All I hear are overhead fans chopping the air. Carol is locked in her office, Mags is intently observing the moving blinds, and Daph is snoring somewhere out of sight. In a few minutes I have to get up and start supper (roasted brussel sprouts, corn on the cob, and a Vegan Dad's Burger).
I went to the other plant store this morning. Blew the remaining plant budget, so no more plants until the fall. I am pleased with how the ones we bought yesterday have perked up, and how they have brightened the space as well. Today, I added more geraniums, some ornamental grasses (purple fountain grass and dwarf pampas), some herbs, and some more shade lovers. I will plant some tonight, some will need to wait until I can find some cheap pots (dollar store or maybe walmart). Already our place looks much better.
I was able to drive around today without any maps or directions from google, and I had no problems finding my way around either. I suppose this must mean I am becoming used to this small space of Denton. Take me out of my comfort zone and I will be totally lost though.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Saturday
I have had a busy day. I was down at the farmers' market early this morning, picked up some veggies and a small, cute rosemary plant. Then I went to check on Ken's produce, but it was still closed. I zipped home, picked up Carol up and we went to Lowe's. There we wandered around picking up a few little things we need to do some finishing touches on our home (picture hangers, shelve fixers, something else I have forgotten). From there we crossed to Wachovia, changed our address on the accounts and then went to Callowy's (a nursery). There we picked up some herbs, one tomato, three lantana (mass planted), some other flowers (three or four kinds), some potting soil, some flower garden soil (for the boxes by the mail box), and some mulch.
I dropped Carol and the plants off and zipped back to Ken's, but his selection was not very good. Feeling disappointed, I headed off to check out Albertson's, but had little more luck there. No one in town appears to have heirloom tomatoes, and there are just not enough collards to go around.
After lunch, I lazed around a little, had a bath, and then, unable to contain my enthusiasm, I began planting, or rather potting the plants we brought home. It may not have been the wisest thing to do as the temp this afternoon was 101. It is still 99, but I am done for the evening. The plants do look great already.
Tomorrow, I will do the boxes out front, put some plants in the corners of the yard, and then sit back and enjoy.
Early in the morning I am going to see if I can find another park and take a walk there. Sunday traffic should be less, at least early in the morning. Depending on when I return, I may stop at another nursery and see if I can find some more geraniums and other pretty flowering plants. Maybe another tomato, some more soil, etc. :)
Tonight I am going to make some cinnamon buns for the neighbors as a thank you for all their help lately. They have helped us out a great deal since we arrived a month ago.
I will take some photos of the planted plants once I feel they are ready to be photographed (looking healthy just before they all die :)).
I dropped Carol and the plants off and zipped back to Ken's, but his selection was not very good. Feeling disappointed, I headed off to check out Albertson's, but had little more luck there. No one in town appears to have heirloom tomatoes, and there are just not enough collards to go around.
After lunch, I lazed around a little, had a bath, and then, unable to contain my enthusiasm, I began planting, or rather potting the plants we brought home. It may not have been the wisest thing to do as the temp this afternoon was 101. It is still 99, but I am done for the evening. The plants do look great already.
Tomorrow, I will do the boxes out front, put some plants in the corners of the yard, and then sit back and enjoy.
Early in the morning I am going to see if I can find another park and take a walk there. Sunday traffic should be less, at least early in the morning. Depending on when I return, I may stop at another nursery and see if I can find some more geraniums and other pretty flowering plants. Maybe another tomato, some more soil, etc. :)
Tonight I am going to make some cinnamon buns for the neighbors as a thank you for all their help lately. They have helped us out a great deal since we arrived a month ago.
I will take some photos of the planted plants once I feel they are ready to be photographed (looking healthy just before they all die :)).
Friday, June 26, 2009
One Month
This evening around seven we will have been in Texas for one month. It still feels strange to say/think this. Initial impressions:
-- It is a little warmer here, but not as humid so the temps feel roughly equivalent.
-- There are a lot of parking lots in the downtown area, I think they feed off the two universities here. I would guess, when school is active, that the free parking at the Wells Fargo is full.
-- The trains go through town quite frequently,but are far enough away to sound musical.
-- The neighbors I have met have been good people, and most of those I have interacted with seem nice (could be that southern charm hiding the knife).
-- DPS tries to be helpful, but the paperwork is irritating (but I have my license now!!)
-- Between Country Cupboards and Krogers we should not need to make a trip to Wholefoods very often it at all.
-- Our house is nice. I am very pleased with it so far. The only thing I might wish is that it were closer to the center of town and within walking distance to all conveniences like the Brent Road place. Still, last night as we went down to Krogers, we noticed an Office Max!! Only 3 miles (5 km to those suffering Imperial deficiencies in Canada).
-- If I take out the irritants (and there have not been that many), our transition from NC to TX has been ok.
In the past month I have accomplished a great deal. Most everything unboxed and stored. I still have clothes in a suitcase and box in the closet that I will get to in the next day or two. My office is set up and I like it. I have met my adviser, selected courses, and seen part of campus. The biggest thing, though it is not all that huge (but life altering none-the-less), is getting a car and driving license again. Put down in print, it does not seem all that much, but it has kept me busy for the past month.
