As Promised

As promised, here is the photo of my latest finished sailor hat. 

The yarn in Hobby Lobby I Love This Yarn in the colorway Blue Camo.  The pattern is a basic beanie pattern knit on US 8 needles, with US 7 being used for the ribbing. 

And of course, I cast on another one right away.  

The yarn is Hobby Lobby I Love This Yarn in the colorway Royal Gorge.  Basic beanie pattern, size US 8 needles.  

In other news, I got up and went to the store this morning to do my weekly shopping, and came home disappointed.  I was going to get a couple more of those bags of garden soil I've been using, but every single bag I picked up was busted.  Sigh...

I got a couple of bags of the Miracle Gro topsoil instead, and that has just about filled one section of my beds.  I'm thinking I might run up to Batesville Monday, since we have that day off at work, and see if they have any left at their Walmart.  

"But why the rush?"  you may ask.  It's not like I can plant anything before Spring anyway.  

It's because I want to get at least my lemon balm and Rosemary settled in before the first freeze.  I'd also like to get my tarragon and oregano transplanted, if I can.  Still, the tarragon is in a pot, so I can bring it inside for the winter, and I don't want the oregano to feel left out.  

By the way, I asked Gemini how many lemon balm plants I can fit into that bed, and he said if I use the maximum spacing I can only fit two, but if I use the minimum spacing, I can get 8 in there.  I think I'll split the difference and plant six.  

Rosemary, on the other hand, can get quite large, and Gemini recommends only 3 plants in a bed this size.  ChatGPT only recommends two, so if I want to sell it in the farmer's market after I get the plants established, I may use an entire 8' bed and grow four of them.  Or maybe I'll use one of my 4' x 4' beds.  ChatGPT thinks that might be a better option, since I can fit four plants and they'll have more room to thrive.  I guess I ought to start figuring out where I want to put them, then.  

Speaking of thriving, look what I found! My Thanksgiving cacti are budding!  

 All four of them have buds, but these were the only ones big enough to actually see in a photo.  

On a similar note, the rain started around 4:30, but so far, all we've had is a light drizzle.  That's exactly what we need, being as it's been so very dry this summer.  The ground needs time to absorb the rain.  

You know, when I moved into this house, a lot of the things the previous owners did had me shaking my head, but one thing they did right was to put some good insulation in here.  As chilly as it's been these last few days, this was the first morning it even got down below 70° inside the house.   

Or maybe this is normal.  I don't know,  because I haven't lived in an actual house since I got out of the Navy.  Until I bought this one in 2015, I mean.  I reckon a house would be much tighter than a trailer house, which is what I lived in for the first 20 years. 

The other thing I was disappointed in at the store was that I was going to buy some Halloween candy, just in case I get a trick -or - treater.  I haven't had one since I moved into this house, but I'd hate for one to come and I didn't have anything to give him.  That happened one year when I still lived on Riverdale Road, and I felt so bad. 

Anyway, I usually buy the individually wrapped Reese's cups, and a bag of the Hershey's miniatures with the four different kinds.  Alas, they didn't have the smaller bags of the Hershey's, and I wasn't about to buy the $15 bag.  I had to pass on those, and got a bag of the mini 3 Musketeers instead.  

And finally, I found a recipe on Facebook (I know, I know) and it looked pretty good, so I decided to try it.  It's a cheese dip, that's basically Ro-tel, but you also add a block of cream cheese and a can of cream of mushroom soup.  It was pretty good, but I don't think Cody likes mushrooms, so I probably won't make it for them.  Or I'll make it and regular Ro-tel, so they'll have options. 

I'm trying to find more savory snacks for the holidays, since we all need to eat less sugar.  

Now, I'm hungry, so I'm going to go get me some soup for supper.  Lobster bisque, from the deli section at Walmart.  

Laters. 

Almost There

I'm almost there.  Almost to the crown decreases on this hat, but I didn't want to wait until I'd finished to show you. 

You'll get the finished object photo sometime tomorrow.  And I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who compliments me on my hats, but I have to confess that the yarn does all the work.  It's dyed to stripe that way.  Makes my job a whole lot easier, and the knitting mindless enough I can do it while watching TV, yes even football. 

Speaking of football, I ran across this graphic a few days ago. 

Full disclosure, I haven't gone back through all the games and counted how many times Arch has been  hit, so I can't verify its veracity, but what I've seen watching the games, it's been a lot.  He can't be who he needs to be when he's running for his life every play.  He doesn't have time to go through his progressions, and even when he doesn't get hit, it seems like he expects to, therefore rushes and misses his throws.  

