A New Day

A New Day
No Seminary this week. I slept in until 5:45 this morning. Happy sigh.

I rode my bike to work for the first time in a good while. For the first time wearing a skirt. And Took a different route. Shorter and less steep hills, but much more traffic. Today was a light traffic day, too. I don't know if I want to ride it when traffic is heavy or visibility limited. The bike lane keeps just disappearing.
In one spot, the bike lane shifts to the left of the right turn lane then evaporates leaving the bicycler in the middle of the street.

I took yet a different route home part of the way.

Having safely arrived at work, I found an email from the boss telling me to move to my new work station. Some fun trying to figure out what to do with my accumulation of stuff in a smaller cubicle. No more working in a "fishbowl" but goodbye to open space, friendly passers-by, and my cube buddies. I'll save some money, though. Since I got there I have kept candy on my front counter for my coworkers. I don't have a front counter any more. I am not going to spend $20 a month to keep candy on the front desk when I don't get to see the people.

New cozy cube, new phone number, new duties.

Not a new computer though. I asked a co-worker to move my CPU for me. And my moniter. My boss got upset a little. She hadn't wanted equipment moved. I don't think she was so much upset because of mine,
although she did scold a little. T who just vacated my new cube went to another unit in our office. Her computer got put in her new cube. (She is on vacation) The computer from that cube got put at my old
desk. The problem? A good computer left our unit and a lame computer came in. My boss had those two switched again, she did not want to get saddled with the lame computer! Which is supposed to go to IT for an overhaul of sone kind. But she didn't make me give mine back. Sigh of relief.

What I need is to get new pictures in there. Granddaughter Aurora is a baby in a basket in her family picture. Now she is a lively preschooler.

Moving was hard emotionally. I am not always great with change. I didn't like leaving my place. I left some of my pictures (torn from calendars) because I don't have a lot of room. They are where I will see them when I leave and where I hope it will not occur to my replacement to take them down. They are not technically in my old cube, but on a wall above it. I said I would leave them if they won't get thrown away. My cube mate said he's not taking them down. I left my framed Parks mission statement that it took me over a year to get.
No room in the cube and it seems like a front desk thing. I am going  to miss my front desk friends, especially my cube mates.

on the flip side, it would have been bad form to nap on break at the front desk, I can at my new cube. And whoever it is who sometimes complains to my boss that I use the computer for private use (on break as my boss knows and as pretty much everyone does) will not see it so readily. Good-bye "fishbowl".

Hello Area 51. I posted Area 51 Restricted Access signs outside my cubicle. Unauthorized Trespassing Prohibited (authoriaed trespassing, maybe) Beyond This Point (elsewhere, perhaps) Photography Prohibited. (absolutely) Use of Deadly Force Authorized.(me against you NOT you against me)

If I don't go to sleep, I will self-destruct. All systems are shutting down.

Sent from my iPod

Done and Not

A busy and I thought productive day, but my list of things done is not as long as my things to do that are not done!  sigh.

Done:

Drove Benjamin to and from Seminary and walked the dog during. Changed the bird cage bottom.  Cleaned the cat box.  Made breakfast for the week at work.  Went to Home Depot and bought $50 worth of dirt, bought contact paper at the 99cent Store and Raleys. Set aside and started to clean a bucket for Benjamin to use on his Pioneer Trek in June. Put contact paper and holes in a motley collection of laundry & cat litter buckets. Filled with mix of compost & potting soil. Transplanted (5) green beans, (6) peas, a squash,  a couple of cucumbers & some sad little beets. Added some marigolds. I hope some of our babies survive! The rest of our seedlings just don't look big enough or strong enough to even try. I hope they come along - at least some of them! Washed 2 loads of clothes, and a couple of sink worths of dishes.  Made oven fried chicken and mashed potatoes, artichoke for me, salad and corn for the guys.  Mowed weeds in the back yard while the chicken cooked.  Sent an announcement about my new Odd Wednesday Knit/Crochet group to the RS presidency for approval.  Found out my son and his wife will be in town overnight (thanks to Facebook!) and invited them and the Sacramento kids to breakfast tomorrow before we Sacramentans go to CPR Saturday.

