Doings (1)

This is the time of the year I start my “projects” list.  That’s a list of things I want/need to get done before it’s actually spring and I start putting the yards back together (everything that normally resides in my yard is hither and yon right now). 

Hang the Rain Chain

I have always liked rain chains – well, actually I’ve only ever seen one in use but it was very cool looking.  And, this past Christmas, my sister gave me one. 

Next, figure out how to hang it so it will guide the water coming off the roof,

down the chain, through the little flower shaped cups and onto the ground.  How hard can it be – right?  IT’S VERY DAMN HARD! 

First thing I learned was rain chains are supposed to be used in place of a gutter downspout. 

Alright, well, I don’t have gutters.  I did have gutters across the front of the house but I am convinced that every tree in the neighborhood walked over to it and shook leaves, pecans, and acorns into it from September until December.  Rain and our warm/cool winter allowed all sorts of things to grow, thus making it way more work than it’s worth.  I had it taken down.  Okay – no gutter and therefore no downspout.

The next set of instructions to hang a rain chain without a gutter included buckets and metal rods and ‘S’ hooks and eyehooks and big potted (with a complicated drain system) plants and no pictures.  Finally I found this . . .

Okay – I can do this - - -  maybe . . . .

First, all the buckets I either have or found are smallish or big.  And, sorry – call me snooty, having a big galvanized bucket hanging off the house is just tacky.  So, I went with smallish. 

Next cut a hole in the bottom of the bucket.  Easier said than done.  Then, put a metal rod (I used a giant galvanized nail) through the bucket, side to side.

Ok, ok – not a pretty hole and probably bigger than it needs to be but there are no specifications – just “cut a hole in the bottom of the bucket”.  Besides, cutting a hole in the bottom of a bucket is hard and challenging and hard!

Then, because I don’t want even a smallish galvanized bucket hanging off the house and I do want the bucket to look like it belongs to the rain chain, I painted it.

So far, so good.

Now I’m to the really alarming part -

“Screw the eyehook into the soffit under the roof crease where you'll hang your rain chain. Position the eyehook about an inch from the edge of the soffit. This will allow most of the bucket mouth to be open to the streaming rain.”

Drilling a hole for the eyehook.  I don’t like the thought of (1) drilling a hole even close to the roof and (2) getting it in the wrong place and having to drill another hole.

Plus, I’m not sure I know how the rain comes off that junction of the roof – not something I’ve paid attention to obviously.  If we have a nice controlled rain, the water should funnel to the trough and right down into the bucket.  But, if we have a typical rain with 3 inches in 30 minutes, it may shoot right across the yard.  Big sigh!

So, now, I’m on hold.  I need to see what happens when it rains.  Fortunately, we are supposed to get rain tomorrow so hopefully I’ll be able to figure it out.  I will let you know how things go.

15 Jan 2019

Adventuring Up, Up and Away

A friend of mine texted me the other day – “Good day to fly.  Come on over”.  Okay. 

He had bought himself a new toy – a DJI Spark Drone. 

This is an “ultra-portable quadcopter that includes a camera gimbal, front and bottom sensors, dual GPS, FPV, an advanced App and an array of photographic and other options”.  It comes with a storage case, remote controller, battery, memory card and other stuff I’m sure. 

And, in addition to flying up, up, and away, it has facial recognition and responds to hand gestures.  How cool is that!  So, we walked over to a big open area and got ready to fly.  First of all – it’s smaller than I thought it would be – sat perfectly on my open hand.  It’s lightweight.  It’s rectangular shaped with four foldout propellers. 

Focusing on his face and, as it turned out, on my face also.  And, let me tell you, it was very freaky to see it fly up then turn its little camera eye on me.  We walked away from the hovering drone and he gestured for it to follow us which it did, just like a well-behaved dog.  Too weird.

Heading up, up …

Looking out toward Newgulf.  Those are the TexasGulf Sulphur Company smoke stacks in the distance.

Came back looking for us and, yep, there we are.

Toys!  You never get too old for toys!

14 Jan 2019

Another Good Story

Storytellers have always been an important part of any community.  Using a combination of oral narrative, music, art and dance, the storytellers try to bring understanding and meaning of the past through remembrance and enactment of stories.  They share moral values, education, and entertainment with their listeners.  So, here’s one for all the future Storytellers out there.

The Old Man and his Grandson

From Germany

By The Grimm Brothers

There was once a very old man, whose eyes had become dim, his ears dull of hearing, his knees trembled, and when he sat at table he could hardly hold the spoon, and spilt the broth upon the tablecloth or let it run out of his mouth. His son and his son’s wife were disgusted at this, so the old grandfather at last had to sit in the corner behind the stove, and they gave him his food in an earthenware bowl, and not even enough of it. And he used to look towards the table with his eyes full of tears. Once, too, his trembling hands could not hold the bowl, and it fell to the ground and broke. The young wife scolded him, but he said nothing and only sighed. Then they brought him a wooden bowl for a few half-pence, out of which he had to eat.

They were once sitting thus when the old man's little grandson of four years old began to gather together some bits of wood upon the ground. ’What are you doing there?’ asked the father. ’I am making a little trough,’ answered the child, ’for father and mother to eat out of when I am big.’