I'd lay odds he'd be a totally different quarterback if he'd had the O-line Quin Ewers had last year. 

Enough football talk, on to more exciting things.  

Did I really just say that???

Wow...

But OK, here we go.  I hadn't planned on getting up and working in the garden spot this morning, but as I was enjoying my cup of coffee and folding laundry, I said to myself, "Self, you really ought to get out there and do some work in that garden spot before the rain comes tomorrow."  So I listened to myself and did just that.

I even got the ol' roto-tiller and knocked the high spots down a bit. 

 Then I spread a little dirt in the low spots, and it is finally starting to look like I want it to look.  I'll have to wait until the rain settles things, then re-evaluate, but I think we are just about go for starting to add the rest of the raised beds.  

I'll just have to figure out what to do with all the extra red clay I scraped out of the spot.  

I'll do that later.  Right now, I'm going to go finish that hat. 

Laters. 

Inventory

It was inventory day out at work, and as usual, it was a completely unorganized cluster.  A big part of the problem is that they just throw these people out there with no training or instruction and are like, "Figure it out, but don't you dare make a mistake."  

It doesn't help that they put you in an area that you don't even work in.  I did the delta plate area, and what do I know about those?  Nothing.  Beats me why they don't just put those who work in sheet metal into the sheet metal areas.  Things would go so much more smoothly if they did. 

I swan I think they have meetings to find out the easiest and most efficient way to do things, then do the exact opposite.  It's very frustrating to people like me, who just want to get it done and go. 

Be that as it may, the day finally ended, and right after work, I ran into Walmart to get some more dirt for my garden beds.  Unfortunately, that entire pallet of clearance dirt sold out between Saturday and today.  I had to get the smaller bags of non-clearance dirt, but no matter.  My beds are just that much closer to being filled. 

I will probably buy a few more bags when I go back Saturday to do my weekly shopping.  I'd thought about doing it today, but Thursdays are absolutely crazy in Walmart.  I think everyone in town goes Thursdays to avoid the Friday madhouse.  Which makes Thursday a madhouse...

So, I just got my dirt and came on home.  I want to see how much it compresses with the rain we're expecting this weekend, so I'll know exactly how much more I need for each bed.   Since these will be for perennial herbs, I want to get it as full as necessary before planting.  The beds I'm going to use for annuals -- like my tomatoes and peppers -- I'll be able to add more dirt until it's completely full, so I'll be able to use compost in them.  I can always add more as the compost compresses.  

And I still need to get the center taken down a bit, being that it's still pretty high.  I guess I need to break down and get ahold of a dirt guy, only...as deep as my feet are sinking into that muck, I'd be afraid to drive heavy equipment in that spot.  

Oh, and I thought maybe if I put my phone call list on my refrigerator where I can see it every day might help me get things done.  Keeping it on my phone just makes it easier to ignore. 

In other news, I filled my bird feeder and hung it back onto the shepherd's hook, and said hook has stayed pretty straight and sturdy. 

 I'll give it a few more weeks before I take up the tie-downs. Maybe I'll leave them tied all winter, just to make sure it's all good and settled in.  

I guess that's it for today.  I'm going to get off of here and watch some Heartland and do some knitting. 

Laters. 

A Semi-expected Half Day Off

There was a rumor going around the plant this morning that we'd all be getting off at 11:00 or 12:00 today because of inventory tomorrow.  However, at the morning meeting, Inspector Gadget dispelled that rumor by telling us we would be working all day, until 2:00.  

Along about 10:00, that very same Inspector Gadget came around and told us all to go home at 11:00.  He didn't have to tell me twice.  Truth is, we were about the last ones to leave.  The lines started leaving shortly after 9:00.  Not to worry, it's always this way during inventory week. 

Things get weird during inventory week.  Oh, and funny thing, I was talking to Demi-god yesterday, and he didn't believe me that we used to go in at 5:00 AM and would sometimes have to stay until 8:00 or 9:00 at night.  I told him it was true, and to just ask his daddy.  This morning, I bumped into the two of them in the main break room, and said, "Hey Chris, tell him how inventory used to be.  He doesn't believe me."  That was all it took.  He went on an absolute tirade, telling Demi-god that they had to stay even longer than we did, and sometimes he didn't get out of there until midnight.  

