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Post by Phalon on Sept 29, 2015 6:12:07 GMT -6
What exactly, Step, is a fake baby doll? A doll posing as a doll?
I was called to the botanist's museum in town to look at some apple trees, and make recommendations on another area. While I was there, I saw a small garden dedicated to one of the plant genera he became the world's leading authority on - Carex (sedge). The garden was put in last year, and had a nice sign describing some of his work...and a lot of dead plants. Shameful. Checked the plant tags, and found they had planted sedges not hardy and marginally hardy to our zone. I offered to replant the garden with zone-hardy sedges donated by the nursery. The guy was ecstatic - new plants weren't in the budget, and a dead garden looks pretty bad at a museum of a world-renowned botanist. "No rush", he said, "we'd be grateful whenever you get to it."
Good thing. That was back in July! I ripped out the dead stuff and planted the new Sunday before last; mulched on my way home from work Monday, and Wednesday watered everything in with a root stimulant.
I want to get over there in a couple of weeks to give the plants one more boost of root stimulant. Want those suckers well-rooted before winter hits.
Meanwhile, back in my own gardens...
I decided on some pretty extensive work in the yard this year, which came to a halt right around the same time I offered to do the sedge garden - just too much other stuff to do. I probably put down close to 15 yards of mulch, pick-up load by pick-up load, shovelful by shovelful - a dozen or so, done before July. Put down the last two yards on Sunday.
Story of my life.
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Post by stepper on Oct 5, 2015 17:58:23 GMT -6
Barbie
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Post by Mini Mia on Oct 5, 2015 19:28:15 GMT -6
Ummmm .... but that's a Barbie doll, not a baby doll. There's a difference.
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Post by stepper on Oct 6, 2015 20:09:44 GMT -6
Are they all generically ‘baby dolls’? How else do you create unrealistic expectations? Just don't let the kids take a close look at Ken unless you find one as exaggerated as Barbie’s proportions which will prepare them for a lifetime of disappointment.
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Post by Mini Mia on Oct 6, 2015 21:26:16 GMT -6
Oh, Ken is exaggerated alright. Not even a magnifying glass will find anything. Or maybe that is just closer to reality than anyone realizes.
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Post by Phalon on Oct 7, 2015 6:16:48 GMT -6
I wonder if, within the Plastic World populated by artificial babies, teenagers, adults, and action soldiers with movable joints that allow them to be twisted into unrealistic poses, if Barbie is considered fake, or the ultimate put-down - basic?
Veggie garden is nearly done - a few bean plants left, a short row of beets still in the ground, a cherry tomato plant still producing, and another with one lowly tomato waiting to ripen.
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Post by stepper on Oct 7, 2015 17:15:30 GMT -6
Ken is probably modeled on a male model not even fit for other male models - you could very well be right. He might be very realistic. But then, shouldn't Barbie be frowning?
You can't tell me that most girls can't do those poses - I've seen Shawn Johnson do them on TV, in front of an audience, and judges, on a balance beam no less! Can't be that tough.
I have only three bell pepper plants now, and keeping them from wilting has become a battle. I'm afraid they've got the last of this year's fruit.
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Post by Phalon on Nov 9, 2015 7:11:24 GMT -6
OMG, I can't believe I'm this caught up already. All the beds have been cut back, shrubs that needed it are pruned, and nearly all the pots are emptied.
Still have to pack the pots and the few concrete pieces I have, in the shed. Still have a few herb pots to bring in for the winter because I'm still entertaining the idea of doing herb bouquets for the winter market. Still have some tender bulbs to lift. But otherwise, I'm done.
Except for raking.
There's always raking.
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Post by stepper on Nov 9, 2015 20:41:35 GMT -6
I put on shorts and a T-Shirt, and then mowed my and the neighbors yard. Then I weed whacked both yards. Since I started after work and with the time change, there's not a lot of daylight left.
While I'm stepping into the garage... You're planning on using the yard vac, right? (Like that's supposed to actually be a question.)
No.
But you can't leave (the neighbor's) sidewalk like that.
It's getting late and I have stuff to do yet.
(Silence but she's looking pointedly at the yard vac.)
