Lesson Learned

First, a bit of sad news.  I got home from work, and discovered that a huge branch had broken off of Mr. Mater.  It was hanging by just a bit of skin -- so to speak -- so I went ahead and cut it completely off, even though it had a baby tomato on it.  Now Mr. Mater looks a bit sad,   

but I'll just consider this a lesson learned.  Next year, I'll make sure to get them proper tomato cages.  And next year, I'll have some of the raised beds in place, so I'll have them in the ground instead of a bucket.  They won't dry out so fast that way.  

In a bit of better news, I made an impulse purchase on Amazon, which arrived today.  And just what was that impulse purchase, you ask?  Well, I'll tell you. 

Rocks!!  

Polished rocks which I thought I could use to decorate my fairy garden.  But first, my bee pond got an upgrade.  

I didn't do much else outside, other than water the basil, fill the birdbath, and dump the manky water out of the deer trough and refill it.  We have a heat index of 109° this afternoon, and that's just too hot for me.  

Oh, I did trim off some of the bigger leaves of my basil plants, but I just tossed them over the back fence for any wild critters that might want to eat them -- or to compost down if none of them do.  That will give the new leaves better air and light to grow, and I might get one or two more batches of pesto out of them before they die off for the winter. 

By the way, this is what basil looks like when it flowers. 

 These are the ones in the front planter.  I've decided to let them go through their natural life cycle and either live or die as they will.  Oh, I'll still water them and all, but I'm not going to cut the flowers off or harvest any more leaves from them. 

That's about all I have for today.  I got to work this morning and told a coworker, "It's too early in the week for me to be this tired!" and she replied, "No it ain't!"  So, between that and being sore from working in the yard, and I hammered my thumb, and getting up at 2:30 in the blessed Ay Em, I'm all in.

I'm going to go take a hot shower and watch a few more episodes of either Ryan Trahan on YouTube or Shark week, then try to go to bed early.  

Laters. 

Back To It

Well, after a bit of a hiatus to knit baby sweaters, I'm back to my charity hats.  This time, I dug through my stash and found a skein of Hobby Lobby I Love This Yarn, which I'd bought years ago and couldn't bring myself to use.  I decided it was high time I cast something on with it, especially with the new Hobby Lobby opening up in Batesville soon. 

And that's just what I did.  

This is the first time I've worked with this yarn, and I'm impressed with how soft it is.  The colorway is Royal Gorge, and it's royally gorgeous.  Heh... I crack myself up sometimes. 

OK, moving right along...

Cody and Brennan stopped by yesterday evening on their way home from Memphis and visited a bit.  We went out to eat at a local burger joint called Spencer's, then as we left Spencer's, I suddenly exclaimed, "Oh look!  A rainbow!" And Brennan said, "It's a double!"  

Sure enough, there was a huge, gorgeous, full arc double rainbow right in front of us. 

It's been so long since I've seen one of those, and pictures didn't do it justice.  At all.  I asked Cody if we could drive through the lake and across the dam, where I took a whole lot more pictures that didn't do it justice. 

But it was still gorgeous.  Then Cody missed the turn and we had to drive all the way down 333 to Highway 7 to get back home.  Oh, and we took Riverdale Rd instead of driving down to 51 Highway, so it was a nice little outing. 

Before they left, I gave them that old gas weed eater I had, showing Cody where the gas tank needed to be re-attached.  He said that it shouldn't be a problem to find screws to fit, and I said, "It's a good weed eater; it's just too heavy for me.  Ten years ago, I could handle it.  Now, not so much."  He was glad to have it, because they hadn't gotten around to getting one of their own yet.  I'm glad to have the battery operated one, because it's so much lighter and quieter than that gas monster. 

While I had the shed unlocked, I dragged that old storage tub out and put it in the back with the rest of my gardening stuff.  This morning, before it got too hot, I cleaned it out, then got the finished compost from my tumbler and put it into it. 

I tried to get some out of that big composting bag, but there wasn't much that was ready.  The way it is supposed to work is that you add plant matter into the top, and there is a little door to get the finished compost out of the bottom.  I got a few handfuls out, but that was it. I think that one will take a while, because I was putting sticks and stuff into it.  

Then I got my thatching rake out and scratched up enough ground ivy to fill up the empty side of the tumbler-- the other side having fresh grass clippings from when I mowed last week.  I only put things like grass clippings, leaves, and weeds into that one, so it breaks them down pretty quickly.  

By that time, I was pretty sweaty, because before I'd even started that, I did something else.  Remember when Ian The Landscammer left huge ruts in my front yard?  He said they were just tire tracks, so he shouldn't have to fill them in, but they're 4" deep.  So Justin The Good Landscaper had told me to fill them in with sand.  That's what I'd intended to do -- go up to Lowe's and buy sand to fill those ruts in -- but then I remembered.  

