Wow!

My thirty year old neighbor’s abilities and work ethic astound me, especially with so many skills being self taught. Hired to a friend’s family upholstery business with zero knowledge of its intricacies, he learned by watching YouTube videos and experimenting. His greedy employers didn’t pay him near his worth, so he walked away, hoping to start his own business someday.

So much for friend/family loyalty, right? He filmed some of his later efforts, which will go in a future portfolio. His only regret is not filming all of them.

In the meantime he provides custom car repairs. The current project is a magnificent beast of a vehicle, a Ford Mustang GTS. Her owner requested both minor mechanical and some very precise cosmetic work on the hood. If too much varnish gets sanded off there’s no going back. So he’s experimenting on one of his own needing similar attention.

The color is not my favorite but what counts is under the aforementioned hood and the stripped down design;
less weight means greater racing speed.

I’m glad to have grown up in a family of car enthusiasts. When possible I express my admiration, which thrills the drivers. And my neighbor appreciates my shared appreciation while teaching me how intense the culture considers any modification. The interior ceiling headliners he’s shown me are true artworks, which I didn’t even know was a thing.

I find it interesting that cars and boats are both referred to as ‘she’ in American English. And that in linguistics, gender means ‘category’ or ‘type’ rather than biological sex. On that note, comedic essayist David Sedaris shared his hilarious struggle with the French language. I highly recommend you seek it out if you’re unfamiliar.

Do you know that Spanish and French adopted noun gender assignations from Latin? Is it not cool that this performance package model saw a limited release in 1995?

-

Another Garden Update – & – A Lingering Annoyance

My lemon cucumber plants are growing like gangbusters. I added another level to my Earth Box trellis. The growth rate is astounding at three to four inches a day. The straight 8 variety are growing slower, for whatever reason.

I apologize for the poor image. The vines have reached
further toward the sky and deserve an updated photo.

This jungle parrot sweet bell pepper looks great.

This corn is growing well; I need to move the other
three grow bags into more direct sunlight.

I’m going to address my ‘first world problem’ with a message to Strayer. Yesterday I clicked to sign in to Blogger and actually reached the sign in page this time, but it dumped me out again. ~sigh~ My friend, I’m sorry about the sudden loss of Juno. And thanks as always for the good you do through your nonprofit The Happy Cat Club.

Did you know that corn is a heavy feeder and tomato plants need a lot of water to prevent blossom end rot? Isn’t it fortunate an automatic watering system finally solved the latter issue?

-

King for a Moment – & – Foodies for Life

My husband went to a routine doctor appointment and stopped at Burger King on the way home. Amusedly lamenting over my spoiling his lasts two surprises, this afternoon he got me.

He met me wearing a paper Burger King crown. I burst out laughing. Why the clerk gave it to him, I don’t know. And I neither know nor care why the chain is affiliated with Ohio State University’s football team, the Buckeyes.

I did enjoy the taste of my flame broiled whopper jr., though. If he’d called ahead to ask if I wanted one the answer probably would have been no as I’d eaten a while earlier. But by golly, I cut the burger in half and still ate the whole thing in one sitting.

Something similar happened after I saw that another fast food chain, Arby’s, brought back their chicken pecan salad sandwich for a limited time. The slices of hearty whole grain bread are rather wide and packed with equally yummy filling. But about twenty minutes after storing half in the refrigerator I went back and devoured the rest.

It’s rare that I crave any fast food, let alone rave about it. But the fresh crunchy flavors of apple, pecans, and celery perfectly balance the abundant juicy chicken chunks while a light, simple mayonnaise dressing keeps the whole thing (mostly) together. Trust me when I say that any bits that fell out onto my plate didn’t go to waste.

Is it wrong to wax poetic about fast food? Do you agree that limited releases are a gimmick, however tasty?

-

Both Bewildered & Delighted

Somehow, I didn’t get on my laptop for four days straight (!) when I thought I’d only missed doing so yesterday (Monday). ~scratches head~ So I’m sorry for my lengthy absence.

In the meantime, my first super sauce Roma tomato blooms have fruited. I’m so happy my leggy seedlings could be rescued.

I harvested exactly one last year due to not
labeling, planting only sturdy seedlings,
and all but one turned out being
of the cherry variety.

In my defense, my husband spent two weeks in hospital last spring, thus my thoughts were scattered. At least I learned a valuable lesson about seed starting, and I’m thrilled at how well my guy is doing now.

I also enjoy our ruby throated hummingbirds and maintain several sugar water feeders. The ants no longer annoy me as they did years ago. They are generally beneficial, after all, and we all have to eat.

