I'm working from home today. This is the one week out of the month that I actually don't have a buttload of stuff to do. So I'm doing some little things to make life easier, like putting all our clients' numbers in my phone, and stuff like that. Right now I'm taking a bit of a lunch break and making some baked squash.
I have 5 pattypan squash plants this year. Every other day or so I go out and remove all the suash bugs, squash bug eggs, and squash vine borer eggs. It seems to be working because I've gotten 3 squashes so far.
Normally I put olive oil and salt and pepper in a pan and sautee the sliced squash but today I decided to try an experiment. I brushed olive oil and salt and pepper on all the slices and then on each slice I tried a different flavor. Garlic, dill, rosemary, oregano, and thyme. Except I got a little mixed up and the garlic got on the oregano and thyme pieces too. So we'll see. Oh, and I'm baking them in the oven.
Life is going pretty well overall. I had a little fender bender the other day during rush hour so the car is in the shop and we have a rental. I also managed to spill some water on my laptop but it was fixable for $150. I'm wearing a holter monitor for 48 hours to track my heart rate. It's always high at the doc and I have palpitations regularly. I feel like a suicide bomber with all these wires and electrodes on my torso. They are very itchy so sometimes I wish it would explode. But I get to remove it at 3:30 today and that will be sweet relief!!
Bones is having trouble with his bladder again. He makes tiny little puddles in the litterbox (and other places because it hurts) so we gave him fluids last night and this morning. He is doing much better. The puddles are bigger and lighter and he's playing more. I think I want to get him an x-ray or something to see if there's a structural issue going on.
The garden is bursting with flowers and butterflies. I've been keeping Variegated Fritillary caterpillars and watching them grow and pupate. Very cool. They eat pansies and violets. I have plenty for them to eat!
Results: all the squash pieces were yummy. I like the rosemary best.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Hot already
We've been fortunate having a long spring. But it is hot today. A cool front is expected this evening and I am looking forward to it. I don't want to mow when it's 90F. My thyroid meds make me not able to handle the heat.
Speaking of meds, I'm on a good level with the thyroid and the depression I think. I have a lot of energy. Still not all that talkative.
Part of that may be that I have to see the public a lot for my job and so I need lots of alone time to recover from that. I'm an introvert and being extroverted for my job is a suprisingly difficult thing. It is work. I had to be a vendor at a workshop this last week and it was exhausting.
My angel trumpet and cosmos began blooming this week. So did the pattypan squash. I need to wrap the stems in foil again to keep out the squash vine borers. I wrapped them when they were smaller but it has all fallen off. I also have gotten two tomatoes from the Early Girl I bought in early March.
Lilly is weird. She is on the counter rubbing her face on my spice rack. She has removed it from the wall. I have never seen her do this before. Odd.
I figured out one of my mystery plants is a penstemon. So that's cool. It has reddish leaves and white tubular flowers. I hope it attracts pollinators.
I'm now in the process of thinning the cosmos plants. They reseed like mad. I'm leaving the ones that are going to bloom first and pulling the others. I hate pulling out a growing plant, especially a flower, but last year they were all crowded and unhealthy.
Ok. that's all for now. :-)
Speaking of meds, I'm on a good level with the thyroid and the depression I think. I have a lot of energy. Still not all that talkative.
Part of that may be that I have to see the public a lot for my job and so I need lots of alone time to recover from that. I'm an introvert and being extroverted for my job is a suprisingly difficult thing. It is work. I had to be a vendor at a workshop this last week and it was exhausting.
My angel trumpet and cosmos began blooming this week. So did the pattypan squash. I need to wrap the stems in foil again to keep out the squash vine borers. I wrapped them when they were smaller but it has all fallen off. I also have gotten two tomatoes from the Early Girl I bought in early March.
Lilly is weird. She is on the counter rubbing her face on my spice rack. She has removed it from the wall. I have never seen her do this before. Odd.
I figured out one of my mystery plants is a penstemon. So that's cool. It has reddish leaves and white tubular flowers. I hope it attracts pollinators.
I'm now in the process of thinning the cosmos plants. They reseed like mad. I'm leaving the ones that are going to bloom first and pulling the others. I hate pulling out a growing plant, especially a flower, but last year they were all crowded and unhealthy.
