Sunday Happy

I am so happy for spring. It is my favorite season for sure. All the new, green things popping form the ground.. Warmer but not hot days, rain and sun then rain and more sun. No more winter jackets but sweaters are still good. People are in good moods. Flowers are coming out of the ground. The world is just a delight.

The week started off with a bang. I turned all of the garden beds over and did a great big yard rake and cleaning so things are looking pretty good back there right now. I repotted my tomatoes and peppers and started a bunch of greens and peas which makes me feel awesome. I think this might be the first year that I am actually on top of the planting season like I want to be. Yeh me. I also busted out the bike and went for the first ride of the year. Sure it was only a few blocks, but it was still fantastic. Now what I really need to do is give the old gal a tune up cause the chain was grinding and the tires need air and maybe new brakes? Not sure but I need to get to it, like asap because I plan on making the bike my means of transportation for the summer.

aside from all the that stuff, we also did some work, the mr did even more work (he is always working). I finished up a couple clay projects that have been lingering for a while. We went for lots of walks without jackets and I wore sandals all week. We managed a good stop by to see the littles and bring them carrot cookies. They ate all the cookies (2 dozen), beat the shit out of the mr, and managed to clean while they were doing it. We were impressed to say the least. The mr was sore from getting wacked a bunch.

Then Wednesday was Seans birthday. Would have been 30 years old…Whoa. The family, friends, all of Seans friends went to the basketball court for a little pick up basketball game to celebrate and be together. It was fun, and sad, and good to see all the boys, but sad, but good. Never going get used to it. You know what I mean? Life.

Rest of the week came and went with the usual plus lots of rain and gray, but again, I was all about it because it is spring. worked at the studio on Friday where I moved all the clay in the world, got stabbed so hard by a stray pointy tool that was in slop bucket and got blood everywhere. I also managed to get so much clay in my hair and was overly praised for my height by all the studio ladies. They really appreciate my abilities at grabbing things on high shelves.

And the weekend. Yesterday we woke and basically ran out of the house to moms to borrow her truck (still haven’t found a car to buy). We then drove the truck up to the greater north of Vermont and picked up all the cedar wood we need for the porch. Loaded up, drove back to the porch and unloaded all the wood. I came home for a few hours of power cleaning while the mr ran around all over some more and then back to moms for dinner. (Mom made ham, I brought my own dinner) We ate, Mom brushed my hair and then Barb breaded it which I love love and will never be able to do myself. I raided moms books (found nothing I haven’t read already), searched for a missing bowl, made fun of the boys. Then I came home just in time to passed out.

Today, well today is Easter so after the gym and a few Sunday errands I need to do this morning, we are going to be doing a little easter lunch thing and an egg hunt for the littles at moms with the fam. After that I am coming home and continuing my quest for perfection in the yard, maybe tinker with the bike a bit, take a nap, read, drink all the coffee.. Looking at some sunshine and 70 degrees for the afternoon.. It’s going to be a fine fine day.

And I still have not washed my hair so I need to do that. Most of the clay dried and fell out, but there still is some left….SO yeah, I need to do that today. I really hate washing my hair.

Internet links to check out.

-Fireflies Will Soon Light Up the Skies In Mesmerizing Harmony — Here's How to See Them. I love me some fireflies, how cool would it be to see this.

- The Single Most Useful Snacking Rule I Give My Kid. I don’t have my own kids, but when I have other peoples, I go by a rule like this too except my rule is you can eat veggies any time all the time.

-Want to grow your own avocado tree, here is how. Good luck.

-THE VINTAGE ROMANTIC BATH.. All the clawfoot tubs. Can’t go wrong

-I am so ready. The first official “Stranger Things” Season 3 trailer

-4 Natural Ways To Fertilize Houseplants. Now is a good time to fertilize!

-Hate the dentist? Read this and you will only hate it that much more. The Truth About Dentistry

-If ever I was to live on a house boat, this boat would be the one. And the floors in this place… swoon!

-How One Woman's 'Magically Delicious' Pot Brownies Changed History. Brownie Mary, what a lady.

-What the freaking f@ck? I am pretty sure I don’t like where this could go. Neuroscientists just brought pig brain cells back to life.

Some pictures from the week

Sunday Happy

I think we did it, we made it through the winter. That little bit of snow the other night, well that was it. Until next winter!!!!! Now lets all just do all the spring things and enjoy the niceness of moderate temperatures and the sight of green things growing. We are in it and it is wonderous.

