Friday, April 02, 2004

Plans Uprooted

I was bit by the gardening bug. No surprise. It was more surprising that I went as long as I did without visiting a nursery, pulling a weed, or going through heirloom seed catalogs. In our rental Tree House the yard is taken care of, and it grows just fine without me. However, there are three very large and neglected planting beds. They are a tangle of mint and weak, straggly strawberries. So, I dragged four children through Home Depot and came out with tomato varities, herbs, and enough seeds to satisfy every individual garden passion, including; greenbeans, watermelon, pumpkin, zinnias and carrots. Here comes the sad part: As I began turning the soil and pulling up weeds I kept coming across LARGE roots. Mature, thick, roots that oozed a suspicious white sap. Nearest plant that could produce this root volume? Oleander. Bad poison. Pretty oleander is too toxic to mess with, so now I have a lot of orphan seedlings and seeds.

Free, to good garden: Tomatoes, beans and carrots, watermelon, cucumbers and vigorous strawberries. Need water, sun and soil.

Wednesday, March 31, 2004

I am sitting at the upstairs computer ("Computer Wife,") because my poor iMac was taken to intensive care. She just couldn't perform. I pushed her beyond her abilities. It was sad, even after Geoff warned me, when I went down to the office and found nothing remained of my lovely Mac but disconnected cables and a large dust free circle on the cluttered desk.

Computer Wife is the product of a home school project led by Geoff. He and William and Alex made this computer. It's quite impressive. I should post pictures. It has a honking huge screen, and brilliant lights and colorful fans, and I am liking this key board (it has good click.) The case for the "stuff" is clear so you can observe all the hardware, and they added Lego sculptures and one little Sponge Bob. He looks trapped, yet blissfully giddy. Hopefully we will have Mac home and running soon, and in the meantime at least I can post to Chicken Blog from Computer Wife...

No email for me. No iMovie, no iPhoto. I can't make new soundtracks for my life. No iTunes. It's pointless to pretend that I am not completely attached to my modern lifestyle. Please, if you think of me, alone and out of touch (on so many levels,) send me a letter, give me a call. Let me know how you're doing, and pass along any jokes you've heard, even the bad ones. I like bad jokes.

In other news...

Congratulations to Alison and Bill: Homeowners! They are officially members of an elite and beleaguered society. They have a mortgage. They have walls and floors that are all their own. They can bring home a kitty, for keeps. They can do battle with termites. I kind of miss it. I wish I could drop in on them and paint a room, change some lightbulbs. With their good taste, and industry, their new house will soon be a home.

We are counting the days to the May wedding of Laura and Gary. It didn't seem quite possible for us to attend, but the lure of a family celebration is too much to resist.

And finally, tomorrow is the day we celebrate the cats' birthday. Don't get all cynical on me. If you don't have pets, or simply can't muster the empathy and enthusiasm to make joy, then move on. I think cake is in order and maybe grilled salmon. I'll be sure to refresh the litterbox, and hang feathers from the door knobs. We aren't expecting guests, but you are of course welcome to come by. Diego likes fresh roast turkey and sleeping like an infant. Chango is partial to the milk at the bottom of a cereal bowl and drinking from the sink. They both make our lives more interesting and are the source of spontaneous laughter and some bewilderment.