Cough, Hack

Today I have a low grade fever (99.8, which is actually high because I ususally run under 97) so I stayed home. My face is full of mucus, as is my throat and chest. Hot tea and orange juice have helped to make me feel somewhat better. Constant Comment hot tea is the zen for my wild world...love it!

I have been doing small things around the house, then resting. The washing machine was just plain gunky on the inside (where does all of that thick stuff come from?) so I gave it a good cleaning, and then ran a load of bleach water through there. Now I need to start my jeans load. In a few days I hope that my upside-down umbrella clothes dryer will be put in the ground so that I can dry laundry outside. I HATE hanging up clothes, but I will do so 1.) because it is better for the environment and 2.) we are on propane, and it is EXTREMELY expensive to use. I'll try to save money any way I can.

Dishes are done and the sink is clean. I still need to sweep, mop and vaccum. Tonight's dinner will be meat loaf and mashed potatoes, so I should get that started pretty soon also.

In the meantime I need to clean out the van. I can't go into the yard because it has rained, rained, and rained some more over the last two days. I'm ready for some nice weather!

Hope you are all feeling well.

shel

No Morel Luck

After rearranging a few appointments today, I was able to stay home and mow (a two hour job because of all of the sticks that were down) and then wakl in the woods on my quest for the famed morel mushroom. Today there were wild phlox in bloom, as well as Dutchman's britches (or is it breetches?) and yellow violets. In addition to photographs, I got lots of mosquito bites. I'm hoping that I didn't find any deer ticks or poison ivy.

Tomorrow is another day. Hopefully I will find some mushrooms to fix for my dad's 80th birthday.

shel

Morel Mushrooms

It's that time again...time to brave the wild coyotes, timber rattlers, and (shudder) poison ivy as I start the quest for the highly prized morel mushrooms. Last week I scouted the area with my camera (and big hopes). I took pictures of wild flowers that were growing willy-nilly over the leafy forest floor. It's too early for the lady slipper orchid to be up, but I'm hoping that I can find it again this year. To see an orchid growing wild is a rare and wonderful sight for central Illinoisians.

The weather has been in the low 80's for the last two days. Added to the moist conditions, the heat should have made the morels pop up. Tomorrow I have a few hours to walk through the woods with my handy-dandy walking stick (complete with a compass and a morel finial) and my camera to see just what I can find.

The grass needs to be mowed, as well, so I'll have to get busy with that.

shel

Spring Chores

I hope to be able to stay home one day this next week to do my spring garden chores. I am far behind in weeding and cutting off the dead leaves and such from my flower gardens. Mulch is needed by the ton. I hope I can buy some for a reasonable price.

In a week or so (usually around Mother's Day) I will spread weed & feed on my lawn. The grass is in bad shape this year as I didn't care of it on schedule last year.

I have annuals and tropicals for the planter garden up by the porch, so I will get that planted on Monday or Tuesday. I can still cover the area if there is the threat of a late frost.

It's much too early for tomato plants to be set, but I have purchased ten. There are nine green cabbages already in the ground, and the peas and radishes are up. Potatoes haven't broken ground yet. I hope to put straw mulch on the veggie garden in the next week or so.

I've only mowed once so far, so I will definitely need to do so again.

I love to do the spring cleaning of the gardens. My biggest problem is finding the time!

shel

Earth Day/Earth Month

In observance of Earth Day/Month, I will be teaching approximately 250 second and third graders from Clinton and the surrounding area schools (including those homeschooled) about seeds, rhizomes, tubers, spores and more tomorrow. I've done it for quite a few years now, and really enjoy it. The kids are SO much fun.

First we talk about different ways that you can get more plants; seeds, rhizomes, spores, tissue prop, and so on. I have examples of just about everything. The kids seem to like touching stuff, so I'll pass each item around the room. Then we'll concentrate on seeds...those which look like what we eat (think of corn & peas) and those that look nothing like the mature version (carrots). Kids like to call out the answers. We briefly go over what seeds to NEVER eat, and I stress that an adult should be asked before consuming anything outside.

Of course, there will be time for questions and answers (we have 25 minutes together). The BIG thrill is the seed game. I created a 12 box area on two different boards, labeled board A and board B. Original, I know. I have seeds glued to the top part of each square, and a dot of Velcro. The kids have to match the empty seed packets (with the other side of the Velcro) to the seeds. The class is divided in half (there's usually 12-20 kids per class) and race to see which team can get all of the seed packets in the right squares. The kids have to work together to figure out which is which. It's a blast.

I didn't make hand outs this year as an effort to cut down on waste. Hopefully the kids will go home with a greater understanding of plants and more passion for their planet.

shel

Circus Fun

Today I took daughter-in-law Jessie and her son Bryan and my 3 month old grandson Gabriel to the Circus Pages performance in Bloomington. Gabe loved the bright lights and was a perfect angel. Bryan went wild over the elephants, lions and tigers.

