The Winter That Wasn't

Though it might not be over yet, I think the end of winter is nigh.  Yay!  Spring is my favorite season. Only a few daffodils are open, but I'll take them.  Today I am planting more seeds in peat pots, though I haven't had good results with that.  They either have a damping off or aren't warm enough or something.  Going to try again anyway.  I found these teeny tomato seeds about the size of pearls that I had a few years ago. They are a bite bursting with flavor.  I hope some of them grow.  

I bought two raised beds for the city house.  They are waist high and I put them on either side of the house to see which one gets more sun.  Vegetables need at least 6 hours of sun per day.  There isn't anywhere else here for vegetables, so I'm giving it a shot.

This weekend I bought the weenies a pup stroller and we used it this morning.  They were too nervous to enjoy it, but hopefully will as we do it more often.  At least it got me out for a walk.  I've spent the winter being a slug and I hope to change that.  

Hope this week finds you out in the garden with lots of sunshine.

Born A Brat

Nature or nurture - that is the question.  Methinks it is both, but I tend to lean a little more towards nature, though of course, nurture is critical too.  Cognitive dissonance. "Children aren't born bad," my husband says.  But, is there truth in the old term, the bad seed?

I don't know the answers,  but look at that little oppositional brat to the right.  The personality already forming - a non-conformist or perhaps, a free-spirit?  Always fighting against something; swimming upstream, walked different paths and did not follow or lead, because I did not care what others did.  Rebel without a cause?

I wish I had not been like that.  Wish I were not an introvert.  I was a wild child.  Roamed the countryside and neighborhoods, quiet and observant.  My business, as an adult, was Wild Child Designs.  There is hope for those children.  They can succeed in life, but woe to the parents that must deal with them.

It's A New Day

The old saw, nothing new under the sun, isn't true.  

Gone are the days of holding on to a tree and giving birth.  Today, they paint a painting with your placenta.  They then freeze dry it and grind it up and put it into capsules.  The bottle looks like something you'd purchase at the drug store.  Supposedly, it helps with nursing, postpartum depression and, whatever...

It is a different world we live in - a new day and age.

Greasy Grimy Gopher Guts

I think I'm going to have to get a frog gig to catch a gopher.  Notice the pile of dirt at the bottom of picture.  It has slung dirt that now fills about a third of my goldfish pond.  

Some of these rocks where it resides are too heavy to move.  I can't get the little devil out.  He is happy to keep digging.  I've tried the sonic beeper to run him off.  Didn't work.  I bought some traps - can't figure out how to use them.  The old trap I used at the farm worked wonderful.  Caught them every time.  I'd resort to poison, but I'm afraid the weenies would get into it. As per the advice from an old-timer, I tried a stick of Juicy Fruit gum, both chewed and unchewed - didn't work.

But, I am desperate.  This little sucker has burrowed down eight feet to the lower yard and has a giant hill built around my Nandina bush that has so many stalks from the ground up, I can't get anywhere close to it.  And, this bush is many years old and I don't want to lose it.

Today, as a last resort, I am going to use one of those gasser things that you light and stick in the hole.  Never tried one, so don't know how that is going to work.  I just hope he comes out of that hole choking and I am going to choke him some more.  They are cute so I feel kind of bad, but I am going to have to drain this pond and shovel out all the dirt, so he's not that cute.  

  Don't know what else to do.  

Starlings

The north winds are howling today.  I finally got the leaf and limb cleanup crew to come today and I doubt they'll come due to this blow.  It is literally howling.  Wouldn't you know.

The starlings have arrived and are fighting over the suet cakes.  Must be their favorite meal. Though their vocalizations are not as pretty as a songbird's call, I don't mind theirs'.

I took these pictures last year at the farm.  They were everywhere.  It is something to see how they lift off at the same time; a rare treat to see their murmurations.

Spring is coming, though I can't tell today.  The bulbs are finally peeking up through the earth.  I had to water, since the ground was so dry.  The ground needs rain, but I didn't say that.

New Book

Took the grandkids to Barnes and Noble yesterday.  They love to go there not only for the books, but also the toys.  I do love to spoil them.  I bought several foreign magazines and a new book, drum roll, not this one.  I bought A MAN CALLED OVE on a fellow blogger's recommendation.  Thank you Terra.

I worry I am getting dementia.  Oftentimes, I can't remember the title nor the author of the books I am reading.  Perhaps I need to start reading during the day instead of in bed at night.  Maybe I chose the wrong books for me - forgettable.  The pile of books I couldn't finish, as opposed to the ones I did, is larger.  Last time at the bookstore, I grabbed a pile of Alice Hoffman's books. I used to like her writing and there is always a little magic.  Her latest, okay.  I'm on one of hers that was popular.  It's okay.

So, I'm reading two at once.  ATLAS OBSCURA is entertaining.  Lots of unknown places one has never been to.  Who knew?

A House

I know I shouldn't covet things, but I love this house.

I've fallen in love with modern houses. I've always loved those Palm Springs mid-century modern ones, but there aren't that many around.  Nowadays, they are building new modern ones.

My pictures are terrible, but when you walk in the front door, you see right through to the back of the house.  This stone counter is so long.  Sink and cooktop, plus seating and under the counter dishwasher drawers, freezer drawers and refrigerated drawers. I didn't download these in the right order so humor me.

Halfway down the house is a gorgeous outdoor seating area.  I don't know how I missed the potted trees to the side.  That wall of water is turned off for the winter, but spectacular when on.  All these doors slide open.

I love floating staircases. And as you can see, the walls are covered in the most fabulous stone.

It is polished just on the one side.  I love it.  It's everywhere.

This is looking back toward the front door with three more rooms off to the right.  The doorbell is funny.  When you push it, you can hear large dogs barking. Very clever.

One of the great things about this house is all of the built in cabinets.  Hidden refrigerator and freezer.  Upstairs, which I haven't shown, has all white built in cabinets.  I die.

Another angle.

This is out the back doors.  A pool was going in, but the pool men never got to it, so it was cancelled. Loss for the pool company.

But wait, here comes another of my favorites.  I die for this dining room table.  It is huge and I love the style.  Very modern base and look.  Notice the chandelier?  It is BIG.  I just love it.

I just had to include this old movie poster, which is the largest one I have ever seen.

So here is that fabulous chandelier.  It is a show stopper.

This is a smaller version (still large) in the master bedroom closet.  Sigh.  And, I haven't shown you the master bedroom and the upstairs rooms which are beautiful.

I told my friend when she bought this house, that when I die, I want to go to her house and not to worry if she hears me knocking around.  Well, I'll have to find another place to go.

After three years, she has decided to sell it.

Ivan Day

I have posted about Ivan Day before.  He is an English food historian and professional chef, with an encyclopedic knowledge of the history of food.  In his latest post at Food History Jottings, foodhistorjottings.blogspot.com, he writes about one my favorite subjects.  I too collect old food moulds, but none as old as these. I am always just amazed when he posts.  It isn't often enough for me. Hurry on over to see his latest.

Here you'll see some of Ivan's collection of antique moulds.

One of his jellies from a macedoine mould.  How gorgeous is this?

Isn't this Belgravia jelly incredible?  I've never seen anyone with the knowledge this man has of all things culinary.  He's been on the BBC and I've seen him on PBS.  Mr. Day is legend in food history.