142. It's Random WednesdayThursday Time Again

1.  This was begun to be written for Wednesday, but then the Fucking article came in and upstaged it. 

2. I don't know why, except I think this is what we used to do at the BBC:  When the tech people ask me to do a test of the captions, I write TEST TEST TEST TEST several times.  It's benign and easy and fast. For some reason, this amuses them.  They remark, "Well, that's creative."

3.  So I've started writing what they say instead. (As long as it's not verboten stuff for the big screen. Usually.) Things like, "Do you remember to bring the thing for the...[fill in the blank]?"   "Where's that splitter?"  "When are you going to be ready?"  "How long is it?"  "Why don't you just shove that in?"  "What else do you need?"  "Oh, you're writing what I'm saying."  "Stop writing everything I'm saying." "Hey!  Stop that!" 

4. This gives them a chuckle. Of course it is not long afterward when they start playing along and saying things that might just be verboten for the big screen.  I did refrain from writing the one about them using canned air to give the dirty video head a blow job.  They have no idea who they're dealing with, do they?  Should we tell them?  Nah, they'll learn soon enough.  I did tell them that they can say that sort of stuff around me, but they'd better not near my colleague who sometimes does this work.  She has more delicate ears than I.

5. It's been COLD here the past few days.  Feels like November, not May. 

6. Conveniently, David has chosen a physical therapist (female, hot, young and beautiful -- probably not coincidence.  I get my yard guy, he gets his P.T.  Excellent fair trade, I say.) who works at our gym facilities.  Since I have to bring him in, this is good for getting me in there to work out.  I did a good workout on the elliptical and some random weight work Tuesday, after having not worked out for a couple of weeks.  I was a bit careful of the weights on the upper body, because I've got a sore shoulder from the marathon work weekend.  I think I need to find a hot young (male) hunky physical therapist.  This could be good. [Update: I've hired her. She's hot enough for both of us, apparently.  My first appointment is today.] 

7. Abigail's been reading and commenting on the blog a lot lately.  The other day she said I should change the focus of the blog entirely to my steno mistakes, as it gives her so much pleasure to read them.  How many mistakes do you think I make, anyway, Sweetie????  I'm blogging 365, remember????  "Today I left out a comma and 'headway' mistranslated 'head way.'" 

7.5.  Snoooooooooooze.  People would be unsubscribing in droves.  Wait.  They already are.  Fook it. 

8. I know you want to see How My Garden Grows.  I couldn't resist making a mosaic of how great everything looked after the rain the other evening. (click it to make it bigger)

9.  I wish I had a bigger asparagus bed.  I've lost a few crowns over the years due to foot traffic, digging near them, or who knows why.  There is just enough for the two of us to have a meal, or an enhancement to a meal, every couple of days or so.  That is good to prevent hypervegetablemia, the condition of getting sick to DEATH of whatever vegetable is in season, but it is not good for my wish to freeze produce for the winter.  Each spring I think that I'm going to plant some in the fall, but when fall comes around the garden has overwhelmed me and planting anything new is the last thing on my mind. I ordered 20 more crowns.  Will I get them in the ground or will they dry up and die in the package?  Stay tuned for further developments.

9.5.  Speaking of which, I'm kicking myself all over for not having planted that garlic last fall.  Soon I would be enjoying garlic scapes and then the wonderful fresh garlic, had I just made myself get out there and plant it.  Gah.

10.  We are going to have some wicked good salads soon, though. The Heirloom Lettuce Collection from SeedSavers is making some terrific-looking lettuces.  Yesterday I planted some new Rocky Top Lettuce Mix seeds around the bases of the broccoli and kale plants. 

10.5.  While sitting and waiting for David at one of his appointments, I read an article that said gardening centers are super-busy this year due to the increasing prices of produce, so people are gardening more.  Yay for gardening more, but this probably explains why "that place" has everything on backorder. And that just pisses me off.  (According to my online shopping cart, bean towers are back in stock, though. I'm going to try to get some today.)

11.  Looking at these photos gives me an idea of how deceiving gardening catalog photos can be.  It looks like I have acres of beets up there, doesn't it, and not just two 3-ft.-by-3-ft. beds? 

12.  I put my hand in a couple of the photos for scale -- broccoli and kale.  Those seedlings have grown exponentially since I put them out.   

13.  I planted quite a bit more spinach after the last post where I learned about the germinating temperature for spinach, and much of it has already germinated.  Yay.  Now we must all bow our heads and pray for it not being eaten by varmints and for no heat waves to befall us. Spinach will bolt (go to seed) like a motherfooker in a heat wave. 

14.  Good LORD, but that man can knit.  I am truly not a covetous person, but every single thing he knits turns me on. 

Comments

[Kristen]

I'm generally not a fan of vests, but, woof!

[cari]

Ooh...this reminds me. I meant to ask you...how do you know when garlic (and other roots and bulbs) are ready to harvest? I mean...since they're hidden under the dirt and all.