Ok. that's all for now. :-)
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
DH was wondering why I haven't blogged in a while. I guess I just don't feel very talkative. He said that was true in real life too.
Still making mistakes at work but not as many. I'm just so forgetful. People who aren't forgetful tell me to write notes. They don't understand that it just won't help. I'd have a notebook of things to read every few minutes.
Part of the problem is that my doctor is messing with my antidepressants. We went down to one pill a day which is most certainly not enough and then on Friday she's going to decide whether to go back to 2 of these or add in a little of something else. We're trying to keep my anxiety symptoms under control along with the depression. Right now I do ok as long as everything is going well, but I don't have a lot of reserves for when something goes wrong. I'm reminding myself that my meds are too low right now and that helps. I will be glad when I get a little more help though. I don't like the constant fight.
The garden is growing. I have been spending huge amounts of time out there weeding and dividing and repotting and rearranging. It is really nice. Except when I'm sore during the first part of the week from digging all weekend. We bought a rose bush and some coreopsis and a wallflower to add color between the daffodils and the summer stuff. Pansies are good for that but I'd like to have color during the transition time without planting each year. I really want to get a white spirea and some dianthus but I haven't yet.
I suppose that's all for now. Just don't have much to say. Sorry.
Still making mistakes at work but not as many. I'm just so forgetful. People who aren't forgetful tell me to write notes. They don't understand that it just won't help. I'd have a notebook of things to read every few minutes.
Part of the problem is that my doctor is messing with my antidepressants. We went down to one pill a day which is most certainly not enough and then on Friday she's going to decide whether to go back to 2 of these or add in a little of something else. We're trying to keep my anxiety symptoms under control along with the depression. Right now I do ok as long as everything is going well, but I don't have a lot of reserves for when something goes wrong. I'm reminding myself that my meds are too low right now and that helps. I will be glad when I get a little more help though. I don't like the constant fight.
The garden is growing. I have been spending huge amounts of time out there weeding and dividing and repotting and rearranging. It is really nice. Except when I'm sore during the first part of the week from digging all weekend. We bought a rose bush and some coreopsis and a wallflower to add color between the daffodils and the summer stuff. Pansies are good for that but I'd like to have color during the transition time without planting each year. I really want to get a white spirea and some dianthus but I haven't yet.
I suppose that's all for now. Just don't have much to say. Sorry.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Oh. Right. I have a blog.
Yeah... been busy, tired, lazy, pick one.
I've been at my new job for a month now, so that means I'm at the part of the learning curve where I screw up everything I touch. Yay! I hope I pass this phase quickly. M and I have talked about some ways I can get all the stuff in my head faster. Hopefully that'll help.
Still doing really cool stuff. I got to go to a rock quarry, a transmission rebuilder, and an air traffic control tower. Yesterday and today I'm sampling at one of the local hospitals.
Tuvok and I attended the Bark For Life last weekend. It is a fundraising event for the American Cancer Society, put on by Relay For Life. Tuvok got lots of comments and compliments and won tallest dog. He did so well with all the other dogs and people and I even took off the gentle leader after the first few minutes. The gentle leader prevents the dog from pulling but they hate to wear it. He didn't even need it once he got over his initial excitement of seeing his friends Lulu, Abby, and Jersey...and GRANDMA!! He loves my mom so much!
She came to visit the weekend before and she was making turtle toys for the Bark. Tuvok loved the turtle and he even fetched it for Mom. He has literally NEVER played fetch before. Never saw the point I guess. But he played with Grandma! He carried the turtle around in his mouth most of the day. It was hilarious. And then, when she left, he had no more interest in it. He's a weird dog.
Bones slept on Grandma all night and Lilly loved and rubbed all over her while I brushed her. Everyone had special Grandma time!
It has been unseasonably warm all Spring. All the plants are confused.
I've been at my new job for a month now, so that means I'm at the part of the learning curve where I screw up everything I touch. Yay! I hope I pass this phase quickly. M and I have talked about some ways I can get all the stuff in my head faster. Hopefully that'll help.
Still doing really cool stuff. I got to go to a rock quarry, a transmission rebuilder, and an air traffic control tower. Yesterday and today I'm sampling at one of the local hospitals.