I have all of that red clay that I've already paid for.   And because we haven't had any significant rain in July, the stuff in the garden spot that I'd run the roto-tiller over a few times was still pretty loose, so I was able to scoop up a couple of bucket loads with my garden trowel, picking the rocks out as I did so, and haul them around to the front.  This is all I got done this morning, because I decided it's the day of rest, and by golly, I was going to rest. 

So that's just what I did.  I came inside, took a shower, then watched Marcy's latest garden vlog. If you watch it, you just might hear a familiar name in it...By the way, Cody and I were just talking about this yesterday, how it rained almost non stop from April to then end of June, then when July got here, it just stopped.  Seriously.  On June 30th, we were 10" above average for our area, and in July, we're 2" below average for the month.  Our total for the year is still 6" above normal, but still...By the way, I'm using the Raindrop app, and it's pretty good.  There is a free version, which is what I'm using, and also a premium version.  I don't know what's all included in the premium version, though.  I haven't really looked into it. 

Anyway, it's supposed to cool off later this week, so I may get out and fill up the wheelbarrow with that stuff and really fill those ruts in.  But tomorrow and Tuesday are still supposed to be brutally hot, so it's going to have to wait. 

And finally, for no other reason than that he's totally cool, here is my Venus Fly Trap, Marty Mac.

His growth has really exploded this year, but I've read that this is typical when they get to be about 4 years old.  I'm afraid he'll out grow his pot and I'll have to split him soon.  

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get something to eat, then watch some TV and knit on this hat some more. 

Laters...

Just Dropping By

Just dropping by to let you know I'm still above ground.    Just busy, and tired.  These long, long hours at work are leaving me running on empty.  Not to mention the heat.  Serious heat. 

A couple of days ago, my air conditioner didn't shut off until around 9:00 that night...but then, the cat puked on my bed again and I had to do an extra load of laundry.  I think that's why the house got so hot. 

I don't know why she's still throwing up.  I guess it wasn't the treats after all.  But at least it's only once every couple of days, not eight times in one day like it was that one time.  Even so, I decided to slowly transition her to this gentle formula to see if it helps. 

 It helped Squeaky when she was vomiting, so keep your fingers crossed. 

In other news, they've taken the expiration warning off of The X-Files on Hulu, so that's good.  I've already finished, though, but I do want to go back and watch some of the earlier seasons...just not right away.  I was all set to come in here and tell you that this last season wasn't all that good at all.  It was almost like a parody of what the show once was.  I kept expecting to see Weird Al popping into a scene now and then.  

Now, when I intended to post that -- but didn't get around to it -- I was going to tell you that so far, I'd only seen one episode that I even liked.  It was...I think episode 6, titled Kitten.  It was when Skinner went to go find someone from his past, and that's all I'm going to say about that. 

But then....I watched episode 8, Familiar.  It was creepy, and weird -- good weird -- and totally disturbing.  It was like Chris Carter suddenly remembered what his show was supposed to be.  I was spellbound, and as soon as the credits started rolling, I said, "Now that was an X-Files episode!"  

Alas, the final two episodes of the series were back to being mediocre, but I'm done now, and it's time to catch up on Shark Week and some of the other shows I've gotten behind on while trying to binge these last two seasons.  

Oh, speaking of bingeing, I've found a new series on YouTube I've been watching.  It's a guy named Ryan and his wife Hayley are visiting all 50 states in 50 days to raise funds for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.  His goal was to raise $1 million, but as of this writing, they've raised over $10 million. It's a really fun series to watch, and here is the first episode: 

That's all I've got for today, as I still have to go in to work tomorrow and it's already past my bedtime. 

I'll try to pop in again soon...

Without Excuse

They are therefore without excuse.  Romans 1:20

I did a little tidying up Saturday afternoon, and found all these different bug sprays.  Therefore I am without excuse -- and yet, I still go outside without it.  Go figure. 

I had a little pleasant surprise yesterday afternoon.  Cody and Brennan stopped by on the way to Memphis and visited a bit.  They couldn't stay long, but it was good to see them.  Cody has gotten into baking artisan bread and brought me a loaf. 

He tossed a bunch of different herbs into it, but I can't remember what all they were.  I could definitely taste rosemary, though.  It tasted pretty good, but I kept thinking it needed to be dunked into some soup.  Particularly tomato soup.  

Except that it's way too hot for soup.  It's way too hot for pretty much anything.  I was going to come home and get that box out of the shed and start putting some compost into it, but I didn't even do that.  I watered my basil, filled the bird bath and bee pond, then ran back inside into the air conditioning and watched three episodes of The X-Files.  

I also set up my DVR to record Shark Week, since I'm usually in bed by the time the good shows on.  The first episode they had on last night was Dancing With Sharks, and I know they must be trying to draw in new viewers, but really, we don't want that.  We want Dickie, and Tristan, and Paul, Craig, Neil, Kina, and of course, the Shark Week Goat:  Andy Casagrande.  