They used to buy us pizza for lunch, too, but stopped because people were stealing the pizzas.  Yep, they'd go into the break room and get a whole stack of pizzas and go put them out into their cars.  Then there wouldn't be enough for the rest of us.  You know, the honest ones.  

It being a beautiful day, when I got home, I put a little fire in the fire pit, made myself a sandwich and had a picnic in the back yard. 

For dessert, yes I even went there. 

I was good, though.  I only had one.  Truth is, I was a bit disappointed in these marshmallows.  They've got a bit of chocolate in the middle, but it doesn't melt enough for my tastes. I think I'll put them into some hot chocolate instead, then buy some regular marshmallows for toasting. 

Speaking of, I might have a lead on some firewood.  Demi-god and I were chatting a bit this morning before shift started, and he said something about them cutting out all of the overtime and how tight it's making things around his house.  He's trying to support a wife and two kids on his one salary.  

Anyway, in the course of the conversation he said, "If things get much worse, me and my dad might have to sell some firewood to make up the difference."  

"Oooh, I need some firewood," I said right away.  I told him I have slightly less than a face cord left, but I'll need some more before it's all over, so if they do decide to sell firewood, to hit me up.  I'll buy some. 

By the way, I probably ought to give Demi-god a new blog nickname.  See, when he first came back to sub-brazing, he was bragging about how many headers he could do in a day, and acting like he was the best brazer that ever lived, and that he was the only one who knew anything about brazing, blah, blah, blah.  So, I started calling him the Demi-god of brazing, since that's what he seemed to think he was.  After a few months on the shift that actually has to follow the schedule and do the orders the line needs rather than skipping down and picking all the big orders of easy parts, his attitude has mellowed quite a bit.  Now, he's the one that complains the most about second shift. 

Well, not now because we don't have a second shift, but you know what I mean.   

Anyway, after I'd finished my lunch, I decided to get the two bags of garden soil that have been riding around in my car for nearly a week out and put them into my raised beds.   Between those, and the two I'd bought previously, I was able to get all four sections half way full. 

This is how much one bag was able to fill the bed.  Well, one section of one of the beds.  

That means it might not be as expensive to fill all of my raised beds as I'd originally thought -- especially if I can keep getting soil on clearance.  I think tomorrow after inventory, I'll run into town and get two more bags and finish filling at least two sections. 

I'd thought about trying to get the garden spot leveled a bit more, but the red clay was still too mucky to work with, so that'll have to wait for another day.  Instead, I sat down in my chair and enjoyed the beautiful day just a bit longer. 

 And finally, my car must have heard me griping because my low tire pressure light finally went out.  OK, OK, I know.  Sometimes you just have to drive it around a bit for the sensor to sense and set itself. Or whatever it does.  

Now, if you'll excuse me, there's a mug of hot chocolate calling my name.  With a stuffed marshmallow in it. 

Laters.

Random Thoughts Of A Tuesday Evening

1.  I was not expecting it to rain today, so that early morning storm caught me a bit by surprise.  When I'd checked my weather app yesterday, there weren't any significant chances until the weekend, but lo and behold, we got a good little bit of rain today.  

2.  I snuck over to the computer and checked the radar, and the entire south was clear, except that one little bitty storm right over us.  I'm not complaining, though.  I was able to collect some more water for Marty Mac, but wasn't able to work in the garden spot.  It was still too mucky. 

3.  Here is hat progress.  

4.  I went outside last night to see if I could see that comet, but I couldn't.  I guess there are too many trees in the way. 

5.  Well, it looks like we're getting the entire week of Thanksgiving off, which really isn't that uncommon.  November and December are our slowest months, and despite the short memories of some of my coworkers, we get Thanksgiving week relatively often.

6.  We've also got a day off Monday, but instead of just saying it's a shutdown day, they're trying to make it look like some sort of reward.  As in, "We really appreciate all of your hard work, so to show our appreciation, we're going to take a day's pay away from you."  Did they really think we wouldn't notice what they're doing?  That's what they think of us out there.

7.  Just for fun:

8.  My car is driving me nuts.  The low tire pressure light keeps coming on, but when I check them manually, the pressure is fine.  I think the sensor needs to be re-set.  I just haven't had time to dig into it.  OK, that's not totally true.  I could find the time, it's just not that big a deal. 

9.  It's been getting chilly in the mornings here lately.  Not chilly enough to drag out the space heater, and certainly not chilly enough to turn on the central heat, but chilly enough for me to put on some flannel pants. All that to say, I really need to call a chimney sweep and get my chimney cleaned.  But that requires a phone call, and we all know how I feel about those...