The past week flew by so fast. A lot of being everywhere at once and alll over. Now that spring has sprung there has been much to do. Besides working and the usual (the little apartment projects are just piling up) we have looked at not 1, but 3 different cars. The one van on Sunday was a bust (the guy was crazy and the car was dead. Craigslist. A definite miss there), and two others. Those were not good either (but not nearly as bad) so the hunt continues, as does the back and forth car sharing situation. We are definitely getting to our limit with sharing one small car but I have faith we will find something soon. Our poor car. It’s getting trashed.

In between the work and life stuff we got to spend the most magical raining morning harvested wood from an apple orchard for future spoon projects. That might have been the highlight of the week, especially because I have now realized that I am suppose to live and work on apple orchard. I think it is my calling so I got to get on that. Other fun things included an evening of egg dying with Qui, Adrianna, and the littles which was fun and gross and I actually hate the whole real eggs and dying them thing, but the mr was all about it so….We also got to spend (babysit) an afternoon with So where she basically spent the entire time to beating on the mr and feeding us unicorn jellybean soup. Good times with that one.

And then there were taxes. I spent ever single free minute attempting to finish the stupid taxes and learn all about tax laws and try to be component. It got to the point where I was almost in tears… then I gave up. As of Friday morning, I now have until October to get those stupid things done. And I think we are just going to find a new accountant because really, I don’t want to spend all my time learning tax law. Not my thing. I mean, when it takes me twenty minutes to figure out that the form won’t summit because I am entering the wrong date (2018, not 2019), well, I should just leave it to a professional.

Saturday was the gem. Woke up to temperatures in the mid 50’s, went for a nice walk, spent the morning throwing pots, and did some light cleaning. For the afternoon we met up with all the sisters, the littles, Mom and had lunch. The boys went away (they hung out at the park being dangerous) while us ladies went to the theater…..Mamma Mia. Us girls bought the tickets for Mom’s birthday present a few weeks ago. Not exactly my thing, but I was game.. And it was better then I was expecting, although I was’t sure what I was expecting. I don’t think I would have gone if not for many other circumstances, but it was fun and my mom had a great time. My biggest complaint was it was really loud and there were a ton of people. Oh, and that I have a Dancing Queen ear worm. But other then that, not bad.. After the show, the mr picked me up, we rushed to get some more things done before going home to finish cleaning. That might not sound fantastic but it was still light out, the world was still warm, the doors and windows were open and it just felt so good. Oh yes. Spring is finally here!

Today is going to be good. I plan on spending most of it out in the yard doing yard work. I am going to lather on the sunscreen, grab the tunes, the rake, hoe, and the shovel and get to it. Then hopefully I’l be able to throw some seeds into the ground which I am already getting concerned about. The squirrels have come out full force and are looking hungry!.

Let the garden battles begin!

Some stuff I read on the internet from the week.

Again, I filed an extension. Why do they have to be so freaking hard? Another thing they have right in the Netherlands. Filing Your Taxes Is an Expensive Time Sink. That’s Not an Accident.

-So my kind of home. This 650-Square-Foot Family Home in Ohio Is Off-Grid ‘Country Minimalism’

-Day hikers are the most vulnerable in survival situations. Here's why. We have lost the trail before and it was actually kind of scary. Luckly we were on a small mountain and we knew there was a road at the bottom. We just kept going down until we hit the road. Ever since I stay very away of the trail.

-Genius. Pure genius And they are Vermont students too!. SheFly: Answer Nature's Call

-How to Get Out of Your Own Head. I spend a lot of time in my head but that is where I feel the least crazy.. Or is that crazy. People make me crazy. They can’t get me in my head.

-I exclusively clean with vinegar. Even my hardwood floors. Vinegar Is the Only Floor Cleaner You Need (Even for Carpet!)

-Oprah Bought an Avocado Orchard Because Grocery Store Avocados Were Too Expensive. The lady has got her priorities straight. For real, I would buy an avocado orchard too if I was Oprah rich too.

-Are Plastic Bag Bans Garbage? We (humans) just need to stop making more and reuse all the junk we already have. Reusable bags made out of all the old clothing and shit has no purpose anymore.