I've said it before, fewer celebrities, more science.  

So, anyway, I turned off Dancing With Sharks just as soon as I'd bound off the Baby Surprise Jacket. 

 I think I'm going to take a break from BSJs for a while, and work on hats.  I'm way behind on my charity knitting, so I need to get back to that.   

Later, though.  For now, I'm going to finish this episode of The X-Files, then go to bed.  That's one thing I hate about my job -- having to be there so early in the morning, which means that when everyone else is just getting started, I'm already heading for bed. 

Speaking of work, we have a new supervisor over our department.  They've put Uncle Supervisor up in sheet metal, and gave us one whose blog name will be Maxwell.  

If you work there, you'll get it. 

He's always been nice to me, but I've never worked under him since he's been made a supervisor.  But, as long as he approves my vacation day, one supervisor is as good as another.  

A Not So Leisurely Day Off

Well, after I got all excited about the thunder yesterday, it didn't even rain-- at least not here it didn't, so I got out and mowed anyway.  I just did the front and side yards, i.e. the public areas.  I was going to do the back today, but didn't.  No other reason than I just didn't want to.  

That's the whole reason I'm getting a privacy fence, you know.  So the neighbors don't have to look at the mess in my back yard.  I used to have this one neighbor who if I didn't mow often enough for her, she'd be over at the house knocking at my door.  After looking out my back window one day, seeing her looking into my back yard with a disapproving frown and shaking her head, I decided then and there I'd get a privacy fence.  

But I digress...

What was I saying?  Oh yeah, I mowed yesterday evening, and in doing so, I committed the cardinal sin of a Southerner during a summer evening.  I forgot to put on bug spray.  Man, I got eaten up!  Plus, I think I must have gotten into some poison ivy or something when I was using my thatching rake, because some of these whelps don't look entirely like bug bites.  To add insult to injury, I couldn't find my Claritin, so I was dousing myself in Ivarest.  It helped some, but I was still itching all night.  

On top of that, the cat decided she didn't want me to sleep, so she yowled outside my bedroom door off and on...

Needless to say, I spent pretty much the entire day with the bottle of calamine lotion, and I'm pleased to report that the whelps and itching are slowly getting better.  And you can bet your sweet bippy that when I went outside to work in the yard this morning, I put that bug spray on.  

Speaking of, it would seem that my adventures with my thatching rake have come to a screeching -- albeit temporary -- halt, as my compost bin is stuffed to the brim.  I had hoped to have my raised beds in place by this time, so I would have been able to get the composted stuff out of the bottom and used it in those.   But we all know how that has gone...

So, I need to get something to put my stuff that has already composted down into, and I think I have a bin in the shed I can use at least for now.  I was going to throw it away, but I think it'll be good for this.  Unfortunately, I didn't remember about it until after I'd taken my shower, and I don't want to get out and get all sweaty again. 

That's the downside of summer in the South.  When I have a day off, I try to get my outside work done early in the morning, except that the humidity around that time is still around 97%, so I still end up drenched in sweat.  By the time some of that humidity burns off, it's too hot to work outside for very long.  Twenty years ago, I could handle it.  Now, not so much.  

Thank goodness for air conditioning and Willis Haviland Carrier is all I have to say about that. 

Once it got too hot to be comfortable, I came inside and caught up on some YouTube videos.  My friend Marcy has a new flosstube out, and I just discovered my friend Leann has a channel.  I know, where've I been, right?  But I'm here now, and have a lot to catch up on.  

Oh, and Hulu had a notice up that The X-Files will be leaving in 13 days, so I watched a few episodes of that.  Spoiler alert....I've watched almost all of the original series, but skipped to the end of season 9, when Mulder came back.  It just wasn't the same with those other two.  Seasons 10 and 11 were when they tried to reboot the show in 2016 and again in 2018.  I watched one episode of season 10, but it ...I don't know, it didn't have the same vibe, so I won't be heartbroken if I don't get those finished before Hulu takes it down. 

And finally, just so there is some merit to this post, here's a photo of BSJ #2 progress. 

 I'm about half way through the rows of 90, and if you've ever knit this pattern, you know exactly what I'm talking about.  The yarn is Red Heart Bitty Stripes in the colorway Rainbow. 

Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some flosstubes to catch up on. 

Laters. 

A Leisurely Day Off

The first thing I did this morning was to sleep until 5:30, and when you’re used to having to get up at 2:45, believe me, it felt wonderful.  I got up even before the cat, which was surprising, since she's usually yowling outside my door by 4:30 -- even on days off.  This morning, I got up on my terms.  I enjoyed a couple of leisurely cups of coffee, watched an episode of Gordon Ramsay’s new show, and just enjoyed a morning where I didn't have to rush off anywhere. 

