Over the Fence Chat: July 14 - 20, 2002

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Beyond the Sidewalks : One Thread

What, no one has started this?!

Start your day with a laugh. Got this in my email today, from a email discussion group:

BERLIN (Reuters) - Forget palm-reading. A blind German psychic claimed Tuesday he could read people's futures by feeling their naked buttocks. Clairvoyant Ulf Buck, 39, claims that people's backsides have lines like those on the palm of the hand, which can be read to reveal much about their character and destiny.

To which one of the members replied: "Oh yes, the ancient divinary practice of Kopapheel!"

{snicker}

-- Anonymous, July 14, 2002

Answers

Gosh darn it, Joy...I was gonna start this just 'cause I never have. Oh well...maybe one of this weeks I'll be on time (ya right!).

Oh...BTW...I wonder where on the body the next "Kopapheel" will be practiced??!! I have soooo many lines on my buttocks, anyone would need a GPS system to navigate it :-)!!!

Anyways...we've had a "typical" weekend here. You all probably know the type...harvesting some veggies and freezing them, weeding and then the usual family "ca-ca" :-)!! The good news is that one of the cars that Harry and "MY" son have restored (a '52 Lincoln) that was shown in just a local small town car show took an honorable mention placing!! Not bad! They're still working on a '37 Chrysler Airflow that will...hopefully...be done in time for a fall car show at Owl's Head Transportation Museum. Sorry to be sounding like I'm bragging!!

Anyways...I think I mentioned that we'd bought another small boat. Just a 12ft. aluminum with a 4 hp. motor for tending our traps. Well, it's seems to be working okay...It's more stable than the 8 ft. dinghy we were using. Harry replaced the water pump in the motor and has had to readjust the carb, but all in all we're pleased with it's performance. Had two really nice lobsters in one of our traps on Sat.!! Since we can't seem to tempt our families here to indulge in boat rides and lobster dinners...anyone else interested??!! Free room and board guaranteed...as long as you do some weeding in the garden :-)!

Remember that kitten that Harry and my son, Mike, dug out of the woodpile awhile ago?? Well...she has definitely become one of my "brat cats"! Being now an official housecat, she is trying to rule the roost! I have never had a female cat with the "ba..." that this one has. Guess I'd better plan on having her spayed early!!

Hope you all have a wonderful week...!

-- Anonymous, July 14, 2002


Everyone keep their hands where I can see them...no butt reading here.

My husband, son and I went to Dorney Park in Pennslyvania. Spent two nights in a hotel and one full day in the park. Really needed to get them away. Son started summer school for voluntary honors Algebra and husband doesn't know how to relax around the house. Complains that he works harder on his vacation then he does at work.

We hit a good day because there weren't alot of buses so the lines were short. I'm scared of heights so I won't go on the water rides if the lines are too long but we did the water rides from 10-4 (little sun burned), went back to the hotel to change, shower and eat (park food is expensive) then went back for the dry rides until they closed at 10. This is the first time we did the hotel thing. We usually make it a day trip and probably would have been okay with only the one night since the hotel didn't have a pool.

People can be rude though. I like to go on a lounger and warm up while they contiune on the water rides and usually people put their stuff on all the loungers so there is no place to sit. I found one but after a while wanted some shade so I moved one over and about an hour later, the man returned and slammed the moved lounger into mine (it was actually more in the shade then mine by then). Well, I'm not about to be intimidated, especially since all he had to was ask me and I would have moved. I wanted to say something but you never know with people nowadays. It can be dangerous to speak your mind. I did e-mail the park and suggest they have cubbies and signs saying loungers are for immediate use. I think it would work, especially since my book was ruined on a ride because I asked the employees to put it by the exit and they wouldn't. I'll sure use the cubbie next time.

While in PA, I met up with someone who breeds Dwarf Nubians. She has blue eyes goats. She had one little boy running around that she was going to cut because the mother has problems and she wanted to make sure it wasn't passed. I said I would be having only pets or meat so it wouldn't matter to me. She already has someone interested in him though. Wish me luck that it falls through and I get him. He's cream and white with blue eyes - Nigerian Dwarf. His name is Cuddles.

Working on a rock path leading to the pond. Started working again on the landscaping so that is finally moving. Only bad thing is son's school is 25 minutes away and his class is three hours long, in the morning. So there isn't much I'd be able to do during the coolest part of the day for 2 hours. I'd just be starting and have to stop to get him. Well, we'll see what happens.