10.  I keep forgetting to tell you, we had a fire drill two weeks ago out at work.  So, there I was walking through the parking lot, looking for the sign where my department is supposed to muster, and the next thing I know, I'm laying on the ground.  I'd tripped over one of the speed bumps.  

It's funny now, but wasn't at the time.  Heh, one of my coworkers said she saw my hair flying, and thought it was a bird until she saw me getting back up.  Anyway, I got a pretty good case of road rash on my knee and a nice little bruise that's finally turning yellow. 

 Anyway, that coworker tattled on me to Group Leader Shark who made me go to first aid.  This is the crazy part, the first aid lady said I didn't need to write an incident report because it happened in the parking lot.   She gave me a couple of Band-Aids for my bloody knee, but not even any antibiotic ointment or anything.  

I guess she didn't want to interrupt her lunch.  

I went back out to my department and told GLS, and she couldn't believe it either.  She said, "Ain't the parking lot part of company property?"  I guess not.  Good thing I wasn't as badly hurt as the lady who actually broke her leg tripping over a speed bump. 

11.  Inventory is Thursday, so those who don't have to work are getting a really long weekend.  I'm thinking I need to do something, depending on what the weather does.  I just found out there is a fossil park up near the Tupelo area where you can hunt for fossils.  It's free and open to the public.  I'm thinking about going up there.  Or maybe I'll go to the Memphis Zoo now that the National Guard is up there and I can get to the zoo without worrying about getting shot on the way. 

12.  Nog has hit the stores, and surprisingly doesn't affect my blood sugar that much.  I guess the protein from the eggs helps to counteract the sugar in it.  Now affecting my waistline is a completely different matter. 

13.  I stepped outside again to see if I could see the comet, but I couldn't.  They're saying it'll be visible until the end of the month, so I'll keep trying. 

14.  That's about it for tonight.  I'm going to go make me some popcorn and watch ....  something.  I don't know what, but I'll find something. 

15.  Laters. 

Beautiful Fall Day

The cold front arrived right on time yesterday evening, bring with it much needed rain and much desired cooler temperatures.  Indeed, it only got up to 71° today, and I was able to leave the doors and windows open all day, even though I had to put a blanket on my lap while I was watching It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown and knitting on a new sailor hat.  

I've decided to stop calling them charity hats, because that implies they're going to needy or poor people.  These aren't going towards that sort of need, but rather to people who have to work over Christmas, and may be missing family.  All they need is a reminder that people still appreciate what they do, and what they give up during the holidays.  

Speaking of the holidays, my cheesy Christmas movies have begun!  Actually, Great American Family started showing theirs last weekend, but Hallmark didn't start until yesterday.  Anyway, I was in the Great American Family app, marking my movies off on their checklist when I discovered they have a bingo card!  

You can send them a photo of your completed card for a chance to win a prize, but I'm just going to play for fun.  I'm not worried about winning anything.  I was able to get quite a few squares filled in just from watching the first two of this year's movies.  

I was also able to finish the sailor hat I was working on, and cast on a new one -- which you can see in the first photo above. 

The yarn is Hobby Lobby I Love This Yarn in the Kaleidoscope colorway.   The one I cast on this morning is also Hobby Lobby I Love This Yarn, and it's the Blue Camo Stripe colorway.  

Becky, why do you have to tell us the yarn and colorway every single post?  We know what it is by now. 

Yes, my regular readers do, but this is for those who might have just stumbled on this post and are thinking, "Gee, that hat is so pretty.  I wonder what the yarn is."  It's a crafters thing.  

OK, moving right along...

As I said earlier, we got a good bit of much needed rain last night.  My Raindrop app said 2.1", and I was able to collect nearly a gallon of rain water for my Venus Fly Trap, Marty Mac. 

That's a good thing, because I was having to buy distilled water these last few weeks.  They're very sensitive to minerals, and can't handle tap water.  Just in case you were wondering.  He'll be going into dormancy soon, so he won't need as much water for a while, but I'll have to collect all I can during the rainy season to have on hand during the dry season.  

The rain did turn my garden spot into a mucky mess, though, but at least now I can see where the low spots are and what leveling I still need to do.  I'm going to let it dry out a few days, but with the cooler temperatures, I can get out and work in it after work.  But we're expecting another front next Saturday, so I don't know if it'll dry out enough.  We'll see.  

