Category: Uncategorized (Page 8 of 114)

It just got nuttier after that last post. Yes, I got my timesheets done. And then I decided to go back to the copier before I left – it was about 6:00 – and what happened? I tripped on the carpet, grabbed at my white board (which, let it be clear, offered NO support) and fell and sprained my ankle. And people were still there, and the huge white board crashing down caused a few faces to poke their heads in out of concern.

Excellent. I’m so graceful and now I’m a gimp to boot.

But! I have a lovely husband. He went and got dinner, waited on me all evening, and offered lots of sympathy. And I finished packaging & photographing a whole bunch of DPN holders, so tomorrow & Thursday, I’ll be stocking my Etsy shop!

And muttering under my breath, “I’ve fallen! Goddammit!”

I totally want to blog but the CFO is telling me to do my timesheets before I leave today.
BLEAH!
More later. Hopefully.

I was delighted to get linked on Stephanie Japel’s blog for my DPN holders! I already have a couple people who want to be alerted when my stock is replenished – if you’re interested, leave a comment or email me at plazajen AT gmail (dot com, of course). I’ve got an etsy account & shop setup, but no goods to hang in the windows! Soon, though, very soon, I promise.

On daily life, it’s been an interesting couple of days – the Royals home opener was yesterday, and it was horrid weather. I skipped the game, but got my fill of the spirit by tailgating – plenty of fresh air, bbq smoke, and officemate camaraderie (oh and gusting, freezing winds and rain). This morning was my annual doctor’s appointment (I always hear the song, “Back in the Saddle Again”, in my head when I’m getting ready to head over there for that appointment….) My doctor is not even 5′ tall, a little Vietnamese bundle of energy, and I adore her. We talked knitting, and she just had a baby last year, so we also talked parenting skills/style (I figure three dogs count for something) and also James’ teaching experiences contribute to the conversation. Hey. Anything to ignore what’s going on, I say. They have an awesome phlebotomist at the office, but sadly, she didn’t quite get all the alcohol wiped off my arm before starting the draw… I’ve never had that happen before. I tried not to overreact, especially with a needle in my arm, but I finally said, “So…..should it be burning like that?” It subsided eventually, but she was concerned and asked me several questions to make sure it wasn’t something else. Finally, I said, ok, am I in danger of my blood leaking and filling up my arm? (I was trying to imagine what the absolute worst case scenario would be.) The answer, fortunately, was “no.” (It would have started to happen already. Gulp. I thought I was coming up with an impossible scenario…)

So now I have some crazy work projects to knock out, and a few things to get crossed off my to-do list so I stop the maddening cycle of “OH YEAH – I’ve GOT to get that done” and then promptly forgetting to do it. In fact, I keep hopping out of this box to do other things & then I remember, “DUH! I didn’t hit ‘Post’!” Welcome to my world. At least it isn’t boring!

It’s the Crazy Cat Lady, from Archie McPhee. And Archie McPhee is like, the greatest site ever. I had to call this morning because they’d forgotten my Bacon Pennant. I did, however,get two boxes of Double Monkey Gum, gratis. And they promised to ship my bacon flag pronto.

(None of this is a joke. However, to really look like our Crazy Cat Lady Neighbor, the action figurine needs to go on a meth diet, and she would also have an add-on accessory pack entitled “Cop Cars and Bambalances, for Nighttime Drama”.)

Google has created “Custom Time“, so you can back-date/time stamp your emails to people and never be late again! Too, too funny.

More later, but this cracked me up this morning!

So, if you’re in the KC area & you’re thinking about growing tomatoes this year? Have I got a deal for you. Someone (JAMES) went a little – um – crazy this year, with the seeds and the greenhouse and the excitement and the tomato varieties. He put an ad on CraigsList, but I’m also pimping his ‘mater seedlings here. Why? Because “we” have over a thousand tomato plants started. (Yes. One Thousand.) And the pepper onslaught has just begun. The small seedlings are in plastic cups, the bigger ones are in pots. You can put them outside during the day – but bring them in at night so they are protected. Here is his sales pitch, and if you want to buy any plants, just let me know! plazajen AT gmail (which is, of course, a DOT COM). If there’s something coming up in the “lineup” that you want, shoot me an email or leave a comment & I can make sure you get what you want. As you can see, we’re taking on the big-box stores already, first year out of the gate. :)

(The following is all JWo:)