-- Anonymous, July 14, 2002


Dee, I learned to pack my book in a ziplock for the water rides - amazing what all else would end up in the bag along with it! I'm one of those disgustingly organized people who never goes anywhere without my bag of essentials - need sunblock? Safety pin? Tape? Kitchen sink? I got it!! I think I need to go find a baby - or at least a toddler somewhere, so I can have the excuse to haul around a diaper bag again!

It's been busy, busy, busy around here lately - so much so, that the other day I obstinately plopped my butt on the couch with a trashy novel and refused to move until I'd finished it! Well, except to reach for the bon-bons, that is! Pop muttered and grumbled around some, but he finally acquired the good judgement to leave me the heck alone! I paid him back by fixing an extravagent supper that night - good thing too, as we had not only the usual Pop, Hubs and I at the table, but Bailey too; then Jes stopped by with a couple of friends, and Uncle Ivan; then a couple of our friends came over to look at the garden and joined us for dessert - such a wonderful day! Good trashy book, good relaxation, good food, good company - it's days like this that make life worth living!

The garden is coming on - and I had my annual pre-harvest "Omigod I didn't plant enough and we're all gonna starve" frenzy the other day - went out and planted a 100' row of green beans and one of wax beans as well! Pop was right in there with me - pushing the planter right along - then made fun of me when we had them in the ground! He knows I do this every year! Must have gone hungry in the 'tater famine in one of my previous incarnates! At least I had perfect timing - the ground still had some moisture from our last rain a week or so ago; then we got 3 small rains in the evening, morning and afternoon afer I planted them. Even I can't think that we're going to run short on tomatoes - Pop's been hauling them in to town and I've been hauling them in to work all week; as has Hubs - I just love those Juliet tomatoes! Early, productive as all get out and they taste good too! Looks like Hubs and I will be building Salsa this weekend - fresh tomatoes, onions, peppers; mmmmmm! I may have enough tomatoes to start canning pints of crushed ones for chili and tacos, too - if I can pull time away from all my other chores! Green beans are kicking in - not enough to can yet (hence my frenzy!) but plenty to eat and share. Pole beans are setting some tiny beans - probably be a foot long by the time I get another day off! Okra is blooming, zucchini is starting to die off - right on time, as usual - just as I'm getting really sick of it! I do need to pick the last few small yellow ones and chunk them up to IQF them for stir fry this winter. I need to get my fall broccoli started; and am considering a fall crop of peas as well, tho I'll wait until late August to start them. We've canteloupe the size of softballs and a couple of watermelon that are rivaling footballs out in the patch; plus a plethora of smaller ones - no shortage there this year, either! Hope to be able to forage enough early corn for a meal or two this weekend as well! May have to go out and butcher one of the old hens and contribute a pot of chicken and dumplings to the table so that we can have totally home grown fare! The Ex's grandpa is 92 now, when I saw him the other day, he talked about a meal that they had come out to the farm for when Jes was just a toddler - got me to thinking about how far away from my roots I've moved in the past few years. And how much I miss them - Ahh; those WERE the good old days!

Dang! How have I managed to while away an hour here, reading and writing?! Guess I'd better get my rear in gear and get ready to head for work - gotta be better than last night, for sure! New co-worker, not completely oriented (oh hell, let's call a spade a spade - totally DISoriented!) extrememly needy patients (10 of 'em - count 'em) then admissions at 1930, 0115, 0345 and 0550 - lunch? I don't need no steenking lunch! I could have used a driver on the way home this morning, tho - especially since I'm ususally in bed by the time I even managed to get out the door this morning! If we didn't have a full house of patients, I'd think about just packing an extra dress and sleeping on the unit instead of fighting to stay awake on the drive home. But then, I'd miss the healing that comes from walking through the garden, listening to the hens, giving Bun a shoulder rub and snuggling up with the Kitten from Hell purring against my back - Nah, it's always worth the drive, to come back home again.