I feel like I can relax a little and begin to explore the area. Maybe get out into the country and take some cow photos, or pump jack photos. They are what Texas is known for, right?
-- It is a little warmer here, but not as humid so the temps feel roughly equivalent.
-- There are a lot of parking lots in the downtown area, I think they feed off the two universities here. I would guess, when school is active, that the free parking at the Wells Fargo is full.
-- The trains go through town quite frequently,but are far enough away to sound musical.
-- The neighbors I have met have been good people, and most of those I have interacted with seem nice (could be that southern charm hiding the knife).
-- DPS tries to be helpful, but the paperwork is irritating (but I have my license now!!)
-- Between Country Cupboards and Krogers we should not need to make a trip to Wholefoods very often it at all.
-- Our house is nice. I am very pleased with it so far. The only thing I might wish is that it were closer to the center of town and within walking distance to all conveniences like the Brent Road place. Still, last night as we went down to Krogers, we noticed an Office Max!! Only 3 miles (5 km to those suffering Imperial deficiencies in Canada).
-- If I take out the irritants (and there have not been that many), our transition from NC to TX has been ok.
In the past month I have accomplished a great deal. Most everything unboxed and stored. I still have clothes in a suitcase and box in the closet that I will get to in the next day or two. My office is set up and I like it. I have met my adviser, selected courses, and seen part of campus. The biggest thing, though it is not all that huge (but life altering none-the-less), is getting a car and driving license again. Put down in print, it does not seem all that much, but it has kept me busy for the past month.
I feel like I can relax a little and begin to explore the area. Maybe get out into the country and take some cow photos, or pump jack photos. They are what Texas is known for, right?
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Anxious morning
I am sitting here fretting over the morning. Tuesday we gave up on getting a driving instructor to come here before mid-July, and so we hired someone to ride around with me for a few hours. Yesterday I drove around Denton for a few hours, this morning I am going to practice parallel parking, and then try the test. I do not have high expectations, and I keep telling myself that if I fail I can always come back in a week or so and retry. But even with that I am still nervous.
Beyond that it has been quiet here. We had a surprise rain storm yesterday afternoon, the weather types had said 0% chance of rain, yet around four, there was booming and the ground became wet.
It is Thursday already. This week has been a fast week.
Whether I get my license today or not, I am going to have to go get groceries soon. The cupboards are emptying.
4:10 pm
I was at Texas DPS at six this morning, I parallel parked until seven, and then went and stood in line until 8. I managed to get a exam time of 8:50 and was pleased. At the designated time, I was told that the examiner was doing CDL's (commercial licenses) this morning and could I come back at 2:40. I looked at my associate, and he agreed to return (have to have a licensed driver when cruising). So, I went home, stressed and tired, napped a bit, stressed some more,and then shortly after two I returned. We sat in the sun for 20 minutes (no ac in the car :0). The exam went ok, made one error when starting (did not look over my shoulder when leaving the parallel park, even though I had practiced that same thing a billion times this morning). The examiner is from Africa, and has a heavy accent, so he was hard to understand at times. On top of that he babbled a lot and was distracting. The manual said do not talk to the examiner, yet here he was talking, and what could I do? Any way, I passed (Yeah! I am a DRIVER again!)! The computers were down, and I was told to come back in a few weeks for the actual photo taking and paying of bills. Until then I have a temporary license, and can drive to the grocery store first thing in the am! I am excited!
I did not mention this before, but when our original trainer canceled on us Monday, we put an ad in Craigslist, uncertain of what kind of response we would get, but feeling desperate. No way was I waiting for a driving lesson until July 11 (Wendy's birthday after all). I received a dozen replies to the ad we placed in about fifteen minutes, selected the best one, and gave him a shot. What did I have to lose but time. He was late the first day, but was on time and willing to go the extra mile (pun intended). He is currently unemployed, recovering from a personal tragedy, and needing some cash. We (Carol and I) are very happy we could help him and help ourselves. Even with the delay, it cost about half of what the driving school wanted.
So, first thing tomorrow morning I go to the hardware store and the grocery. Stay off the roads. :)
ps it is warm today. 97 feels like 102 and still an hour of sun to go.
7:20
Having a hankering for some yummy vegan strawberry popsicles, we hopped in our car, went to the store, came home all in 20 minutes. How cool is that? Guess I have become used to the inconvenience of transit and walking. It may take a little while to get used to having a car again.
Beyond that it has been quiet here. We had a surprise rain storm yesterday afternoon, the weather types had said 0% chance of rain, yet around four, there was booming and the ground became wet.
It is Thursday already. This week has been a fast week.
Whether I get my license today or not, I am going to have to go get groceries soon. The cupboards are emptying.