-"Do Skunks Like Their Own Smell?" And Other Stumpers! I always thought that skunks deals with their stink kind of like a person deals with their own farts… They just deal. HA

And pictures from the week.

Sunday Happy

I think we are pretty much out of the clear. Yes I woke up yesterday morning to a light coating of snow on the ground, but I feel like that was it. It has got to be because I have to wash my winter jacket that is as of now, covered in dirt and concrete so it needs to be washed. And once it is washed, it is getting packed away with all of the other winter stuff. So you see, we really cannot have any more winter jacket weather because I won’t have a jacket anymore. It must be sweater weather or warmer and that is that. Are you listening weather?

The week good, if not a bit hectic and all over. There was work, paper work, the “must not be mentioned” and no they are not done yet but must be by next Monday or else. The mr has been running around all over town doing this and that which has been a slight pain because when he is super busy and I am busy and we only have one car and my bike needs a good tune up before it is safe… Well it makes things some what difficult. But so far we have managed and there wasn’t too much arguing over car. We did manage to take a nice walk down by the lake, I also was able to sneak in a warm afternoon of clearing out the garden and picking up yard trash. The back porch is almost ready for summer living and green things are popping up all over the place making me ache for more more more. Think of it, trees with leaves. I am getting more excited every day.

Friday was a crazy day. Woke up, went to the gym with no plans other then work at the studio and having the littles over for dinner. By the time I came home I had plans to quickly make a cake before work because the littles pizza party turned into a family birthday party for Megan. So I made that cake, ran to work, moved 700lb of clay and loaded kilns. The mr picked me up with littles in tow, we ran home in time for all the family and partied partied until I kicked everyone out of the house at 7 because I was exhausted and plus Megan needed to go to Costco so she needed to leave anyway. Ha.

Yesterday, after a near sleepless night due to a racing mind, we woke up (again, to snow. BLAH), I bundled up and out we went to spend half the day pouring wet, heavy, cold concrete. I must say, pouring concrete usually isn’t the worst, but yesterday, well it was. First off, we were working in very tight quarters making moving somewhat difficult.. Secondly, I was sore from all the clay moving the day before. And I was freezing. And tired, so so tired. By mid morning my fingers and toes had tuned to ice, I was covered in so much dirt and concrete, the mr was basically rolling around in dirt (reference picture above) so was trashed worse then me, but we were getting it done. The mr was brilliant and saved us so much time and hassle by coming up with a tarp and jostle concrete mixing technique so that was good. Anyway, the concrete was all poured and it is over. (Now we wait for it to set to finish porch construction) The rest of the day was short and went by with cleaning the house. I don’t know how my family does it but there were sprinkles from the cake EVERYWHERE!

Today, after a quick romp to the gym, the library, the grocery store, and all the other little chores I need to do, the mr and I are going for a drive to look at a van. We need a work car. The life car is getting trashed, we have been having to get materials delivered (which costs money and stupid time) because we cannot fit wood and big stuff in the car, and it is just not practical for us to share. So van. A van for work, A van for cross country travel. A van for sanity. Hopefully this van is the one. Wish us luck.

Some stuff from the internet that you might care to look at.

-Thinking real hard about buying these Birkenstocks…but not sure. Any opinions?

-Stop Asking Kids What They Want to Be When They Grow Up The question forces children to define themselves in terms of work. And really, what do you consider grown up?

-Gluten sensitive? Try sourdough. Why Some Gluten-Sensitive People Can Still Eat Sourdough Bread.

-Kitchen spices look startlingly different in the wild. So pretty

-Brown is one of my favorite colors

-Got a power drill? If yes, you also have a oven cleaner. I Cleaned My Oven with a Power Drill

-All Right. Some Cats Do Fetch. Only never fetched. That would have been beneath him. But he did respond to his name. Cats Might Not Act Like It, But They Know Their Names As Well As Dogs

-I very much like this house.

-Will Kevin Costner be my neighbor? Floating cities could ease the world’s housing crunch, the UN says

-10 Things Nobody Tells You About Plywood. I love a good application of ply wood. We have plywood floor tiles in the pantry and our kitchen cabinets are plywood and they are great.

And some pictures from the week.

-C

Sunday Happy

Hey there people. Happy end of March. Yes, it is true, already a quarter at the way through the year. And no, I don’t know how it happened either. But so that is the way of time now isn’t it.

