Not so Fast

I checked on my plants again last night and several plants that looked to be in bad shape bounced back.  I'm hoping we don't get another Tropical Storm anytime soon, but glad to see my plants are doing fine.

Joy

June Garden

The Tropical storm ravaged my little garden plot.  Several plants drowned and a few others look pretty haggard.  Here's the plot though.  

And the Verdict....

So, I'm in a walking cast for the next 4 weeks.  Maybe.  I'm going in for a MRI scan on Friday.  I see the Doctor again in about 10 days.  Once we agree upon the next step (surgery or PT), I'm going to lobby for an ankle brace.  But I'm already wearing an ankle brace while driving and in the garden.  I'm just wearing the cast in the office and on my commute.  

Hobbling

I've always had joints that are a little loose. Consequently, I've twisted my ankle quite a few times growing up.  About 10 years ago I tore several ligaments in my left ankle.  I've been to an orthopedist twice for that foot and now get to go back a third time to see about the foot.  I've been limping for nearly a month here and there, but the foot is getting worse and my roommate is pretty sure its bursitis.  Here's hoping this time PT and my bicycle(s) will get this foot moving in no time.

Garden Floods

Rain is a great thing for crops.  Three inches of rain over the weekend and another 1-3 inches today plus a possible derecho (rain and tornado level winds) and I'm thinking about converting my little garden in a rice paddy.  I checked the garden on Saturday and the garden was wet, but only my lettuce was flooded (about three inches).  The lettuce needs to be harvested, but may not happen for a few days because of these silly storms.  I'm also thinking I need a different plot next year.  We'll see.

Joy

Garden of Eatin'

So, as most of you should know, I'm a Chinquapin community gardener as of March of this year.  I've been on the waiting list for years (literally. It's been 5 years) so I was excited to get a plot.  The plots are good sized.  They are approximately 15 feet by 20 feet.  Needless to say, I've taken my time to fill the plot with vegetables, partly because we had a cold spring.  Some of my plants are doing better than others and I've found that part of the garden drains into my plot which is a bit of a problem, but my lettuce seem to thrive on being "swamp" lettuce so there's that.  I'm a little nervous about this summer.  We're already going to get "slop" from the first Tropical Storm of the season and I'm a little worried about my garden's ability to drain itself.  But they are plants and it is Virginia where everything that can, will grow.

April 2013.  You can see my porcelain owl in the corner there.

June 2013. 

Tomatoes.  There's three tomatoes on the closest plant.

Summer Squash, peppers and Brussel Sprouts.  the makeshift net is my peas and beans.

Another garden shot

An Open Letter to the Neighborhood Mosquitos

I get it.  You smell fear or something.  You know exactly where to bite so my leg gets welts the size of silver dollars and I'm miserable for a couple of days.  I don't understand how you know where to bite because your brain has to be tiny, but whatever.  Seriously though, twice in less than a week in the same leg and about two inches away from the last bite?  Is this what my summer is going to be like this year?  We haven't even hit July where I just know I'm going to be an itchy mess and keep a bottle of Benadryl topical gel at the office and at home.  Anyway, I'm not really complaining, I'm just mystified at my luck.

Thanks for hearing me out,
Joy

May Books Part 2

"Odd and the Frost Giants" is classic Neil Gaiman.  Gaiman wrote Coraline and many other fabulous, creepy books.  This book is a retelling of the Norse legends.  If you've seen the movie "Thor," you'll do just fine with this book.  What I loved about this simple story is that the protagonist doesn't use violence in the climax.  The book is well-written and I quite enjoyed the story.  Plus, be sure to read the "About Author" page at the end.  I laughed out loud.  Three Stars.

Remember the play, "Pygmalion," which "My Fair Lady" is based on?  Well, Pygmalion is actually based on this very true, incredibly weird story and the Greek legend.  An eccentric, wealthy Englishman who had little luck with the ladies adopted two orphan girls with the intent of  raising them to create the perfect wife in 18th Century England.  This book which is very well researched, tells this story of both the bachelor, the orphans, and the friends of both.  The story is fascinating and is a fast read.  Four Stars.

