* 51 weeks of the year, having all yearly checkups in one week sounds like a great idea
* Have storage figured out BEFORE quadrupling a soup recipe
* The age where discussing joint pain becomes a pick-up line is younger than I thought it might be
* Remembering that the reason I own water shoes in the first place is because the bottom of the pool is very, very rough BEFORE scratching up my feet walking barefoot in the pool for an hour would have been the smarter choice...
Showing posts with label lists. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lists. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Friday, January 6, 2012
Things I Have Learned From Physical Therapy
* Being switched to once-a-week therapy might mean you're making good progress, but it also seems to mean that it can take a full week to recover from each session.
* Doing one's homework exercises faithfully might, sadly, surprise the therapist. Other people must enjoy pain much more than I do.
* After having to be rescued from the bathroom floor while in my crossword puzzle pajamas by 8 strong young men, my battered ego has gotten a little boost from my being more flexible than my young therapist and his assistants.
* One can learn a lot about human muscle structure by what hurts after what exercise.
* The doctor who prescribed the Valium for after physical therapy appointments really knew what he was talking about.
* Doing one's homework exercises faithfully might, sadly, surprise the therapist. Other people must enjoy pain much more than I do.
* After having to be rescued from the bathroom floor while in my crossword puzzle pajamas by 8 strong young men, my battered ego has gotten a little boost from my being more flexible than my young therapist and his assistants.
* One can learn a lot about human muscle structure by what hurts after what exercise.
* The doctor who prescribed the Valium for after physical therapy appointments really knew what he was talking about.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Lessons Learned Today
* Celebrate the small things. Having solved the problem of cornmeal and polenta being mixed up is an achievement. That the new corn-products-all-over-the-floor-of-the-pantry-problem has not been resolved yet is an entirely separate issue.
* Being proud of oneself for finally thinking to buy a restaurant-sized stockpot for canning would make a lot more sense if one had thought to buy a spoon with a restaurant-sized handle.
* Making a double batch of vegetable broth to can would make far more sense if one figured out ahead of time how to strain broth if its volume exceeds everything you own except the stockpot it's already IN, and whether or not the subsequent number of jars also exceeds the capacity of the pressure canner.
* No matter how many problems one encounters, it's hard to have a bad day when there is chocolate-peanut butter ice cream involved.
* The fact that I'm always surprised when the lawn-care program we signed up for notifies me that something else needs to be done to the lawn is probably the best illustration of why we NEED a lawn care program.
* Ignoring the green tomatoes hasn't made them go away, but at least it makes them turn red.
* No matter how this vegetable broth turns out, the fact that it is the last thing I'm making with the pressure canner this year makes it my favorite canned thing EVER!
* Being proud of oneself for finally thinking to buy a restaurant-sized stockpot for canning would make a lot more sense if one had thought to buy a spoon with a restaurant-sized handle.
* Making a double batch of vegetable broth to can would make far more sense if one figured out ahead of time how to strain broth if its volume exceeds everything you own except the stockpot it's already IN, and whether or not the subsequent number of jars also exceeds the capacity of the pressure canner.
* No matter how many problems one encounters, it's hard to have a bad day when there is chocolate-peanut butter ice cream involved.
* The fact that I'm always surprised when the lawn-care program we signed up for notifies me that something else needs to be done to the lawn is probably the best illustration of why we NEED a lawn care program.
* Ignoring the green tomatoes hasn't made them go away, but at least it makes them turn red.
* No matter how this vegetable broth turns out, the fact that it is the last thing I'm making with the pressure canner this year makes it my favorite canned thing EVER!
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Things We Have Learned This Week
* Just about the time the garden is really paying off always seems to coincide with the time I am sick of the sight of it.
* There are probably much smarter things to do than garden if one has allergies, but none as likely to produce fresh tomatoes
* A "one year supply" of our favorite all-purpose salsa is 28 pints. It might be the only thing in our lives that doesn't change from year to year
* If you really want definite proof of which direction the wind storm was blowing, go check on the flowers that used to be 8-feet tall
* In spite of the fact that I've been canning for some time now, I really actually thought it would be a good idea to make AND can 3 different recipes today.............after doing the weekly grocery shopping. This probably explains a lot about the blog.
* There are probably much smarter things to do than garden if one has allergies, but none as likely to produce fresh tomatoes
* A "one year supply" of our favorite all-purpose salsa is 28 pints. It might be the only thing in our lives that doesn't change from year to year
* If you really want definite proof of which direction the wind storm was blowing, go check on the flowers that used to be 8-feet tall
* In spite of the fact that I've been canning for some time now, I really actually thought it would be a good idea to make AND can 3 different recipes today.............after doing the weekly grocery shopping. This probably explains a lot about the blog.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Things I've Learned This Week
* Cool weather doesn't just mean that it's finally possible to spray fungicide. It also likely means rain. Probably while or right after spraying said fungicide.
