It's 8:41 pm, and I survived Day 4. It should be "Day 4, and I'm poor." I went to Tucson to stock up on some essentials and food for this week. I kind of panicked and bought 3 jars of clarified butter in case I can't get back to Tucson soon. I also purchased some other random things that I wouldn't normally buy.
1. Cheesecloth (for future clarified butter making at home). 8 yards of cheesecloth to be exact.
2. Ground lamb. I made lamb burgers with garlic and rosemary to have for lunches for the next few days. I didn't even know they made ground lamb.
3. Canned sardines and anchovy filets. I have no idea why. Don't ask. Maybe I'll eat it as a fast, easy protein/fat? On a salad? If you have good ideas about how to use these things, please share!
4. Rainbow colored radishes. I don't even like radishes, but I felt like I had to mix it up.
5. Spaghetti squash. I buy these sometimes but not often. Tonight I made my own spaghetti meat sauce and roasted the spaghetti squash. That is dinner for the next several days and maybe a breakfast, too.
I think that's the last of the random stuff. Everything else seemed fairly rational. Canned tuna. Crushed tomatoes. Pomegranate seeds. (ok...that's a random one, too.) Salad stuff.
I cooked the lamb burgers, spaghetti squash and tomato meat sauce, and cooked a bag of sweet potatoes. I'm in a good place for food for a few days. I'm going to make mayo and ketchup tomorrow. I'll use the mayo to make a chicken salad with grapes and walnuts for lunches later in the week and the ketchup for my lamb burgers.
I went out for lunch at a fast "healthy" Mexican food place next to the Trade Joe's. You can pick your salad or burrito or tacos. Once you pick an item and a protein, you pick all the other stuff they put on it, and honestly, that was all food that I can't eat. Beans, rice, ranch avocado dressing, crispy tortilla strips, cheese, AAAAAAA. I spent 5 minutes moving down the line as the prepared my salad saying, "Oh! no! Not that. Oh! No cheese. Uhm, no rice. Yes...salsa. No!!!! Drop the tortilla strips!"
The couple in front of me was incredibly slow and indecisive and strange...yes, more strange than me, the weird girl ordering chicken and lettuce and salsa and saying "No! Not that!" for every other additional option. The woman at the register felt so bad about the slowness of the weird couple that she reached for a homemade chocolate chip cookie and said, "You've been waiting so long. I want you to have a free cookie."
I might have shrieked, "NO!!" I cookie panicked. Then I tried to act a tad more rational. "Uhm, I mean, no thank you. I don't need a cookie. It's fine. I didn't mind waiting." I really wanted that cookie.
Bonus: I officially made it longer than some in my family thought. :)
Saturday, August 8, 2015
Friday, August 7, 2015
Day 3 of the Whole 30. Workout Bonus Meals Rock
Well, I'm still alive. I actually feel pretty good today. I had breakfast and lunch at Nickel's Diner. You have to love a restaurant where everyone knows you are doing an eating challenge and talks to you about it when you order. I even got to see the recipe for the balsamic vinaigrette to make sure it was compliant. Thanks Vickie and the gang!
I was really hungry this afternoon. I'm not sure if it was that I didn't put enough fat on the salad or the limited amount of vegetables I ordered at breakfast. I ended up eating dinner at 4:30 before I left the office. So, I will be adjusting my breakfasts to make sure I have enough vegetables and maybe more fat in addition to the protein, which I'm sure I'm getting enough of...at least I was sure this morning. steak and eggs...that's enough protein.
Today I partook of a little thing I like to call the post-workout bonus meal of happiness! The Whole30 encourages eating 3 meals a day and no snacking, but if you workout you get the bonus meal! It is supposed to be an easily digested protein and a higher carb vegetable like a sweet potato or taro or pumpkin and very little or no added fat. You eat it right after a workout. So, after my swim, I opened a can of pumpkin, heating some up in a saucepan with cinnamon, and for the protein, I picked chicken because it is what I had cooked. What protein ISN'T easily digested? I should probably google it before I start trying to eat bison or lamb or something after a workout.