Somehow the circus is different from what I remember as a kid. Every 10 minutes there was a break in activity as the ringmaster announced something else for sale...peanuts, popcorn, electric globe light thingies, stuffed elephants on a stiff leash, cotton candy, coloring books, and more. I remember much more action (and clowns that were really funny) and less pumping the crowd for more money.

Tickets were $15 each for adults (kids were free with the ticket from a fast food place). The bleachers were skinny boards with lots of bumpy metal pieces to pierce soft, fatty flesh (yes, my butt). There were WAY too many people in the audience, so many had to sit on the dirty, cold cement floor of the Sale Barn.

The important part is that Bryan absolutely loved it. He and his mommy got their picture taken with an elephant ($5) which he was allowed to touch. It was priceless.

Oh, to be a child again. Since I can't be, I'll try to make sure that Bryan and Gabe have the best possible time.

shel

Happy Easter

Today was a beautiful, if somewhat chilly, day. The ground was muddy in a few places and the redbud didn't open yet (it will tomorrow or the next day) but the day was perfect for an Easter Egg hunt. While I kept Brianna, Ady, Jaden and Bryan busy decorating Easter Bags for the collecting of the goods, Erin, Steve, Jessie and Brandon went outside to hide the 108 eggs and scatter other candy.

The kids had a great time looking for the eggs. Sadly, my camera battery ran out after taking just a few pictures, so I won't have much to download.

Baby Gabriel was a perfect little boy. His great-grandma Ellegood enjoyed cuddling with him

inside as we hunted outside.

I hope you all had a wonderful, uplifting Easter.

shel

Ah, I Love Having a Computer

I have really REALLY missed being able to jump online whenever the mood strikes. How I enjoy being online late at night (with only one phone line and dial-up, it takes a few hours to simply check e-mail and blog) when I can type my little sausage-like fingers off.

Tonight I made a centerpiece in a ceramic Peter Rabbit container. I used five blue iris and 7 orange tulips (both were mark-downs at Kroger's for a buck a bunch). Since I didn't have any leather leaf (not my favorite filler, but the usual stand-by product) or other greens, I raided my garden for boxwood. The pussywillow branches were the finishing touch. While it's not trophy worthy, I think that the centerpiece is nice out on the oak table in the sun room. Hopefully the cats won't do too much damage before tomorrow's big lunch.

Bryan is sleeping soundly. Time to say good-bye to catching up on the computer and get to bed.

Sleep well, my friends. Tomorrow is an important day (and not just for the candy.)

shel

Occasionally I Just Gotta Whine - Sorry!

Life is back on an even keel for me. Alana is acting much nicer, and has even called just to talk a few times. Max has apologized and has tried to make it up to me by helping me spread mulch. This is a rare thing for him...he HATES to be outside, unless he is shooting.

Garden-wise, I have got to say that it's turning out to be a sunny place. One year I planted 500 daffodils, and they have multiplied wonderfully. Therefore they are blooming their happy little heads off right now, turning my landscape from leafy brown to yellow glory. The redbuds are just teasing me with the promise of color. I hope that they are blooming tomorrow in celebration of Easter.

Since I'm in the middle of the woods, deer abound. Tulips and crocus are usually nipped off before they can bloom, so after the first naive year of living here, I have avoided planting such tempting treats. I do see, however, that a few of the strong-willed bulbs have survived.

A few years ago Becky Heiden gave me a pink pussywillow shrub. This is the first year that she has put on such a magnificent display of softness. I love to use the branches for floral design, so I'll have to go out to cut a few twigs to use for tomorrow's centerpiece.

Friday I found my first snake. It was an interesting little thing; muddy brown with black stripes running vertically along the 6" length. I must have nearly scared the poor baby to death, as she quickly crawled under a rock. Jaden and Bryan both like snakes so I hope I can show them a few this year. They need to accept snakes as beneficial, and not be afraid of them. Supposedly we have no poisonous snakes here, but we won't push our luck...we will admire the snakes from a safe distance.

As far as my huge koi pond goes, well, it's not good news. The sides have collapsed even farther during the winter. I was able to catch two of the small koi (one a buttery yellow and one a platinum white) and transfer them to a holding tank up by the house. I can see from the window that there are two larger koi, both dark, still in the leaf-filled pond. As soon as the weather warms again I will pull them out. Max has promised me that he will help me reduce the size of the pond by building walls 2' in on each side, backfill with soil, and get the boardwalk around the top this summer. I hope this is one promise that he carries through on.

Daylilies need to be thinned this year, as do the hosta along the side of the house. I must take the iris from the holding bed and plant them at my parent's home in Decatur in July. Hopefully they will give me a good bloom here before I bid them good-bye.

The 'Rustic Rubra' magnolia is just starting to show her colors out in front. In the back, the yellow magnolia (I forgot the variety...good thing I have it labeled!) is dragging her feet, waiting for warmer weather. She is a late-bloomer. I do need to transplant her this year as there is too much shade where she currently resides.