* Taking a shower in the summer is a much more interesting event than it is in the winter. In the winter it's harder to play "Guess what bug/soil/spray/twigs I'm covered in today?"
* Even if the little clerk at the gardening store doesn't have the faintest idea what she's talking about, she'll talk with great certainty about what is wrong with your plant leaves.
* I planted cucumbers and ended up with spaghetti squash. I planted Hubbard squash and ended up with pumpkins. Now I know why my family raised cattle for a living instead of vegetables: You don't breed a cow and end up with a llama.
* Either Theo can't actually tell what fresh catnip looks like when it's still on the plant or he prefers his catnip to be served by his human staff.
* Finding that we still had one jar left of my vegetable salsa from last year totally made my day. Either that's really good salsa or a really boring day.
* Taking a shower in the summer is a much more interesting event than it is in the winter. In the winter it's harder to play "Guess what bug/soil/spray/twigs I'm covered in today?"
* Even if the little clerk at the gardening store doesn't have the faintest idea what she's talking about, she'll talk with great certainty about what is wrong with your plant leaves.
* I planted cucumbers and ended up with spaghetti squash. I planted Hubbard squash and ended up with pumpkins. Now I know why my family raised cattle for a living instead of vegetables: You don't breed a cow and end up with a llama.
* Either Theo can't actually tell what fresh catnip looks like when it's still on the plant or he prefers his catnip to be served by his human staff.
* Finding that we still had one jar left of my vegetable salsa from last year totally made my day. Either that's really good salsa or a really boring day.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
What I Have Learned This Week
* The days of putting away flannel PJs for the summer are over.
* The squash you want least is the one that will come back as a volunteer
* One does indeed need two tomatillo plants to get tomatilloes.
* Two tomatillo plants can produce a truly frightening number of blossoms. Salsa for everybody!!!!!!!!
* After 3 years of digging along the fence to try to find holes in the sprinkler lines, changing the watering, and trying to fix the soil because of the giant pools of water we kept getting, one of our first actions should have been to check to make sure the sprinklers for the common area behind our yard weren't watering the daylights out of our fence.
* If it takes one 4 months to find where one has put something, like the map of where one has planted each type of garlic, one has picked a really lousy place to keep the darn thing.
* People with a huge list of things they don't like or won't do are rather exhausting to be around
* Mosquitoes think Andy tastes better than me. We think it might be because I'm so pale they think I'm not ripe yet.
* If one has cats long enough, finding a dead mouse gift OUTSIDE the house and NOT on the floor of one's bedroom can really make one's day
* The squash you want least is the one that will come back as a volunteer
* One does indeed need two tomatillo plants to get tomatilloes.
* Two tomatillo plants can produce a truly frightening number of blossoms. Salsa for everybody!!!!!!!!
* After 3 years of digging along the fence to try to find holes in the sprinkler lines, changing the watering, and trying to fix the soil because of the giant pools of water we kept getting, one of our first actions should have been to check to make sure the sprinklers for the common area behind our yard weren't watering the daylights out of our fence.
* If it takes one 4 months to find where one has put something, like the map of where one has planted each type of garlic, one has picked a really lousy place to keep the darn thing.
* People with a huge list of things they don't like or won't do are rather exhausting to be around
* Mosquitoes think Andy tastes better than me. We think it might be because I'm so pale they think I'm not ripe yet.
* If one has cats long enough, finding a dead mouse gift OUTSIDE the house and NOT on the floor of one's bedroom can really make one's day
Friday, June 11, 2010
Things I've Learned This Week
* Check to see whether they cause drowsiness or not BEFORE taking someone else's allergy medication.
* Just because a blueberry bush is more than 2 feet away from the fence people, it doesn't mean they won't somehow destroy it.
* Not having a backyard fence for a week makes me feel very exposed. I'm not ready for the neighbors to know how often I go out in the backyard in my pajamas.
* We either have highly evolved slugs who have caught on to the beer-trap thing, or else ours have chosen to not drink alcohol for religious or health reasons.
* Taking down a fence makes WAY more noise than one might think.
* My gardening organizational skills still need some work. Last fall, I carefully drew a map showing what type of garlic & how much of each variety I was planting. Which would be really, really useful, of course, except that I can't find the silly map............
* Normally, I'm not a huge radish fan, but after a month of salads of just chives, spinach, and 3 types of lettuce, I am REALLY excited to see them finally ready.
* Andy and I agree on most things, but we take very different stances on birds. He finds them interesting and would like a bird feeder. I find them to be little monsters who are always after my garden and would like to feed them to the cats. We're trying to work through our differences.......
* Just because a blueberry bush is more than 2 feet away from the fence people, it doesn't mean they won't somehow destroy it.
* Not having a backyard fence for a week makes me feel very exposed. I'm not ready for the neighbors to know how often I go out in the backyard in my pajamas.
