Indoor Gardening Update

According to the packages of my basil and parsley seeds, I should be seeing seed germination right about now. It seems the seeds may have missed the memo. I've dutifully watered them, kept them in a warm windowsill full of sunshine, and talked to them while I washed dishes. They refuse to emerge.

Wretched, stubborn seeds!

I recently read an article which suggested I place the containers in a plastic bag that will act like a greenhouse. I will give them another day or two before progressing to this. Then it's time to play dirty. I need herbs.

On the bright side, the basil I bought last week is still alive. It's the North Shore Greenhouse Living Herbs variety that's commonly available at grocery stores. The plant is sold with root ball intact; I transplanted it to a large pot full of organic potting mix and have been watering it daily. It looks a bit sparse since I used some the leaves in a recipe earlier this week. I hope it continues to live- the company's website doesn't seem particularly optimistic about replanting it. Statements like "You may certainly try to replant the herbs; just make sure to leave a few leaves on the plant to keep it alive," and "Some of our Herb varieties will be more successful than others," aren't very encouraging. Fingers crossed.

grow little basil, grow!

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When was the last time you read your favorite book?

To recite some cliches: buying a house is a big step. A sign of settling down. A commitment to an endless stream of chores and responsibilities.

Apparently, it also sends a signal to your parents that you are ready to make decisions about all of the things they have been holding for you since you left home to attend college! Some, in totally obvious ways (such as the guitar amp you built that is too big to fit in your car), to others that just boggle the mind (miscellaneous junior high school supplies that have not been used since the late 90's???).

I mean, yeah, it is on me to clean this stuff out over time... But at some point someone had to make the decision to put my Star Wars Episode 1 pencil case into storage. Just sayin.

Somewhere in the middle, lies the considerably (tongue in cheek) existential mind block of OLD CD'S

How do you break it off with your one time (eg 8 years ago) tried and true?

Perhaps I should preface this by letting on that I have collected ~700+ cd's in the past 12 years? (the explanation of this can be found in the section on "MISSING THE POINT") So parting ways with a few would be beneficial, not psychologically, but spatially.

So come with me, as I bid permanent adieu to some old cds!!!

(Broken down into three categories)


The CD's That I Honestly Can't Remember Purchasing:



Nothing against these cd's, but if you put me up to it, I honestly could not name a single track off of any of them, much less a lyric. At one time I deemed them worthy of purchase, and now, 8-12 years later, I have no idea why.

I mean some were clearly grandfathered in via interest in previous work of an artist (eg Eve 6, who recently played a free show at the Hard Rock Cherokee Casino in Catoosa, OK!!!), but frikken Ours... I can't believe the COVER of that wasn't enough to keep me away!



CD's that I cannot recall ever being that srsly into:


I can name some songs, remember at least doing something basic such as putting disc into a player of one variety or another. I just can't recall, or am in serious denial that I ever saw eye to eye with these.

Most crucial point to note here is evidence of adolescent identity crisis; that is owning a cd on account of it being deemed culturally significant (Disraeli Gears and Physical Graffiti would go here if I could find them!). I did this to gain exposure to the past... Or at least that is what I tell myself now.

It says a lot about 16 year olds in the aughts that their idea of "exposure to the past" is Razorblade Suitcase


CD's that it would really hurt to let go... If I were still 16


This is the only part of this list that makes me feel weird. I would never say that any of these cd's are "good", but Hybrid Theory occupied my single disc car player for the majority of my sophomore year of high school! I had my first real deal girlfriend that year! These two things are OBVIOUSLY RELATED!!!!

Also weird to realize that the first thing that came to mind upon looking at The Guest while doing this sort was "Hey! There's Jason Schwartzman!", and back in the day of listening to that cd I had no idea who he was.

Feel like that last paragraph can be summed up as "the passage of time is WEIRD"

Which screams the point that the clever reader will not need to be pointed toward: losing the cd's doesn't hurt, coming to terms with the memories they are associated with does! The "what will I think of current fave xyz in 10 years" game is hella trite, but Blink-182 used to be my jam, and now... Mark Hoppus has a show that is advertised non-stop on Pandora, which didn't exist 10 years ago????? No one wins going down this rabbit hole!!!

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Garden Tour

We currently have a pretty intense yard. It's large and full of various plants arranged in a number of small gardens, as well as lots and lots of grass. Here's a shot of the interior pool garden- you can also see where it extends on the other side of the fence as well.

We also have a lot of thick vines along the pool fence and a large swath of grass within the fence. 

In the garden areas, we have a number of plants, including four o'clocks, cannas, marigolds, and crepe myrtles in every color. 

Red Crepe Myrtle

Pink Crepe Myrtle

Purple Crepe Myrtle

I have trouble understanding why there are so many crepe myrtles. 

A vegetable garden lies on the south side of the yard. It's currently an overgrown tangle of weeds and grass and this mysterious plant: 

The front yard is nothing spectacular; more grass, shrubs, and pine trees that constantly shed needles are prominently featured. 

There's a lot of work to be done: physical labor, of course, as the flower beds need to be mulched (more on the developing compost pile later), many of the plants need to be cleared out (as they are dead), and new seeds will need to be sown. I find the planning aspect most intimidating and think it will be more difficult than any of the physical elements. What to plant, where to plant it, when to plant it, what will thrive, what will require irrigation, what will grow in this awful, awful Oklahoma soil- it's somewhat overwhelming. 

As the fall progresses, I'll be posting updates on what we're planning, so stick around!

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Planting Herbs

I've been wanting to start an herb garden for ages, but have been limited by a number of factors in previous residences. Lack of appropriate window sills, presence of rowdy cats, presence of rowdy roommates. As a result, I've been buying fresh herbs from the grocery store, which gets expensive once one gets away from parsley and cilantro.

I bought seeds, potting mix, and pots a few weeks ago, and finally took the time to get everything together today. I located an empty egg carton, filled the divets with Miracle-Gro organic potting mix, and gently planted a few seeds in each. After watering and labeling each divet with a toothpick-and-tape flag, I placed them in the kitchen windowsill.

Future tastiness

The basil and parsley should germinate within 5-10 days, while the rosemary will take a bit longer at 12-15 days. Once the plants are a couple of inches tall, I'll move them to their new homes- a few freshly painted ceramic pots.

Pretty pots

I'm excited to have fresh herbs soon! I use them frequently in cooking; plus, they'll really brighten up that windowsill.

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Introduction

The grass is greener on the other side of the fence. That's what Johnny thought as he considered buying a house, moving out of the city, and closer to work. The daily commute would be eliminated. No longer would neighbors chain smoking cigarettes or playing loud music at 7 AM or engaging in altercations ending with police encounters be endured. There would be room to spread out and work on large-scale projects. Pets could be had. So he found a nice house with a big yard and a pool in a quiet neighborhood, invited his girlfriend Stephanie and her cats to move in too, and began to enjoy life on the other side of the fence.

And then the yard, with its lovely ornamental grass and pretty flowers and abundant acreage grew tall and sprawling. And the pool turned green and refused to circulate water. And the neighbors began to park their truck in front of the yard. And a mysterious wetness showed up in the pantry. And Stephanie put a hole in the ceiling. And they realized that in reality, their grass was somewhat browner than originally envisioned.

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