Red Mule, Popsicle, Funk & Wagnalls & the Internet

MK and I have decided that we can now safely declare that spring is here! Red Mule and Popsicle came out of hibernation yesterday. That is a sure sign of spring. They are MK's two turtles. If I am remembering correctly, Popsicle is entering his fourth summer with us and Red Mule is entering his third. We walked all the way up to Save-A-Lot to get bananas for them because that is their favorite treat. We like them, too!

Even though it didn't rain yesterday, we did not go out and plant any more garden items. It was so muddy and still a bit chilly; besides, I had laundry to wash and hang out to dry, and doors and trim to cover with a second coat of paint. We will plant a few things today.

Early on, probably in the winter or fall, R had said the only place to plant in our yard is the southeast side -- front yard -- because it is the only sunny spot. Recently, he stated I should plant along the west side of the house, where the ferns grow, where the sewer system is. Well, why would I plant where the ferns grow and where it is shaded by mine and the neighbor's house? Also, twice since we have lived here, the sewer has backed up there and had to be repaired, and I don't want to chance that with my food garden. So, I started digging up the front yard. Now, of course, according to R, that is wrong. Surprise, surprise. He says he never told me to plant out front. Ever. Right . . . . . . .

I will plant my tomatoes out back along the sidewalk and fence. I will be able to tie them up to the fence. I had planned to tie them up to the fence out front, but I think they will be too easy for neighbors to grab and run. However, I may put a couple of the tomato plants out there to see what happens.

Yesterday, while I was up on a (small) ladder painting the door frame, MK was working on homework and needed to research some information on sharks. Since I was elbow deep in green paint, I wasn't in a position to deal with guiding her through a search on the internet -- the computer is in a room on the opposite end of the house. So, I suggested she go to the encyclopedia.

I thought that using the encyclopedia would help her with using "guide words" that she has been learning about in her spelling and in her comprehension. "Guide words" are those words on the spine and pages of the encyclopedia, and the pages of the dictionary that are alphabetical and guide you to what you are seeking . . . so, I thought this would be good practice as she has had problems with it in her workbooks. Putting this information that she has been learning to use should help her understand the concept.

I gave her the clue to start by finding a book with the letter S on the spine. Well, she still had trouble with it. She proceeded to pull out books 24 and 25 and read the guide words , "SKIN between SUPER, SUPER between TRANS". (She always says between like that. Ages "9 between 11") Even though she uses the word "between" she doesn't get it that there are words BETWEEN skin and super! Gee. Anyway, I told her to spell shark and think about what she was seeing. Doesn't SH come before SK? Try book #23 and see what you find. Open it and look inside . . . like a dictionary!

So, she brings back #23 and opens it and very soon she finds shark. "OHHHHHHHH!" I swear I saw that light bulb turn on above her head.

Now, she complains, "I have to read all that!" This, coming from a child whose lifeblood is reading?? Oh well, it was a whole maybe three paragraphs of small print. So, she read it and decided she didn't find the information she needed and the assignment was too hard anyway. So, guess what she will be working on today. You got it, she has to complete the assignment and I have to listen to her whine about how hard it is while guiding her; and, when she gets it done, it will have been easy. That's how it goes. She gives up easily, but when she does complete something, it wasn't so bad. This is a part of her generalized anxiety, I think. I try to get her to take things one step at a time instead of being scared away by the whole picture.

ANYWAY, what I was thinking about in regard to the encyclopedia: I remember as a child having our little Funk & Wagnalls Encyclopedia and all the available encyclopedia and other resource books available at the town library. I used to love going to the old library and going upstairs into the adult section of the library to research in the encyclopedia. I didn't have to do it very often, but when I did, I loved it. I loved the old book smell. I loved the big wooden tables with the smooth surface -- the big wooden chairs with the varnish so slick you could slide off if you weren't careful.

What I was pondering (MK used that word recently - impressive) while I was painting the door was whether or not an encyclopedia set is published anymore. I mean, when you think about it, when I was a child there was no internet. We used books. We went to the library. If we had to write a research paper, we looked in the encylopedia. Now, the encyclopedia seems so very limited in its usefulness when you can glean so much more information on the net.