In football news, LSU lost and Texas won, but both looked pretty pathetic out there.  I'm not going to jump on the  "Arch sucks" bandwagon just yet, mainly because his o-line hasn't been able to protect him.  I think he's gotten jumpy and feels like he has to rush every play.  He has flashes of brilliance, but is too inconsistent.  

LSU on the other hand, doesn't have that excuse.  Sure, Nuss looks like he's still playing injured, but if he's not 100%, Kelly needs to take him out until he recovers physically. Still, the team's problems runway deeper than that.  Take it from someone who knows a whole lot more about football than I do, LSU legend T-Bob Hebert:

In my opinion, NIL and the transfer portal are ruining college football.  Players no longer care about being on a winning team.  They just want to go to whichever school pays them the most.  Coaches can't coach, because they're constantly recruiting -- their own players at that.  If you ask me, it all needs to go back to the way it was before -- back when men played for the love of the game, and for the love of their school.  But what do I know?  

Speaking of, my old Alma Mater is one of only four remaining undefeated teams in Texas.   Of course, they're D-III, but still, and by the way, they beat my brother's alma mater this weekend.  

And finally, your meme of the day:  

Of course he did!  Twice, at that. 

Guess

Guess what I did today.  Go on, guess.  

If you said "Dug up more spider lily bulbs," give yourself a cookie.  Give yourself two cookies.  And some ice cream.  You deserve it. 

That's right. I'd gotten up and gone to Walmart to do my weekly shopping.  While I was there, I picked up two more bags of that garden soil on clearance, and I'd thought maybe after I'd come home, I'd go out and start filling the raised beds in my garden spot.  I think I have enough dirt to get one of them filled up, so that's what I wanted to do if I had time before the ball games started.  

Even if I didn't, I still needed to go put all of my gardening tools back under cover before tonight's storms come through.  Alas, while I was out there piddling in my dirt, I discovered, yes, even more spider lilies coming up.  I grabbed my shovel and dug them out, fussing all the while about that sorry son of a gun who'd cheated me.  His mother must be so proud.  

Anyway, I had an idea while I was in the store paying for dirt.  What would happen if I mixed some of that red clay into my garden soil?  Not a lot, maybe 10%.  It would save me a little bit of money, and I don't think that would be enough to negatively affect plant growth, especially if I kept it in the bottom half of the raised beds.  It would all be sifted, of course, to get the rocks and garbage out of it before I put it into my beds.  Any experienced gardeners care to weigh in? 

On a similar note, the bulbs I thinned and replanted yesterday have already perked up a bit.  

I expect they'll perk up even more once that rain moves through later on this evening.   Then, when it's dried out a bit, I'll get the roto-tiller out and go over the garden spot again a time or two, to level it all back out after digging giant holes in it.  The good news is, none of this digging or roto-tilling should interfere with the two beds I've already put into place.  

I was thinking, I'd kind of like to get those beds filled and the herbs I already have moved into them as soon as possible so they can get kind of settled before the first frost comes though.  I mean, they're all perennials, so it shouldn't matter too much, but I'd like to give them time to get over any transplant shock before then.  

Or maybe it'll be better to wait until they die back for the year.  I don't know.  What I do know is that if they do die, I can always buy more and put them directly into the beds and let them go to town.  So to speak.  I'd kind of freak out if I saw plants really going into town...

So, what is on the list to plant in my new garden beds?  Right now, I've got some lemon balm and rosemary for sure.  They both make great tea, plus Cody loves to cook with them.  I've also got a Greek oregano plant, one sage plant, and a French Tarragon.  I'll have to think about what else I want to plant -- as far as herbs go, I mean.  

I'm going to also grow tomatoes, sweet banana peppers, cayennes, and maybe chili peppers.  I want to try to grow my own stevia, as well, of I can find some.  Last spring, I couldn't find any to save my soul, though Walmart had plenty last year. 

Then, of course, I want to have two pollinator gardens, one of perennials, and one of annuals.  And I would love to have a trellis of muscadines, as sort of an entrance to my little fairy land.  

And you will all get to come on this journey with me.  But it's not going to happen all at once.  This is a multi-year project, and I'm thinking maybe after I retire, I can sell bundles of fresh herbs in the local Farmer's Market.  

Right now, however, I've got to get off of here so I can use my computer to watch football.  While knitting.  

Laters. 