4:10 pm
I was at Texas DPS at six this morning, I parallel parked until seven, and then went and stood in line until 8. I managed to get a exam time of 8:50 and was pleased. At the designated time, I was told that the examiner was doing CDL's (commercial licenses) this morning and could I come back at 2:40. I looked at my associate, and he agreed to return (have to have a licensed driver when cruising). So, I went home, stressed and tired, napped a bit, stressed some more,and then shortly after two I returned. We sat in the sun for 20 minutes (no ac in the car :0). The exam went ok, made one error when starting (did not look over my shoulder when leaving the parallel park, even though I had practiced that same thing a billion times this morning). The examiner is from Africa, and has a heavy accent, so he was hard to understand at times. On top of that he babbled a lot and was distracting. The manual said do not talk to the examiner, yet here he was talking, and what could I do? Any way, I passed (Yeah! I am a DRIVER again!)! The computers were down, and I was told to come back in a few weeks for the actual photo taking and paying of bills. Until then I have a temporary license, and can drive to the grocery store first thing in the am! I am excited!
I did not mention this before, but when our original trainer canceled on us Monday, we put an ad in Craigslist, uncertain of what kind of response we would get, but feeling desperate. No way was I waiting for a driving lesson until July 11 (Wendy's birthday after all). I received a dozen replies to the ad we placed in about fifteen minutes, selected the best one, and gave him a shot. What did I have to lose but time. He was late the first day, but was on time and willing to go the extra mile (pun intended). He is currently unemployed, recovering from a personal tragedy, and needing some cash. We (Carol and I) are very happy we could help him and help ourselves. Even with the delay, it cost about half of what the driving school wanted.
So, first thing tomorrow morning I go to the hardware store and the grocery. Stay off the roads. :)
ps it is warm today. 97 feels like 102 and still an hour of sun to go.
7:20
Having a hankering for some yummy vegan strawberry popsicles, we hopped in our car, went to the store, came home all in 20 minutes. How cool is that? Guess I have become used to the inconvenience of transit and walking. It may take a little while to get used to having a car again.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Father's Day
It has been over twenty years now, so it would be possible to get both Mom and Dad's Canada census forms from the 30's. When I was getting my US passport, I was told that after 20 years they were made available if people wanted them. Maybe I should look into getting them now.
I am sitting in our back yard listening to the bird song. The mocking bird is amusing, it has an interesting collection of car alarms and miscellaneous sounds. The birds are coming in quite close this morning, even though there is nothing of them to eat here.
Hearing that it is father's day got me to thinking about all the questions I will never get answers to. Some things I would not have been able to ask, even now, some he would likely not have answered, some I don't know I want to ask just yet. The older I get, the more questions that rise.
The sun is high enough to cover half the tree in brilliant light. A great time to be out taking photos.
I am proud of who my father was. I don't know that I could have done the things he did, or as long. Some day I need to do some more writing about him. It has been long enough that the pain of loss is no longer overwhelming. Maybe it is time.
It is a beautiful morning. I am going to go move our bird feeders further away. Carol looked out the kitchen window yesterday afternoon and there was a big blue jay splayed out on or back lawn. He had hit the window, I guess, and was knocked out, winded, and stunned. It lay there for a few minutes, shook it self, sat up, looked around a little more, and then flew up into the tree (still don't know what kind it is...). After reading online, the first solution it to move the feeders away or real close. I am going to try away first and see what happens.
I am sitting in our back yard listening to the bird song. The mocking bird is amusing, it has an interesting collection of car alarms and miscellaneous sounds. The birds are coming in quite close this morning, even though there is nothing of them to eat here.
Hearing that it is father's day got me to thinking about all the questions I will never get answers to. Some things I would not have been able to ask, even now, some he would likely not have answered, some I don't know I want to ask just yet. The older I get, the more questions that rise.
The sun is high enough to cover half the tree in brilliant light. A great time to be out taking photos.
I am proud of who my father was. I don't know that I could have done the things he did, or as long. Some day I need to do some more writing about him. It has been long enough that the pain of loss is no longer overwhelming. Maybe it is time.
It is a beautiful morning. I am going to go move our bird feeders further away. Carol looked out the kitchen window yesterday afternoon and there was a big blue jay splayed out on or back lawn. He had hit the window, I guess, and was knocked out, winded, and stunned. It lay there for a few minutes, shook it self, sat up, looked around a little more, and then flew up into the tree (still don't know what kind it is...). After reading online, the first solution it to move the feeders away or real close. I am going to try away first and see what happens.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Farmer's Market Thursday
 |
| From June 18 09 |
What you see on the table (Mags not included) is what I came home with from the farmer's market this morning. I think, the total cost was 8 bucks, so a decent haul for a good price. Some of the veggies are in the oven roasting away, getting ready to be eaten by us tonight. Yum.
It has been quiet here the past few days, not much going on. Too hot to play outside for half the day, and I am too lazy the other half. :)
I was thinking as I walked the last leg of my trip this morning that I have changed. Some years ago the thought of a five mile walk would have been offensive, and the walk impossible. Today, I grumbled a bit, but I enjoyed most of the journey. One of these days I will get around to taking photos on the walk. So far, most of what I have seen is not really all that interesting, it is just an urban setting. I hope once I have a car I can get up early enough to be at some of these places and taking photos as the sun rises. I am a bit of a chicken when it comes to walking on the side of the road in the dark, so no early trips so far.
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