home from Marbridge Garden Center in Manchaca (they were free because they were free. Not because I stole them). What a cool place. Also bought a Sky Pencil: the Ilex crenata of Tomorrow! but I haven't planted it yet.
Also have visited the Sunshine Gardens plant sale, the austin organic plant society's plant sale (at Zilker), Natural Gardener (of course!), it's about thyme, howards nursery ... can't wait until Wheatsville! And the Wildflower center is having their sale in april. I like to visit and ogle more than anything as I know most of what I'm planting is pretty and ornamental for the most part, but darn it, the yard is all grass and I hate grass. Grassy grass grass.
Monkey Man came to our house and told me all of our trees are Old and Sad. Termite Lady came and told me to not freak out about the termites in my pear tree. (And a termite mound in a pear tree ... ) I'm taking action requested by Termite Lady, and Monkey Men will be out on Wednesday trimming back all of the dead stuff way high up in the air. Too bad I have to work; I'd love to watch them.
TAH took some pictures. That's a double blossom purple poppy anemone. All of the other anemone's are just single headed. I'm going to try to let it go to seed (hard to resist cutting!) so I can plant some next year.
But planted a rose tree, and two different bulb types: Firebird Cannas and The President Clematis.
Also transplanted some more of the poppies, but the dogs keep trampling them to get to the yarrow to eat. Yarrow is a stimulant. Stupid dogs.
We bought a new printer this afternoon. Oddly enough, there was an Epson rep hanging around. He, of course, recommended a couple of Epson printers and one of them looked good enough to buy. Good thing we think Epson's a good printer to begin with, but he had a vested interest in what we were looking at to buy.
Really enjoying finishing up House of Paper. It's warm enough to garden; I'm just pretending that it isn't because I'm enjoying my newfound laziness.
So it's been forever since I posted. Not that it matters (hehehe). Right now, little longhorn shaped cookies are cooling on racks, waiting for me to decorate them. Yep. I'm making theme cookies. But hopefully this year, a little snub of useless creativity will come back into my life. I'm tired of working on the house, the yard. I want it to be done already! I think we may watch the game at a local theater (with beer), or maybe just watch it at home. Beer is generally much, much cheaper at home, AND there's the spouse's fantastic cheesey gooey goodness served on chips.
The holidays were actually quite pleasant. I'm just going to leave it at that.
The yard has been sitting, although the living christmas cheer is waiting for a permanent home. The spouse suggested next year we get a christmas elm. or perhaps a christmas lemon. Sometimes, the spouse is right on par with genius.