So, no crying in my cookies today, partly because I can't have cookies on the Whole30 and partly because I felt good. I had a few Craig moments talking to my friends at the vet office, but that was all purely Craig related and not starvation related. I'm looking forward to tomorrow. I have planned a Tucson trip to go and stock up on ingredients! Clarified butter and cheesecloth here I come!
I was really hungry this afternoon. I'm not sure if it was that I didn't put enough fat on the salad or the limited amount of vegetables I ordered at breakfast. I ended up eating dinner at 4:30 before I left the office. So, I will be adjusting my breakfasts to make sure I have enough vegetables and maybe more fat in addition to the protein, which I'm sure I'm getting enough of...at least I was sure this morning. steak and eggs...that's enough protein.
Today I partook of a little thing I like to call the post-workout bonus meal of happiness! The Whole30 encourages eating 3 meals a day and no snacking, but if you workout you get the bonus meal! It is supposed to be an easily digested protein and a higher carb vegetable like a sweet potato or taro or pumpkin and very little or no added fat. You eat it right after a workout. So, after my swim, I opened a can of pumpkin, heating some up in a saucepan with cinnamon, and for the protein, I picked chicken because it is what I had cooked. What protein ISN'T easily digested? I should probably google it before I start trying to eat bison or lamb or something after a workout.
So, no crying in my cookies today, partly because I can't have cookies on the Whole30 and partly because I felt good. I had a few Craig moments talking to my friends at the vet office, but that was all purely Craig related and not starvation related. I'm looking forward to tomorrow. I have planned a Tucson trip to go and stock up on ingredients! Clarified butter and cheesecloth here I come!
Thursday, August 6, 2015
Day 2: From Bad to Better to Clarified Butter
It is 8:30, I finished dinner, and I survived Day 2 of the Whole 30. I will tell you right now that I am a bit behind the curve because I didn't spend Sunday shopping and planning and cooking to have a strong start to the week. Instead I spent Sunday crying and moping and feeling horrible and missing Craig while trying to keep it together for my other dogs. Starting this on a Wednesday...not my best idea in the grand scheme of ideas.
I will definitely be doing the plan, shop, prep this weekend to set myself up for an easier time next week. I think I will also make a couple of versatile sauces to have on hand. All I can say is thank goodness I cooked a million pieces of chicken and mountains of steamed broccoli last night. That will at least carry my dinners until the weekend. I anticipate being sick of chicken pretty soon, though. GOBBLE GOBBLE! Oh wait...is that what the turkey says or what the chicken says? Bock Bock? Whatever the chicken says, I will be tired of hearing it pretty soon.
In addition to not having a lot of things already precooked, I also had a working lunch meeting today at a Mexican seafood restaurant. Remember...no beans, no cheese, no joy. That is what was going through my mind trying to decide what to order. I ended up with a seafood soup in broth and a green salad. I asked the waitress for oil and vinegar. "Oh. I'm not sure we have that. I'll check." Really? You don't have olive oil and vinegar? After a few minutes she came back and said, "I'm so sorry. No oil and vinegar. You want ranch instead?" Yes! Yes, I want ranch instead but I can't eat it!!!!! It ended up that they did have olive oil, so I used that and squeezed fresh limes. I also asked for a side of avocado to help make the salad taste like something. TIP: Travel to restaurants with my own salad dressing.
I am getting a little tired of olive oil, so I tried to make clarified butter tonight. It seems the milk solids in regular butter are forbidden on the Whole 30. Also, the words and concept of "milk solids"....pretty gross for some reason. I'm not sure why anyone would want to eat something called "milk solids." Clarifying butter seemed easy enough. If Scientologists can do it, so can I! Oh wait...that's a different clarifying. Anyhoo, my task was to melt butter, skim milk solids off the top, strain in cheese cloth. Piece of cake...that's what I wanted as a banged my head against the wall struggling with the clarifying process. A big huge piece of cake...mmmmm....with ice cream.
