Operation: kill all grass

I really hate the grass in my backyard. It's not even grass, really. There's like, a tuft of grass, then some clover, then weeds, one of those long grass-runner things, then dirt patches... ugh! And besides, I want to garden, so: kill all grass must be done! I got some big cardboard boxes from work and after we mow the lawn, I'll dig up the rest of the grass/weeds and spread the cardboard out, weigh the corners down with rocks, and leave it to die. I have no mercy for anything green underneath. Die grass die! Now, I must point out I have no clue if I'm doing this the right way. But as with my herb & now tomato garden, it's working... so I am determined to prevail!!! It's too dark to take a picture of it right now but I'll take one when the cardboard is down, k?

Thunder, thunder everywhere....

We've had a lot of late-summer rain here, and lately a lot of thunder in the afternoons. Sometimes it sprinkles, sometimes it just thunders. I really don't like the rain, despite knowing how badly we need it. As I've mentioned before. But this thunder-with-no-rain thing is pretty neat. I think it will get cooler soon, too. I hope so, anyway. I'm much for a crisp-weather person that a sweltering-heat kind of person. I mean, sno-cones are pretty much the best thing about summer. Otherwise give me a chilly breeze so I can turn the oven on again! Anyway, I'm really just rambling soooo..... let me stop!

And there goes August...

(cute doggies make it better)

Not too long ago I was lamenting the end of July and now, there goes August.... how does it go so quickly! Well my personal theory on it is that our scheduled, regimented lives prevent us from really observing & digesting & reflecting on our days. Weekdays: get up, get ready, feed the animals, grab coffee, slam bam, rush to work... work all day, run an errand, rush home, get dinner on the stove, do some chores, sack out in front of the TV. Go to bed, sleep fitfully, get back up, rinse, repeat. Friday nights, stay up later so you can relax a little bit more, maybe go out, hang out with friends, whatever. Weekend: sleep in, run all your errands you didn't get done during the week, do some more chores, try to recover from last week and prepare for next week, maybe fit something fun in, then it's Sunday night again, get ready for the upcoming week, go to bed, can't sleep, etc. etc. Ack! It all turns into one big blur. When do we ever get a chance to slow down and actually experience and live what we are doing? Right now I'm working part time so it's great to be able to take the time to actually 'be' in the moment. 3-day weekends are the best invention ever. I feel like I have time to truly enjoy activities (and even errands!) without feeling rushed and stressing out about getting there on time and getting back on time. I have time to pursue non-work activities that I enjoy, and I know that these activities truly make me a better person... more positive, more active, both mentally and physically, and definitely healthier all around. I pretty much dread having to work full-time again. I'll have to learn how to hold onto my experiences once I'm rushing around trying to fit everything into the week again....

Un-motivated

I've been feeling so unmotivated this past week. It ended up kind of rainy all weekend, so I'm going to blame it on the weather, rather than feeling guilty about it. I must share my grilled sweet potato dessert recipe, though:

peel one sweet potato, cut it into quarters
put the quarters on a square of foil
drop 1 tablespoon of butter and 3 tablespoons brown sugar in the middle of the potato quarters
wrap the potato in the foil and/or make a pouch
put it on the grill (or in the oven at 350 degrees) for about an hour, till it's all soft
remove from heat and let it stand about 30 minutes, then put the sweet potato quarters into a bowl with some of the syrup that's at the bottom of the foil pouch. Top with chopped pecans or walnuts, and vanilla ice cream too if you want.

I've decided that sweet potatoes make fabulous dessert foods, and besides, they're better for ya than most other desserts!

Another month, another $250 electric bill

Okay, not quite $250, but close. This IS Texas, y'know... we've had record-breaking temperatures this summer, lots of days in the 100s! It's been sweltering. Oddly enough, most early mornings it's fairly cool outside... which has been very nice. But two months of opening a $200+ electric bill makes us really want to get solar panels. Even with the rebates our electric company is offering, we'll have to pay several thousand dollars. But it is a 0% interest loan, sooo... it's looking more and more appealing every day! In the meantime, we definitely have to 'eat poor' this week. If we didn't have company this weekend, we'd barely have to buy any groceries at all (the one thing I'd splurge on is good parmesan), but since we do have company we will do a big BBQ tomorrow. Still, we'll pull it off pretty cheap. I love being able to do that!

Weekly find!

I found something really great this week & I really like it, so I thought I'd share...

Kombucha. I love the stuff! Fermented green tea, seems kinda weird, I know. I bought two bottles of the Synergy brand - Mystic Mango and Multi-Green - to try them out. I sipped the Mystic Mango first, it's a fizzy, slightly-sour citrus taste. Not horrible, I thought. Then I tried the Multi-Green: fizzy, slightly sour, green tasting... I took another sip, and another, and I was sold. This product has all kinds of healthy-sounding stuff in it: active enzymes, antioxidants, and probiotics. As well, there are all kinds of supposed health benefits -- digestion, immune system, appetite & weight control, healthy skin & hair, just to name a few! Who knows if it can really help all those things, but I can tell you that I've only been drinking it for 3 days and it makes me feel great! I could almost give up coffee! But don't worry, I never would. Still, it's my new go-to drink of choice in the afternoon when I want something other than water. Plus, since it's fermented, it "might contain" a small amount (less than 0.5%) of alcohol. Drinking at work is sweet! So, I definitely recommend trying this. It was $2.99 per 16oz bottle (2 servings per bottle) where I bought it. Hey, that's cheaper than Starbucks!

I'm so hungry....

for some yummy, dirty stars!

Hot, hot 'dog days' of summer

Why do they call it that anyhow? I'm gonna have to go google it now... Anyway, feeling so hot and lazy today that almost all I can bear to do is sip a cool virgin mock mojito (crushed mint leaves with lime seltzer water) in front of the fan. I have tons to do, but just can't focus in this heat! Everything keeps getting put off until 'next weekend' but I know that soon, my schedule will be too packed to do it all. Such are the rhythms of late summer, I suppose (though here in TX you might deem August to be merely mid-summer). I did get this little necklace made, and am quite proud of it. Am not yet sure if this exact one will be for sale...



And obviously, forgive the bad photo. Am still playing with my camera and my homemade lightbox. So many things to do!

Goodbyes

I sold my Camaro today: goodbye trusty old friend! I hope you find
a new home where you will be taken care of and driven fast!