* We either have highly evolved slugs who have caught on to the beer-trap thing, or else ours have chosen to not drink alcohol for religious or health reasons.
* Taking down a fence makes WAY more noise than one might think.
* My gardening organizational skills still need some work. Last fall, I carefully drew a map showing what type of garlic & how much of each variety I was planting. Which would be really, really useful, of course, except that I can't find the silly map............
* Normally, I'm not a huge radish fan, but after a month of salads of just chives, spinach, and 3 types of lettuce, I am REALLY excited to see them finally ready.
* Andy and I agree on most things, but we take very different stances on birds. He finds them interesting and would like a bird feeder. I find them to be little monsters who are always after my garden and would like to feed them to the cats. We're trying to work through our differences.......
Friday, April 23, 2010
Things I Am TRYING To Learn This Week
* throwing a cat toy is not on the "approved list of activities" for resting an arm
* the bigger issue is to remember that I really LIKE cilantro, and not to be irritated that it is coming up everywhere in the garden this year after refusing to grow at all last year
* I need to stop feeling proud of myself for being able to grow snow peas. The real trick, it seems, is to STOP them from growing on every available inch of the garden....and in the lawn....and in the flower beds....
* no matter how loudly our new neighbors need to rev their car engines, it does not necessarily mean that certain parts of their anatomy are "dimensionally-challenged."
* a cat might not understand that Daylight Savings Time only happens once a year, and that to just randomly shift wake-up time an hour ahead every few weeks might seem like an acceptable idea to the cat
* you'll never know a truer measure of a person than when you see how they treat you when you have different fundamental beliefs than he or she does
* the bigger issue is to remember that I really LIKE cilantro, and not to be irritated that it is coming up everywhere in the garden this year after refusing to grow at all last year
* I need to stop feeling proud of myself for being able to grow snow peas. The real trick, it seems, is to STOP them from growing on every available inch of the garden....and in the lawn....and in the flower beds....
* no matter how loudly our new neighbors need to rev their car engines, it does not necessarily mean that certain parts of their anatomy are "dimensionally-challenged."
* a cat might not understand that Daylight Savings Time only happens once a year, and that to just randomly shift wake-up time an hour ahead every few weeks might seem like an acceptable idea to the cat
* you'll never know a truer measure of a person than when you see how they treat you when you have different fundamental beliefs than he or she does
Thursday, April 8, 2010
You Know You're Officially An Adult When......
* a good doctor's appointment is when you don't hear the words "at your age...."
* you only recognize friends from high school because they look like their parents
* you spend an evening with a friend comparing surgery stories
* when your bedtime is right around the time you and your friends used to START the evening
* you stop looking for toys in your morning cereal and start looking for fiber
* you only recognize friends from high school because they look like their parents
* you spend an evening with a friend comparing surgery stories
* when your bedtime is right around the time you and your friends used to START the evening
* you stop looking for toys in your morning cereal and start looking for fiber
Monday, January 18, 2010
Things I've Learned This Week
* If you knit while waiting in a long line, people will initially find you a bit odd. Then, after about 5 minutes, they'll wish they had brought knitting, too.
* It would be hard to explain how exciting ham is right now.
* Exercise might really help clear up the last congestion from bronchitis. Or it could be that sitting in the hot tub afterwards.......
* The cats were happier when I was napping as much as they do.
* If you make up something really good for lunch--say, chicken mushroom crepes--it would be smart to make enough so that there are enough leftovers for TWO, not just one....
* We had to cancel the January soup night because of illness, and it feels REALLY strange to have gone more than a month without hosting a party.
* There was a reason I started watching movies instead of reading right before falling asleep. There has never been any movie engrossing enough to keep me up until 3:00 AM. But I am so close to being done with this book........
* Some processed foods are just WAY too salty for us now--and this coming from a woman who can eat an entire jar of dill pickles in one sitting.
* Getting Grape Nuts for breakfast makes me really happy. (Who would have ever dreamed that there could be a diet that Grape Nuts weren't healthy enough for?)
* If one listens to any ABBA song, it will be running through one's head the rest of the day. There's no escape.
* It would be hard to explain how exciting ham is right now.
* Exercise might really help clear up the last congestion from bronchitis. Or it could be that sitting in the hot tub afterwards.......
* The cats were happier when I was napping as much as they do.
* If you make up something really good for lunch--say, chicken mushroom crepes--it would be smart to make enough so that there are enough leftovers for TWO, not just one....
* We had to cancel the January soup night because of illness, and it feels REALLY strange to have gone more than a month without hosting a party.
* There was a reason I started watching movies instead of reading right before falling asleep. There has never been any movie engrossing enough to keep me up until 3:00 AM. But I am so close to being done with this book........
* Some processed foods are just WAY too salty for us now--and this coming from a woman who can eat an entire jar of dill pickles in one sitting.