In this age of computer-generated information and learning, we have to be careful -- our sources may not be reliable. They may not be correct. People like myself could be researching information on the internet and writing articles that are posted on the internet as "information." (That's exactly what I do on my on-line job!)

What if our information came from incorrect sources? The information gleaned could be inaccurate or out-right wrong. Well, what about the information in the encyclopedia? How did we know if they were accurate? We just trusted that they were. We were sure that the information was carefully sought out and checked. These days people trust that the information they find on the internet is carefully researched and accurate. Sadly, not all of it is.

If I was truly interested in whether or not the encyclopedia is still published, I am sure I could find out by researching on the internet.

Re-learning Gardening

Well, my state tax payment was posted yesterday and away it went. It was more than double what the estimate was by TurboTax at the time I figured federal and state taxes in January. Oh well, why not?

We have actually started to do a tiny bit of planting outside . . . right or wrong, we're doing it. We have so little space that has full sun. We will just do our best, expecting little. This year is mostly going to be an experiment for us so that we can plan better next year.

What looks like great planting areas when you are looking out the window all winter begins to have a totally different appearance when you start to consider the leaves that are going to be on the trees soon. The soil condition is not the best in this yard either, but we'll work on that as we go along, also. If I can get some yummy tomatoes, at least, I'll be happy.

We planted some potatoes and MK's little flower starts today. We planned to plant onions but a neighbor lady from down the street stopped and the little ol' gal is obviously very lonely. She talked my arm off for over an hour. I tried to do a little work while she talked, but that made me have my back to her and I didn't want to be rude. She finally went on her way and I took a quick bathroom break, put all my tools away, cleaned up enough to teach piano, and then we went back out this evening.

A word of caution: stay a good distance away from MK when she is armed with a hoe. OMG! She couldn't hit a . . . a . . . a . . . well, anything! She was supposed to chop at some roots and she missed them by about 5 miles! Well, we know why she isn't playing softball or tennis or golf or anything that would require aiming and swinging. Whoo boy!

It looks like the only space that has full sun is the east little part of my front yard. It is also the spot with the thickest grass. ugh. I'll probably dig it up with a shovel. That should be absolutely difficult. I thought about renting a tiller, but it would be too costly for such a small area. So, I plan to do it by shovel and foot, and a little at a time if I have to. I should have started digging earlier, but it has been cold, rainy and nasty more than it has been nice. The nice days never fell on days I had available for yard work. I also need to mow, but the ground was still a bit muddy today. Maybe tomorrow it will be dry enough to give it a quick round with the mower/beast.

I saw an interesting article on Helium.com about lasagna gardening. Maybe that would be the way to go with so little gardening space available. I'll have to read more on that during next winter as I re-think my garden, based on results of this years' experimenting.

I still have another door to paint in my room, and then have to go back over it all for a second coat -- the entire closet still needs to be done, but I am still waiting on R to come work on the closet ceiling. I could paint before he comes, but he is never careful and I can guarantee that when he is through, he would have my new paint badly scuffed. We haven't started MK's ceiling or room yet. Waiting on ceiling work there also, and my office ceiling needs repaired. J is planning to do those for us, but I don't know when. I'm not in too big of a hurry to get to MK's room because I plan to do it when my closet is repaired and I can move back in my room, have it organized. Next, I'll get her room done and she will finally have her own room back after about a year. Maybe our house can get back to normal?? What is normal? I've forgotten. Little steps. Little steps. We'll get there.

Boss moved away two days ago. He moved back to Kokomo, IN. (he is the Great Dane) They were not there long. That family did not cause any trouble in the neighborhood, so I was hoping they would stay -- that is, if things didn't get wild over there when the weather stays warm. It always seems that the neighbors around here party and fight when they are able to be outside more and later at night, as it is light until 10:00 p.m. part of the summer now.

Look Ma, No Training Wheels!

MK bought herself a bike at the auction at the old Poff's building behind us. She bought it for $5. It has a bent front wheel and needs paint on the handlebars . . . but she is very proud of it. I took her to Collett Park to ride in the grass and for the first time she rode without training wheels. Her bike she rode up to last year had training wheels and she just was not ready to let go of them. But, when she bought her own bike today, she was determined.

