This is just a note to friends and family to let you know that serious storms are headed for central Kentucky and are a threat until at least 8:00 p.m. I'm getting the basement prepped in case we need to spend some time down there. I'll have my cell phone and will post to Facebook or Twitter late tonight to let you know we're OK even if we lose electricity. Posting online will get the message out and save minutes and battery life on my phone.
I'm hoping that I'm overreacting, but I've been hearing dire warnings all day and feel the need to prepare just in case. And I know that if some family members watch the weather or news, they will get worried, and I want to assure you I'm prepared and have a plan for putting your minds at ease. Prayers for us and for the entire region are appreciated.
Now I've got to gather a bag of snacks for the basement, make sure our radio has batteries, gather flashlights and candles, and a make a few other wise inclement weather preparations.
Friday, March 2, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
Sunny Days are Here Again
In my last post I said I planned to post more often. And then I got sick. I have kept a cold that turned into a sinus infection for a month. When it was obvious that it had turned into a sinus infection, I went to the doctor and got antibiotics and am feeling much better. So now I am posting as promised.
My return to health is coinciding nicely with the return of warmer weather. And warm weather means gardening. I already have pictures.
Just before I got sick last month I started some herbs and lettuce under a grow light. I enjoyed gardening in my dining room so much that I bought another grow light. Here's my set up: Walmart grow lights with aluminum foil reflectors sitting on long free-standing wire shelves on the floor next to the dining room table. I put my aloe vera near the light to perk it up, too.
The plants have done well. I put them outside in a shady area for a little while this afternoon. They seem to like it.
I also checked on my previous soil bags and found herbs already growing. Parsley, dill, mint, and thyme are going strong.
I've also put out some new soil bags in hopes of foiling my arch-nemesis, bindweed. I dug a trench in the little front garden, lined it with weed retardant fabric and newspaper, and put soil bags on top. I'm not sure if it will work, but it's worth a try. I've already planted snap peas near the little fence in front of the garden. I plan to put in herbs and lettuce soon. I'll also prep the containers from last year to plant beets, radishes, carrots, and tomatoes. I will probably start seeds indoors again and hope for better results now that I have grow lights.
Now that I'm feeling better, I've also gone to the pool once and experimented with eggplant recipes (not at the same time, obviously). The ratatouille and moussaka I made were really good. We discovered that Matt has a slight sensitivity to eggplant. It made his mouth tingle. I researched and learned that eggplant is high in histamines. Since he's never had problems with eggplant in the past, I'm assuming that his allergy to Kentucky is making him more susceptible to allergic-like reactions to histamines. By that logic, I shouldn't eat eggplant in southern Arkansas or east Texas.
I've got to wrap this up now. I'm making waffles for lunch. The waffle maker is on the counter and is calling to me. I tried some Krusteaz waffle mix and thought it was great. Krusteaz does everything well. I've also got some past-their-prime strawberries to puree to put on top. Waffles with strawberries and puttering around barefoot in the garden sounds like a good afternoon.
My return to health is coinciding nicely with the return of warmer weather. And warm weather means gardening. I already have pictures.
Just before I got sick last month I started some herbs and lettuce under a grow light. I enjoyed gardening in my dining room so much that I bought another grow light. Here's my set up: Walmart grow lights with aluminum foil reflectors sitting on long free-standing wire shelves on the floor next to the dining room table. I put my aloe vera near the light to perk it up, too.
The plants have done well. I put them outside in a shady area for a little while this afternoon. They seem to like it.
I also checked on my previous soil bags and found herbs already growing. Parsley, dill, mint, and thyme are going strong.
I've also put out some new soil bags in hopes of foiling my arch-nemesis, bindweed. I dug a trench in the little front garden, lined it with weed retardant fabric and newspaper, and put soil bags on top. I'm not sure if it will work, but it's worth a try. I've already planted snap peas near the little fence in front of the garden. I plan to put in herbs and lettuce soon. I'll also prep the containers from last year to plant beets, radishes, carrots, and tomatoes. I will probably start seeds indoors again and hope for better results now that I have grow lights.
Now that I'm feeling better, I've also gone to the pool once and experimented with eggplant recipes (not at the same time, obviously). The ratatouille and moussaka I made were really good. We discovered that Matt has a slight sensitivity to eggplant. It made his mouth tingle. I researched and learned that eggplant is high in histamines. Since he's never had problems with eggplant in the past, I'm assuming that his allergy to Kentucky is making him more susceptible to allergic-like reactions to histamines. By that logic, I shouldn't eat eggplant in southern Arkansas or east Texas.
I've got to wrap this up now. I'm making waffles for lunch. The waffle maker is on the counter and is calling to me. I tried some Krusteaz waffle mix and thought it was great. Krusteaz does everything well. I've also got some past-their-prime strawberries to puree to put on top. Waffles with strawberries and puttering around barefoot in the garden sounds like a good afternoon.
Friday, January 20, 2012
A Fresh Start
Life was so busy last semester that I wasn't able to do many things that I wanted. I didn't make it to the pool all semester. I cooked far less than I'd like. Our house reached new levels of clutter and filth. And I just wasn't doing anything very well, including taking care of myself. So at the end of last semester I realized I needed to take a semester off from teaching. So that's what I'm doing. And it it fantastic! Almost all of our meals are home-cooked, and I'm trying out new recipes. Parts of the house are noticeably cleaner. I'm exercising more and have lost a very little weight. I'm working on scheduling swimming lessons, and I'm already planning my garden.
One of the other things I'm trying to do is blog more often. I figure I can write 140 characters a day on Twitter, so I added a Tweet a Day box to the side of my blog. If I post nothing else, at least you'll hear a little about what I'm thinking or doing.
One of the other things I'm trying to do is blog more often. I figure I can write 140 characters a day on Twitter, so I added a Tweet a Day box to the side of my blog. If I post nothing else, at least you'll hear a little about what I'm thinking or doing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)