All the while, the back of my mind kept telling me I needed to get up and do something, but I reminded the back of my mind that I didn’t take today off to do stuff. 

Honestly I took it off because the plant doesn’t let us roll our PTO over, and if I didn’t use it, I’d lose it.  Oh, don't get me wrong, I still have vacation days to come this year, but they're already scheduled.  I had a couple left that I needed to schedule, and was running out of time to take them, so I just picked a random Friday and put one in.  Not that any of that matters to you, but that's what it is. 

After a while, I got dressed and ran into town to the post office, where I finally got the baby sweater mailed.  I asked the clerk if they had any of the Navy 250th Birthday stamps, but they didn't.  They had Army and Marine Corps, but I guess I'm going to have to order the Navy ones from the USPS website. Because it'll probably be December before I make it back to the post office.  Still, it's not surprising that the Navy ones sold out first, being that there is a Navy JROTC here, and the high school fight song is Anchors Aweigh.  

Once done with that, I went on to Walmart and did my weekly shopping, and I'm telling you, it was so nice to walk through a nearly deserted store -- well, for a Friday morning, I mean.  There were people there, but it wasn't its usual madhouse.  And for once, I managed to find everything on my list.  I even made a couple of impulse purchases.  

I got two extra toasting forks in the -- probably vain-- hope that Cody and Brennan will want to come up and toast marshmallow over the fire pit sometime.  

I already had one, so now there'll be enough for everyone.   Maybe in the Fall...

And I picked up two new sheets of stickers, because I need to write a letter to my Australian pen pal. 

I like to decorate the envelopes, and don't trust the international mail with wax seals.  I don't trust domestic mail with wax seals, either, so there is that. 

Anyway, there I was just a walking through Walmart when all of the sudden I started feeling a bit shaky.  That's when I realized I'd forgotten to eat before I left the house.  I quickly checked out, drove home, and fixed myself a pot pie.

A couple of episodes of JAG later, and I felt much better.  Good enough to get out and play with my new thatching rake some more.  That thing is a wonder, I'm telling you.  In less time than it takes to break a sweat in Mississippi in July, I had a whole wheelbarrow full of weeds and yard debris to put into the compost. 

If this keeps up, I'm going to need a bigger bin.  Compost bin, I mean. 

By that time, I was sweating, so I came inside to cool off.  Heat index is 103°, you know.  Now, I'm sitting here watching Major Dad, trying to psych myself up to mow.  

Later. 

After it cools off a bit. 

P.S.  It's not working...

Oh! I just heard thunder!  That’ll put the nix on mowing!  I just settled in for an evening of TV and knitting!  Hooray!

Forty Seven Years

Today was the longest, most miserable day I've dealt with in a long long time.  At one point, I looked up at the clock and exclaimed, "It's not even 9:00 yet!  Feels like I've been her for forty seven years today."  I think having the day off tomorrow ...well, it certainly didn't help the day go by any faster.  

Not to mention, we're going to be under a heat warning for the next several days at least.  Heh, my coworker asked me what my thermometer said, and I told her 92°.  She replied, "It's 93° outside, so we may as well be outside."  At least outside we'd have fresh air instead of the filthy pollution we have to breathe inside the plant. 

Then, when the second person in two days fell out, they finally decided to pass out water and the little Gatorade packets they keep for the people up in the front office -- you know, where they have air conditioning.  They used to pass out Gatorade all the time, but stopped because we had water and didn't need it.  Or so they said.  

I was going to come home and mow, but as of this writing, it's still too hot.  What I did instead was to put together my last Prime Day purchase which finally arrived.   Can you tell what it is?

It's a thatching rake!  I'd bought it to clear away the ground ivy, which is a highly invasive species and is absolutely taking over my yard.  I'd been pulling it up by hand, but that takes forever and is very hard on my back.  I thought this would make an easier job of it, and boy did it ever!

Here:  I took a before photo. 

And after literally 30 seconds of work, all of that ground ivy is cleared away. 

It was so easy to use, too.  Next I tried it on a spot where the ivy is very thick, and after about a minute, I got all of this up.  

Feet included for scale, because I had to cut way down on my banana consumption due to the insulin resistance.   This might possibly be the best investment I've made in a long time. 

After coming inside to cool off for a bit, the last thing I did was to fill the pedestal of my new bird bath with rocks and put fresh water into it.  Now I'm just waiting for the birds to find it. 

And to finish this up with a bit of good news, I found Major Dad on Tubi.  I used to love that show, so if you'll excuse me, I'm off to binge.

Laters.  

Into A Fight

There I was at work on Monday, just a working away when Group Leader Shark came up behind me, called my name, and said, "4:00 in the morning!"  

OK.  