Y'all have a safe and happy weekend,

-- Anonymous, July 18, 2002


What a great week. My explosive older child is going to daycamp and loving it and doesn't want to stop going! My more compliant younger child stays home with me and we play, watch TV, go for walks and spend a lot of time laughing. I feel like I'm on vacation. The diet is going AWESOME! It is only 5 after 7 in the morning and here I am alert, cheerful, and best of all not hungry. This is pretty much unheard of in my lifetime. my husband is starting to get annoyed because he thinks I'm getting hyper. But I just feeel goooood...nah nah nah nah nah nah nah and I've lost 5 pounds. The store is a bigtime GO! King St. News is scheduled to open its doors to the public by August 26th. We are talking to distributors etc and picking out some funky mags like Bitch, Pangaia, Countryside, Herizons, Shambala Sun, Beltane Papers, New Moon, ....oh my the list is big and of course we'll have the best sellers and mainstream stuff too! We just want there to be something for everyone and have the bestest selection outside the big city! I have a cash register (used) on hold for only $200!! My girlfriend whose S.O is going to build our shelves etc says he can have it done on time and under my expected budget which makes me a happy girl. My husband is excited and talking to the Pepsi rep and I need to call the coffee guy but will do it Monday because I am off to the city today to get my hair done (my quarterly highlights touch up and trim)because my roots are reaching the noticibly fake blonde stage in my opinion. hee hee Mysister and her hubby surprised me yesterday with a visit. I was thrilled and they haeaded straight for the barn to get at the animals and then came in for coffee. She brought me a bag of clothes of course (I don't shop very often that for sure) so I am sitting here in my new to me very pretty floral satin nightshirt and will be wearing my new to me pale yellow raw silk shirt and twill dark olive shorts today so I looks stylin' with my new hair instead of my usual tshirt and shorts with poop on them from the goats jumping on me. i suppose I should throw my coveralls on and get out to do feedings before I get pressed for time this AM. My sweet baby boy is still snoozin' (he is sooo like his momma) so the house is lovely and calm. Hubby and my other sweet baby are gone to the city for work and daycamp...its just me, the cat and the dog inthe living rooom. Ahhh peace...... :o)

-- Anonymous, July 19, 2002

Thats wonderful how its all coming together for ya, Alison! How much peace and quiet do you think you'll have time for in your new life? I'm sure you'll learn to balance it all in time.

Well my container plants look pretty terrible........except for the tomatoes which I have in big tubs, the only planter that looks really healthy is the cukes in the Earthbox! I'm gonna get me some more of them! Everything else is looking pale and sickly; couldnt even get the radishes to bulb......how sad is that? Well I guess the carrots look ok, but overall, its pretty depressing. OH well.........good thing I joined a CSA this year!

-- Anonymous, July 19, 2002



Hey, I thought that you were supposed to divine the future by looking at the marks your butt cheeks left from sitting in a dish of chocolate pudding -- right? Right???

Well, maybe it was coleslaw, now I'm not quite sure.

I haven't been on the board much for a while as someone needs to get the number of that truck that ran over me. No, I didn't actually get run over by a truck, it just feels that way from time to time.

It all started when one of the horses foundered. We were perplexed,because none of the traditional reasons were present -- but the barn manager did get a shipment of pure alfalfa hay she didn't send back like she should have, but started feeding to the horses every single meal. I suspect it was the alfalfa anyway, but even after I'd insisted that every one of my horses get put onto grass hay and no grain at all, that mare's daughter then foundered. Keeping them medicated and changing their support boots every night kept me busier than a one-armed paper hanger.

I lost track of everything that has happened in the interim...emergency vet run with dying animal, emergency room run for me with a blood clot in my leg (darn thing still itches like mad), cars dying and leaving me stranded in the middle of the night, flooding basement, the sale of the other house falling through (after working so hard to get it turn-key perfect, the septic didn't pass), the sink hole opening up in the backyard (I'm glad I hadn't already paid to have a new walk laid over that area!!) -- you know. That kind of stuff.

I tried a few times to get back on the board only to discover that it was down, and what with dizzy spells (is it the high blood pressure doing it? Or the BP medication? Or is it just the unremitting daily heat and humidity?) I usually just gave up and went to lie down, saving my strength for watering the garden so that SOMEthing grows, and for hosing down the horses so they don't get heat stroke.

Yes, I DO have a little black thundercloud that follow me around.

When things are going okay, I'm dancing doubletime to try and make up for the rest of it. I have been hauling lots of bricks lately, and managed to get a couple of short retaining walls put around some raised beds so that the dirt doesn't just wash over the walkways anymore. One of my next projects was going to be addressing the mess that the septic tank men made out of my back yard, doing something with the sand that they backfilled with (where'd my topsoil go?) and such, before that sink hole opened up. I suppose it would have been worse if I'd actually gotten that walk put in and the beds planted! Now I'm gonna worry about when another portion of the earth is going to open up and suck everything down again.

