Paying Attention

I was just comparing syrup brands and wondering why one was so much more expensive. Looked at the ingredients and there the answer is: only ingredient was maple syrup. The cheaper brands were all based on corn syrup, if not high fructose corn syrup. 

Lesson learned: all syrups are not created equal. Ha! I tend to eat a lot of scrambled eggs breakfasts because it's easy, cheap and diabetic friendly, but it can get boring. I've begun eating them with syrup instead of ketchup and just that little change was enough to make them palatable again.

Garden Update

 So, I have an ongoing issue with the black walnut trees using chemical warfare against my garden beds; getting worse in hot, dry weather. Last year 2/3rds of the length of these beds were stunted down to unproductive because of that. This year I was determined to find a solution...on a budget.

It may look a little crazy, but check out the peas! Also, how cool is it that all the marigolds are volunteer seeds? They are being added to my list of plants to let go to seed, along with lettuce and dill.

I am so happy I finally got the south bed filled. It's going to be a powerhouse. I've gone heavy on mulching and use soaker hoses to alleviate what is looking like a bad drought year. 

Amusing anecdote: Opened the back door and a baby garden snake made a dash inside for the basement stairs. Cats were instantly interested. I grabbed it and put it back outside. Later, I saw it hanging out nearby still so I brought a saucer of water. Protect and cherish snakes!

The big blow

Pictures from my parents' farm after the big storm that went through in May. It still looks naked without the two old trees in front of the house and it always hurts when an apple tree is damaged.

 It was a strange storm that blew up very fast and seemed hardest on evergreen trees. All the cemeteries lost mature trees. I'm still doing double-takes when I pass a park and see how many are gone now. 

Oh, my...rain!

Wow, my rain barrel is full! In fact, there is only one partial sunny day in the 10-day forecast. We might even have real spring weather.

I put up a new bird feeder pole with multiple hooks and different feeders; one of which is a wire tube for peanuts. Annoyingly the wide space to allow the birds to remove the peanuts also made it difficult to fill without spilling everything out. My work-around was to put the peanuts into a mesh saucer instead and repurpose the feeder. I slathered a corncob with peanut butter (which I can't eat anyway, thanks, intolerance) and rolled it in the birdseed. I just now filled it again and looked out the window, there's already a woodpecker on it. Yay!

Onto a cautionary tale: very nice youtube couple recently went to the city for a weekend getaway. He became quite ill afterwards. The following week he is recovering but she is now sick. It's obvious from the video that she is quite sick, but they go to a crowded outdoor market and out to eat. I wanted to thump my head on the desk. Have we learned nothing in the last two years? If you have any contagious illness, stay home!

Closing my eyes, breath deeply, listen to birds singing, bring blood pressure down.

Good Hooman

My cat has me trained. When I hear rapid pawsteps behind me, I freeze. She likes to be in front and will either sideswipe me or dash between my legs. I'll take the delay instead of the off-balance feeling.

Happy news: RAIN! With a few snowflakes mixed in, but so wonderful to have moisture. Slight downside is clouds and wind which makes me feel cold even inside. So I'm wearing a hat to increase the cozy. It will be so worth it when the grass greens up though.

A Mystery in One Act

Scene: late evening, me reading (and avoiding the last of the dirty dishes), one cat sleeping on my legs, other cat sleeping on HER chair.

A tinkling noise as if a small glass object had broken. All three of us lift our heads to look. "What was that? If you're both here..." I look at the usual suspects.

We search the house for the source to no avail, but I did finish the dishes.

I may be a fossil

I've been watching movies on VHS. Yes, I actually have one of those rare items, a working vcr. 

There are a number of movies I just held onto the tapes instead of replacing with dvds (or worse, digital). These are shows I enjoy, but can go 10+ years between viewing. Last night I watched Mr. Holland's Opus. Thoroughly enjoyable, but no need to see it frequently.

Regarding digital copies; I just like having something physical I own and can watch any time, even if my internet is down. I'm the same with books; if I really love it, I want a paper version in my library.

Side note: positive aspect of being an empty-nester is I can have a crabby day and not bother anyone else.