* Getting Grape Nuts for breakfast makes me really happy. (Who would have ever dreamed that there could be a diet that Grape Nuts weren't healthy enough for?)
* If one listens to any ABBA song, it will be running through one's head the rest of the day. There's no escape.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
What I Have Learned This Week
* Mice apparently don't hibernate
* Having a huge cup of coffee before trying to paint ceramics is probably not the best idea unless one is fond of polka dots
* There really is no limit to the number of times I can watch A Muppet Christmas Carol.
* Diet Pepsi tastes just as good as I remember
* If any of your friends have children in college, it's handy to have a math whiz on speed-dial
* Having one's alma mater make it into a bowl game will make even the least-interested alumna consider attending the game for at least 20 seconds.....right until she remembers it would involve sitting outside on December 30 in an area that has "winter"
* One can NEVER have too many groups of great girlfriends
* The "live-and-let-live" policy for bugs that I talked myself into this summer does not include fruit flies.
* A week of temperatures right around zero will stop one from whining about ANY other winter weather one gets
* She who feels smugness about getting over a cold quickly is headed for a relapse
* Having a huge cup of coffee before trying to paint ceramics is probably not the best idea unless one is fond of polka dots
* There really is no limit to the number of times I can watch A Muppet Christmas Carol.
* Diet Pepsi tastes just as good as I remember
* If any of your friends have children in college, it's handy to have a math whiz on speed-dial
* Having one's alma mater make it into a bowl game will make even the least-interested alumna consider attending the game for at least 20 seconds.....right until she remembers it would involve sitting outside on December 30 in an area that has "winter"
* One can NEVER have too many groups of great girlfriends
* The "live-and-let-live" policy for bugs that I talked myself into this summer does not include fruit flies.
* A week of temperatures right around zero will stop one from whining about ANY other winter weather one gets
* She who feels smugness about getting over a cold quickly is headed for a relapse
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Questions For The Universe
* Why can the smoke detectors only decide they need batteries at 3:00 AM?
* How many sweaters can I own before it becomes "obsessive?"
* Do I do anything as fast as I seem to think I can?
* What do cats without owners do for entertainment and why don't my cats do it?
* How many film adaptations of Dickens's "A Christmas Carol" are there?
* How is it possible that I found THREE matching shoes when cleaning out my closet--not just two? Do they breed or were there two pairs and the laundry's Sock Black Hole has decided to up the ante?
* How many people do I have to talk to before NOT shaving one's legs becomes fashionable in America?
* If they completely rewrite the story when converting a book to a movie, why do filmmakers even bother keeping the original title?
* Would one find more items in a grocery store WITHOUT any unknown ingredients, or without any KNOWN ingredients?
* How many sweaters can I own before it becomes "obsessive?"
* Do I do anything as fast as I seem to think I can?
* What do cats without owners do for entertainment and why don't my cats do it?
* How many film adaptations of Dickens's "A Christmas Carol" are there?
* How is it possible that I found THREE matching shoes when cleaning out my closet--not just two? Do they breed or were there two pairs and the laundry's Sock Black Hole has decided to up the ante?
* How many people do I have to talk to before NOT shaving one's legs becomes fashionable in America?
* If they completely rewrite the story when converting a book to a movie, why do filmmakers even bother keeping the original title?
* Would one find more items in a grocery store WITHOUT any unknown ingredients, or without any KNOWN ingredients?
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Things I've Learned This Week
* "Quick" lunches were a lot easier when it was warm enough to have yogurt smoothies on a regular basis.
* Not everyone bakes a "stringy" spaghetti squash, which is probably good news if you don't have a pot of spaghetti sauce waiting for it.
* Every time I think humans have reached an all-time-low, there's a "Reality TV" show just waiting to prove me wrong.
* Asking people what his or her favorite books are is a great way to find some new authors.
* The idea of going out to get a truckload of manure for the garden was a much more sellable idea BEFORE we knew it would probably be fresh and steaming.
* Petunias are a very determined flower. I have petunias coming up now that I didn't even plant. That's my kind of flower!
* If you feel the need to make sweeping statements on Facebook about "all" of any group, I'm probably going to feel the need to "de-friend" you.
* It's hard not to feel a bit unloved when you don't even get "occupant" letters in the mail. Not to mention a bit shocked.
* It would be hard to say which I am most able to overestimate--the speed at which I can knit, or the speed at which I can read books. Currently, I think I have enough on both my lists for the next 85 years......
* For creatures that spend 15-20 hours a day napping, it's amazing how little sleep the cats seem to think I need.
* Just because it's a fall-flowering plant, apparently one shouldn't actually think their mum plant is going to have flowers in the fall.
* I don't know if it makes the neighbors feel better to see us out putting stuff on our lawn so it won't always look terrible, or if they wonder why our lawn looks like crap when we keep putting so much stuff on it.