Good things -- I've been picking strawberries from my own bed. Actually, they over-ran the bed and are trying to stage a coup on the neighboring one. So far I guesstimate that I've gotten about 4 1/2 gallons of fruit from a 4 x 12 area. I don't know if that is good or not, but it made me happy. I have frozen some, and made jam (it seperated so it is jam on top, and jelly on the bottom, but all tasty -- sweetened with honey), and I need to make some more tonight with what I picked today.

I got my first red tomato this year (the first one I tossed due to BER) on July 5th, which isn't too bad, considering that it is a 4th of July tomato, and other folks around here only have blossoms and I am eating small but tasty sweet tomatoes off my own plant! I'm about to pick sugar snap peas, the potatoes (Desiree) are in bloom (I need to write a ballad about "When the Potato Fields of Wisconsin are in Bloom"....not a dry eye in the house!), and I've been having HUGE brassica plants this year. The actual broccoli heads are darn paltry, so it is a good thing that I planted them for the purpose of leaves to feed my critters instead! ( my mother, for some strange reason, will not use a home-grown organic broccoli head. She will let it sit in her refrigerator until it spoils, meanwhile buying and eating nice pesticide-laden commercial stuff.)

I don't have any Juliet tomatoes yet, but the bushes are HUGE again this year, and by mid August, I should be starting to get cascaded with them. I'm glad to hear that someone else (POLLY) thinks that Juliet are good too. They were dissing them over on the Tomato Forum on the garden web for being tasteless and having tough skins, and I just meekly snuck away to go and look at my two plants, thinking "Well, *I* like you!!!" I didn't even mention my 4th of Julys, or my Husky Red, or Early Girl, in case someone wanted to diss those as well. They barely even tolerate mention of my Tami-G's, and those are so yummy! I keep scrutinizing the bushes every day and see that they have fruit set now!! I really love them -- they're as tasty as Sweet Million, and as prolific, but I think that they have more tender skin, crunchier flesh, and don't split from a rainstorm after a dry period the way Million does. My late crop of carrots are coming up, and I put in some winter radishes to try -- Rose Heart, which are a Daikon type, that are white on the outside and rose-pink inside. I'm also going to start some Green Heart (same story, white outside, green inside!). I want to try them in a recipe for hot and sour soup that I found to be made with daikon. I don't usually like radishes, but I do like hot and sour soup, so I'm willing to try it -- I also see that radish leaves are on the guinea pig shopping list, so that is incentive to try them -- not to mention their funky appearance!

I thought about entering stuff in our county fair this year, but it is always so blinking EARLY! I mean, the second weekend in August this year is on the 8th. With our short growing seasons, I always wonder how there are ANY agricultural exhibits brought in at all (no wonder it is always paltry?) For example, exhibiting apples means that there are little green golfballs set out on a paper plate. It always looks so darn pathetic. Maybe I will go anyway and scope out the competition, and maybe pick up a copy of this year's fair book (they rarely change it) and think about plans for next summer.

On the other hand, next weekend (I think) should be the rock and gem show here. That is always one of the high points of the summer to me. Not that I can afford some of the stuff that I see and want! but it is neat to go and look. I did buy some petrified horse teeth there one year that my vet and I had fun 'aging' the horse that it came from, and trying to decide if it was an upper or lower molar, which side, etc. I told Mike that I'd be REALLY impressed with him if he could tell me what sex the horse had been. I was sorry that I missed out on a mostly-whole prehistoric bison skull that someone was selling. It was already sold when I got there, and he had only wanted $150 for it. On reflection, I do wonder where I would have found a wall strong enough to support that much petrified bone, but it was so darn cool. NOW, of course, I have a little niche in my shade garden area under a bush that would be just perfect for putting it on a plinth, but I doubt that I'd ever find one that cheaply again.

Oh well, part of the fun is going and seeing what they've got that you've never seen before. I was also quite taken with the slices of meteorites that they were selling and the interesting patterns that the metal crystals (?) had aligned themselves into, but the prices were REALLY high (if you thought the bison skull was expensive, these were twice that price and more!). Needless to say, I came home with a little bag of fluorite crystals and a tiny carved hematite otter instead. I'll save my money, and some day maybe they'll have something really cool there like that bison skull again....like maybe THIS year.



-- Anonymous, July 19, 2002


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