Inevitably, a few of these teeny tiny ants hitch a ride with me
even though I try to leave them where they were...

It fascinates me how only a single size of ant invades one feeder or the other. You would think the larger types would take over from the tiniest. Perhaps having so many options makes a difference.

Aren’t I lucky that replanting all this season’s scraggly seedlings deeper revived them? Who knew that different types of tomato seeds were more finicky than others about their growing conditions?

-

Not in the Mood (An Insect Introspection)

If even the tiniest spiders make your skin crawl, with all due respect I suggest skipping this post. I filmed the video at bottom in my garden. Should you watch, know that the two jumping spiders were so small I couldn’t guarantee they are the same species (like I would know, anyway), yet this seemed like a male attempting courtship.

With fingers crossed, I hope she spawns. You can probably guess that I’ve become extremely fond of jumping spiders. While the females choose their partner and when they mate, this dance struck me as nonlethal for the failed suitor, who could have become her next meal.

Preying mantids (another insect breed I favor) share this lethal characteristic along with their hunting expertise and precision eyesight. They are among the few tiny creatures who actively acknowledge a human presence. And if I’m not mistaken, the larger female spider noticed me (!) at my short clip’s end.

 

A few days ago my husband and I watched this scientific video featuring jumping spider vision. It’s over half an hour, so don’t feel compelled to watch. But if you’re a science geek I suggest spending the time.

Do you know some people keep these little critters as pets? Are you prone to notice tiny animal interactions surrounding you?

-

My Fragrant Find, Brief Summary of Space Exploration, & an Apology

Before delving into silliness, I want to express my gratitude to all our US nation’s fallen protectors. May they rest in peace and their families find comfort. Now on to my usual nonsense.

Carnations have always been my favorite flower, especially for their fragrance. I was happy to score a deeply discounted bundle of them. Over a week from my purchase they still smell wonderful and their pale pink petals remain looking fresh.

The greenery was filched from my asparagus plants...

I divided them between two containers because the perfectly sized plastic vase was nowhere to be find. ~shakes head~ It’s so typical of me. Some went into a little sake server and I think look rather elegant. The others in a clear glass appear rather like something Dr. Suess might envision.

Is this not silly?

In a short answer to a few queries about current space flight experiments, goals include building a permanent station on our moon and, eventually, Mars. Whether you believe it or not, humanity is getting closer with every test flight. It’s doubtful either my husband or I will be alive to witness a Mars occupation but we are enjoying the process.

If you have even the least bit of interest you should check out at least one launch. Modern camera technology provides stunning and fascinating views. There are several companies like Blue Origin and SpaceX making great strides.

My apology is to Strayer, whose content I devour. Currently, not one web browser out of the four on my laptop allow me to comment. For whatever reason, each one shows an error stating I cannot sign into Google. ~scratches head~ Fingers crossed, perhaps my tech savvy husband can help.

Do you have a favorite fragrance? Are you aware that our olfactory senses are purported to store the strongest memories?

-

Two Furry Friends

One new green pal has potential to provide tasty tomatoes this summer. I am pleased that buds are forming already.

Their fuzzy appearance is cute while a close-up reminds
me of Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors...

This blissful perpetual kitten I filmed likes huffing catnip from a toy Halloween treat bag. It has a jingle ball inside. Twice now I’ve seen Polly momentarily get it stuck on her head.

Have you been following any of the ongoing space exploration? And on an earthly note, do you think Polly stuck her face in so far because the months old ‘nip is losing potency?

-

Keepers

My husband deserves to be at the top of this title’s list if for one example alone. In 1994 he suggested spending more money than I planned on a washer and dryer set. To this day these Kenmore heavy duty series 80 models are super sturdy and handle a lot of items. Thus they earned a spot here, as well.

Another treasure is a local fellow who repairs washers and dryers. He did great work for a very reasonable price in December of 2022. I kept his handwritten receipt atop my clothes dryer.

This afternoon I went downstairs to transfer clean clothes into the dryer and discovered that the water hadn’t drained. I immediately called my repairman, fingers crossed that he answered. He did, said he could be here before his shift started, and requested that I send him a text message. The expected reply never came.

When the doorbell rang shortly after I immediately, amazedly, recognized his grizzled features. The Tesla rock band T-shirt also helped because we bonded over music in 2022. ~grin~ I don’t think it took him half an hour to replace a broken internal switch.

Currently he works a twelve hour shift aside from these side gigs. His energy and work ethic amaze me.

Have you or someone you know ever found an enthused, passionate craftsman? How often do you think large companies charge an hourly rate without providing any actual service?

-