* I will never actually enjoy yardwork, but being outsmarted by the weeds every year does actually make it a bit of a "thrill-of-the-challenge" sort of thing.
* I found some onion seeds which are supposed to be planted in the fall to produce some great onions the following season. If I could remember where I put the seed packet, that would be even more exciting.
* Not everyone bakes a "stringy" spaghetti squash, which is probably good news if you don't have a pot of spaghetti sauce waiting for it.
* Every time I think humans have reached an all-time-low, there's a "Reality TV" show just waiting to prove me wrong.
* Asking people what his or her favorite books are is a great way to find some new authors.
* The idea of going out to get a truckload of manure for the garden was a much more sellable idea BEFORE we knew it would probably be fresh and steaming.
* Petunias are a very determined flower. I have petunias coming up now that I didn't even plant. That's my kind of flower!
* If you feel the need to make sweeping statements on Facebook about "all" of any group, I'm probably going to feel the need to "de-friend" you.
* It's hard not to feel a bit unloved when you don't even get "occupant" letters in the mail. Not to mention a bit shocked.
* It would be hard to say which I am most able to overestimate--the speed at which I can knit, or the speed at which I can read books. Currently, I think I have enough on both my lists for the next 85 years......
* For creatures that spend 15-20 hours a day napping, it's amazing how little sleep the cats seem to think I need.
* Just because it's a fall-flowering plant, apparently one shouldn't actually think their mum plant is going to have flowers in the fall.
* I don't know if it makes the neighbors feel better to see us out putting stuff on our lawn so it won't always look terrible, or if they wonder why our lawn looks like crap when we keep putting so much stuff on it.
* I will never actually enjoy yardwork, but being outsmarted by the weeds every year does actually make it a bit of a "thrill-of-the-challenge" sort of thing.
* I found some onion seeds which are supposed to be planted in the fall to produce some great onions the following season. If I could remember where I put the seed packet, that would be even more exciting.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Things I've Been Wondering Lately
* Was butternut squash named after Julia Child?
* Does everyone look like a mugger in a hoodie, or just everyone I've seen lately?
* What on earth made the first person look at a 40-pound hubbard squash and say, "You know, I bet I could eat that?"
* Are there any grocery carts without one crazy wheel?
* Is there a club somewhere devoted to typing up urban legends to send around the internet, and do they get prizes for coming up with the craziest ones?
* If cats view their humans as staff, can I be fired?
* Do we like the self-checkout machines in stores because we are unsocial or because most of us had a toy cash register when we were children?
* Have humans caused the craziness of the weather this year, or has Mother Nature always been a little loopy?
* Why do people who don't cook watch the Food Network?
* Has there ever been a woman anywhere who went to her closet, looked inside, and said "Yep, I have enough shoes?"
* How can any decent human being listen to a media personality who advocates violence against another human being?
* Does everyone look like a mugger in a hoodie, or just everyone I've seen lately?
* What on earth made the first person look at a 40-pound hubbard squash and say, "You know, I bet I could eat that?"
* Are there any grocery carts without one crazy wheel?
* Is there a club somewhere devoted to typing up urban legends to send around the internet, and do they get prizes for coming up with the craziest ones?
* If cats view their humans as staff, can I be fired?
* Do we like the self-checkout machines in stores because we are unsocial or because most of us had a toy cash register when we were children?
* Have humans caused the craziness of the weather this year, or has Mother Nature always been a little loopy?
* Why do people who don't cook watch the Food Network?
* Has there ever been a woman anywhere who went to her closet, looked inside, and said "Yep, I have enough shoes?"
* How can any decent human being listen to a media personality who advocates violence against another human being?
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Things I've Learned This Month
* If your spouse has had to live with his comments around the house becoming fodder for your blog, when he gets on Facebook he might choose to even things out a bit.
* White spots on squash leaves probably aren't hard-water deposits, even if the spots inside the house are.
* Some days it's best to ignore the existence of the garden, especially when one has canned 11 pints of salsa the day before.
* One of the fastest ways to crack my spouse up seems to be to tell him that I think if I stop wasting so much time everyday, I could probably get one more book read every month. I believe he's still chuckling over that one.
* Nothing makes me more excited about canning than to get my arse kicked by a sweater.
* Even though everyone has to be 39 for an entire year, no one seems to believe anyone could be that age.
* Trying to catch a vole with an inverted trash can is a good way to smash him if he runs in the wrong direction when you pounce.
* Listening to Christmas music in September is really only weird if you're wearing a Santa hat as well. There are limits.
* Nine jalapeno plants might really have been a bit of overkill.
* Even canning books can have typos.
* It is possible to melt the knobs on a gas stove, though I'm not exactly sure how I did it.