Tuvok and I attended the Bark For Life last weekend. It is a fundraising event for the American Cancer Society, put on by Relay For Life. Tuvok got lots of comments and compliments and won tallest dog. He did so well with all the other dogs and people and I even took off the gentle leader after the first few minutes. The gentle leader prevents the dog from pulling but they hate to wear it. He didn't even need it once he got over his initial excitement of seeing his friends Lulu, Abby, and Jersey...and GRANDMA!! He loves my mom so much!
She came to visit the weekend before and she was making turtle toys for the Bark. Tuvok loved the turtle and he even fetched it for Mom. He has literally NEVER played fetch before. Never saw the point I guess. But he played with Grandma! He carried the turtle around in his mouth most of the day. It was hilarious. And then, when she left, he had no more interest in it. He's a weird dog.
Bones slept on Grandma all night and Lilly loved and rubbed all over her while I brushed her. Everyone had special Grandma time!
It has been unseasonably warm all Spring. All the plants are confused.
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| Last year the redbud had 4 flower clusters. Look at it now! |
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| My kale is flowering |
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| Redbud flower |
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| The cat shelves were a hit. |
Sunday, March 11, 2012
I survived week two!
Monday we went around to some weekly clients and visited with a neat guy at the city who's in charge of a whole lot of things involved in stormwater. Tuesday I arrived at the office at 5:45 am to meet with S and we started on our business trip. A few months ago they had tested the water at a bunch of municipal airports and some of the test points had results that were too high in a couple of metals. So our trip was to retest those points and see if the problem was resolved. S knows a TON about chemistry and our company and farming and engines and all sorts of stuff. We did not run out of conversation topics. He grew up in a rural area like I did so we naturally have a lot in common. The actual testing part didn't take all that long. I learned a lot about the proper way to take samples and notes and stuff.
The first day we made it all the way to Little Rock. We tested there in the morning and headed back to Tulsa. We did my HAZWOPER training in the car. I had to fail the pretest and then we went over the questions and he taught me the things I needed to know in order to answer them correctly. Then we did some scenarios and he helped me learn the information I needed and the way to go about the thought process so I can quote a job accurately and test the material accurately and safely. I felt much better after we were done. I have enough basic knowledge to keep me safe in many situations and I know enough that I can go look at MSDS sheets and understand what I'm looking at. So that's good. I felt uncomfortable in a few situations the first week because I wasn't sure what to do with the chemicals or what the precautions should be but now I know all that.
S apparently thought I was pretty neat. He said he was impressed with how quickly I apply what I learn into new situations and he was impressed with my perceptiveness and helpfulness while we sampled. He said that when he would look around for something I would figure out what he was looking for and hand it to him, and then next time I would have it ready before he even needed to look for it. I guess that's not normal? I just have a need to be helpful. It's the upside to my over-sensitive nature.
We finished our trip early and came home Wednesday evening. I picked up DH and we had dinner with S and M and M's DH. My DH was happy to finally meet everybody. Thursday M picked me up at 10:30 and we started on our crazy Thursday. She was supposed to come by at 10 but got caught up with one of the bosses and then we got phone calls and emails and emergencies and fires to put out and problems to fix all day long. It was crazy. We were still trying to get the samples packed up when F, the courier showed up at 4:30. He hung out while we finished up and then I had all my hours for the week. Another Friday off!
I slept a lot on Friday and watched tv. It still baffles me how sitting in a car all day can be so tiring. But I'm also using my brain a whole lot more than normal and that uses up energy as well.
I now have just about everything I need to do my job effectively. My laptop came on Thursday, I got a computer bag and a wallet for the petty cash and receipts, and the truck is well on it's way to being safe to drive. M took it to the shop while I was gone and had the brakes fixed and the battery posts cleaned. I picked up the new side mirror, windshield wipers, and tailight last night and will install those this afternoon after the rain moves out. Next month I get to learn how to change the oil and then the only big thing left to do is the transmission service. It will be nice when the truck can go from 1st to 2nd gear without a big painful jerk.
So now it's time to clean the house and take DH to work. Maybe I can get some pictures up on here later.
