pics

For photos of K's trip so far.
http://picasaweb.google.com/keir.soderberg/SaMoz

My favourite is the melted gold being poured in the dark so that the flames are flying up from it.

husbandless

Most of you will by now know that K is in South Africa. He left last week and will be touring SA and Mozambique for four weeks and then Namibia for another four. Then he comes back stateside and instead of coming home he goes straight to Tennessee for a conference. This makes it NINE WEEKS that I will be husbandless. I am through one week and so far it has been ok.

I go to bed at 9 most nights. I have found that there are a number of things that husbands do that are useful. They can put things away high up. They can clean on top of the fridge. They can make excellent pizza that I can never hope to copy. They are warm in the bed when it is chilly. They can carry out the trash to the curb. This last is particularly important. It took me some time, entertaining the neighbours across from us I am sure, grunting as I first tried to carry and then rolled it along my lawn. The real trick is not letting it touch your clothes and leave nasty, sticky residue behind. The thing that husbands are most useful for are hugs, and that is something that it is hard to not have in your life. Big arms, warm and strong and a chest to hide in.

no more yet

A week has passed and my plants are still alive. Something is nibbling on the marigolds though. They are all taking on a decidedly moth-eaten look. Whatever it is has been sufficiently distracted by the marigolds and left the herbs alone. I have one pot with only Marigolds and the local squirrel has taken to burying things in it. I am curious to see if anything interesting sprouts. Thus far all is well but I am not optimistic and will not be purchasing thyme for some time. (hehe, thyme for time, hehe)

Look how cute our house is

The blackened Thumb: A tale of woe

Pretty much every year since I went to university many eons ago I have planted herbs. A few times I have even gone as far as to plant veggies. Every year I have fought mould, insects, rust, squirrels and even some unidentifiable things and lost to them. The best I have done is one year when we went away and the basil sprung from a seedling to a bush in the month I was gone. As soon as I got back it died. The second best I have done was after a few hundred dollars spent we got two cherry tomatoes and a handful of beans. They were the best tasting beans and tomatoes I have ever had. This year I am starting small. Just four pots, basil, sage and rosemary, each with its companion marigolds. I'll keep you updated on the progress or lack thereof. Maybe if they are still alive in a few weeks I'll add mint and thyme.

Two Dogs

Tippy is the little white chihuahuah type. He is vicious. Anyone who leans over the half door and goes "hoo's a cutsy muppet then?" is bound to lose a portion of their nose and at least one finger. We are working with him though and he responds well to the squirt bottle. At least when it comes to humans. He still has a desire to eat any dog that comes along. Except Fred, who is the other dog in the offices these days. He was returned to us and has been hanging out with us till he goes to a foster home where he will learn puppy appropriate behaviour. Poor boy is a little bipolar. Either terrified and hiding under the desk or manic and running and jumping and twirling around the office! He is too cute though and immediately sits with his little feet together and his big eyes looking at you when you have lunch. He is a truly effortless beggar, and very successful. I do wish we could have dogs, I'd take him home in a flat second as he just wants to play with the cats in the office. Henry would adore him. Is it unethical to want to adopt a dog for your cat?

violet thawing

In spite of two dogs lying under my desk, Violet came and hung out in my office for a day.

Kitty craziness

We have had this melon hanging around for a while and I finally decided we should eat it. It was too late though as it had fermented. Henry just loved it though and I couldn't resist this photo.

Cosy

I moved the furniture around again in our lounge! I just can't help it. It looks so cosy and clean now.

How do you know Sunday was cold and wet?

The rare event of Oleo and Henry snuggling near each other occurs.

the good, the bad and the downright ugly

We have had plenty of gold finches at the feeders. They are such a joy to watch. We have also had many squirrels who have been interested but cannot get past the vaselined pole so have had to content themselves with the seed the birds drop. The Ugly comes in with the European Starlings. They are going through a square of suet every two days. I am convinced they are chasing away the woodpeckers. I spent Sunday Morning driving K and my in-laws nuts by hurtling out the front door to scare away the starlings every two minutes. Of course as soon as I left this morning it was a starling suet free for all, and not a woody in sight. Sigh.

Safari in our yard

They let me off work early today as I have worked events all weekend. K fetched me and soon after we had got home and unpacked the groceries a deer came gallumphing through our yard! She was clearly terrified and couldn't decide what to do. She circled our house and then headed back wherever she came from. It was so cool.