Damn. Okay but I'm blowing it all into one spot and I'll vac it up there.
Oh good, let me know when you're down. (And the garage door goes down at that point. My temperature has gone up some so the fact that it's cool is now lost on me.)
I decided as long as I was roped into the evening of no fun, I should do the rose bed too. Blew that onto the driveway and then switched to the vac. Of course it was pitch black out before I was done, and then the only reason I was done was because (thank goodness) the zipper on the bagger gave out.
That's all there was? Just one bag? No, the bagger for the vac gave out before I got done.
Oh. Well come on in, it's dark out.
{Oh? I hadn't noticed.}
Are you hungry?
No, I'm sweaty - and Dopey and Grumpy and Sleepy.
What?
Never mind.
You need to rinse off, your dirty.
That happens when blowing dust and then trying to vacuum up the yards and the street.
Seriously - you need to rinse off.
{Grrr.}
Are you hungry?
Actually, not that much. Did I mention that I also did your rose bed?
No. But did you clean up all the acorns? You know they'll attract the deer again.
I was sort of hoping for that.
Well anyway, it's good you aren't that hungry 'cause while you were doing the yard I ate the last of the KFC and mashed potatoes.
{GRRR!}
Listen, it's too dark out now, but maybe tomorrow you can clean up the acorns too.
Fade to very, extremely, black.
(Echoing up from the depths of misery, PS: congrats on getting your yard work done.)
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Post by Phalon on Nov 10, 2015 7:15:19 GMT -6
Don't you just love all that unsolicited "helpful" advice? Hubs is more of a doer than an advice giver. Can't tell you how many times I came home from work Saturday evenings this summer, and stood with my mouth agape surveying how helpful he'd been in the yard and gardens while I was gone all day...and calculating how much additional work I'd have to do in the gardens as a result of his helpfulness.
Hope you eventually got something to eat. Acorns, maybe?
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Post by stepper on Nov 10, 2015 19:00:43 GMT -6
It reminds me of the joke: "Why to men usually die before their spouse?
Because they want to."
Unfortunately, no acorns. These are from a live oak tree. I understand there is a way to prepare them, but I don't know what it is. Nor do I know of a two legged creature who does anything with them, except maybe compost. The deer and squirrels seem to be fond of them.
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Post by Phalon on Dec 30, 2015 7:15:09 GMT -6
All the potted herbs I have lining nearly every window sill have started to die. I thought it was lack of sunlight - we haven't had much of that lately. Then last night, I saw something whiz by my head, and then another over by the plants. Whiteflies! ARGH!
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Post by stepper on Dec 30, 2015 21:10:59 GMT -6
I had to look that up - they say you can use ladybugs, or even better, wasps - and you should grow tobacco as a lure for the bugs to keep them away from your other plants. Or you can hang yellow sticky tapes as traps. (That’s be fun in the kitchen and living room.
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Post by Phalon on Jun 16, 2016 4:47:32 GMT -6
Hhhmmm....how does my garden grow? Some areas are growing like weeds...mainly because the weeds are growing. Some areas are growing slowly...I got my seeds planted late. And there are some areas not growing at all....because I never got around to planting anything!
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Post by stepper on Jun 16, 2016 17:19:18 GMT -6
Mine is burning up. The last of the tomato plants is about to wither - they're succumbing under the heat.
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Post by Phalon on Jun 21, 2016 6:09:17 GMT -6
Our tomato plants look great; so do the beans. They're in a different garden, which is alongside the neighbors' fence, and are protected from the west wind and storms coming off the lake. The rest of the veggies are in the back garden. Everything there - all my little kale and beet seedlings pretty much got wiped out by a middle-of-the-night hail storm last week. The lettuce, which I planted really late, was still small enough that it somehow escaped damage.
The perennial herbs - the ones actually planted in the ground that escaped the whitefly infestation that killed all the potted herbs in the house during the winter - also look great, as well as potted peppermint, spearmint, parsley, and basil. I've been making a lot of herb-infused water; basil and lemon, and peppermint and spearmint combos are my favorites. I usually have to sort of force myself to drink water, but when it's infused with herbs, I find myself willingly drinking a lot more than is typical for me.
