already wednesday bits

 

Three Worlds to Conquer, by Poul Anderson, 1964.  There is a pdf file of it floating around the internet for free - I found it by searching the words Aurora Space Traffic Control (which is a real thing) Moonship 17 and Jupiter Ganymede all inclusive words.  I have a real 60 year old copy of it that my cat was sitting on in a pile the other day and I told him No, by which he knocked that one to the floor and I said 'Oh, Poul Anderson?  Thanks for the recommendation!  I haven't read this one...'

I read a few chapters this morning, after I got back from town.

I didn't entirely fall off the wagon with Japanese - I just did a little bit of Spanish first.  I told Esme that I was in section 3 of Spanish, because she said she was in section 2.  Actually, I saw I'm in section 4... and I don't remember getting there.  So I did a few lessons in that this morning before the Japanese.

I went out and got the minimum groceries on the list, before the day heated up.  We were due for another scorcher today.  We should be okay for a bit, and I am waiting to see 1.) paycheck (the website that is supposed to show us barely ever works, so I just have to wait) 2.) still haven't heard about the little car from the mechanic, and I should send him a note to make sure he knows we're still interested.

The truck battery read 12.85 when I parked it today after getting the groceries from the nearest town.  I know that is within the range of averages I was posting yesterday - so I'm not worried about getting to work on Saturday, and Sunday, and Monday (packages for those two holidays).. but I will continue testing because it didn't come up 12.9 like I thought it should and it is still losing a lot of power on the hills.  I had taken the backup battery with me just in case, and after I unloaded the groceries, I brought it back into the house to keep it at a more stable temperature until I have to go out again.  Plus, it may rain on Friday, and the back of the truck topper leaks.

As I am putting the groceries away Daphne is sitting with her tail like this between the countertop/sink and she is facing the refrigerator (not shown) - and I had to trip around her several times.  She is pretty heavy, 75 lbs +, and when she 'parks' she is hard to get around especially with the straight out tail vulnerable in the walkway.  I saw a cartoon about cats lying right in the middle of the floor, so I drew a quick ten minute sketch just because.

I've played a little Stardew valley, and gotten through the green rain and built the chicken coop - I need to get back on doing a bit more of the Japanese routine now.  At least I haven't fallen over for a nap, yet.

(I need a list today)

Japanese routine :

Duolingo profile at level 20 : done

Clozemaster (Japanese then Chinese, 10 sentences each)  : done

BaltoSlav Japanese words and pictures : at least 25 cards up to ? : done

Babadum Japanese at least 50 cards :done to 75

Duolingo profile at level 11 : done + equal amount of Chinese

Spanish : Duolingo profile at level 23 : did 50 xp of this as well, just because I was discussing the parts of grammar that are still hard with Esme this morning.  She has her Spanish class beginning next semester.

I haven't done any French this week unless you count the game and seeing a thing here or there on the Internet.  It feels a little weird that the other language I dipped into was Spanish, instead.

 I made a version of 'Hong Kong Porkchop' yesterday, but next time we get some leftover actual meaty porkchop I will try it again 'for reals'. 

 I put the tomato and onion in the pan, then started the omelette on the side, and added brown jasmine rice that was precooked, and pulled pork barbeque that Mark had made last week to that, and then served it with the omelet.  

 the tomatoes had started to wrinkle, it was freeze or use time...

The actual recipe that I found that had all those same ingredients did minced cooked porkchop, cooked with tomato and onions and precooked rice and flavored with soy sauce into a sort of flat 'meatloaf', slathered with ketchup, and served with a sunny-side up fried egg on top.  The tastes were very similar, except I didn't do the soy sauce as I wasn't sure what Esme would think of that with the tomato.  She said she's willing to try it next time.

bits

Working on our business plan, made lots of calls today, got lots of numbers and sources and ideas.  Printed a few very basic flyers.  Looked at a 'physical location' but we will probably have to start with a mobile unit because of the monthly rent costs.  We will see someone about all the paperwork on Wednesday.  Researching small business loans and ways to advertise.

Tomorrow morning I go in for my tooth extraction.  I've spent two months (and then some) waiting to get this tooth out.  And, I know it affected how easy it was to get me further stressed out this month.  I hardly take ibuprofen for anything (and of course, that and aspirin are the only things that work at ALL in me..) and I've taken it for this tooth almost once a day, sometimes up to three times a day.  For me, that is a lot.  And the ibuprofen doesn't help at all with the bruising I normally have, which is another reason to not take it unless I have to.

BUT.  hoping that they get that tooth out and it all starts to turn around.
Went into Khan tonight and restarted some of my chemistry lessons.
Took a walk around the garden and pulled in a few late tomatoes.
Shelled all the rest of the Whipporwill heirloom peas, and need to take a picture of that haul.
It was the only thing this year that did 'well'... and that is because it is so hard to keep down you'd have to stick bricks over it to have it not produce.  There were six to nine plants like usual and they produced handfuls of small brown speckled cowpeas.

A Pumpkin for Halloween

 One Pumpkin and a Plan

This is the pumpkin we bought at the flea market yesterday.  We have all this week off from school and I close at the store - so I told her we would have to wait until today to do the cutting.  She came up first thing this morning and said she would like to make the jack o lantern... so I crawled out of bed.  I had her draw the plan out in her notebook and she decided on the one in the top right corner for the face.  Then she made a few attempts to draw it.  We talked about all the things and wrote out the words so she could see them on paper.  

 Most of it is my writing and some of her drawing.  She disagreed on how to spell knife...

A happy pumpkin for Halloween!

Now she is drawing EXIT and ENTER signs on her spaceship with chalk and trying to get me to come to a party... It is a rainy rainy morning outside and she is too full of energy and ideas!

It's that time again - garden plan 2013

 

Sweet corn in upper left corner, tomatoes on fences in the middle, limas, pintos and bush beans in the bottom left corner, cabbage and carrots in the bottom right corner.  Flowers and coleus in pink on the right bottom and yellow square.  Indian corn, pumpkins and cowpeas in the upper right corner.   Gourds in brown.  Sunflowers along the top and back.  'Gray' color for pole beans.  Eggplants, okra and pepper, zucchini and radishes and cucumbers.  

The entire garden is 47 feet wide at the top, and 33 feet at the bottom.  31 feet from front to back.  I thought I was a little obsessive in planning, but Mark said we should go all the way with measurements and be 'realistic' if we were going to plan... hmm.....  The corn is spaced 24 inches apart and thinned to one plant every foot...That is realistic according to University standards, but I doubt our garden will be that measured!

The broccoli I planted the other day is already sprouting in the little yogurt cup it was planted in.  I think that is a little under three days... wow.  I need to put the new tomato seeds and coleus in starter flats - but need to rearrange so I have somewhere to put them.

In other news:  Esme wrote a love letter today for one of her classmates.  I'm not sure she realizes exactly what that means.. but she put it in a bag and wants to bring it to him at school.  It has daisies and a puppy on it and says 'LOVE Esme (Name)'   

A day after the equinox, the first day of spring.  It is 24 degrees out and they think it will snow.  We will likely not plant outside for at least another week...