A Day With My BFF

I love it when I am somewhere cool (and we were somewhere really cool) and there are singles, or groups, trying to get register themselves there for posterity (twice yesterday). And by the nature of photographic devices, one of the group get left out (or in the case of singles, risk an off kilter photo).

Then someone come along and asks ' would you like me to take a picture of you?'. And usually the favor is returned.

But what I always think of is the situation in National Lampoon 'European Vacation', where Beverly D'Angelo's character ends up as a European porn star because Chevy Chase didn't erase the video tape of their pre-vacation 'romantic interlude'.

Not that I keep photos on my camera...not that there are any of those kind of photos on my camera ever...oh whatever.....

I have to go to coffee now.

PS We had a great day with Tish and Mr. Tish in The Park.

PPS Happy 4th!

Learning

I dreamed last night I was back in school somehow, some way. I don’t know if it was in high school or college, and I don’t know where it was. There were kids from my hometown there (stupid facebook dredging up memories), but I hadn’t forgotten my locker combination, or left my class schedule at home, or ended up in homeroom half-naked (those are nightmares, not dreams).

But my point (and I do have one) is that I was back in school….and I was learning.

I don’t always remember my dreams right when I wake up. And I didn’t this morning. It came back to me as I rode to work (230 miles so far, thank you very much), through the puddles from last nights storms (more hail!). And there it was. An opportunity to reflect…and to avoid the back splash of puddle water…

I love learning, which may be the cause of taking on so many crafts, and within those crafts, so many projects. For me, I (typically) will progress through my projects, refining what I know already, but learning new techniques as well. Sometimes those new techniques really click. And I am grateful I have learned I can put aside those things that don’t.

And also the buying of books. Yes. Definitely the buying of books. Books offer a lot of learning. Which one gains through the reading of said books.

I learn everyday at work. I am fortunate to work with those who mentor very well. Or perhaps I just learn easily. Or both.

I subscribe to the on-line word-for-the-day. Because. It is learning! A word a day! I love Antiques Roadshow, and the real (not reality) programming that teaches, whether on PBS, Discovery, National Geo, History, or whatever. (Trust me, that is not all I watch...)

I am a student of life, listening to those at my meeting, hearing their stories, their experience, strength, and hope, and seeing what I can learn.

Poor Wonderful Guy is drug all over history museums and ranger-led hikes and national monuments…always listening…always reading…

I am the penultimate student, and in my mind, still in a turtle neck, bell-bottoms, and with long blonde hair…back in college, in other words…young-ish…(even though back then I might have really believed you couldn’t have told me anything).

And I am so grateful to those who have taken the time to teach me, from my mother, who taught me to cook (the basics), sew (serious basic skills), and knit (when I was young enough, so it became like riding a bike), the gifted teachers I had from grade school through college, my supervisors who were mentors, the list goes on.

But I am not sure I have anything to offer back. What can I teach anyone? I don’t think that much. A lot of what I have learned I have picked up, gleaned, and modified. It might not be ‘right’. It might just ‘work’ for me.

Like how I cast on when knitting. I have never seen anyone else do it the way I do it.

Like how my tomatoes and roses grow so well. Don’t ask me how. I just lucked out where I planted them. Maybe it was intuition…

There is a part of me that feels it is an injustice if I am not giving back some of what I receive. For a free thinking, old hippie-type liberal democrat, there is some serious guilt in the above thinking.

And that’s what I am reflecting on today.

Roses

Another gorgeous day in northern Colorado. Before the Guy and I headed out for a motorcycle ride, I deadheaded the roses so they would be all neat for a photo shoot.

And here they are.

Peace

Then, again, Wonderful Guy says 'Let me get a photo of you with your roses...'

Seconds on Saturday

Harvested flowers, just after opening, per the official 'ways and means' of herbs, their growing and uses book (official title) (not really).


All laid out and drying, but not down in the cool and dark basement. Not just yet. Because they are just too pretty and fragrant...ooh, are they fragrant....