See, not having cheesecloth really is kind of a pain. Trying to strain hot butter through a coffee filter is NOT going to work. It just isn't. Take it from me. Coffee filters and clarified butter do not mix. So, I learned a lesson...buy cheese cloth and more paper towels and grease-cutting cleaners to get the butter off my counters. Once I have the cheese cloth, etc..., I will then go to Tucson and buy clarified butter in the store and keep the cheese cloth as a backup for those emergencies where I need cheese cloth for something and can save myself from doing stupid things, like trying to strain hot butter through a coffee filter.
The bonus is I started my morning sobbing into the sink while I was trying to brush my teeth and get ready for work, but this evening I haven't cried once. The Whole 30 says it is normal to be kind of moody and emotional and hungover feeling the first few days. Unfortunately, I can't tell if I'm a basket case because of the food changes or because I miss my dog or both and how much each one is the culprit. Not crying tonight, though...I'll take it because it is pretty difficult to brush one's teeth while crying and sobbing without choking on toothpaste.
I'm looking forward to Day 3! Yippee! Oh, and my awesome cousin, Erin, sent me a blog her doctor just started on plant based cooking, so I will be checking out this page as I move forward, too. Cooking with Dr. G.
I will definitely be doing the plan, shop, prep this weekend to set myself up for an easier time next week. I think I will also make a couple of versatile sauces to have on hand. All I can say is thank goodness I cooked a million pieces of chicken and mountains of steamed broccoli last night. That will at least carry my dinners until the weekend. I anticipate being sick of chicken pretty soon, though. GOBBLE GOBBLE! Oh wait...is that what the turkey says or what the chicken says? Bock Bock? Whatever the chicken says, I will be tired of hearing it pretty soon.
In addition to not having a lot of things already precooked, I also had a working lunch meeting today at a Mexican seafood restaurant. Remember...no beans, no cheese, no joy. That is what was going through my mind trying to decide what to order. I ended up with a seafood soup in broth and a green salad. I asked the waitress for oil and vinegar. "Oh. I'm not sure we have that. I'll check." Really? You don't have olive oil and vinegar? After a few minutes she came back and said, "I'm so sorry. No oil and vinegar. You want ranch instead?" Yes! Yes, I want ranch instead but I can't eat it!!!!! It ended up that they did have olive oil, so I used that and squeezed fresh limes. I also asked for a side of avocado to help make the salad taste like something. TIP: Travel to restaurants with my own salad dressing.
I am getting a little tired of olive oil, so I tried to make clarified butter tonight. It seems the milk solids in regular butter are forbidden on the Whole 30. Also, the words and concept of "milk solids"....pretty gross for some reason. I'm not sure why anyone would want to eat something called "milk solids." Clarifying butter seemed easy enough. If Scientologists can do it, so can I! Oh wait...that's a different clarifying. Anyhoo, my task was to melt butter, skim milk solids off the top, strain in cheese cloth. Piece of cake...that's what I wanted as a banged my head against the wall struggling with the clarifying process. A big huge piece of cake...mmmmm....with ice cream.
See, not having cheesecloth really is kind of a pain. Trying to strain hot butter through a coffee filter is NOT going to work. It just isn't. Take it from me. Coffee filters and clarified butter do not mix. So, I learned a lesson...buy cheese cloth and more paper towels and grease-cutting cleaners to get the butter off my counters. Once I have the cheese cloth, etc..., I will then go to Tucson and buy clarified butter in the store and keep the cheese cloth as a backup for those emergencies where I need cheese cloth for something and can save myself from doing stupid things, like trying to strain hot butter through a coffee filter.
The bonus is I started my morning sobbing into the sink while I was trying to brush my teeth and get ready for work, but this evening I haven't cried once. The Whole 30 says it is normal to be kind of moody and emotional and hungover feeling the first few days. Unfortunately, I can't tell if I'm a basket case because of the food changes or because I miss my dog or both and how much each one is the culprit. Not crying tonight, though...I'll take it because it is pretty difficult to brush one's teeth while crying and sobbing without choking on toothpaste.