As If

As it happens, I did not do whatever I wanted to today, but it's my own fault.  I'd wanted to run the roto tiller over the garden spot again, but instead, as if I didn't have enough on my plate, I decided the spider lilies next to the fence needed a little TLC.  

See, when the fence guy replaced my chain link with privacy fence, I think he moved it in a couple of inches.  That's not a problem, because you usually have fencing installed a few inches inside the property lines anyway.  But that meant the spider lilies I'd planted when I moved in are now right up against the fence.  

I felt like they needed to be moved a bit farther away so they'd have a bit more room to breathe, and I figured it would be a good idea to thin them a bit while I was at it.   Actually, I thinned them quite a lot. 

They look a bit rough right now, but they'll perk up a bit if we get a good rain tomorrow night like we're supposed to.  Plus, they'll fill out quite a bit over the next few years. 

After that, I came inside and cooled off a bit, then went back out and piddled in my dirt some more.  And now we get to the part where I didn't do what I wanted to, because while I was making giant patterns in the dirt with my dirt rake like this is my own personal zen garden, I discovered...yes, more spider lilies growing.  You know, where the land scammer was supposed to have dug them up, but didn't. 

I dug as many as I could find, and by the time I got done, I had a giant hole where my garden spot should be, 

and between those and the ones I'd thinned by the fence, I filled up two five gallon buckets with bulbs.   

And I only did a short section of the bulbs along the fence line, so if anyone local wants some, I'll have plenty before it's all over.  Just let me know before they end up in the burning pile. 

I'd love to say I was just as productive for the rest of the day, but I wasn't.  All I did was binge Heartland and knit a bit.  Maybe next Friday, I'll be productive.  

Maybe not.  We'll see. 

What Do You Do?

You know, I've been doing this for years -- saving up my vacation days and taking long weekends in the fall.  I started during the '09 Recession when we had to work 32 hour work weeks for so long.  I did it so I'd get paid on those shutdown Fridays, but I kind of got used to having those days off.  So now, I do it on purpose. 

Suddenly, after all this time, my coworkers have begun asking me what I do on my Fridays off.  I don't know.  I do laundry.  I watch TV.  I piddle in the yard.  Maybe I go to Hobby Lobby in Batesville.  I just play it by ear. 

As of today, my standard answer to that question is going to be, "Whatever I want to do."  

But I'll tell you one thing I won't be doing tomorrow, and that is mowing.  That's because I got out this afternoon and got 'er done for what I hope will be the last time this year.  Just the front and side yards, though.  I'm probably going to just let the back go for now.  That's why I bought a privacy fence, after all. 

After I came in to cool off a little bit -- it's still getting up to 88° out there after all -- I went back out and dug in my garden spot a little bit.  Digging up those spider lily bulbs have left some low spots, which I'm going to have to level back out.  I'm thinking I might get the ol' roto-tiller back out in the morning and give it a good going - over.  

But when I got out there, I saw li'l Oberon with his lantern all lit up and waiting for me. 

All that to say, we're expecting some weather Saturday evening into Sunday morning, and I want to get it all leveled back out before the rain comes -- if we get some.  Rain has a tendency to go around my house.  Seriously.  I could be a right deluge in town, but I don't get a drop.  I hope we do.  My poor grass is downright crunchy. 

But whether we get rain or not, it is supposed to cool things off a bit. They're talking about highs in the 70s all next week. It'll be so nice to open the windows and get some fresh air into this house. 

And finally, after a couple of days break, I've cast on another hat. 

 Hobby Lobby I Love This Yarn in Kaleidoscope colorway.  

That's it for today.  I'm going to go get something to eat, then get back to knitting and TV watching. 

Laters

I Did A Thing

I did a thing today.  Not much of a thing, but a thing nonetheless. 

All day at work, I was thinking of all of the things I need to do, and trying to figure out how to get out of this funk I've been in lately. I was thinking if I could just one thing, no matter how small, it might break me out of this paralysis I seem to be trapped inside. 

Therefore I was determined to do a thing, but said thing -doing was not without incident, because I needed my drill bits, and I couldn't find them.  My sister had sent me a new drill for Christmas last year, which came with its own set of bits, but even the smallest one was too big for what I needed. 

I knew I had another set that I had bought years ago, and I was sure they were on shelf in the craft room, but I couldn't find them. I looked everywhere -- in my tool box, in the storage boxes I'd tried to organize my stuff into, even out in the shed, but I couldn't find them. 

Taking a deep breath, I looked one more time, and finally found them in one of the boxes I'd already looked in three times. 