Monday we went around to some weekly clients and visited with a neat guy at the city who's in charge of a whole lot of things involved in stormwater. Tuesday I arrived at the office at 5:45 am to meet with S and we started on our business trip. A few months ago they had tested the water at a bunch of municipal airports and some of the test points had results that were too high in a couple of metals. So our trip was to retest those points and see if the problem was resolved. S knows a TON about chemistry and our company and farming and engines and all sorts of stuff. We did not run out of conversation topics. He grew up in a rural area like I did so we naturally have a lot in common. The actual testing part didn't take all that long. I learned a lot about the proper way to take samples and notes and stuff.
The first day we made it all the way to Little Rock. We tested there in the morning and headed back to Tulsa. We did my HAZWOPER training in the car. I had to fail the pretest and then we went over the questions and he taught me the things I needed to know in order to answer them correctly. Then we did some scenarios and he helped me learn the information I needed and the way to go about the thought process so I can quote a job accurately and test the material accurately and safely. I felt much better after we were done. I have enough basic knowledge to keep me safe in many situations and I know enough that I can go look at MSDS sheets and understand what I'm looking at. So that's good. I felt uncomfortable in a few situations the first week because I wasn't sure what to do with the chemicals or what the precautions should be but now I know all that.
S apparently thought I was pretty neat. He said he was impressed with how quickly I apply what I learn into new situations and he was impressed with my perceptiveness and helpfulness while we sampled. He said that when he would look around for something I would figure out what he was looking for and hand it to him, and then next time I would have it ready before he even needed to look for it. I guess that's not normal? I just have a need to be helpful. It's the upside to my over-sensitive nature.
We finished our trip early and came home Wednesday evening. I picked up DH and we had dinner with S and M and M's DH. My DH was happy to finally meet everybody. Thursday M picked me up at 10:30 and we started on our crazy Thursday. She was supposed to come by at 10 but got caught up with one of the bosses and then we got phone calls and emails and emergencies and fires to put out and problems to fix all day long. It was crazy. We were still trying to get the samples packed up when F, the courier showed up at 4:30. He hung out while we finished up and then I had all my hours for the week. Another Friday off!
I slept a lot on Friday and watched tv. It still baffles me how sitting in a car all day can be so tiring. But I'm also using my brain a whole lot more than normal and that uses up energy as well.
I now have just about everything I need to do my job effectively. My laptop came on Thursday, I got a computer bag and a wallet for the petty cash and receipts, and the truck is well on it's way to being safe to drive. M took it to the shop while I was gone and had the brakes fixed and the battery posts cleaned. I picked up the new side mirror, windshield wipers, and tailight last night and will install those this afternoon after the rain moves out. Next month I get to learn how to change the oil and then the only big thing left to do is the transmission service. It will be nice when the truck can go from 1st to 2nd gear without a big painful jerk.
So now it's time to clean the house and take DH to work. Maybe I can get some pictures up on here later.
Friday, March 2, 2012
Weekend
As per my part time status at my new job, I'm not allowed to work more than 35 hours for 3 weeks in a row. Well, I already got over 35 hours in four days so I'm off today. I'm not complaining; I'm exhausted.
Monday was normal first day overwhelming. Filled out paperwork, she introduced me to the computer system they use, the different kinds of bottles they use for sampling, where to find cheat sheets when I forget stuff, etc. Tuesday I was already starting to get the hang of things. I read the Standard Operating Proceedures for some things and the MSDS sheets for the chemicals in the bottles. We went to Sam's and WalMart for some supplies and shelving and such. We moved things around the office so we could put up the new shelves but we didn't have a rubber mallet. Wednesday I worked on lining coolers with insulation (very messy job!) and we packed up supplies for the road trip on Thursday. I also learned more about the computer stuff.
Yesterday we took a trip to Pryor. First we stopped at a drinking water treatment facility to get some monthly samples and I met those guys. They're cool. Then I drove while M did some reports and stuff on the computer. There's lots of documentation at this company. It is owned and managed by scientists. We stopped for lunch and visited with M's DH (C) because he was in the area as well. Then we went on to the facility. It is an activated carbon plant! It was really cool. The whole place was black and sooty from the tiny carbon particles they make flying around everywhere. They make a gargantuan amount of this stuff both from coal and recyled carbon filter material. They service some pretty big name clients too. I'm willing to bet most of the people in America have consumed a product that was filtered through this carbon. It was neat and the guy we talked to was very knowledgeable and answered a lot of questions. He's been there for 20 years so he knows a lot about carbon.