I could not believe how small her bike of the last two summers is in comparison! She has grown a lot this winter and she has outgrown every last stitch of clothing and her bike.

I was pretty excited that I bought a piece of carpet (at the auction) for my room for $4.00! It was a remnant and it is only a little too big. I dumped everything out of my room this evening (all over the living room) and laid it out. I'll probably cut it tomorrow. Then I have to move everything back in. It sure is a good way to make you do a deep (much needed) cleaning. I'll keep watching for a remnant large enough for the living room. So far, they just haven't had any that big.

They didn't have any pieces big enough for MK's room, but I haven't even started on the repairs in there yet. I have to wait for Rich and Jay to come bolster up the ceiling and put tiles up. I had bought tiles at the auction last fall for $3. I've been saving them for after getting the leak fixed.

MK has piano contest next Saturday. Hoosier auditions. This is the one that if she wins she goes on to Indianapolis in May. She is playing three pieces.

Who Doesn't Appreciate Fresh, Crisp Sheets and Blankets off the Clothesline?

MK, that's who! I washed all of MK's blankets and sheets and hung them out to dry today. They were getting pretty raunchy -- kind of smelled like her stinky feet. So, I made up her bed. At first she said they were fresh and crispy. Then I asked her if they smelled good. "No, actually, I really kind of don't like that fresh air smell." Well, the "fresh air" market of dryer sheets, room fresheners, etc. will be lost on her!

Stealing a Volvo Must Not Be Easy!

Why is it so hard to steal a Volvo? Would-be Volvo Thieves attempted to steal my Volvo for a second time. This time there was not as much damage, but still more than I can afford currently with State Taxes due the 15th, quarterly house insurance due the 12th, and the usual house payment and all the utilities . . . and I just shucked out $2,600 (which took forever to save up) for a repair to a portion of the roof. (The day after I mailed that check, the roof decided to sprout a new big leak on the total opposite end.)

Do these inept would-be thieves think that people in this poor neighborhood can actually afford to fix up their cars when they come along and tear them up? I mean, gee, if you're gonna tear up my car, you could at least be good enough at it to actually take the thing. Make it worth your while . . . it certainly isn't worth my while.

The ignition switch will have to be replaced again. The driver side window will have to be replaced again. (Thank God, they left the windshield alone this time!) The heater switch is messed up again, and who knows about the wiring. It was so messed up last time . . . I don't know yet about what might have been done to the wiring this time.

The police did not come this time. They just took a report over the phone and the officer informed me that I was the second one to call from my neighborhood this afternoon. The other was a block over from me. He said they had torn up her ignition as well.

At first the officer I spoke to couldn't understand why they would break into my car if I didn't have anything of value in it . . . there wasn't even a radio . . . the gaping hole where the radio used to be is still visible (from the last time the car was stolen). But, when he realized that they had actually torn up the ignition, he realized it was the car they wanted. Hello, a VOLVO. Yes, it is an old one, but they probably want it for parts. What else would they want it for?

So, I had the pleasure of cleaning up all the glass. I managed to put my knee through the threading of the front seat cover while I was vacuuming . . . collateral damage?? The threads must be sun and age rotted. Great. Now that will turn into a huge hole.

I am so discouraged by anything to do with this house, this neighborhood, and this town. I SO want to go home. But, home doesn't seem like home anymore, I've been gone so long. I got a nice big lecture from C about how I should sell the house and go back to P-town. She is so afraid that something horrible is going to happen to me or MK here. There has been so much trouble in this neighborhood.

On a lighter note, I have completed my computer class and have to focus heavily on my other two classes in order to complete them in time. It is getting close to the end of the semester. Our distance semesters are different than traditional college semesters. Other college students will be home before my semester ends. I have until June 19, but it will be here before I know it. I'm always rushing to finish up in the last weeks.

Anyway, I'm off to lick my wounds. I've already way, way, way overeaten this evening. It's a good thing I don't like alcohol. I would probably try to cry tears in my beer or something. I am going to vegetate in front of the tv for some mindless tv. Then, back to work.