The man and his wife looked at each other for a while, and presently began to cry. Then they took the old grandfather to the table, and henceforth always let him eat with them, and likewise said nothing if he did spill a little of anything.

taken from

Favorite Folktales from around the World
edited by Jane Yolen

12 Jan 2019

This is only January

This is only the first of January – not even halfway through.  And, yet . . . . . the yard is calling me.

Come out, Come out

and work in the yard.

It’s because the past several days have been in the 60’s and 70’s with clear blue skies and light breezes.  Every time I walk outside, I start thinking

“I’ll just dig this up from here and move it over there won’t take but a minute and go ahead and plant these seeds right here and where is the shovel and . . .”   

Of course, the fact that all the weeds and many of the cultivated plants have jumped right up out of the ground and started blooming and growing, is not helping with the “work in the yard” song. 

I’ll just bet you think all that green is something good – nope – chickweed and wood violets.  Arrrggghhh!!

And these are all over the flowerbeds

A weedy Astor of one sort or another

Lots of Oxalis

And then, the things I planted on purpose that aren’t supposed to be blooming yet . . . .

Isn’t this little guy cute?

Flower is about the size of my finger tip.

I’m not completely sure what this is
other than a mini daffodil -
it was a passalong plant.

The roses are blooming

and the Milkweed

Firespike

and the Shrimp Plant

Still, I am being mostly strong and limiting myself to only pulling the most annoying weeds because I KNOW there is still a good chance that Winter is Coming or at least a freeze or two, maybe three.  This is only the first of January!

10 Jan 2019

More …..

So, Did You Know?, for us here in Gulf Coast Texas, this past December of 2018 was one of the top rainiest months of recorded time?  Something like 9 or 10 inches of rain just in December depending on where measurements were taken – Houston probably got a little more, Wharton a little less.  Well, good thing, bad thing.  Obviously we didn’t have to worry about lack of moisture for plants or house foundations.  Plus, the rain and clouds keep temperatures mild (no snow or, god forbid, ice).  All good things. 

  

The bad side of the coin?  The “spring” (hellloooo – this is January – winter) weeds have already jumped up trying to see how annoyingly fast and tall they can get.  My yard is awash in chickweed, plantain, lambsquarter, cleavers (aka: "bort", bedstraw, goosegrass, catchweed, stickyweed, stickybud, robin-run-the-hedge, sticky willy, sticky willow, stickyjack, stickeljack, and grip grass-god I hate this stuff), spiny-leaved sow-thistle (another one I really hate a lot because you cannot just pull it up bare handed) along with others I’m not as opposed to like wood violets, henbit, and fleabane (well not as opposed to if they would just stay few instead of trying to populate the known universe).  Yes, I know many are considered herbs and have a variety of medicinal and culinary uses but they are really very annoying weeds mostly.

I’m not inclined to use anything like weed and feed (my grass is perfectly healthy, thank you very much, – it just realizes it’s still WINTER and therefore it is dormant).  And, I use herbicides very sparingly in general.  Plus, as soon as it gets hot (probably March if this “winter” is any indication), the weeds will be choked out by the grass or die of the heat or both.

As I was thinking I would have to pull out the mower (in January – winter!), my two Texas grandchildren called to say they were coming over for the weekend for a Work Day.  Yea!  Wow!  Woowoo!  And, work they did.  When all was said and done, the yard had been mowed, two trash trees cut down, all the wet leaves and small branches on the roof swept off and up, all the yard refuse stacked neatly by the street for city pick up, and a few heavy items moved from here to there. 

And, as a reward, we all got to watch a scary Netflix tv show.  (Well, actually, I think Vic watched the inside of her eyelids and I kept my eyes on my current cross stitch project – Bri watched).  It was a wonderful weekend.

Hmmmm – what else.  Well, the Herb of the Year for 2019 is Anise hyssop.  This very fragrant, butterfly/bee attracting plant is a member of the mint family.  It will grow in bright shade but according to herbalists, prefers sun (though not our summer burn-it-to-a-crisp sun).  All my mints are planted together in a bright shady place close to the house (yes, yes I know – shouldn’t plants mints all together – they get chummy and the strongest scent prevails, but …….).  It makes a beautiful flower.  And, it has all sorts of uses, like -

The flowers are edible with a lighter anise flavor than the leaves as an addition to a salad.  Or use the leaves in cookies or cakes or breads.

The leaves and flowers make a black licorice flavored tea which ideal for treating colds and relieving congestion.

Hyssop is a traditional ingredient in absinthe (a distilled, highly alcoholic beverage).

Put fresh or dried leaves in a square of cheesecloth for a Bath Tea.  The scent will help calm frazzled nerves and traditionally it was also used for pain relief for sore muscles.

Put the leaves and flowers in a dream pillow to stop nightmares and encourage sweet dreams.

What else???? Well the Flower of the Month for January is Carnation.  I can’t grow carnations here – too hot and humid.  However I can grow a relative – Pinks! (or dianthus).  They’re pretty, bright, like our sun, will grow in bright shade, and have a spicy scent.  All good.