I'm looking forward to Day 3! Yippee! Oh, and my awesome cousin, Erin, sent me a blog her doctor just started on plant based cooking, so I will be checking out this page as I move forward, too. Cooking with Dr. G.
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Day One Fun
It's 8:30 pm, and I survived day one of the Whole30 Challenge. Actually, it wasn't that bad since I've been trying to eat well and successfully lost 20 pounds over the summer. However, I'm coming off a vacation week with the family (imagine banana pudding, key lime pie, tomato sandwiches, pizza, pasta, ice cream cake, ice cream cake, yummy, yummy ice cream cake). I'm also in the middle of a pity party about losing Craig and am trying not to comfort myself with all the foods I would want to comfort myself with.
Before vacation I had been doing ok on the healthy eating front at home for a few days at a stretch. However, I have been having one day or two days where I do something stupid, like eating a burger and fries. Now I have to go a Whole30 with no stupid. Period.
I had a small meltdown in the afternoon. I was tired and sad about Craig and felt hungry. I sucked it up, though, and stayed on plan. I skillet fried chicken breasts (a bunch of them) and steamed a whole big bag of broccoli. That's dinner for a couple of nights.
Only 29 days to go. By the way...I was reading the ingredients on my dried garlic this morning and was a bit discouraged that it isn't Whole30 compliant because it has some soybean oil in it, and I started feeling like NOTHING was compliant. Oh, the pre-crushed fresh garlic...not compliant either because it has whey. NO WHEY! So, I determined that I need a grocery store visit for herbs and spices and garlic so my taste buds don't shrivel up and die.
Before vacation I had been doing ok on the healthy eating front at home for a few days at a stretch. However, I have been having one day or two days where I do something stupid, like eating a burger and fries. Now I have to go a Whole30 with no stupid. Period.
I had a small meltdown in the afternoon. I was tired and sad about Craig and felt hungry. I sucked it up, though, and stayed on plan. I skillet fried chicken breasts (a bunch of them) and steamed a whole big bag of broccoli. That's dinner for a couple of nights.
Only 29 days to go. By the way...I was reading the ingredients on my dried garlic this morning and was a bit discouraged that it isn't Whole30 compliant because it has some soybean oil in it, and I started feeling like NOTHING was compliant. Oh, the pre-crushed fresh garlic...not compliant either because it has whey. NO WHEY! So, I determined that I need a grocery store visit for herbs and spices and garlic so my taste buds don't shrivel up and die.
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
What's More Fun Than Home Ownership? A Barrel of Monkeys AND Healthy Eating of Course
This blog has previously focused on owning a home and all the stuff that breaks and drives me nuts. While that hell on earth is such a pleasure to experience and write about, I thought I should broaden my horizons with more adventure, more excitement, and more interesting and joyful things. I decided to write about a 30 day eating program on my blog as well.
I am embarking on a Whole 30 challenge. What's that, you ask? Well, it's 30 days of eating fruits, vegetables, and meats, and technically the folks that developed it don't call it a diet. They call it a lifestyle change or some other euphemism for the self-imposed era of suffering and sorrow...uhm, I mean chosen path to food freedom and enlightenment.
So on August 5, I start my own journey following "The 30 Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom." Actually, I am excited about the journey as much as I jokingly complain. You should check out the Whole 30 website. I was going to start on Monday, August 3, but my dog, Craig, died and that really was awful...more awful than giving up cheese, so I postponed for a couple of days.
I was talking to my family about this last week while on vacation at the lake. Everyone was interested in the parameters of the program. "What do you mean no cheese or other dairy, peanuts, soy, artificial sweeteners, sugar, grains, or legumes?" What I mean is none of those things, and also no butter. Just in case you thought that all happiness was gone, I bring up the exclusion of butter and THEN you know that joy died. How could I have done that and still be in shock from losing my Craig? Now that I'm just bone-crushingly sad, it seems like the right time to shock myself with a restricted food plan.