Poor Henry

Oleo has finally (after three years) started lying on my lap while I sit on the couch. The problem this creates is that my lap has been uncontested Henry territory. This evening, while she was keeping my thghs warm, Henry came over and sat on the coffee table and stared at her. It was clear what he wanted. He wanted his Mommy. I could see in his little whiskered face as he processed the following choices. a) stare and try to intimidate Oleo into leaving, hard because her eyes are closed and she is purring. b) share. If you know Henry and Oleo, this is not an option. c) Leap, scratch, bite, hiss or otherwise violently remove her. Thus making Mommy mad and ensuring Oleo's spot for the rest of the night. Thankfully (for me, cos I could tell he was leaning towards c.) K chose that moment to occupy the rocking chair and thus provided an acceptable alternative.

troubles and KitKat

There is a new addition to my daily bus riders. She does not appear to know the usual crowd who entertain me so while I try to read every morning. Instead, she spends the entire ride, (a good 40 mins) telling someone on the other end of her cell phone the latest in her custody battle, car troubles, man troubles, kid troubles and something gross and unrepeatable about her "health". I read a piece today on BBC news where an Austrian Mayor is banning use of cell phones on public transport. I actually let out a cheer when I read this. It could be like the no smoking ban which is travelling around the world successfully, or it could end up like the no-talking-on-your-cell-while-driving law which seems to be scarce and unenforced in spite of repeated cheering on my part. Either way, I'd like the lady-with-many-troubles to ride a different bus, or run out of minutes, or get laryngitis troubles.

In addition to this horror, I bought and ate most of a KitKat today. On the second stick I realised there was what I call the Hershey's aftertaste. It is the same aftertaste you get from splenda or other sweeteners. I ate the third stick just in case, but that just made me check the wrapper. Apparently KitKat is made by Hershey's here. It just isn't right. Why couldn't some other American chocolate company get on board? Oh I know... stop being such a chocolate snob Natasha. SIGH.

Golden Finches!

We hung thistle seed on a new feeder and within a couple of days we had some takers. They really are an amazing coloured bird and you have to look twice to be sure you aren't seeing things. Their colour is the same as the buttercups which have taken over our front yard.

squir'ls

Dern things are eating my bird seed. We have lathered the bird feeder poles with vaseline and are hoping to catch some pretty funny sights of squirrells sliding back down their poles!

Further tales of riding the bus

In a previous post I told you all about some pretty nasty characters who I rode the bus with. I have now been riding the bus to work every morning and every evening for 5 weeks and I am glad to report that the previous characters were out of the ordinary. Firstly, I ride the same buses every day, which means the same bus drivers every day. My morning driver is woman and she always greets with a laugh and when you get off she commands you to have a good day in a trilling voice that echoes around the bus. My second morning driver is also a woman and I don't even have to pull the bell to stop the bus anymore as she now knows I always get off at the same place.

Sharing the morning bus with me is a lady who gets on at the same stop that I do. She always arrives about 30 seconds before the bus does, blowing hard. She makes the same comment to me every morning; "phoo, that hill, I dunno, phoo!". She is buddies with a few of the other daily riders. a large man, who semi-reclines over the same two front seats, and his lady friend who takes up half a seat she is so small. He has a booming laughing voice and she has a high twitter. Then there is "Dr. Pepper man". This guy has told us all repeatedly how all he ever has for breakfast is a Dr. Pepper and usually the soda is right there in his hand as evidence. He rests it on his not insubstantial chest so that the top of the bendy straw sits conveniently on his chin. I am always fascinated by how he doesn't end up with sticky soda on his chin. These four and the bus driver keep up a steady stream of chat and laughter till they have all got off one by one and only the bus driver is left, sitting high and dry in her seat.

The afternoon crowd are far more subdued. I always have the same bus driver but there isn't the daily rider crowd to make the ride interesting, which means I am able to actually get through more of my book.

Namibia in our lounge

These paintings were another excellent xmas present for K, from my Family. We have finally hung them, above our fireplace, and they look wonderful.

Chipping sparrows

House finches are being kicked out

We put new seed in the bird feeder and that has attracted a new kind of lbj. The chipping sparrow is a pretty little lbj and easy to identify by the markings on his head. Now the house sparrows have some serious competition at the feeder.