Getting Ready for Growing Season

As much as I love Winter with all the snow, I LOVE Spring too!

With Spring comes tulips, daffodils, snapdragons, trees covered with blooms, wildflowers covering the rock walls in my yard that only show up for this one special season. It also means it's time for planting!!

Don't know what bizarre-o gene that I have that makes me feel compelled to get back into my yard and work my hiney off raking pine needles, pulling weeds, planting flowers, pruning trees... but it is rearing it's ugly head again.

I'm attempting to start my garden this year from seeds. I've got these cool little seed pod things set up in my "Lounge" and they have contained within them the hopes of green beans, watermelon, cantelope, corn, carrots, tomatos, bell peppers, cauliflower, pumpkin, lettuce and zucchini. I only planted them this weekend and already there are signs of roots taking form.

It is very exciting.

And when I ran to COSTCO to pick up a few things, what did I see? An apple tree!! A beautiful baby apple tree that has not one, not two but FOUR different kinds of apples grafted to it. Honeycrisp, Lodi, Cortland and Wolf River. Never tasted any of them, but it sure is worth a shot. How cool is that?? Especially for under $15. I have the best memories of sitting in my yard or my grandparent's yard and eating avocados, oranges or tangerines until I was sick. I want my yard filled with blueberries, apples, pears and other yummies that my kids can snack on while they are playing too.

We are still a few months away from planting outdoors for the baby plants, but the tree is going outside pretty soon. I think I know where, but it involves Bob with a shovel. He won't like that so I have to butter him up.

Here is hoping for a bumper crop of goodies this summer!

Spendy Sports

I am all about sports. Granted, I've got a few extra pounds on me that I am trying very hard to rid myself of, but in general I am a HUGE supporter of sports. Especially for Katya.

One nice thing about having Katya when I was 23 is that I clearly remember middle and high school. The drama, the classes, the riding the bus, the horrid cafeteria food, the never fitting in, the cliques.... Normal stuff. The one thing that kept my sanity during those years was running. I started running in middle school and that carried over into high school.

Now that Katya is in high school, I am encouraging her to go out for any and all sports that she likes. She should try it all! It is a great way to make new friends, have new experiences, maintain her athletic build, and travel this great state of Oregon.

Volleyball and basketball are behind us now. Both of those sports were not too bad money wise. I would say we had to spend $200 or less for each sport. That includes sign up fee, fundraiser, sweatshirt/t-shirt, shoes and $20 here and there for when they travelled outside of the Bend area for overnighters.

Track and Field just started a few weeks ago and last night was the parent night. Evidently the high school takes their track and field program very seriously. They push the kids really hard and their training program has turned out a lot of amazing athletes and quite a few college scholarships. (Keeping my fingers crosses there) I mean, those kids are out there running, jumping and doing drills with snow blowing in their faces. Yikes!

This sport is costing us some serious coin. There was the sign up fee ($65), the money request for snacks, the $60 uniform deposit, the sweatshirt/t-shirts/team jacket/team beenie purchase, buying new shorts, a new athletic duffel bag (her other sports actually supplied her with one for the season), a spike bag, and the nutrition testing. The nutrition testing includes blood tests for iron, Vitamin D and then a urine test for pH something or other that I don't remember anymore.

Can I hear a CHA CHING???

But, Katya loves track and I want her to stay in it for all four years. I think that exercise helps keep endorphins up and stress levels down. But I am so glad that I have a job right now. Granted, my hours were cut WAY back, but it is still income. Which is good, since it will take a while for my checking account to recover.

Can't Help It... I Need Them In My Life

It is part of my daily fix and has been for years and years. It is a habit going back to when I learned how to read. The bit of humor that starts a day. A little something to make you smile.

Of course, I'm talking about comics.

I love my comics. I don't get the paper, but since the Internet became so mainstream I've been checking out my favorite comic strips every morning. For Better or For Worse, Luann, 9 Chickweek Lane, Rose is Rose, Dilbert, Get Fuzzy....

I need them to help me start my day on a positive note. Sometimes the first smile of the day comes from reading about the antics of Garfield or an old Bloom County strip. I loved that strip. The only tattoo I ever seriously considered (besides the "Made in the USA" on my hindquarters) was one of Opus with that crazy fruit hat of his. In high school and college I was all into politics with a passion. Now, not so much. Thank goodness my common sense kept me from having a penguin on my ankle forever.

But I love comics. I enjoy buying a Sunday paper and flipping it straight to the comics and fighting over the pages with Katya like I used to do with my brother and my mom.

I think they are some of the best ways to get kids to learn a love of learning. An awesome way to do some reading without too much brain power having to be involved. After a long day, sometimes your brain just needs some candy. Other times, it is nice to see someone with an editorial cartoon sum up some of the world's most messed up situations with one picture. It helps to release some inner frustration or makes you feel like you are not alone in your opinion.

Whatever comic may be your personal favorite - I hope you get the chance to read it daily. The world is in a tailspin, the news is never happy, life can be a bit stressful so take two minutes and enjoy some escapism as good therapy. Try comics.com.

Afterall, laughter is the best medicine!

It's All A Matter of Perspective

To me... I see a lot of work. Hours of sorting, washing, folding, dripping dry, putting in drawers and hauling loads up and down the stairs.

To them... they see quicksand, a hidout, a soft spot to rest, soft things to throw around, undergarments to put on their head and walk around the house growling like tigers, and endless giggles.

I have to remember to try harder to see what they see.