* While I am trying to be a good homeowner and keep the front of our house looking good, after getting shredded a few times trying to pull the morning glory out of the prickly shrubs, I have decided the flowers make them look nicer anyway.
* I'll be much more sorry to see the zucchini die now that we've discovered zucchini chocolate cake.
* Some days I can see the advantage to having more traditional cats who would simply ignore my existence. Most nights I certainly can.
* There is nothing too foolish or too hateful for someone somewhere to believe it, especially if it's passed around as an email.
* Having a producing garden made the no-processed-foods experiment a whole lot easier, which I will be fully appreciating in about a month when we're back to the bizarre green food creations of the beginning of the year.
* It's really hard to admit that 28 pints of salsa (not counting the carrot & chipotle varieties) might really be enough when we ran out of salsa so early this year. Granted, I only made 6-7 pints last year, but the sheer horror still haunts me.
* We're the only people I know who don't call it "fall." Here it's "canning season."
* It was a lot easier to not think about chocolate before the Halloween candy came out in the stores. I will be trying very hard not to mug Trick-or-Treaters.
* Having three months left to go is a whole lot easier than 12.
* White spots on squash leaves probably aren't hard-water deposits, even if the spots inside the house are.
* Some days it's best to ignore the existence of the garden, especially when one has canned 11 pints of salsa the day before.
* One of the fastest ways to crack my spouse up seems to be to tell him that I think if I stop wasting so much time everyday, I could probably get one more book read every month. I believe he's still chuckling over that one.
* Nothing makes me more excited about canning than to get my arse kicked by a sweater.
* Even though everyone has to be 39 for an entire year, no one seems to believe anyone could be that age.
* Trying to catch a vole with an inverted trash can is a good way to smash him if he runs in the wrong direction when you pounce.
* Listening to Christmas music in September is really only weird if you're wearing a Santa hat as well. There are limits.
* Nine jalapeno plants might really have been a bit of overkill.
* Even canning books can have typos.
* It is possible to melt the knobs on a gas stove, though I'm not exactly sure how I did it.
* While I am trying to be a good homeowner and keep the front of our house looking good, after getting shredded a few times trying to pull the morning glory out of the prickly shrubs, I have decided the flowers make them look nicer anyway.
* I'll be much more sorry to see the zucchini die now that we've discovered zucchini chocolate cake.
* Some days I can see the advantage to having more traditional cats who would simply ignore my existence. Most nights I certainly can.
* There is nothing too foolish or too hateful for someone somewhere to believe it, especially if it's passed around as an email.
* Having a producing garden made the no-processed-foods experiment a whole lot easier, which I will be fully appreciating in about a month when we're back to the bizarre green food creations of the beginning of the year.
* It's really hard to admit that 28 pints of salsa (not counting the carrot & chipotle varieties) might really be enough when we ran out of salsa so early this year. Granted, I only made 6-7 pints last year, but the sheer horror still haunts me.
* We're the only people I know who don't call it "fall." Here it's "canning season."
* It was a lot easier to not think about chocolate before the Halloween candy came out in the stores. I will be trying very hard not to mug Trick-or-Treaters.
* Having three months left to go is a whole lot easier than 12.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Things I Learned Last Month
* Those who don't keep Band-Aids in the kitchen are either optimistic, foolish, or really REALLY talented.
* Chocolate makes everything better--even zucchini.
* Being gone only 4 days does not translate into only 4 days of having a cat sleep on my head when we return.
* It may only be a coincidence, but growing lots of squash and several neighbors move away in the same year does make one wonder.
* Even with something that's relatively easy to grow--like garlic--there's always someone out there who is trying to make it harder.
* Never laugh at anyone else's gardening until you've tried it yourself. If the soil is loose enough, it really is possible to have trouble finding the potatoes.
* Jewelry may be pretty, but a true expression of love is when your spouse rids the garden of aphids for you.
* Anaheim peppers apparently like growing next to peas. Either that or someone is feeding steroids to one of our plants.
* A watched tomato does not turn red
* It doesn't matter if the tag says the tomatillo plant will fruit before the tomatoes if the tomatillo plant hasn't read the tag
* It might be smarter to figure out where all the jars are going to go BEFORE one starts canning, but we like living on the edge.
* Don't underestimate the amount of time it takes a not-quite-ready zucchini to grow to boat-size. It might be 30 seconds.
* Trying to conserve energy by not running the air conditioning is fine and dandy until it reaches 100 degrees for days on end. Then it's time to crank the sucker and send a donation to the conservation league.
* As wonderful as I think his books are, getting P. Allen Smith's newsletter saying that it's time to start planning the fall garden when I'm still trying to get the summer one going makes me want to pop him in the nose.
* Everyone has advice to give on growing tomatoes, but the dang plant is actually a weed that will grow almost anywhere if you aren't careful.
* Check how big a squash can get before planting it. Some can grow to 40 pounds, and one is living in out backyard.