A week, oh what a week. Not going to lie and say it as all to fanatic to start with. We have been so busy with work and other stuff. Other stuff being bills and paperwork and me trying to get the taxes done. (New rule. We just not mention taxes again until they are done). We did manage a warmish walk to with the littles to spend an hour arguing over weather they can get a king sized candy bar at the store over a lollipop (ended up with gummy worms). There was also a little wood carving, yarn weaving, library pursuing , and neighbor visiting to be had, but other then that, not much else of interest. The week just came and settled into what it was.

And then it was Friday which was a shit day. First off, it was the anniversary of Seans death so you know, already a not great day. But better yet, I Woke up at 4, stub my toe hard on the way back from the bathroom, laid in bed in pain until the throbbing subsided, went to the kitchen to start coffee. As soon as a I turned the faucet on, a little mouse ran across the counter. It took me a good minute of just staring at counter before I registered what happened and started to scream FUCK, FUCK FUCK! I woke the mr up with my profanity. Yup, a mouse in the house, munching on the a bowl of squash seeds I left on the counter. So what can you really do at 4 in the morning? Not much so I went to the gym. I then came home and started cleaning before I had to work at the studio but as I started in on cleaning, the vacuum decided to stop working. Agh. And so the cleaning ceased, I went to work, came home, ate dinner, emptied all the food from the pantry into bags and boxes, then felt all to defeated and sad to do much of anything so just crawled into bed. I figured I would just deal with it all Saturday and I just really needed the day to be over.

Yesterday was the lady, my moms, 60th birthday. Whoop whoop!!( HAPPY HAPPY TO MY MOM). I woke up, baked two cakes, two batches of focaccia, and home made mac and cheese, salad, prepared other foods, and then something for my dinner (my breath still have not recovered from the funk that is of a red onion eaten raw).There was a quick detour during the bake-a-thon to the library for the annual seed swap plus I definitely took out everything from the pantry and vacuumed and sprayed every surface and inspected every piece of food for mice disturbance. (I pretty much have the cleanest pantry ever now.) As for the rest of the house, it is still a mess. Not anything to do with mouse mess, just my Saturday, tear the house apart before I clean and put it back together, mess. While baking I starred in on my weekly clean but things happen and all of a sudden it was time for the mr and I to pack up all the food and head over to my moms house. There we finished food preparing, helped Erin decorate and clean up the house, and then lost my mind a bit. After a near breakdown due to lack of sleep, I mellowed out in time for everyone to show up while Mark and Paul were out with my mom for coffee. When they came home, Mom walked into a house full to the brim with all her kids and most of the grandkids. She was so very happy, I think….. Ha, no, she was. We then ate the dinner I spent the day slaving over, played outside, went for a walk that looked like a parade, came back for cake and ice cream and presents (everyone got her plants.), and whoa, before I knew it it was 7:30 pm and I was still awake and not in bed. Craziness. But that was it, I lost all steam. We came home to a half trashed house and I basically just assed the f out. The mr set the mouse traps. Have- a-heart, but also some not. I don’t want to know. I just can’t.

Today I am going to clean clean clean. Then maybe clip my toes nails, brush my hair, and get my head ready for the hectic week to come. It’s going to be a full one. There is concrete pouring, the dreaded “not the be mentioned until they are done” papers, I have a shit ton of stuff that needs to be glazed, seeds to start, yards to clean. It’s spring. Everything needs to be done. Good thing the world has coffee. I am going to need it all.

P.S. It is official. The sandals are out. No more shoes for the next 6 months!

Here are some interesting reads from the interent this week. Read what you want.

-The most significant event in the history of earth. Thats some shit. The Day the Dinosaurs Died

-Why Do I Put Off Doing Things I Love? I know I have been guilty of doing before but I really try to use what I have, especially it is my favorite. Having shit just stashed away is pointless. Use it (whatever it is)

-I want to experience the greatness of the cherry blossom. 25 gorgeous photos of cherry blossoms

-Life we would be something with giant cats. Japanese Illustrator Imagines A World Where Humans Live Among Giant Animals

-I love airbnb but this is definitely something that has crossed my mind and kind of freaks me out. Airbnb Has a Hidden-Camera Problem. But there are cameras and hidden cameras everywhere so….