As soon as I found them, I realized why I'd had such trouble.  It's because I was thinking the little holder thingy was orange, so I wasn't looking for something black.  No matter, I'd finally found them, and got the correct sized bit I needed, then went outside and hung my little dragon light on the fence. 

Isn't he just the cutest thing?  He needs a name, now.  Any suggestions?  

 Where I have him positioned, he'll be watching over the beginning of my perennial pollinator garden, which is where my fairy garden will be.  Does that even make sense?  It's not going to be a full on fairy garden, but I am going to have some little houses, a pond, and maybe a cobblestone path nestled amongst the flowers.  

I was all happy and excited, until I turned around and saw this.  

And what is that?  OK, for reference, let's go back to this old photo from before I started working on my garden spot.  See the rectangle of leaves in the back, behind all of the day lilies?  

Those are spider lilies that the previous owner had planted.  The very same spider lilies I'd paid that landscammer a lot of money to dig up, which obviously he didn't.  I mean, I could have cut the leaves off myself for free.  I wanted the bulbs themselves dug up.  

Sigh,  I grabbed my shovel and dug up just the ones I could see, and ended up with nearly a 5 gallon bucket full of bulbs. 

Now I'm wondering about all of the day lilies.  Am I going to have to dig them up too?  Why can't people just be honest?  

And I'm right back in the funk...

All Or None

Me all day long at work:  When I get home from work, I'm going to do all of the things.

Me when I get home from work: Does none of the things. 

I had so much on my list to do this evening, and all I did was sit in front of the TV.  Story of my life, eh?  OK, I did do a few things, like drag the garbage can out to the road and rinse & refill the deer trough.  But I didn't start cleaning out the shed, nor did I hang my little dragon light like I'd intended to.  I just sat.  And watched TV.  

Speaking of TV, Great American Family has already started their new Christmas movies, and yes, I'm watching them.  I know, I know, they're cheesy and predictable, but I'm going to watch them anyway.  

Sometimes I think I watch just to see the decorations, since I seem to be decoration deficient.  I know what looks good.  I just can't make my stuff look like that. 

In knitting news, I finished this hat yesterday while watching football.  

The yarn is Hobby Lobby I Love This Yarn in the Kaleidoscope colorway.  I haven't cast on a new one yet, because my hands are really sore.  It might be the change in the weather, or I might just be getting old.  I don't know.  

I know this is short, but I'm off here to continue doing none of the things. 

Laters. 

No New Tires For Me

I got up bright and early this morning, got dressed, and drove into town to get new tires for my car.  I got to Walmart and the lady behind the counter asked me what size my tires are.  

"I don't know," I replied, having never once been asked this question in all of the times I've bought tires at Walmart.  

"It's on the side of your tires," she said.   Yeah, I could have told her to look it up from the last time I'd bought tires, but she should have done that first.  Normally, they do.  The first thing they do is ask your phone number, then look up your record in the computer.  This one didn't.   She just said, "I have to know what size tire you need so I'll know if we have it in stock."   

So, I walked back out to my car, got into it, and left. 

I was so aggravated, I didn't even go get my dirt.  I drove down to another tire place, Gateway, pulled into the parking lot, then remembered how they'd cheated me a few years ago.  I'd gone in for a flat tire repair, and they said they'd fixed it, and they charged me for fixing it, but they didn't fix it.  This was back during COVID, and Walmart's automotive was shut down.  

When Walmart opened back up, I took the car there and they said I had a nail in my sidewall -- that apparently the techs at Gateway didn't find, which they would have done if they'd actually tried to repair the leak in my tire.  So I pulled back out, and came home and finished this hat while watching Texas finish Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry, and it wasn't even close. 

The yarn is Red Heart Supersaver in Icelandic colorway.  I have enough left in the skein for one more hat, but I cast on with more of my Hobby Lobby I Love This Yarn yarn while watching Navy win a last second nailbiter against Temple and improve to 6-0 on the season. 

This colorway is Kaleidoscope.  I'm loving this yarn, I'm telling you.  It's so buttery soft it doesn't even feel like acrylic.  I'm pretty sure it'll be my go to yarn from here on out.  

In other news, my little bluebonnets seem to be doing really well.  

They're so much bigger and stronger looking than any time I've planted them before, so I think I might have just found the sweet spot for growing them.  