So, I will be focusing on the basics. Meats, vegetables, fruits, and healthy fats for 30 days. I will also not be getting on a scale (see...NOT a diet). I will be writing about it here because some of my family said to keep them updated. Actually, some said to keep them updated on "my 3 day diet". Oh ye of little faith! This seemed like the easiest way to keep them updated, and now I'm keeping you updated, whoever "you" may be. There we have it...if "it" doesn't mean dairy, legumes, grains, sugar, and sweeteners because we definitely won't be having THOSE things. Enjoy.
I am embarking on a Whole 30 challenge. What's that, you ask? Well, it's 30 days of eating fruits, vegetables, and meats, and technically the folks that developed it don't call it a diet. They call it a lifestyle change or some other euphemism for the self-imposed era of suffering and sorrow...uhm, I mean chosen path to food freedom and enlightenment.
So on August 5, I start my own journey following "The 30 Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom." Actually, I am excited about the journey as much as I jokingly complain. You should check out the Whole 30 website. I was going to start on Monday, August 3, but my dog, Craig, died and that really was awful...more awful than giving up cheese, so I postponed for a couple of days.
I was talking to my family about this last week while on vacation at the lake. Everyone was interested in the parameters of the program. "What do you mean no cheese or other dairy, peanuts, soy, artificial sweeteners, sugar, grains, or legumes?" What I mean is none of those things, and also no butter. Just in case you thought that all happiness was gone, I bring up the exclusion of butter and THEN you know that joy died. How could I have done that and still be in shock from losing my Craig? Now that I'm just bone-crushingly sad, it seems like the right time to shock myself with a restricted food plan.
So, I will be focusing on the basics. Meats, vegetables, fruits, and healthy fats for 30 days. I will also not be getting on a scale (see...NOT a diet). I will be writing about it here because some of my family said to keep them updated. Actually, some said to keep them updated on "my 3 day diet". Oh ye of little faith! This seemed like the easiest way to keep them updated, and now I'm keeping you updated, whoever "you" may be. There we have it...if "it" doesn't mean dairy, legumes, grains, sugar, and sweeteners because we definitely won't be having THOSE things. Enjoy.
Friday, June 26, 2015
I'm Plumb Outta Ideas
Would you be shocked if I told you I had some plumbing problems recently? You would? HAVE YOU EVER READ THIS STUPID BLOG? If I'm not fixing plumbing, I'm killing plants or complaining about the roof leak.
My first bout of a plumbing flareup happened a couple of months ago. My toilet started leaking! PANIC!!! POOH EVERYWHERE!!! Oh wait...the leak was coming from the tank, not the bowl. Phew. Ok, not pooh everywhere, just some inconvenient water drips each time I flushed from the clean water in the tank. Thank goodness for backup bathroom a la the guest wing. The kind folks at the home warranty sanctioned plumbers came to town, brought me a brand new toilet for a slightly upgraded price, and tada! I have a throne that only my bum has christened.
Next plumbing issue: the mini sink in the kitchen. Why do I have two sinks in my kitchen? There's a regular sized one and a little mini one situated right beside the stove. I guess some people use it to fill up pots or do things while they are cooking that benefit from the proximity of a mini sink. Me? I don't cook. I don't need a mini sink. It has become the sink I use to fill the dogs' water bowls simply because it's 5 steps closer than the regular sink. So I now have a human sink and a dog water sink. Oh lala.
Mini sink started dripping a few weeks ago. I turned the knob harder, and it stopped. Then, the leak started again. I turned the knob even harder, and it slowed slightly but still dripped. Being the busy executive that I am (hahaha), I didn't have time to put in the home warranty repair request right away, so the leak got faster and faster until one day I woke up to a solid stream of water coming out of the faucet. Uh oh. What have I done? If I lived in California, I would have gone to prison for the rest of my life for going over my water allotment. It was time to get serious about getting a plumber, and I was also going to shut that whole sink off at the valve underneath....or so I thought. Like a fool. A stupid, stupid fool.