-Why Rewatching the Same Shows Is Actually Good For You. I get this. I barely watch tv, but when I do, I like to watch old shows that I have watched before. Gives me good feels and plus I don’t have to pay attention. Plus. Too Much Video Streaming To Choose From? It's Only Going To Get Worse

-Whoa dude. Yep, You Can Juice a Lemon Without Cutting It—Here's How

-14 ways to break your plastic habit. Even doing a few of these things will make a difference.

-Awesome. KAWS Floats a Massive Inflatable Sculpture in Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour

-GREEN IN THE KITCHEN. Yes to all of them.

Pictures from the week.

-C

Sunday Happy

We are having the worst mud/pothole season ever. I don’t know how many times I think I have blown out the tire on the car or have gotten just about stuck on a dirt road. Picking up farm share this week my car almost sank into the mud. Like it was literally about to be swallowed up into the earth. All the good fun of living here in Vermont. Gosh I am such a Vermonter. First thing I have to say is about potholes and weather. But that is life here isn’t it.

The week has been more or less productive. We both have been busy this week and have been trying to plow through projects (taxes me and the mr with the porch). Blah. Doesn’t that just sound annoying. Doing the taxes. I gave myself until the end of the month a few weeks ago and then last week I gave myself the entire week, made no plans for anything or anyone, to get them done. That didn’t really happen because well I started a weaving project and maybe have a tendency to read a little too much when I am procrastinating (I started reading 4 different books…) and can’t forget about the garden planning that needed to be done. So now I am giving myself the rest of next week to finish because those things are not going do themselves and the deadline is looming. Yeah. Besides half assing tax stuff, reading and weaving, I worked at the studio, took some nice long walks, packed away most of the winter stuff and stock piled cabbage. 20 heads because it was on sale. 20 heads might seem like a lot but it will be gone within the next 2 weeks and I will be sad and wished I bought 20 more heads. Hey, don’t judge me. The mr, when not working on porch or other apartment related stuff, has spent a good chunk of his free time carving away at spoons which means I have also been spending a good amount of time vacuuming up wood chips all over the house. Who has time for taxes?

Yesterday was the perfect example of Vermont. I woke up and there was like 6 inches of fresh snow. Cold, windy, just not looking like much of anything I wanted to deal with. But then all of a sudden around late morning, after doing all of our chores (recycling center, stores, compost, tenant stuff) we came home, the sun came out, the temperatures rose, and the snow started melting fast and furious. It was a completely different, so very pleasant and lovely day. We got to enjoy a nice long walk, pull the kitchen island out onto the front porch so the mr could give the top a good sanding, and we even got to eat dinner out on the porch! It was oh so nice. And to top it all off, I didn’t even crawl into bed before 7pm. I was awake when it got dark out which is like whoa. Spring. It is a happening here. Finally.

Today the mr and I are hoping to take a nice stroll down the bike path, maybe get good cup of coffee, stop in and see the little and maybe even pop in on Barb. I miss my people. And then back to the stuff I really don’t want to think about. Taxes. This is it. I am going myself the rest of the week and that’s that. So I will probably open my computer, get out the calculator, and then start reading a book again….. Oh boy am I in trouble.

Reads from the internet to read. If you want.

-I have been having the weirdest dreams ever. Just last night I dreamed that I was eating soup made of tiny staplers. What the F? Bad Dreams Are Good. Your night life prepares you for what’s to come

-Watch what you eat friends. Kale Is One of the Dirtiest Vegetables, According to the EWG's 2019 "Dirty Dozen" List

-This little cabin should be mine.

-Misophonia: When Life's Noises Drive You Mad. Oh how can I relate to this. Sometime a certain sound makes me want to smash my head against a wall.

- I Love Pink Tiled Bathrooms. Maybe in the next house.

-The Stigma of Choosing Trade School Over College. I often times wish I went to trade school instead of college.

-Cool ass paper DINOSAURS and check out these Under-Cats.

-MUSIC JAR. Such a great idea. I think I am going to start one for the littles.

-I think I should have a seed vault and all the pretty x rays. The mr just said I should start digging in the backyard….These x-rays of seeds turn biology into art

-What Makes People Heed A Weather Warning — Or Not?. Living in Vermont we get weather warning (mostly for snow) all the time and it is defiantly interesting to hear and see the people who listen and don’t. Needless to say there are a lot of cars sliding off the road.

And some pictures from the week.

-C