Did NOT get done:
Clean out the freezer which builds up frost until it pops open (every very few weeks) except now we have a latch on it, but it is pushing on the latch and making icicles - not good - definitely past due for defrosting and too full to make it very easy!  Have not hung up or folded the one load of clothes I did put in the dryer.  Another load waits in the dryer and will all need to be hung up.  The towels need washing. (no doubt among other things).  Did not do any housework except a few dishes.  The house needs vacuuming!  The bathrooms could use cleaning.  Let us not talk about MY room!  Put my new registration tag on my car.  or gas it.  Take old magazines to donate to Kaiser waiting rooms, or old bio-hazard material (used diabetes testing supplies) to turn in to Kaiser lab, OR by a pedometer my missionary son requested before Christmas last year which I now want to finally send him for his half-way mark. Or order the replacement shoes he needs.  Or order the cap for Benjamin to wear on the Pioneer Trek. Sort my medications for the week.  (Didn't do it last weekend either, my grace period is now about up.) OR MOST IMPORTANTLY prepare the Sunday School lesson I must teach (Sunday, of course) (Joseph and his jealous brothers and Potipher's wife. fun)

Tomorrow morning - breakfast for the kids and CPR Saturday.  Late in the afternoon, the guys go to Alice In Wonderland (in 3D) with their dad.  I will gas the car, MAYBE do my Kaiser errands, and WORK ON THAT SS LESSON!)

NOW, family prayer, scriptures and bed.  Maybe a shower would be good to get in there before bed. 

Egress and Ingress

Ever since 9/11 the back door of the building has been posted "Emergency Use Only" and equipped with an alarm beep.  Numerous office workers have considered getting out as quickly as possible to catch their bus or train home an emergency. After a time another sign appeared - something like "Please Leave Securely Closed" implying, we assumed, on your way out. The alarm still beeped. Now the alarm no longer beeps - taken out or worn out?

Another surprise upon leaving the building - SUNSHINE!  Daylight savings time coincided with the end of a rainy grey period. The change is almost shocking.

Security.
Everyone who works in the building has an ID badge which is to be on you at all times and displayed when entering the building. Mine is in my wallet in my purse. I have gotten it out for random Regional Transit ticket checks - I put my RT pass in back of my badge - than for building security. I just smile at the guards and go in. Some, of course, recognize me by now, but even ones who look new to me simply nod or ignore me. Especially when there are lots of us coming in at once. Makes one wonder a little about all the "security measures" in our society.. Still, every now and then you see someone who has worked here for years wearing a "Visitor" sticker because they forgot their ID.

Happy Saint Paddy's Day when almost everyone is Irish.

Of course, I am wearing green.  Plus a Happy Saint Patrick's Day button and a shamrock bubble blower necklace.  I have not pinched anyone. although a few at work are not wearing green.  I am just not much of a pincher.  Besides, we don't want harassment issues.

The Party Planning Committee sold breakfast burritos with green eggs inside. Very good.

I cooked my "Irish" dinner last night because Benjamin has YM early tonight.  Ham (I don't care for corned beef), potatoes, carrots and cabbage.  I am eating leftovers now for lunch and will probably have leftovers again tonight for dinner.  (We are poor Irish).  I am thinking I want mint chocolate chip ice cream for dessert.  (apparently not destitute)

I need to hear this often

“Even when, from a purely human perspective, perfection can appear an impossible challenge to achieve, I testify that our Father and our Savior have made known to us that it is possible to achieve the impossible. Yes, it is possible to achieve eternal life. Yes, it is possible to be happy now and forever.”
Jorge F. Zeballos, “Attempting the Impossible,” Ensign, Nov. 2009, 34


(I also like to hear my children and dear friends say they love me.) 

I'm Lost

Ben put on the first “Lost” episode for me to watch while I was crocheting.   (Teresa gave him a season or two for Christmas.)  Most of the kids are obsessive about this show, but I don’t like it.  He wanted me to see it and like it.  I HATED it.  It sickens, repulses, saddens, scares, and nauseates me.  Yuck yuck  And I did NOT want to try to sleep after watching it. (We watched Fly Away Home while I undid my crocheting and that was much better to sleep on)

(I saw part of “Lost” last night while the boys were watching.  I am still not a fan, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as the first episode.  It kind of annoys Joseph when I ask questions, though.  The show is too long, involved and convoluted. 

That's ok, I will live without it. 