A few minutes after that, she asked me if I could stay over that day.  OK, I didn't really want to, but I said I would.  So, I stayed until 3:00, clocked out, and drove all of the way into town to mail the baby sweater-- only to find that the post office wasn't even open.  Apparently, nobody had shown up for work that morning. 

"Your tax dollars at work," I grumbled as I headed home, baby sweater still in hand. 

Once I got back home, I began second guessing myself.  "Did I switch the clock from clock in to clock out before I scanned my badge?"  I couldn't remember...No big deal.  Even if I hadn't clocked out correctly, Uncle Supervisor will fix it, so I wasn't worried.  

Tuesday morning, I got to work not so bright but very very early and scanned my badge at the time clock.  Now, when you normally clock in, the screen will show your name along with the name of your department and the department number.  If you're already clocked in and scan your badge again, it'll just say "Clocked in".  

And that's what it said when I clocked in yesterday.  Just clocked in.  

"Oh," I said to myself, "I must not have clocked out yesterday after all."  I clocked out, then clocked back in...and it just said clocked in.  Hmmm...

I went to another time clock and repeated the whole process:  I clocked out, then clocked in again.  This time, it did right and the screen showed my department name and number just like it was supposed to.   Great.  Confident that I'd clocked in correctly, I went on to my stand and went about my day. 

Sometime later, I walked up to Uncle Supervisor's desk to talk to him about what I'd done.   He saw me coming and gestured me over.  

"Did you get into a fight with the time clock this morning?"  He asked.  

I laughed and replied, "Yes, I did."  I explained to him what had happened, then said, "I was literally just coming up here to talk to you about this!"  We both had a good chuckle and the day went on from there.  

Alas, at the morning meeting, Group Leader Shark told us we're all going to be staying over until 3:00 for the foreseeable future -- with some of us still coming in at 4:00, so expect blogging to be sporadic for the next week or so.

In other news, last time it rained -- which was last Friday -- I looked out my front window and saw a little bird bathing in the puddle in my driveway.  Now, I've been wanting a birdbath for a while now, but seeing that bird in the puddle and knowing I'm going to be filling said puddle in pretty soon, I realized I needed to get one sooner rather than later.  

I hopped onto the Lowe's app and found one I liked.  It's cement and a good size, only they didn't have it in stock at the local store.  Well, the one up in Batesville I mean.  There was an option to have it shipped, but that option cost $80, or more than the birdbath itself costs.   No, thank you. 

I didn't see any other cement options in stock, so naturally I did what any red blooded American would do.  I got onto Amazon and ordered one.  It's resin instead of cement, but it'll do until I can find a cement one.    

Or maybe I'll just keep it.  I imagine it'll be easier to clean than a cement one anyway. 

I was supposed to fill the pedestal with rocks, sand, or gravel to help weigh it down, but that's going to have to wait until the weekend.  It's just too hot right now, and with me going in at 4:00, I'm already in bed by the time it cools off enough to do anything.  

I'll get out early Friday or Saturday morning and pick a bunch of rocks out of all that red clay and fill it with those.  It also came with some little stakes to help hold it down, but they're not very big.  When I go to Walmart next, I'll get some regular tent stakes and use them instead. 

The Incarnation of Evil says, "Just don't get any ideas about a cat bath..."  

 

All Done!

At long last, I have finally sewn the buttons onto my great nephew's sweater.  

I know right?  It's about time.  Have I ever mentioned how much I hate sewing on buttons?  Even more so than seaming.  But no matter.  It's finished now, washed and ready to be packed up and mailed.

Which I hope to do later today.  The packing up, I mean, not the mailing because the post office is closed.   It being Sunday, you know. 

I'd thought about driving up to Lowe's this morning and picking up some sand, because Justin The Good Landscaper told me to put sand in those ruts in the front yard, but I didn't.  I have a vacation day Friday, so I might go up there then.  

Then I thought I'd scrape up some of the red clay dirt from the back and use it instead, but it's still too mucky from the rain we got Friday.  So I cleaned up some more of the branches from the tree I had cut down a few weeks ago.  That was about all of the outside work I got done today. 

Speaking of ruts, yesterday got the weedeater out and cleared away the grass around some of the deeper ruts in the back yard so I can see them better, because one day last week I turned an ankle stepping in one of them.   You know, the ones he didn't fill in because I didn't specifically tell him to. 

 I still say I shouldn't have had to.  He made the ruts, he should have fixed them without me having to tell him to.   Any landscaper with integrity would have done so.  But then, a landscaper with integrity would have done what I paid him to do, not what he felt like doing. 

I'm going to stop whining about it now, but I was just so heartsick that he screwed me over this way.  Now, I think he was even lying about having his truck in the shop.  I think he intended to ghost me, until I started nagging him to get finished.  It would seem I don't have any better luck in choosing who to employ than in choosing who to marry.  