Mowing was a challenge. Since the lawnmower has sat all winter, the tires were flat. There were dried oak and hickory leaves still littering the yard from the strong north winds, so mowing them up was my first priority. Unfortunately I didn't think to wear a face mask, and I inhaled quite a bit of leaf dust, which set off an asthma attack. Guess who won't be mowing bare-faced again!

To spice things up a little, I bought a flat of the huge faced yellow pansies. They are planted in medium-size containers at the top of the stairs near the pond. I also filled the planter under the mailbox so that Deb, our mail lady, would have something pretty to look at when she delivers our goodies.

I can't wait to get back outside to work but for now I have to be content with looking out the window. Bryan is here and has not been feeling well so we will stay inside. Hopefully this week I can see if the veggie garden has done any growing. The radishes were up, but the peas have stubbornly stayed buried and inactive. Fingers are crossed for a good crop!

My next project involves building a raised veggie garden for green beans, zucchini and cucumbers. I'd like to get that done in the next week or so.

Thank you, dear readers, for putting up with my whiny day. I don't have many of them, I promise. Stay tuned to see pics of the gardens in the upcoming weeks.

shel

Running Away OR Man, I Must REALLY Be a Bit*h!

Have you ever just had one of "those" days? I'm not often whiny, but I'm afraid that today is the day that the whine must come out.

The day started out well enough. I woke up at my niece Erin's house (her hubby is out of town so we had a few girl's nights which consisted of playing Scrabble for hours) and all was right with the world. To get the kids to eat their toast, I read child-friendly passages from a Janet Evanovich between-the-numbers book "Grand Finale". When they stopped chewing, I stopped reading, which is a pity as I really want to get this book finished.

Erin had to leave today, so she took Ady to school and did her running while I stayed with Jaden. We had a great time playing marbles, coloring, and pretending. My daughter Alana showed up with her baby Gabriel (yes, the angels sang when he was born...he's such a good boy!) She was upset because she had just taken the poor darling in for his 3 month shots. Having raised two children myself, I can sympathize with her situation.

Husband Max called and offered to take Jaden, Alana, baby Gabriel and I out to Monical's Pizza for their lunch buffet. This is where things started to get hairy....Alana was grumpy to begin with, due to lack of sleep. Never, I repeat NEVER, say anything negative to a 19 year old that is tired! Max opened his mouth and told her he would never babysit for her on Sunday mornings again, just because the father of the baby (they are no longer an item) wants to sleep late on Sundays. Alana got rather vocal and said that it is NOT the case, and that Erin and I are making things up. She said that she & Will had that agreement long ago that he would get Gabe at 10:30 on Sundays, even though she works at 7:00. I've watched Gabe on Sunday mornings in the past, and I know that Will does, indeed, want to sleep in, plain and simple. I will keep the baby all day, and be THRILLED to do so, but I won't let the lazy now 18 year old father decide that sleeping in on Sunday because he was out with his girlfriend on Saturday is acceptable. My point is that he needs to get his sorry lazy butt out of bed and accept responsibility for his actions (namely, sex without protection and without marriage! ) I didn't respond to Alana's loud voice while we were in the restaurant, nor did I push the point that she told me in the past that Will needed to get his sleep, but the time will come that I will do so. That is the first point of me "being a bitc*".

In the meantime, we were leaving the table (I always clean up the table before we leave because it's the polite thing to do.) Since the meal was a buffet, and the only thing the waitress had to bring was our water and extra napkins, I left a $4 tip for a $19 meal, thinking it was a pretty good tip for her. My husband kind of stalled around, and fiddled with his jacket, etc. As I started walking away, I turned to ask him if the car was unlocked, and I caught him putting another dollar on the table. I don't mind at all about giving her more money. I realize that living on a waitress salary is hard. My daugher-in-law is a waitress, so I am sympathetic. If we would have had full service I would have left more. The point behind this is that my husband was SNEAKY. He was deliberately sneaky. I asked him why he was sneaky and he said "Just get your ass out to the car." His face turned red and blotchy as it does every time he's angry. I told him it didn't bother me that he thought she deserved more; it bothered me that he was going behind my back, rather than saying "Hey, Honey, let's give her another buck."

Once again I just bit my tongue as I was ordered to the vehicle (I would never create a scene).

As we rode back to Erin's house, none of us spoke a word. Alana immediately took the baby and got into her own car (actually, it's MY car that she's driving and yes I'm paying the insurance) and left. Max did the same.

Max has been caught in lies before, as in cheating on me, and worse. I have forgiven him each time, but I think I'm so tired of it now that I'm ready to just pack up and leave.

Alana is a spoiled brat; my own fault, I know. She is disrespectful and dramatic. I bend over backward to make both of them happy, yet I have obviously failed.

I want to run away, far, far away, and just let everyone take care of themselves. My brain is on overload from doing so much that I don't know how I was EVER able to hold down a job, much less go to college at the same time. My big fantasy is that I can be loved and respected by my husband and my daughter. Until I grow a backbone and start standing up for myself, it will never happen.

Maybe there's a job waiting for me in Jamaica....