The shut-off valve under a sink is a pretty great idea if you ask me. You want to stop the flow of water past that point, you turn off the valve. Voila! There's one for hot water and one for cold water. When I went to turn off my valve, water started spraying everywhere....ssspprraaayyyyyy aaaaaaaaaaaaaa. How unusual. The shut off valve wasn't shutting off, it was opening up a torrential flow of water that poured into my kitchen. I opened the valve back up to stop the spray, and the water went back to running in a thin trickle out of the faucet. I was stuck with the leak that was eroding wetlands and draining rivers, streams, and lakes of precious resources.
The next day the plumbers arrived and discovered the part needed to fix the sink wasn't one of the standard parts that they had conveniently packed in the truck. Nope. It was an unusual part that can only be obtained from a mining operation run on the planet Mars. After a quick trip (an hour round-trip from my house) to both Ace and Home Depot, a repair kit was secured in lieu of having the fully new piece.
And the shut-off valve? The plumber said that I stopped turning too soon. "Why, what do you mean, sir? I stopped turning when water started pouring out of the valve." Evidently, shut-off valves are now designed to be like some sort of physical challenge where you have to reach what you think is the breaking point and then PUSH THROUGH to victory.
Have you hit mile 50 on your ultra-marathon and think you won't make it to the finish line at mile 75? Keep going past the pain and the panic. That's how you have to approach my shut-off valve. Now I know.
On the bright side, I have a guy coming to deal with the roof leak next week and to fix some drywall that fell victim to said roof leak and to patch the drywall hole I cut in the wall when I rescued the baby kittens a few years ago. So that's all positive and stuff, right? The best news is that monsoon season has arrived, so it's supposed to rain every single day between now and the day the roof folks come. I love home ownership.
My first bout of a plumbing flareup happened a couple of months ago. My toilet started leaking! PANIC!!! POOH EVERYWHERE!!! Oh wait...the leak was coming from the tank, not the bowl. Phew. Ok, not pooh everywhere, just some inconvenient water drips each time I flushed from the clean water in the tank. Thank goodness for backup bathroom a la the guest wing. The kind folks at the home warranty sanctioned plumbers came to town, brought me a brand new toilet for a slightly upgraded price, and tada! I have a throne that only my bum has christened.
Next plumbing issue: the mini sink in the kitchen. Why do I have two sinks in my kitchen? There's a regular sized one and a little mini one situated right beside the stove. I guess some people use it to fill up pots or do things while they are cooking that benefit from the proximity of a mini sink. Me? I don't cook. I don't need a mini sink. It has become the sink I use to fill the dogs' water bowls simply because it's 5 steps closer than the regular sink. So I now have a human sink and a dog water sink. Oh lala.
Mini sink started dripping a few weeks ago. I turned the knob harder, and it stopped. Then, the leak started again. I turned the knob even harder, and it slowed slightly but still dripped. Being the busy executive that I am (hahaha), I didn't have time to put in the home warranty repair request right away, so the leak got faster and faster until one day I woke up to a solid stream of water coming out of the faucet. Uh oh. What have I done? If I lived in California, I would have gone to prison for the rest of my life for going over my water allotment. It was time to get serious about getting a plumber, and I was also going to shut that whole sink off at the valve underneath....or so I thought. Like a fool. A stupid, stupid fool.
The shut-off valve under a sink is a pretty great idea if you ask me. You want to stop the flow of water past that point, you turn off the valve. Voila! There's one for hot water and one for cold water. When I went to turn off my valve, water started spraying everywhere....ssspprraaayyyyyy aaaaaaaaaaaaaa. How unusual. The shut off valve wasn't shutting off, it was opening up a torrential flow of water that poured into my kitchen. I opened the valve back up to stop the spray, and the water went back to running in a thin trickle out of the faucet. I was stuck with the leak that was eroding wetlands and draining rivers, streams, and lakes of precious resources.
The next day the plumbers arrived and discovered the part needed to fix the sink wasn't one of the standard parts that they had conveniently packed in the truck. Nope. It was an unusual part that can only be obtained from a mining operation run on the planet Mars. After a quick trip (an hour round-trip from my house) to both Ace and Home Depot, a repair kit was secured in lieu of having the fully new piece.
