Jenn And The City Has Moved

Effective immediately, you may find us here

http://jennandthecity.net/

There is still some development going on, but there are also pages devoted to my other endeavors, which may be of interest.

I will make arrangements on that page so you may subscribe to that blog just like you do here.

Herb Horrors and Tomato Trauma

Friday dawned beautiful and sunny here North of the Space Needle. Yet, despite my Thursday trek to Fred Meyer to purchase seedling herbs, baby patio tomatoes, peppers and enough dirt to create my own mountain range, my thumb was not green.

I tried guilt, which usually works. “If you don’t plant them, they will die. That will be wasteful.” This tactic just succeeded in making me all stressed out about my lack of motivation.

I tried justification. “I can do this tomorrow, when Rob is about to watch the puppy”. Never mind, Rob is not home tomorrow. I simply do not know what is wrong with my motivation. Part of my current anxiety issues seem tied up in motivation, a tangle of blackberry brambles that don’t come un-stuck and stab you when attempt to get involved with them.

Finally I set up Morgan’s ex-pen, popped in some toys, got my shovel and my Big Ole Bag of Dirt and started working. Now, Big Ole Bag of Dirt comes with its own story. I pride myself on my ability to sling a 40# bag of dogfood like it was Styrofoam. So a Big Ole Bag of Dirt from Home Depot, no es problema, macha chica. But let me just ‘splain something Lucy – 2 cu. ft. of potting soil weighs just over 56#. And it is dead weight. Practically impossible to manipulate. I put on my Jenn And The City cowboy boots and got out my lariat and wrassled that baby into the bottom of my cart. Lipstick running, mascara halfway down the face, and sweat pouring from the roots of my hair, but we got that baby in the cart in 8 seconds. Okay, maybe 8 minutes.

So back to my herb garden. I get the brick tiers set up, I dig out the old dirt, I open Big Old Bag of Dirt and start to fill in the tiers. Bottom tier (curry, thyme, dill, oregano and rosemary) go in no problem. Second tier (chives, lavender, cilantro) mostly go in fine. Except we run out of, wait for it, Big Old Bag of Dirt.

Back to Home Depot. Much, much smarter. This time I get TWO Big Old Bags of Dirt. And I do my hair and wear a low cut shirt. Batting eyelashes at Hot Young Man, “please do you think you could help me with some Big Old Bags of Dirt”? Ah Ha! So this is how it’s done. Dirt loaded into cart and delivered and loaded to car by Hot Young Man. Much, much, easier.

Back at home, tier three is easily pulled together (sage and basil). Then I put together my veggie pots. I grow tomatoes on the patio, no because I like tomatoes, but because I like how the plants smell. Same with the curry in the herb garden, hate curry, love how the plant smells. Two patio tomatoes and one green pepper later, the patio pots are deck-ready. They bask happily in the sun until I glance out the window. Tara is happily uprooting one of the tomatoes, chewing the stem and throwing the corpse off the deck. Much screaming (me) and chaos (whippets) ensues. Whippets are confined inside until I can whippet-proof the tomatoes. An elaborate burial for the deceased tomato is hosted by the yard compost bin. A spare jalapeno takes its place in the tomato pot. And now my patio garden looks like this.

Today I’m supposed to put in wildflowers, sunflowers, and arnica. But it’s dawning cloudy and cool. And I have no motivation.

Turning On The Sun

A cold and stormy spring has been
Our legacy this year
Inclimate from west to east
From Halifax to here

My baby puppy raised in rain
Is content to play inside
My younger girl’s insane to run
When Environment Canada lied

But my old grey veteran is sad
Summer has not begun
My sweet old man just simply wants
Me to turn on the Sun

Another cloudy day has dawned
He goes out in the run
But the dark brown eyes that see my soul
Say “Mom, turn on the Sun”

For you, my man, I’d do anything
To make your life a happy one
But I have no way to tell you
I cannot turn on the Sun

It’s summer now, the sky is blue
The young whips frolic and run
Nike reclines upon his chaise lounge
And his eyes thank me for the Sun

Oda to Hoda

Okay, so I'm on Facebook. Me and most of the rest of the world. Facebook allows you to keep in touch with people you know and select to be your "friends". I'm apparently not very popular, cuz I only have 105 "friends", most of whom I barely know, but that's okay.

You can also become "fans" of popular cultural figures, events and causes. And, sigh, though I'm also a fan of Gerald Durrell, Amelia Earhart, Grace Kelly, and Jasper Fford, it's the Hoda & Kathie Lee thing that I end up taking heat for.

"Get a life" I get told. "You really need to get out of the house more". Apparently it isn't chic or vogue or something to like Today Show hostesses of my own age who manage to alternatively entertain, annoy, or just plain crack you up. Or maybe I just need new friends.

My real reason for becoming a fan has to do primarily with Hoda. (Sorry Kathie Lee). Hoda and I both went through a serious illness at the same time. While we both had the support of loving families, we did not have families of our "own", or significant others who gave support and a shoulder. We both listened to Jo Dee Messina over and over on our car radio. And we both came away from our illness older, wiser, and changed by a sense of the value of life. That message to always move forward aids me now as I battle another serious illness. We do not take things for granted, Hoda and I. She gave me strength when I needed it most, and continues to do so. I am grateful to her for sharing her story with me, and the rest of the world. So, yes, I am a fan of Hoda.

We both also love a great glass of wine. It's eleven o'clock somewhere.

PS - click the "Pink Ribbons" box on this blog to support mammograms for women in need.

Wednesday

It will be a quiet day at Jenn And The City. Wednesday is house-cleaning day. And drawing day. And I may try to market some more articles. I need to find rocks for my herb garden and get the herbs in, as well as put in sunflowers and my wildflower garden.

A quiet, pleasant, domestic sort of day.