* Planting all the climbing plants in the same bed and letting them fight it out is actually kind of fun.
* It takes exactly 2 strange desserts from the garden to establish one's reputation for strange desserts from the garden. It might take only one if you start with green tomato cake
* Some plants have to work harder than others. I had some extra room, so I decided to give eggplant another go, but that doesn't mean I'm going to encourage it or anything.
* Keep a journal of your gardening exploits, and to remind yourself that however much you are looking forward to the cucumbers, six plants is probably going a bit overboard
* Chocolate makes everything better--even zucchini.
* Being gone only 4 days does not translate into only 4 days of having a cat sleep on my head when we return.
* It may only be a coincidence, but growing lots of squash and several neighbors move away in the same year does make one wonder.
* Even with something that's relatively easy to grow--like garlic--there's always someone out there who is trying to make it harder.
* Never laugh at anyone else's gardening until you've tried it yourself. If the soil is loose enough, it really is possible to have trouble finding the potatoes.
* Jewelry may be pretty, but a true expression of love is when your spouse rids the garden of aphids for you.
* Anaheim peppers apparently like growing next to peas. Either that or someone is feeding steroids to one of our plants.
* A watched tomato does not turn red
* It doesn't matter if the tag says the tomatillo plant will fruit before the tomatoes if the tomatillo plant hasn't read the tag
* It might be smarter to figure out where all the jars are going to go BEFORE one starts canning, but we like living on the edge.
* Don't underestimate the amount of time it takes a not-quite-ready zucchini to grow to boat-size. It might be 30 seconds.
* Trying to conserve energy by not running the air conditioning is fine and dandy until it reaches 100 degrees for days on end. Then it's time to crank the sucker and send a donation to the conservation league.
* As wonderful as I think his books are, getting P. Allen Smith's newsletter saying that it's time to start planning the fall garden when I'm still trying to get the summer one going makes me want to pop him in the nose.
* Everyone has advice to give on growing tomatoes, but the dang plant is actually a weed that will grow almost anywhere if you aren't careful.
* Check how big a squash can get before planting it. Some can grow to 40 pounds, and one is living in out backyard.
* Planting all the climbing plants in the same bed and letting them fight it out is actually kind of fun.
* It takes exactly 2 strange desserts from the garden to establish one's reputation for strange desserts from the garden. It might take only one if you start with green tomato cake
* Some plants have to work harder than others. I had some extra room, so I decided to give eggplant another go, but that doesn't mean I'm going to encourage it or anything.
* Keep a journal of your gardening exploits, and to remind yourself that however much you are looking forward to the cucumbers, six plants is probably going a bit overboard
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Things I Have Learned From Gardening
* Draw a map of where you planted things unless you enjoy vegetable scavenger hunts
* Do not let the family optimist plant the squash
* Until you've tried it yourself, do not snigger at the person who says they couldn't find the potatoes
* Just because the tomatillo plant had a whole bunch of flowers a month ago, do not assume you'll have tomatillos by now. They might still just be flowers
* Cucumbers and dill will never be ready at the same time, no matter how much you want to make pickles
* Gardening books have all sorts of information about what sort of growing conditions peppers want. Unfortunately, the peppers haven't read them.
* Do not plant dill or mint more than once.
* Birds are much less likely to bother the strawberries once your cat has killed a few of their brethren.
* Planting anything between two climbing beans is foolish, unless you never want to see it again.
* More rational people would increase their garden space by say, 25%--not 100%
* Some people may not plan their late summer around something called "canning season."
* A productive garden may not be very attractive landscaping-wise, but neither was our backyard landscaping
* People were able to grow things LONG before there were garden-supply stores on every corner selling expensive additives.
* A little ingenuity saves one heck of a lot of money.
* Do not let the family optimist plant the squash
* Until you've tried it yourself, do not snigger at the person who says they couldn't find the potatoes
* Just because the tomatillo plant had a whole bunch of flowers a month ago, do not assume you'll have tomatillos by now. They might still just be flowers
* Cucumbers and dill will never be ready at the same time, no matter how much you want to make pickles
* Gardening books have all sorts of information about what sort of growing conditions peppers want. Unfortunately, the peppers haven't read them.
* Do not plant dill or mint more than once.
* Birds are much less likely to bother the strawberries once your cat has killed a few of their brethren.
* Planting anything between two climbing beans is foolish, unless you never want to see it again.
* More rational people would increase their garden space by say, 25%--not 100%
* Some people may not plan their late summer around something called "canning season."
* A productive garden may not be very attractive landscaping-wise, but neither was our backyard landscaping
* People were able to grow things LONG before there were garden-supply stores on every corner selling expensive additives.
* A little ingenuity saves one heck of a lot of money.
Monday, June 29, 2009
This Week I Have Learned.....