And the shut-off valve? The plumber said that I stopped turning too soon. "Why, what do you mean, sir? I stopped turning when water started pouring out of the valve." Evidently, shut-off valves are now designed to be like some sort of physical challenge where you have to reach what you think is the breaking point and then PUSH THROUGH to victory.
Have you hit mile 50 on your ultra-marathon and think you won't make it to the finish line at mile 75? Keep going past the pain and the panic. That's how you have to approach my shut-off valve. Now I know.
On the bright side, I have a guy coming to deal with the roof leak next week and to fix some drywall that fell victim to said roof leak and to patch the drywall hole I cut in the wall when I rescued the baby kittens a few years ago. So that's all positive and stuff, right? The best news is that monsoon season has arrived, so it's supposed to rain every single day between now and the day the roof folks come. I love home ownership.
Monday, March 16, 2015
What's that, you say? Where Have I Been?
Oh my gawd, ya'll! I have a blawg! *blush* So, yeah. I took two years off. What are you gonna do about it? Sue me? I can say I was doing hard time for assault and battery, I took time off to dabble in Scientology, or I was so overwhelmed with my home business of knitting pen holders that it has taken me two years to catch up and hire a team of knitters to help build my empire, but that would all be false. Falsey false false. I have just been a procrastinating laze bag of procrastination and laziness.
I was reading my last post from March 2013 and had to laugh. It talked about the desire to buy plants and make the yard pretty and do all kinds of projects to have an amazing garden of joy and delight. I was JUST doing this over the weekend. "Ohhhhh. I do so love some flowers. Allison, let's buy flowers," I told myself. "I SWEAR I'll be better this year. I DOUBLE SWEAR I will water the plants and love them and tend to them like they were the baby Jesus come to take us all to heaven."
The reason I didn't post on my blog in March 2014 was because I was doing all those things! I planted 18 roses, other assorted flowers, some decorative grasses, and a hibiscus. Oh man, the hibiscus was a beauty! I was Allison Green Thumb. I officially turned over a new leaf. I was singing and the birds were chirping happily around my head and landing on my shoulders in song and shit. La la la....tra la la la la.
The reason I didn't post in September of 2014 was because I was busy pulling out all the plants I had killed since March. How many years do I have to do this to myself? I could have retired and purchased an island in the Caribbean for what I've spent on plants that ultimately die once they cross my property boundary.
In other news, my roof leaks. So yeah....that's cool. Owning a house is awesome, and by awesome I mean it sucks all the joy out of living. This year I'm spending plant money on roof repair and drywall fixins. Maybe that's how the universe is trying to intervene to save all the helpless little plants I would have killed this year.
I was reading my last post from March 2013 and had to laugh. It talked about the desire to buy plants and make the yard pretty and do all kinds of projects to have an amazing garden of joy and delight. I was JUST doing this over the weekend. "Ohhhhh. I do so love some flowers. Allison, let's buy flowers," I told myself. "I SWEAR I'll be better this year. I DOUBLE SWEAR I will water the plants and love them and tend to them like they were the baby Jesus come to take us all to heaven."
The reason I didn't post on my blog in March 2014 was because I was doing all those things! I planted 18 roses, other assorted flowers, some decorative grasses, and a hibiscus. Oh man, the hibiscus was a beauty! I was Allison Green Thumb. I officially turned over a new leaf. I was singing and the birds were chirping happily around my head and landing on my shoulders in song and shit. La la la....tra la la la la.
The reason I didn't post in September of 2014 was because I was busy pulling out all the plants I had killed since March. How many years do I have to do this to myself? I could have retired and purchased an island in the Caribbean for what I've spent on plants that ultimately die once they cross my property boundary.
In other news, my roof leaks. So yeah....that's cool. Owning a house is awesome, and by awesome I mean it sucks all the joy out of living. This year I'm spending plant money on roof repair and drywall fixins. Maybe that's how the universe is trying to intervene to save all the helpless little plants I would have killed this year.
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