So the main question on everyone's minds is: How do you make 'activated' carbon? What does that even mean? Well, I know that now! Or at least the very basic process. First it gets crushed into a fine powder and there are some chemicals that leach all the extra stuff off of the carbon atoms. Then they compress it into tiny cubes all the same size and density. Then they run it through a series of heat treatments, like a kiln or something and it makes the cubes of carbon look more like a lava rock. Full of holes. That way it is 'activated' and ready to absorb practically everything that it touches. One tablespoon of activated carbon has the same surface area as a football field. Pretty cool, huh!
Another interesting factoid. M said that the drinking water facility we visited that morning was the cleanest place we'd go, and the carbon plant was the dirtiest. Good thing they're 150 miles apart.
I got home about 7:30 last night. I was very tired. This morning I took DH to work and came back home and slept. I was still asleep when he came home at 1:00. I keep dreaming that longtime friends and family members hate me or think I am lazy or do bad things on purpose. Not sure what my subconscious is getting at there. Maybe it's getting all that stuff out of my brain for good.
So it looks like my job includes the following: going to various public and private facilities to test their drinking and/or wastewater, being friendly and shooting the breeze with the lab guys at the facilities, bringing them cookies maybe (grin), packing the water samples for transport to the lab in Texas, writing detailed notes about my escapades, responding to phone calls and emails from clients who have questions or need quotes, making sure we have proper inventory, researching stuff for M or clients, improving current practices to save money or increase efficiency, writing reports about what I did this week. Maybe other stuff that I don't know about yet too. I do have a nice long list of projects to work on to make the office better and more organized and stuff like that. I kind of wish I was salary like M so I could work on stuff as I think about it instead of only during specific work hours not to exceed 35 per week for 3 weeks in a row. Oh well, it'll get done. Just not as quickly as I'd like.
Next week is also going to be a doozy. Monday we have some samples to pick up, and Tuesday through Thursday I'll be on the road in Arkansas with the special projects guy learning stuff and getting my HAZWOPR training. Once again, more than 35 hours. We'll have to be very careful the week after so I don't go over. But hopefully things will be settled down enough that it won't be too bad.
So needless to say, I haven't done much at home this week. I did get the shelves painted and the carpet stapled on them. I also plotted out where the shelves will go on the wall. Yesterday morning I put most of the plants outside to get some real sunshine and I need to bring them back in because its supposed to get cold tonight.
Monday was normal first day overwhelming. Filled out paperwork, she introduced me to the computer system they use, the different kinds of bottles they use for sampling, where to find cheat sheets when I forget stuff, etc. Tuesday I was already starting to get the hang of things. I read the Standard Operating Proceedures for some things and the MSDS sheets for the chemicals in the bottles. We went to Sam's and WalMart for some supplies and shelving and such. We moved things around the office so we could put up the new shelves but we didn't have a rubber mallet. Wednesday I worked on lining coolers with insulation (very messy job!) and we packed up supplies for the road trip on Thursday. I also learned more about the computer stuff.
Yesterday we took a trip to Pryor. First we stopped at a drinking water treatment facility to get some monthly samples and I met those guys. They're cool. Then I drove while M did some reports and stuff on the computer. There's lots of documentation at this company. It is owned and managed by scientists. We stopped for lunch and visited with M's DH (C) because he was in the area as well. Then we went on to the facility. It is an activated carbon plant! It was really cool. The whole place was black and sooty from the tiny carbon particles they make flying around everywhere. They make a gargantuan amount of this stuff both from coal and recyled carbon filter material. They service some pretty big name clients too. I'm willing to bet most of the people in America have consumed a product that was filtered through this carbon. It was neat and the guy we talked to was very knowledgeable and answered a lot of questions. He's been there for 20 years so he knows a lot about carbon.