Oh – and another name for this flower, used during the fifteenth century, is gillyflower – I really like that one.  Pinks attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.  They’re very hardy and are grown as an ornamental rather than as a medicinal herb.  Though there was a time when they were used to treat illnesses in both humans and animals.  And then, there’s this little legend -

The name dianthus was given by the Greek botanist Theophrastus (c. 371 – c. 287 BC). Dianthus means divine (dios) flower (anthos).  

The relationship to the divine might reference Artemis (Diana) and a story portraying the irrational anger of a goddess. Artemis was hunting when a shepherd playing an instrument frightened her quarry. In a fit of anger, Artemis tore out the shepherd’s eyes. However, her anger passed like a summer shower and she immediately felt sorry for her anger. Her remorse resulted in beautiful flowers that bloomed in the place of the man’s lost eyes..

7 Jan 2019

Long Days, Lost Days

And when we got to Sweetwater, (the stop for the night), we were greeted with this . . .

The next day, I drove and encountered

all the way to Wharton.  Which was good because, I have to tell you, it took me a while to get used to being able to see over everything through a gigantic windshield!

We came back on Hwy 36 which you pick up just past Abilene at Cross Plains (pop 980).  I’ve traveled Hwy 36 for many long years and like it because it goes through a number of small towns.  Makes the drive more interesting, I think.  Plus, there are places to stop for food and gas.  Also, the towns are about 30-40 miles apart so I don’t worry too much about problems in the middle of nowhere.  And, I’m familiar with the towns so I can judge how much further timewise I have to go still.  Works for me.

Also, you can pick up all sorts of interesting moderately useless information, like for instance:

Cameron, TX (pop 5700) was named after Ewen Cameron, a Scot highlander prominent in the Texas Revolution and a member of the Mier Expedition during the war with Mexico. 

Gatesville (pop 15,700) has five of the eight prisons and state jails for women operated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. 

In 1881, a small community sent a petition to the U.S. government asking for a post office.  The community had decided upon the name Star, TX but that that name was already taken. The citizens called a meeting to select another name, and after many long hours of deliberation, decided "Since we are a rising young community, why don't we just call ourselves Rising Star." (pop 835)

Brenham, TX (pop 15,700) is the home of Blue Bell Ice Cream – the best ice cream in the universe!

Then, you just never know what you’ll see – like . . .

Located on Hwy 36 just outside Comanche (pop 4300)

It was a long day of driving though and when we pulled into the driveway at home, I was ready to be done with it.

Friday was a busy day with - catch up – unpack – laundry – grocery store – do all the things necessary to inspect, title, and tag the new car (and did you know that in Texas if you get a car out of state, you have to have it weighed before you can do all the title stuff???) - this – that – and the other thing.  And, then, on Friday I ate something for lunch I shouldn’t have.  Looked ok, smelled ok, tasted ok, sell by date ok, however long about 3am Saturday morning my body said – no, no, no and I suffered all the problems of food poisoning. 

Saturday was a lost day. 

Sunday I took my daughter to the airport so she could return home.  Monday went into Katy to see my youngest daughter.  Monday night I did stay up until midnight; listened to all the fireworks (and some idiot that buzzed the neighborhood in a small plane). 

Happy New Year Y’all

3 Jan 2019

Busy Days, Long Days

Egad, it’s January 2019, ALREADY!, and I haven’t written a single word in . . . .  well, a bunch of days. 

I spent Christmas in Albuquerque with my family there.  It was a very nice time.  I got to spend time with my two granddaughters and daughter.  We didn’t do anything exotic – just all the normal, nice, comforting homey things. 

The weather was really nice – a little cool during the day; chilly at night.  I did get out and buy a new pair of shoes – tennis (uh – athletic) shoes.  Generally, I hate to shoe shop (and that could be a post all by itself one day).  But my daughter has a specific place she buys her running shoes and we go there once a year so they can fit me with a pair of WALKING (running – no – unless someone is chasing me with a big knife) shoes that actually do fit, feel good, last me for a year.  Yea!

This year, while there, I received a gift of a new-for-me car.  Now, for the past 10 years, I’ve driven a Buick 4-door sedan – one of older ones that while long, is low to the ground.  The new car – a Honda Pilot.  And, it’s really tall – like I can see forever tall.  Nice.  So, the plan was that I’d fly up to ABQ and drive home.  OK.  I asked my daughter if she could make the long drive home with me – you know – new car, winter driving, little old lady, yada, yada.  Yes she could. 

We left the day after Christmas.  The day it clouded up and started to drizzle.  The drive from Albuquerque to Wharton takes two days.  So, my daughter started the drive and, from ABQ to Sweetwater, TX we encountered –

Freezing Drizzle

Snow

Heavy Fog

A bundle of huge black clouds that overtook

 us with 60-mph winds and tumbleweeds –
lots of tumbleweeds

Dust Storms

Big RAIN

Rain and Dust – yes, the dust will blow

with it rains. (West TX is just a very
strange place)

And when we got to Sweetwater, (the stop for the night), we were greeted with this . . .

More to come …….