I was so looking forward to getting my raised bed garden set up and going, but now I've had to wait so long to even get started.  I'll just be glad when it's all over and done with, and I can move on.  

That's about all I have for today.  I was going to talk about other stuff, too, but this has been one of those whelming flood weeks, and I just don't have it in me.   

Maybe tomorrow. 

The Culprit

I think I may have found what was causing the cat to vomit.  These things:

`

I'd bought them a while back to get the ibotta rebate, and had recently started mixing a few in with her breakfast each morning.  It was about that time, she started vomiting.  

At first, it was just once in a while, but that day I came home and she'd puked about 8 times, it got my attention.  I was trying to think what was causing it, and the treats were the only thing that was different.  I stopped putting them into her food, and she hasn't tossed her breakfast since.  Keep your fingers crossed...

Apropos of nothing, I bought patriotic plates on clearance. 

No reason other than not wanting to wash.  And they're patriotic. 

In other news, the other landscaper came out yesterday after I'd posted, looked over my yard, and said he could fix it.  He said it might be a minute, because he's backed up right now, but he'll get it done.  

I said, "We're past the rainy season now, so that's OK.  Just don't forget about me!"  

He's been doing landscaping since he was 13 and his dad started their business, so I know he knows what he's doing.  I name dropped a mutual friend -- yes, you Edna-- and told him she'd said he was the best.  He likes to talk, but he said these young people mow a few lawns and watch HGTV, then think this stuff is easy, but most of them end up going out of business because doing it right is a lot harder than they expected. 

He also said the dirt the other guy had brought was garbage dirt, which I already knew.  He's going to get me some good dirt and fix me right up.  Best part of all, he's only going to charge me $1000 -- or less if he can swing it.  He said he felt so bad about the other guy taking advantage of me, he's going to make sure he gets my cost below a grand. 

Heh, when I told him how much the other guy charged me, well, let's just say he uttered some words I don't want to post on the blog, as they will ruin my PG rating.   

OK, really he didn't say anything that bad, but saying that isn't as dramatic.  Still, I don't want to give people the wrong idea about the man because he was very nice.  

We chatted a bit more, and I said, "I wish I'd found your number first!"  Then he went on his way, and I finally calmed down enough to get something to eat.

He was telling me I should leave a bad review of the other guy to keep him from ripping off someone else, but I replied,  "It's just not in my nature to be a Karen."  I'd rather just wait until the second landscaper -- Justin-- finishes up and post an absolutely glowing review of the job he does  -- saying things like, "This is what good landscaping is supposed to look like!" and stuff like that. 

Truth is, there were so many red flags in that conversation I had with the first landscaper, it actually makes me fear for his wife. The main ones being how he tried to turn everything around and make it all my fault, even though he didn't even come close to doing what I paid him to do, and how he tried to intimidate me and accuse me of trashing his small business -- his small Christian based business for no reason, because in his mind, he'd done exactly what I'd asked, which is a typical narcissistic response.    

But it's a tremendous relief and a weight off my shoulders knowing I don't have to deal with him any more.  The only downside is that now I have to wait on the other landscaper to finish what he needs to do before I can move forward with getting my herb garden started.  

Well, maybe I can get the fence painted while I'm waiting. 

And finally, there are big changes happening out at work, but I'm going to save that for another post, because this one is long enough already.  Plus, I didn't sleep well at all last night and have had a massive headache all day.

I'm going to get off of here and knit and watch some mindless TV.  

Laters...

Prime Day Deals

Guess what I found at Walmart!  You'll never guess, so I'll tell you.  PUMPKIN SPICE CREAMER!  In July!  Usually it doesn't show up until September or October.  I got so excited, I went into work this morning and asked some of my coworkers if they drink pumpkin spice coffee.  "Nawww," said one, and another made a face and shook her head no.  A third one said she doesn't drink it, either.  

"Oh, OK, then.  I'll just go over here and be excited by myself," I replied...

But yeah, I got the regular creamer and a can of the cold foam creamer -- which I'm not a super huge fan of, but it's OK.  I'm all set for Fall!  

In other news, my Prime Day deals arrived today.  Well, most of them did.  I still have a couple of things that will arrive next week.  One of them is the new box of Frontline flea and tick stuff for the cat, but it looks just like the old box, so I got the old box out for the photo. 

Most of it is stuff I normally buy, but got at a discount.  Full disclosure, I don't usually buy the pre-mixed protein shakes, unless I can get them on sale.  They were marked down a good bit, so I picked up a case. The only new thing I wouldn't have bought anyway is the extra battery for my mini chainsaw.  I mean, I was thinking about getting one just to have a spare, but hadn't yet.  When I saw it was marked down for Prime Day, I tossed it into my cart as well.  I was going to do an unboxing video, but that didn't happen.  Why?  Because the landscaper finally came...and didn't really do anything.  