So the main question on everyone's minds is: How do you make 'activated' carbon? What does that even mean? Well, I know that now! Or at least the very basic process. First it gets crushed into a fine powder and there are some chemicals that leach all the extra stuff off of the carbon atoms. Then they compress it into tiny cubes all the same size and density. Then they run it through a series of heat treatments, like a kiln or something and it makes the cubes of carbon look more like a lava rock. Full of holes. That way it is 'activated' and ready to absorb practically everything that it touches. One tablespoon of activated carbon has the same surface area as a football field. Pretty cool, huh!
Another interesting factoid. M said that the drinking water facility we visited that morning was the cleanest place we'd go, and the carbon plant was the dirtiest. Good thing they're 150 miles apart.
I got home about 7:30 last night. I was very tired. This morning I took DH to work and came back home and slept. I was still asleep when he came home at 1:00. I keep dreaming that longtime friends and family members hate me or think I am lazy or do bad things on purpose. Not sure what my subconscious is getting at there. Maybe it's getting all that stuff out of my brain for good.
So it looks like my job includes the following: going to various public and private facilities to test their drinking and/or wastewater, being friendly and shooting the breeze with the lab guys at the facilities, bringing them cookies maybe (grin), packing the water samples for transport to the lab in Texas, writing detailed notes about my escapades, responding to phone calls and emails from clients who have questions or need quotes, making sure we have proper inventory, researching stuff for M or clients, improving current practices to save money or increase efficiency, writing reports about what I did this week. Maybe other stuff that I don't know about yet too. I do have a nice long list of projects to work on to make the office better and more organized and stuff like that. I kind of wish I was salary like M so I could work on stuff as I think about it instead of only during specific work hours not to exceed 35 per week for 3 weeks in a row. Oh well, it'll get done. Just not as quickly as I'd like.
Next week is also going to be a doozy. Monday we have some samples to pick up, and Tuesday through Thursday I'll be on the road in Arkansas with the special projects guy learning stuff and getting my HAZWOPR training. Once again, more than 35 hours. We'll have to be very careful the week after so I don't go over. But hopefully things will be settled down enough that it won't be too bad.
So needless to say, I haven't done much at home this week. I did get the shelves painted and the carpet stapled on them. I also plotted out where the shelves will go on the wall. Yesterday morning I put most of the plants outside to get some real sunshine and I need to bring them back in because its supposed to get cold tonight.
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| My daffodils on 3/1/12 |
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| The houseplants enjoying a warm morning |
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Gorgeous Day
Today is beautiful. 60F, sunny, breezy. I've been doing all kinds of stuff. I slept until DH needed to go to work about 10:30 and then I came home and had some tea, then painted the shelves I'm making for the cats and started rotating plants outside to be thoughrally watered and enjoy the real sun for a couple of hours. I have planted some seeds and refilled the bird feeders and put down pre-emergent on the lawn. At one point I noticed my legs weren't doing a very good job of holding me up, so I stopped and had lunch, then watched the Oklahoma Gardening episode for this week. Then I potted up the cannas I bought. I also put the corned beef in the crock pot to cook. None of this is really in any order, by the way.
I want to put the carpet on the cat shelves, then bring the plants back in, then I need to wash the dog and shower and clean the floors. They are really bad. But my muscles are kinda wobbly again. I'm wondering if I should take a nap for a little while. I realized a little bit ago that I hadn't had any water all day because I've been too busy to think about it. So I have water now. I did have two cups of my darjeeling tea and that was good. I've had 3 of the 4 and they are all yummy. Only the green tea is left.
Yeah, I think I'll rotate the plants again and then take a nap. It's almost 3 so I think I have time.
There are so many things that my newly unstressed brain wants to do and my poor body just can't keep up!
I want to put the carpet on the cat shelves, then bring the plants back in, then I need to wash the dog and shower and clean the floors. They are really bad. But my muscles are kinda wobbly again. I'm wondering if I should take a nap for a little while. I realized a little bit ago that I hadn't had any water all day because I've been too busy to think about it. So I have water now. I did have two cups of my darjeeling tea and that was good. I've had 3 of the 4 and they are all yummy. Only the green tea is left.
Yeah, I think I'll rotate the plants again and then take a nap. It's almost 3 so I think I have time.
There are so many things that my newly unstressed brain wants to do and my poor body just can't keep up!
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