furtech | Entries tagged with life

...which are now early summer updates. I've been busy, but not that busy: just distracted. Some of these distractions I direct you to below.

Life Bullet points:
• Now I remember why I never grew many tomatoes: they are like an organic super-magnet for pests, disease, fungi. Up north it was always whiteflies: clouds of them. Down here it's spider-mites. I've tried nearly everything short of an ariel Malathion bombardment. Most of the solutions (soap spray, neet, root-absorbed pesticides) seem to make the mites more robust.

• Despite the pest-problem, I remember why ripe, fresh picked tomatoes are so wonderful...and how awful store bought and even Farmers Market tomatoes are.

• Over the hump of the worst of the foxtail problem (most have fallen off by now). Two surgeries and countless painful removals later both the dogs and I are relieved.

• Enjoying June Gloom. Daytime walks. Chilly nights.

• Added a berm to the back of the lawn so the dogs don't jump down any more (hard on their backs). Also gives the lawn more character.

• Discovered (was told) that pet-safe snail death exists! Joy!

Links!
• For artists: Check out/friend James Gurney on Facebook . He's best known for "Dinotopia", but he is an amazing teacher and source of art information. He also does tutorials and links to useful resources: you won't be sorry!

• Here's an example of something he linked to: a 17th century figure drawing manual ...that can be downloaded in ebook form for *free*!! Amazing resource!

• Since Dome is just starting on tv, here's something timely: !
Stephen King Character Flowchart Now you can see how King connects EVERYTHING!

• Clockwork toy: the most amazing wooden clockwork toy I've ever seen. Applejack's Harvest (My Little Pony)
Applejack's Harvest

• Love tidepools and sea life? Aquamarine Discovery is a great blog!

Current Mood: quixotic

I have two busy seasons: the summer project season and the January/February tax season. Hopefully I'm over the worst of the tax stuff. A years worth of receipts and information typed into an Xcel sheet (with finding and organizing said receipts and records being half the battle). There was a convention, How To Train Your Dragon Live, a visit to Oakhurst, many hikes and a cool trip to a Malibu beach house.

My plants survived the " Arctic Blast " nicely. The Surinam cherry trees are going crazy flowering. Some of the oaks have sprouted-- but so far none of the European oaks have shown signs of sprouting (I hope they're just slow to germinate and not that the months in the fridge did any harm).

Valentine's Day came and went. A friend whose family I was going to have dinner with called to cancel because she had a headache (which shows you how bad it's gotten for me here...even with the non-dates!). There is a Dr. Who convention this weekend which most of my sf friend circle is at (running it). And Facebook: should I be insulted or relieved that I didn't get any "So-and-so would love some candy for Valentine's Day!" type messages? FB was so politely non-committal on my page that it -felt- like a dig (especially hearing everyone else bitch about those notices). But I have the dogs and a frosty night with empty sidewalks, so it was all good.

Current Mood: amused

Stayed up all night trying to get puppet eyes to work and watching Twin Peaks. Forgot dogwalk. Was so tired I overslept and missed Bonsai class. Now it's also too hot to give dogs their belated walk. I buy them off with fist-fulls of dog treats flung at their I-Forgive-You eyes (totally negating their diet plan).

The worst-best part is that I can't really have an angst-ridden "why me!!??" moment because none of this is life, career or spirit crushing disaster. Just doofy irritation. Not a circus-train-careening-out-of-control-down-a-mountain (<--awful, but AWSOME!!), more like Person-on-Slip-N-Slide-who-finds-sprinkler-head kind of day.

r0ndo