[Mel]

I wish my garden were further along, but I'm just so happy to have one again. I made my own bean tuteurs the other day with skinny little bamboo stakes ($1.97/half dozen) and cotton twine from the Homo Despot.

To answer cari's question, the garlic scapes (flower heads) should be broken off when they start curling (before the flowers open)so that energy can go into bulb production. Then the bulbs can generally be dug up when close to 50% of the foliage has turned brown, give or take a little bit. Other root crops? You just have to dig one up periodically to see how it looks. Or at least that's how I do it.

[carrie]

I love your heirloom lettuces! I myself have been growing heirloom lettuce mixed seeds since the winter (spring) and I love them. I find that lettuce is remarkably easy to grow (much to my amazement)! The variegated ones are my favorites. :)

[Carole]

Are we going to hear more about that menage a trois with the new physical therapist?

[mahgene]

I'd love the have some of the spinach and anything else from your garden...damn you're so far away!
It snowed a foot at Snowbird yesterday...we're back in winter mode, too. Socks on, furnace on...it's the shits.

[Mary K. in Rockport]

I'm with ya on the Jared admiration. Every single thing is yummy.

[Jennifer]

Ahhh - you had me in stitches with 3 and 4. Thanks for the Thursday morning chuckle.

[Adelaide]

Yes, he can knit. And he takes a pretty damn good photograph, too.

[marianne]

gasp... would ya lookit' those lily of the valley... whump.... so sweet.
heh, Jared's vest, I was wondering if you were going to mention that, and yeah, EVERYTHING he knits and puts out there, be still my beating heart. Mercy.

[Marcia Cooke]

Well, first, there is Jared.....I have an incredible urge to knit a striped vest! Then there is your yard guy...I'll post a picture later for you A.W. " That place" sent me one of your Grow Beds (the mini, for inside the greenhouse), no problemo. Finally, again with the %$#@ mosaic! I need to do one today and can't get the fooking thing to work. Tease.

[Carol]

I'm glad something is making people turn to gardening, reconnecting with where food actually comes from and perhaps enjoying what real food is supposed to taste like. We've made a bunny baffle to cover one of the raised beds out of 2x2's and chicken wire. Works a treat.
BTW- I drove 6 miles down I-95 going 55mph trying to control the gas usage. I thought I was going backwards.
Off to the fainting couch after seeing those Brooklyn Tweed photos...

[Cheryl S.]

Love the garden photos! Unfortunately, due to my recent travels, all I have in the garden are some peas and spinach, and TONS of weeds... guess I've gotta get planting!

[jessica~]

Hypervegetablemia, ha! Yay, garden photos! I can't wait for the local markets to open so I can get some scapes, mmmmm... Good luck at the gym with your young hot PT!

[jessica~]

Oh, yeah.... eat lots of fresh grated ginger for your shoulder. Helps with inflammation.

[Roxie]

Hypervegetablemia. What happens when you plan two zucchinis. How can you tell someone has no friends at all? You see them in the grocery store in August, buying zucchini.

Yes, that young man certainly can knit! And the photos are professional quality. Awedome!

Have fun with the PT.

[Gret]

I knew you meant Jared before I clicked. I am so with you on the Jared-love. Thanks for the name of the over-vegetable-itis, too. I knew there was an official name somewhere...

[naomi]

Hurrah for garden pictures!

I like your new approach to testing the captioning setup. :)

[Cookie]

Nothing like a good old fashioned threesome to get you feeling better. Good for you.

I saw that vest yesterday and wondered if I could talk what's his name into wearing a vest. Since it's a sexy looking vest, I might be able to.

[Kristine]

I'm totally in love with your garden.

I hope that by the time Lucy is two -- well, I hope that by then there will be another baby on the way, and that we will be able to afford a house. Not a freaking condo, but a house, even if it has a yard the size of a postage stamp.

Hmph. :)

[Lucia]

Which reminds me, I need to plant some herbs... the weather is supposed to improve this weekend. Not for planting, but for everything else.

[Seanna Lea]

Fook yes! I saw the latest BT this morning and was just about drooling. Even when I knit something really good, it never feels as polished as the things I see on his site.

[Sarahfish]

That man makes me want to steek.

I feel like that ought to be followed up by a "nudge nudge, wink wink..."! He sure does knit a mean stitch. I am pretty certain my man wouldn't wear a vest, but perhaps I'll show him this one as a suggestion? And I'll offer to take multitudes of photographs. Oh wait. That might make it worse...

[Laurie]

Yes on BrooklynTweed. It also isn't fair that he has a perfect demo body for what he knits.

Your garden shots are covetous. I'm sure I used that incorrectly, but you get the idea.

[scoutj]

I wish I had a green thumb.....

[Lee]

Brooklyn Tweed? He sometimes makes me feel like hanging up my needles. Nothing ever looks frumpy or lumpy. The colors are beautiful, the designs classic and cool, the technique impeccable. And he spins!