My other project for today was to fix this shepherd's hook.  It has been crooked from the first time I put it out, and it's always bugged me.  So, this morning I got out there and dug it back up.  I re-set it so that it was good and straight, tied it off with some yarn and tent stakes, 

then filled the hole in with red clay.  

I gave it a good soaking, and I'm hoping once it sets, the weight of the bird feeder won't pull it out of plumb.  Not that that affects its functionality.  It just doesn't look right. 

And what did I do with the dirt I dug out of that hole?  Why, I put it into one of my raised beds, of course. 

 It'll take a lot more to fill it up, but it's a start.  

But for right now, LSU is playing on the TV, and I need the computer to watch Florida vs. A&M, so I'm outta here. 

Laters. 

Oh, and Hook 'Em.  Geaux.  And most importantly Anchors Aweigh. 

Know Anyone?

Do you know anyone like this?  

Do you?  Well, I can tell you if you know me, you know someone exactly like this.  I'm so bad about starting projects, then abandoning them halfway through -- if I even get that far.  

I'm telling you one thing, though.  Putting up that privacy fence has made me feel so free.  

Free to get out into my own yard and do what I want without feeling like someone is hanging over my shoulder.  I've done more in the yard this year than I did in the previous nine that I've lived here. In fact, I always wanted to do something on the West end of my house, but it never felt truly mine.  I don't know how to explain it, but it felt more like the neighbor's yard than mine.  

I guess because every time I set foot outside, that particular neighbor was in my face.  I get it.  She was a lonely lady, but still...

I'm rambling a bit here, so I'll get to the point.  A few days ago, I was on Amazon checking out the Prime Day deals, and saw that there was one of the raised beds like the one I'd bought before marked down, labeled Used -- Like New.  

I don't have problem buying something that has been returned, provided all of the parts are there and it's clearly labeled as previously owned.  Some websites don't tell you something was used.  The dress I bought for Cody and Brennan's wedding was clearly used-- it had wrinkles and stains on it.  Sure it was half price, but still...it would have been nice to know. 

Anyway, this description said it was like new, and it was marked down $15, so I took a chance on it.  It was supposed to be delivered today, but by FedEx which can sometimes not come until 7:00 or 8:00 PM.  While I was waiting, I went ahead and put the one I'd bought previously together and put it into place.  

Much to my surprise, the FedEx man came before noon, so I ran outside like Hyacinth Bucket and snatched my package right out of his hands, sending him tumbling to the ground in my eagerness to get my new bed. 

OK, no I didn't really do that.  In fact, I was watching Call The Midwife and didn't even know he'd come until I heard him pull out of the driveway.  Or was it Heartland?  I don't remember.  I was watching something.  Not that it matters.  As soon as I heard the truck pull out, I got my package and quickly slapped a coat of the water sealant stuff onto the parts. 

I gave them about an hour to dry, then quickly got that one put together and into its place. 

 By the way, they're only in the shadow because it's Fall.  In Spring and Summer, this entire spot is in full sun most of the day.  It's why I chose it. 

Now that I have these in place, I can better judge how to place my two 4' x 4' beds.  I'm eventually going to have four of those, which will be for things like my tomatoes, various pepper plants, and stuff like that.  The ones around the edges will be for my herbs, and at least two will be for flowers.  I'm going to have a pollinator garden of perennials, and I'll have one for annuals like zinnias and whatever.  

It's going to take a while to get it all how I want it to be, mainly because I really need to slow down my spending until overtime season starts up again, and I still have to fill these up with dirt.  I want to try to find someone local who can deliver topsoil in small amounts.  I won't need an entire dumptruck load, but I figure it'll still be cheaper to buy in bulk than individual bags from the store -- which I did get some more on clearance when I went yesterday. 

I've got to run in tomorrow and get two new tires for my car, so I'll pick up some more if they still have any left. 

Oh, about those tires.  I was airing them up earlier this week, and realized the two older tires are nearly bald.  If we still had vehicle inspections, they wouldn't pass, so I'd better get new ones.  Usually, Saturday morning is pretty slow at Walmart, so I'm hoping I'm done and home before the ball games start.  I can watch on my phone if I have to, but I'd rather not.  

Plus tomorrow is the Red River Rivalry, and though I'm a Longhorns fan, I'm not optimistic about this one.  People are saying we owe Quin Ewers an apology, but I disagree.  Arch doesn't have the team around him that Ewers had.  He doesn't have a running game, or a top receiver, and he certainly doesn't have an o-line.  He can't carry the team by himself. 

Not even a Manning can do that.