Here I am, getting all artsy, or as artsy as I get. And this is after the harvest. It was the best time to do this, cool in the morning, in the sunlight, and dry (I made Wonderful Guy leave the sprinklers off...I mean, seriously, with the rain we have been having?)

And then he decided a photo was needed of 'you with your lavender'. Again. After the harvesting. On my left? There is another lavender plant, and it has propagated itself a couple of other places, too.

I have tried for years to get a good stand. I have tried different places with different sun exposures, different drainage, different towns, different states even. I think the front yard in FC, Colorado is working nicely.

Harvest

While catching up in the yard after getting back, I trimmed my catnip…oh who I am kidding…I trimmed the kitty girls' catnip back. Usually I toss a few stems on the patio for their enjoyment and ditch the rest. This time it was primo gold. We are talking the good stuff. A fresh June crop, and I thought…you know, we are running a little low on the dried stuff in the house from way back when.

So I cut it back and laid the stalk/ branches/trimmed thingies on one of the pieces of patio furniture while I continued working.

Later that afternoon, I drug out my book on the ‘ways and means’ to harvest, dry, and use one’s own herbs (official title). I laid the catnip on the patio, sat down, and start stripping the leaves off the stalks, as best I could tell I was directed to do.

Oh. The kittie girls were so interested. They came over to where I sat. They smelled the catnip. They rubbed the catnip. They crawled up on the pile of leaves (on opposite sides, of course). The girls stretched out, drooled a bit, and settled in for the haul, which was a long one, because my catnip has proven durable in the northern Colorado climate, and seeded out in several places.

I have a lot of catnip.

Now it is drying in a cool dark place…the table in the basement. So far as I know, the girls haven’t found it yet. So far as I know.

Now I am charged up. I do believe I am going after my lavender next. Maybe in the morning, after things have dried out. I am feeling like a farmer!

Yep. Another afternoon drencher…

Work

After a full week back at work…after some vaycay…but first the family business…and before that the med stuff…Memorial Day (which wasn’t my fault!)…well anyway...a full week in quite a while.

I have to say how I am loving my new old job. Still.

The productiveness, the challenge, the people, the atmosphere…it’s all good. Getting my confidence back, and feeling like a chemist again, like I know a little bit, like I can contribute, like I am learning again! That’s a really good part, too.

Especially the getting paid part. Seriously.

Stay tuned to see what the next month brings.

Will it be more of the same? May very well be…

Will she get to be a real employee? Wouldn’t that be something…but we are under no illusions. ‘Real’ employees get laid off…or not paid…security is fiction...

Will she become Wonderful Guy’s kept woman? Well, now, wouldn’t that be something.

I am just really enjoying for however long it lasts.

Another really fun part? I don’t think any of them know my secret identity as the blogger Iron Needles! Haha! I can talk about them! And they won’t know!

I did find out there is another knitter lurking about.

So Over Getting Old...

I believe I have managed to pay the maximum out of pocket expense on two different insurance policies this year.

And the year is just almost half over. So yeah...

Better than having no insurance, I know. Really I do.

I am trying to think of something I might need to have fixed since the rest of the year is essentially a freebie, now.

The Offspring read, and so do the Sibs, so I will take this opportunity to tell them that hearing tests/aids are not part of our coverage, so don't get your hopes up. I am still going to be asking you to repeat yourself, or just pretending to understand what you said....

Today was 'Ride Your Bike To Work Day' or something named like that. I did, but had planned to anyway. Mostly for me it meant the trails/streets were crowded, but there were stations set up for which to bribe the masses with food/drink/other freebies. Mostly I noticed the detours because of high water. I ride the Spring Creek Trail and Spring Creek is full of the run off of late.

It's funny. At my old old work, we had a room where all the bikes got parked...sort of a 'bike day care'. At my new old work, we park in our cubes. Seriously. We have double wides. But they still sort of stick out. So there were all these bike tires sticking out when one glances up cubeland 'halls'.

Only in my town...nothing is thought of the parking of bikes in a cube at work...