Walter Kirn is a favorite author of mine and this story does not disappoint.  The story, actually an essay, is about the Bible Kirn finds when cleaning out his mother's house shortly after she passes away.  He intertwines the notes that he finds in her bible with his own interpretation of scripture passes and the life he shared with his mother.  Four Stars.

 

Like many baseball tales, the actual baseball history of Ron Guidry and Yogi Berra was fascinating.  However, I found the author using a lot of filler in this book.  The book kind of meandered in one direction and then in another direction with no real rhyme or reason.  However, I found the friendship between the two interesting and the reconciliation between Berra and Steinbrenner fascinating.  I wasn't a real fan of the author's voice however.  Three Stars.

I really can't believe I hadn't read this book before.  I believe my parents had a copy of this laying around the house (and I read most of their books at one point or another) but this was the first time I read this classic completely.  Much of the book is absolutely fascinating.  The stories and Frankl's logic is astonishing.  I really wish I would have read this book a few years ago, but I still enjoyed the book a ton now.  Four Stars.

May Book Wrap-up Part I

Every year I challenge myself to read 50 books.  I usually read more books than that, but that way if I'm stuck on a book for a couple of weeks or longer, I won't feel guilty about reading something longer or slower than my usual pace.  Because I was sick for much of January and February, I was something like 6 books behind in the middle of April.  I'm now several books ahead.  Why?  I read 11 books this month.  So, let me tell you about them.


"Going Underground," is the story of a seventeen year-old convicted felon.  Del, the protagonist of the story works at a private cemetery because its the only business in town that will hire him.  He was convicted because of "sexting" charges with his consenting (but slightly younger) girlfriend when he was 14.  The story talks about his future as a felon and Del grappling with life and his sentence.  I think I gave the book 3 or 4 stars because it was well-written.

"The White Queen" tells the tale of Elizabeth Woodville, who was the spouse to the King of England in the 15th Century.  She's a widow but ends up marrying the King of England.  However, although they have quite a few little heirs, the validity of their marriage and the heirs is called into question.  Her husband dies quite suddenly, her young boys go missing and another King of England is named.  I really thought the first third of the historical fiction read like a poorly written romance novel, but the story picked up once Elizabeth went to London when she was revealed to be the Queen.  Three Stars.  Book Club Novel.

"The Shoemaker's Wife" is a fictionalized account of the author's grandparents.  Her Grandparents hail from villages in the Italian Alps just a few miles from each other.  When both are in their early twenties they both move to New York separately.  They are reunited in New York and eventually get married.  The first two thirds of the book is fascinating.  The author is able to create a world that leaves you wanting to turn pages rapidly.  However, I thought the last 1/3 was clunky.  The author is too close to the characters and the writing is off.  Three Stars. Book Club Selection.

"Salvage the Bones" takes place a week before Hurricane Katrina hits Louisiana and Mississippi.  The protagonist, a young, pregnant black girl, and her brothers live with their disinterested, alcoholic father in the bayou.  The kids pretty much take care of themselves, but the father is interested in Hurricane preparation.  I enjoyed this novel a lot except for the heavy handed use of symbolism.  4 Stars.

"Ham on Rye" is a semi-autobiographical novel by the author.  The book follows the main character from a three year old to adult life.  The story isn't for everyone.  There's no love ever shown between anyone and many of the stories told are both humorous and horrific. The novel is written by a (beat) poet and when you read it, you find that there's a rhythm to the novel that is missing in most prose.  Five Stars.

"Fever 1793" is not the story of a jaundiced vampire, as that cover would lead you to believe.  No, the story is about a teenage girl in Philadelphia during the Yellow Fever plague of that year.  The book is based on true events, and really starts moving after a slow 1/3 of the story.  I found myself enjoying the novel and the historical details, but only gave this book 3 stars because of the clunky 1/3 of the book.