The Seven Sisters and The Fairy roses, and the Preziosa hydrangeas are all starting to bloom. Early variety dayliles and the daisies are coming on too. Mid-June is a pretty time in the garden.
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Post by stepper on Jun 21, 2016 17:34:16 GMT -6
I like lemon flavored water when the lemon is just flavoring - not dominate - pink lemonade - iced and hot tea - but mostly I drink ice cold water.
When I read that I immediately flashed on the star cluster, but quickly realized that you meant something completely different.
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Post by Phalon on Jun 22, 2016 4:19:23 GMT -6
My whole family drinks water as their beverage of choice; we always have a big pitcher of it in the fridge. Me, not so much...but when I do, it's gotta be ice cold. I've tried those flavored waters or the flavor crystals you can put in water, but I think they're gross - artificial tasting or something. The herb water though - it's refreshing. I like cucumber water too.
It's an old rose - ours is monstrously large, even though Hubs whacks it back every fall. It might have been planted when the house was built, who knows? Seven Sisters was first cultivated in the early 1800s.
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Post by stepper on Jun 22, 2016 19:58:29 GMT -6
I've heard and read that room temperature is actually better for you - and that's fine with me as long as I'm in the Arctic. Otherwise it involves ice. There is an exception to ice water - I detest cold showers. The kind from the sky are okay - but when the concept involves soap and stuff, cold doesn't cut it.
Have you posted it someplace?
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Post by Mini Mia on Jun 23, 2016 23:35:14 GMT -6
Ice water in high heat may be bad for you, but to lose a bit more weight during a workout, they suggest drinking ice water because it burns calories in order for your body to heat the water up once inside you.
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Post by stepper on Jun 24, 2016 12:30:43 GMT -6
That may very well be true, but it's my go-to solution when I'm thirsty and especially so when I've over heated a bit. I want to cool down quickly and that helps. Cold water on the head in high heat gives me a bit of a headache but it doesn't last nearly as long as the cooling off affect.
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Post by Mini Mia on Jun 24, 2016 21:57:13 GMT -6
ITA: Room temperature water just doesn't hit the spot when you're sweating and overheated.
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Post by stepper on Jun 26, 2016 21:26:25 GMT -6
A couple of big 'ole popsicles come in handy too.
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Post by Mini Mia on Jun 26, 2016 22:15:44 GMT -6
Yeah, they do!
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Post by stepper on Jun 27, 2016 17:58:20 GMT -6
Some are better than others. Lately I've been using the Frootie Ice.
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Post by Mini Mia on Jun 28, 2016 0:26:08 GMT -6
Had to Google that. Here they're called: "'flavor-ice' pops" or just "ice pops." My cousin's Me-Ma used to freeze fruit juice in Popsicle containers. Spoiled me.
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Post by Phalon on Jun 28, 2016 6:25:25 GMT -6
Mom did the same. I buy the frozen juice pops instead of making my own, or getting Popsicles or any other brand of artificially-flavored sugar-loaded frozen water on a stick.
More on the cold water vs. room temperature water discussion later. Weighing in late because I haven't had time, and again this morning, have run out.
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Post by stepper on Jun 28, 2016 20:00:50 GMT -6
After a 30 second drill: The American Heart Association says that in terms of added sugars, they recommend no more than Men: 150 calories per day (37.5 grams or 9 teaspoons) & women: 100 calories per day (25 grams or 6 teaspoons).
The popsicles I have are on the large size and contain 9g per stick.
I remember that mom got some Tupperware things intended to be home-made popsicle forms. I think she used the dry flavors of Kool-Aid, but they had a modified mix for popsicles.
Fruit Juice: Parents of a friend from when I was at McGuire substituted a combination of fruit juices in lieu of soda - their mix was pretty good too. I make a killer punch that isn't leaded, but most people think it is.
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Post by Mini Mia on Jun 28, 2016 23:30:07 GMT -6
IIRC, MeMa used concentrated juices. Which is kind of funny. She thawed, diluted, and then refroze the juice. But they were really, really good. Had pulp too.
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Post by stepper on Jun 29, 2016 18:38:42 GMT -6
As long as they were good!
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