He ran over this a few times, but you can see from the photo, it's still higher the rest of the yard.  When it rains, water is going to run down and puddle next to the house. 

He still left giant ruts and uneven spots in my back yard -- which he says is my fault because I didn't tell him those were a problem.  Kind of like I didn't tell him the water would run down toward the house.  How could you not notice that?  I guess the same way he didn't notice all the ruts and lumps and uneven spots he left...which I thought he was supposed to fill in when he came.      

And then there is this.  He's got so much dirt piled up in my gate, I can't even close it.

He said that shouldn't matter because I said I was going to get that fence taken out, but I still don't want a giant hill in my yard.  And he didn't put any dirt in the low spot by that cleanout, where I had my sewer line replaced a few years ago, which I had specifically pointed that out to him and told him I wanted that filled in. 

And of course, these ruts in the front yard, which he says aren't ruts at all, but tire tracks.  

Call 'em what you want, they're deep enough my lawn mower falls into them.  Then there is the giant hole left by the dump truck, which he "didn't notice."  

 Now, he says I'm threatening to post a bad review and trash run his small business into the ground, and he doesn't want to work with me any more.   To that I say, if an honest review is such a threat to your small business, then maybe you need to reexamine your business practices.  He says he's got recordings of our conversations, and that the truth will come out.  I hope it does, because I know what I told him I wanted done. 

I have just one question, though, if -- as he says -- I only wanted dirt plopped into two small spots in my front yard, why did I go to the bother of pointing out my Bachelor's Button and my water meter?  Hmmm?  

It doesn't matter, because I'd already decided to be done with him anyway, whether he had finished the job or not.  I'm just tired.  Tired of waiting on him.  Tired of having this hanging over my head.  Tired of his excuses.    

I put in a call to another landscaper -- this one is older and more established, and "the best" according to local folks.  The problem will be that since I'll have to pay him to fix what the first guy screwed up, and the first guy used up my entire budget, I'm going to have to pull from my fence budget and put off getting the rest of my fence replaced until I can save up more money.   

Now, I'm sitting here waiting for him to show up and we can talk about what I want done.   Oh!  He just messaged me that he's on his way. 

Laters.  

JAG

JAG is back on Prime!!!  Hallelujah! I can finish watching it!  It even saved my spot, so I can pick up right where I left off. 

While we’re on the subject, I’m trying to finish The X-Files, but I’m struggling with it. It just isn’t the same without….um, a certain character. I won’t spoil it for anyone who hasn’t seen it yet, but it isn’t as good.

Oh, and I dropped Britbox again, at least for a while. I am going to miss Father Brown and Sister Boniface, but can’t see paying $9 per month just for those two shows. 

Even so, I'm glad for a bit of good news, even if it's something small like that.  It's been a very frustrating week at work, and it's only Wednesday.  I mean, it's the same old same old.  Every single order I've gotten today has had something wrong with it.  Every single order I've gotten this week has had something wrong with it.  

The frustrating part is that we can't get the support from upper management we need to be successful at our jobs.  Junior, for example, is nothing but an overgrown teenager who is more concerned with playing pranks on his employees than he is in solving the problems we have to deal with.  It's almost like they want us to fail.  

I didn't come here to complain -- again -- about my job, but I've been thinking lately.  I used to be able to write clever and entertaining posts about my work days.  No matter how bad things seemed, I was always able to find humor in the situation, and could come up with something people would want to read.  Not so any more.  

Things have gotten so bad out there, there is no humor to be found anywhere.  It's become a downright depressing place, and no matter how hard I try, I just can't come up with anything worth writing about.  And I can remember when readers were actually encouraging me to write a book.  

Nobody says that any more.  Nobody thinks that any more.  

I think I'm going to end this and go take a nice, hot shower.  But before I go, I had been saying I was going to switch my shopping day to Wednesday, but I'm finding that just isn't working out.  Reason being, is that the shelves are fairly empty, and I can't get what I need.  

I'm probably going to go back to shopping on Fridays, despite the place being a madhouse.  At least the shelves are stocked then.  But I did pick up a skein of that pink Bitty Stripes yarn.  

I guess I really ought to finish the BSJ I've already go on the needles, then, huh?  

Random Thoughts Of A Tuesday Evening

1.  It was with some trepidation I opened the bedroom door this morning, but much to my relief, there was no cat gack on the floor...anywhere.  I fed the cat her breakfast, and by the time I left for work, she still hadn't thrown it up, so I was hopeful she is feeling better.  

2.  I thought briefly about cutting some branches up, but after tossing some corn for the crows and squirrels, I was drenched in sweat that fast.  So, I picked out some pebbles to fill my bee watering bowl. 

It will eventually go into my fairy garden, but for now, it's in the planter with my basil. 