I’ve got two hybrid varieties, Roma VF (great for sauces, salsa, and pico!) and Better Boy Hybrid VFN: Guinness record holder–342 pounds of fruit from one plant! Better Boy Hybrid (VFN) Tomato is deep red and meaty, up to a pound each. Dense foliage cover, too. Indeterminate. The Roma VF’s were transplanted into 1 oz containers this week and I’ll sell them for $1 each or 6 for $5. They are small, but are in Miracle Grow potting soil and with some TLC over the next month from you they will be big and healthy and ready to plant in late April or May. The Better Boys have been transplanted to 4 inch pots for about 3 weeks now and are 8-10 inches tall with thick stems and lots of leaves. They could go right in the garden now if you use wall-o-waters or make a cold frame for them. I’d like $2 each for these amazing little guys or 6 for $10.

Now for the heirlooms…I don’t know where to start! All seeds came from TomatoFest and are certified organic. There are detailed descriptions there as well as pics of the fruits.

I have a gazillion Brandywine and Brandywine Red seedlings in the 16 oz containers….$1 each or 6 for $5. I also have some Jumbo Roma and Russian Big Roma plants.

I also have some various seedlings that are still in the seed cells that I planted them in…they haven’t been transplanted yet. I’ll sell these for 50 cents a piece or 12 for $5

If you’re not ready to buy plants yet, hang on before you buy them from Lowe’s or Wal-Mart! Later on in April, I’ll have Julia Child, Bream’s Yellow Pear, Amana Orange, Super Snow White, Ace-55’s, Martino’s Roma, Florida Pink, Striped Cavern, Hawaiian Currant, and Chadwick Cherry as well as some great bell peppers, banana peppers, jalapenos, and habanero plants. Keep watching CL for when I’ve got those ready for sale.

(Now, back to me – isn’t it always “Back to Me”?! All this tomato talk has my mouth a-watering for real, fresh, heirloom tomatoes. And at least half the reason he picks such a variety and grows them is because he knows how much I love love love them, and that? Is just one of many reasons why I love him!)

So, the collective reaction to the giant fish can be summed up rather easily into “Holy shit” or a variation thereof. I got numerous emails and text messages & comments, and Spyder, your comment about using one of the dogs for bait garnered a huge guffaw from me! (I was quite pleased to be able to access email and the internet (marginally) via my phone while we were down there – just enough to keep in touch, but my inability to and dislike of texting kept me in check.)

Yep, that’s the biggest fish I have ever caught! We went snagging on Friday, and were out in overcast, blustery cold weather that turned to sunshine, and we were on the water for about three hours. (I am sporting a fantastic, oddly-shaped sunburn on the lower half of my face, the part that wasn’t shaded by sunglasses or a hat. Sessy!) About two hours in, my hook grabbed that fish, and the reeling was on. Grampa pointed out I need to “PUMP AND REEL” or I was going to burn out the reel in no time. Yeah, yeah, right, I forgot in the excitement. It also makes it a LOT easier to wrangle a fish to the boat.

I didn’t feel the need to do any more fishing (ala George Costanza – quit while you’re ahead!) and the rest of the weekend was spent snoozing, hanging out, knitting, chatting, playing cards & laughing. And eating delicious fish! Now we’re back home to reality, laundry, and responsibilities. The dogs had a grand time as well, and it was Tripper’s first lake trip and he has some learning to do….. doofus doesn’t keep his mouth shut enough while he’s swimming with a dummy, so we were treated to much ralfing of water when he’d get back to shore. Good lord! My favorite moment was when he brought James a dead fish instead of a dummy. (I believe I even have a picture, which I’ll offload at some point.) Guess he just was getting into the spirit of the weekend!

Happy Easter…..yay for half-price chocolate tomorrow!

50# SPOONBILL!!

Yes, those fish are for eatin’. They are huge. They’re called spoonbill, or paddlefish, and they’re only in five major U.S. rivers, the biggest being Missouri & Mississippi (the others are tributaries to these two) – we fish the Mighty MO (which goes into/through the Lake of the Ozarks). The only other place in the world to catch them is the Yangtze river in China. They look prehistoric, and the only way you catch them is by snagging. It’s a fair amount of work, you have to find them, and basically catch one on a hook by running your line into it. And they fight. And they’re good eatin’. So good. OMG. I can’t WAIT to get down to the lake to have some!

And if I do? I now have all sorts of bells & whistles on my phone, and you bet your ass I’ll be mobile blogging my moment!