A Sad Yarn

Saturday, Benjamin and I went out to the Farmer’s Market by Country Club Plaza.  Your sisters go regularly – Miriam to this one – and say it is great - Better than store prices and fresh.  We got some Swiss chard, tomatoes, and spaghetti squash.  We also went over to Michaels and bought yarn for Naomi's blanket – officially ‘orchid’ a light purple  for the main part, variegated for the end and I decided to do one row of (left-over) pink at the very end because the variegated has a lot of blue and I wanted to up the girly factor.

I worked on the blanket during church and got a good start.  We put on some movies and I did a good bit more. I had at about 15 inches. Then! I realized that the blanket was not as wide as Esther’s or Jared’s.  I sat and was sad for awhile.  Then I ripped it all out.  2 ½  skeins worth.  ; (    

Also, decided I need more variegated.  I was going to use half a skein at each end, but it makes a pretty narrow band.  But I don't have to rush to Michael's immediately.  I don't need the other skein until I get to the other end of the blanket again.

Tuesday evening the Relief Society had their birthday dinner and I was able to crochet an inch or two.  It is hard to tell if it is the right width until I have done a good bit because it is zig zag and it takes a little bit to settle into shape.  

Good thing I have until July.

How Does My Garden Grow?

better than I expected so far!

Friday,the 5th 

We had the missionaries and Hinds to supper (at the same time! - chicken enchiladas, Ruth brought brownies and ice cream.   (Miriam was having chicken enchiladas at Debi’s and meeting Betty, Debi’s new dog.) Ruth checked out our little seed center by the front window and  was the first to spot sprouts - peas and a cucumber.  Pretty exciting!

Sunday, the 7th  More tiny sprouts: green bean, cauliflower, Swiss chard. The Burpee (if I remember right) system with the watering mat is leading the cheaper system. I don't THINK it's rhe compost soil slowing them down. 

Monday, the 8th  

Me: "oh, no! We are actually going to have plants. I wasn't expecting that!" 

Joseph: "I warned you!"

The average date of last frost is March 22.

My little green beans are too tall for the little plastic cover over the seed starter kit.  Way too tall.

I need to find buckets and get them ready.  I don't think I have enough compost.  I may have to BUY dirt.  

I hope we actually make it to harvest with something.

And I Thought 144 Was Gross!

Most days, I sortofwatch / listen to podcasts of the previous day's (or few days ago) news at work on my iPod Touch.  Just before my lunch break (bad timing!!) I 'watched' a segment on bathtub toys.

I hope this link works!  Every parent should know.
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/35685464#35685464

They tested apparently clean bathtub toys and found them absolutely teeming with germs including e-coli and staph.  The worst toys are the ones with holes in them.  You know the ones you like to squirt water at your baby with.  Inside they looked like a sewer pipe.  Bath water grows germs.  And get this, your toilet throws germs when it is flushed.  (I am re-thinking where I have my wash cloth and face towel!)

They suggested:
Do not keep toys with holes in them. 
Let your toys air dry after each use.
Clean them with rubbing alcohol or some other germ killer.  - I can't remember if that was an each use recommendation.
Store your toys in a covered area - where the toilet can't spray them.

That's Gross

Benjamin sifted more compost and finished filling our little seed cells.

For Home Evening, he and I stuck seeds in dirt.  Joseph went into hiding until we were done. His main contribution is to keep asking what are we going to do with all these plants.  My response is, "You seem to think they are actually going to grow."  Joseph: "Well, we should have a plan B."

Two sets of 72 little seed cells in two seed starter systems - one with its own growing medium - not nearly as nice as our compost dirt!! - and a wet mat for easy and consistant watering.  Thats 144! 

We have no plan.  Joseph and I had randomly purchased seeds.  As it turns out, 12 packets.  So Benjamin and I planted 6 of each system with each kind of seed.  Sitting on a table by the front room window.   No planning.  We will just see what happens. 

If we do get little seedlings, we will try to figure out what to do with them.  I would like a garden box. (like Ruth)  But 1) who is going to make it and 2) where would we put it?  The backyard gets almost no sun.  I am thinking that we are going to use laundry buckets as planters  and line them up along the driveway/fence line.  I have a few buckets, but not enough for 144 plants of any kind.  Which means I need to do a lot more laundry.