Place markers, draw maps, or somehow create a reference of where I plant things in the garden. I WILL not remember, and playing “name that vegetable” doesn’t always work. What I might be carefully tending as a potential vegetable might turn out to be a vicious weed that is really hard to kill by the time I figure it out.
Knowing your cats may be using the garden as a giant litterbox makes you look at root vegetables a little differently.
I used to feel a bit sorry for the birds the cats killed. Then they started eating all the strawberries
Kale and beets look pretty similar on the seed packets, but the ones that get the big bulb at the bottom are the beets.
Tomatoes will grow anywhere except where you actually planted them.
I never thought I’d say this, but I really miss canned cream of mushroom soup
Figuring out when icicle radishes are ready to pick is complete guesswork
Community property in marriage stops somewhere short of the pea pods
Trying to grow things naturally & without chemicals is going to involve a lot of bugs and you’re going to have to learn to share with them.
The seventh batch of cherry jam doesn’t taste as good as the first
The seventh batch of cherry jam is still pretty good.
It may not be wise to read the Little House book series to young, impressionable children. They may grow up to drag their husbands through crazy food experiments.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Things I've Learned This Week
* When it's boiling, jam doesn't just double. It's more of an exponential sort of explosion.
* The novelty of a new cherry-pitter wears off by the 357th cherry.
* Four ounce jars make a batch of jam look like much more of an accomplishment. Six 8-ounce jars after an hour is just dead depressing.
* There's a reason convenience foods are such a big hit.
* Until this week, I really didn't appreciate how much of a mess I could make in the kitchen. I have been underestimating myself.
* Freezer jam takes about half the time of cooked jam, and tastes about half as good.
* If your hands are sticky with jam, it would be best not to answer your cell phone.
* It's easier to be optimistic about canning while picking cherries than when pitting them.
* Unbelievably, most people don't really consider jam as an acceptable lunch, even if you've just spent the last 3 hours making it.
* An afternoon treat of homemade bread covered in fresh cherry jam helps prepare your spouse for the fact that he gets to cook dinner that night.
* Even burning yourself on the stove can't really ruin a day when you're looking forward to hot sourdough rolls with fresh cherry-amaretto jam.
* The novelty of a new cherry-pitter wears off by the 357th cherry.
* Four ounce jars make a batch of jam look like much more of an accomplishment. Six 8-ounce jars after an hour is just dead depressing.
* There's a reason convenience foods are such a big hit.
* Until this week, I really didn't appreciate how much of a mess I could make in the kitchen. I have been underestimating myself.
* Freezer jam takes about half the time of cooked jam, and tastes about half as good.
* If your hands are sticky with jam, it would be best not to answer your cell phone.
* It's easier to be optimistic about canning while picking cherries than when pitting them.
* Unbelievably, most people don't really consider jam as an acceptable lunch, even if you've just spent the last 3 hours making it.
* An afternoon treat of homemade bread covered in fresh cherry jam helps prepare your spouse for the fact that he gets to cook dinner that night.
* Even burning yourself on the stove can't really ruin a day when you're looking forward to hot sourdough rolls with fresh cherry-amaretto jam.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Things I've Learned This Week
* No matter how hard you try, you can't split a blueberry
* While running errands in a rainstorm is a really poor time to find out one of your shoes leaks.
* Whoever invented bagless vacuums didn't own two cats.
* When just getting back into the normal swing of things after surgery, a solo trip to Costco involving a 40-pound bucket of cat litter is a really bad idea.
* Martha Stewart really wasn't history's most uptight caterer. That honor belongs to chef Vatel, who was supposed to serve a fish dinner to King Louis XIV of France. The fish didn't arrive in time, and Vatel killed himself.
* One can make a really good pesto out of mint, feta cheese, toasted pecans, and olive oil, and if you overdo the mint it clears your sinuses right up.
* If one plans to make mustard for tonight's dinner, one might want to double-check the recipe for such phrases as "soak overnight."
* If one is just coming out of a 6-week recovery period, a smart person wouldn't expect to get all caught up in just a few days.
* While running errands in a rainstorm is a really poor time to find out one of your shoes leaks.
* Whoever invented bagless vacuums didn't own two cats.
* When just getting back into the normal swing of things after surgery, a solo trip to Costco involving a 40-pound bucket of cat litter is a really bad idea.
* Martha Stewart really wasn't history's most uptight caterer. That honor belongs to chef Vatel, who was supposed to serve a fish dinner to King Louis XIV of France. The fish didn't arrive in time, and Vatel killed himself.
* One can make a really good pesto out of mint, feta cheese, toasted pecans, and olive oil, and if you overdo the mint it clears your sinuses right up.
* If one plans to make mustard for tonight's dinner, one might want to double-check the recipe for such phrases as "soak overnight."
* If one is just coming out of a 6-week recovery period, a smart person wouldn't expect to get all caught up in just a few days.
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