3.  I poured my milk into my oatmeal, then stuck it into the microwave to cook.  When I got it out, the milk had curdled.  I got the jug out of the fridge, opened the cap, and whew!  Yep, it was sour.  Giving up on oatmeal, I poured myself some Cheerios with almond milk and ate that instead.  The very last bite, I promise you I didn't do this on purpose, it just happened.  It smiled at me.  

I smiled back, snapped a photo, then ate it. 

4.  For you local folks, here is the QR code to Matt Laubhan's new weather app. 

5.  By the way, the snakes have all had birthdays recently.  OK, I don't have any of their hatch dates except for Onyx's, which is July 24, 2004, so I've give them all an official unofficial birthday of July 1.  Even Onyx.  So, Slider, Sunset, and Onyx are all 21 years old, and Blaze is 20.  

6. I got home from work, and walked into the house with some trepidation, only to find...no cat gack!  Anywhere.  I'd shut her out of the bedrooms and bathroom, just in case, but turns out there was no need.  She's still not quite herself, but now that she's stopped vomiting, she should pick up soon.  

7.  I had a moment of panic Sunday morning when I checked on my tomato plant, and it was all slumped over.  It would seem I'd forgotten to water it over the holiday weekend.  I gave it a good watering, then tied it back up to the stakes.  Then, I cut some of the tomatoes that were starting to ripen, thinking that would take some of the stress off of the plant-- all except for that green one.  It had apparently fallen off on its own in the melee. 

The one on the far right ended up in a tomato sandwich this afternoon. 

8.  I wish more people understood this. 

People don't always need you badgering them about what's wrong.  They don't necessarily need to talk about it.  Sometimes, they just need you to be there.  

10.  I may be wrong for this, but I think it's absolutely hysterical to watch conspiracy theorists tie themselves in knots insisting that their theories are still true, even when they've been proven most decidedly to be false. 

11.  I'm heading over to Amazon to see if I can pick up any Prime Day deals.  Catch you later. 

Found ‘Em!

 I found the buttons!  

Guess where they were...in a place I'd already checked twice.  They'd fallen between the arm and seat of my recliner, and I'd checked there.  I just didn't shove my hand far enough down the first few times.  

Once I'd gotten them out, I went deep diving for my needle.  It was where...I'd checked a couple of times already.  In the jar I keep my stitch markers in. 

As with the buttons, I didn't dive deeply enough the first time.  Or second...

I was going to come home and sew those buttons on this afternoon -- triple digit heat indices keeping me inside -- but alas, when I got home, I saw that the cat had been sick.  All over the house.  In my recliner.  On my bed -- TWICE.  On the floor in every single room of the house.  

I don't know what's up with her.  If she ate something she shouldn't have, or picked up some sort of kitty stomach flu, or if she's simply got a stubborn hairball.  Hopefully, she'll perk up in a day or two.  If not, it's off to the vet we go. 

Needless to say, instead of sewing buttons, I spent my afternoon scrubbing up cat gack and washing bedding.  Now that that's done, I think I'll have some popcorn and watch an episode of Bonekickers.  Maybe something more blog worthy will happen tomorrow. 

Frustrated

I'm so frustrated right now, I don't even know what to do.  I was going to get my great-nephew's sweater finished up today, so I can get it packed up and mailed off this week...only I can't find the buttons I bought for it.  

The last time I remember seeing them, I was sitting in my recliner -- the same recliner I'm sitting in right this very moment -- picking out which colors I wanted to use.  I'd bought some that had various shades of brown and green, and I thought they'd go well with the camo yarn.  I set the bag down on the side table, or so I thought.  When I went to get it this morning, I couldn't find it.  

I've looked everywhere I could think of, and a few places I really didn't expect them to be, but I looked anyway.  I even  pulled the chair and side tables away from the wall and checked underneath.  No dice.  

Somewhat defeated, I got out my button box and picked out three that I thought I could use...and I couldn't find my needle.  Oh, I found my tapestry needles, but they wouldn't fit through the buttons' eyes.  I looked for the one I'd used to sew the buttons onto all of those Calorimetries I'd done a while back, but couldn't find it anywhere, either. 

Frustrated, I stuffed the button box and sweater into the drawer, and now I'm sitting here pouting and watching a documentary on the War of 1812.  Because, hey, even when I'm frustrated, I gotta be me. 

If even half of what they're saying in this documentary is true, it's a wonder we didn't lose this war.  But then, I haven't gotten to the part where they fight in New Orleans, and we all know how that ended.  Right?  

To end on a brighter note, my little water bowl I ordered arrived. 

I'm going to fill it with pebbles and put it into my fairy garden, oh, and water, of course, so the bees and butterflies can drink without drowning. 

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go finish this documentary, and try to think of where I could have put those buttons. 

Laters.