A little progress

It takes me awhile to take care of tough projects, and right now that is dealing with all these personal belonging of my husband's. Yesterday I finished up laundering all the clothing. There was something satisfying in doing that. Symbolically, I guess, doing one last thing for him. So I have these neatly folded stacks of things on my couch this morning, and today I'll give them away.

I brought the shredder upstairs to the TV room and brought the first box of papers inside. There are four boxes. Plus there are more papers that were left here when he moved out. This will take days to get through, but I will start.

I have to start work in an hour and my day will be filled with that until 4. I'm glad I don't have to drive today, just walk downstairs to my office. I have taken a challenge with internet friend Jacqui to excercise and meditate a few minutes every day. I'm planning to walk in the afternoon or evening, and meditate at bedtime.

Yes, there are still projects in the yard, too, mostly weeding now. I did two hours of that yesterday and it was hard on my body. This is a case of what doesn't kill us makes us stronger. I fell behind in my yard maintenance this summer and that's discouraging, but I think I may hire some help.

And my contractor is supposed to be back from vacation this week and should call me about starting on the kitchen. I'm more than ready to start that. I want it to be done before Thanksgiving.

Obviously, this morning my mind is on being productive and knocking things off the to do list. Just one week left in August.

Backyard Hummingbirds

This first is just using the default close-up settings. You can tell this is a little Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, but not much else is clear. I decide to experiment with settings. This second fellow is a larger bird, but the little fellow doesn't mind mixing things up with this one. They fight all day, though the feeder has four perches. Silly birds.

My best hummingbird picture so far. I am standing inches away. They don't seem to mind me.

Like a bad penny . . .

A whole bunch of stuff that left my house a few years ago has returned. We went over to my ex's house two nights ago and cleared out the remaining personal belongings, much of it is now mine. Lots of paper--tax records, legal documents, financial records, all kinds of stuff. It's the sort of thing you have to go through item by item and either shred or file. Not the sort of thing you can just toss in the trash -- too much of my own identity is in those documents and there is the danger of identity theft.

Then there are the clothes. All headed for The Road Home organiztion who will distribute to some who can really use them. I didn't expect to bring these home, but offered to take that responsibility from my daughter. They smell of cigarette smoke which I won't bring in the house. I'm thinking of washing everything before taking them to the drop-off place.

Lastly there is the CD and record collection. Things that he loved and I thought he had thrown out. It is a mammoth collection. Many things still in original wrappers unopened. I started sorting through them but it is an incredibly daunting task. They sit in boxes in my living room awaiting some sort of disposition. Some of them I do want to keep, and others we'll sell. My daughter suggested we catalog everything in a spreadsheet. That's probably a good place to start, it will take awhile.

So my To Do list got changed once again. These are things that must be dealt with soon. My own peace of mind is at stake. The clothing will be easy. Launder, fold, deliver. Then I'll tackle the documents. The music collection will take longer. My mind is thinking how to handle it. Maybe do a rough sort just to separate out the things I want to keep, and put the rest into general genres and then do the cataloging. i think my daughter and her boyfriend will sell them online. The old vinyl records I will save for now. I have shelf space for them in the basement so they can be safely stored. Someday I'll look through those too, but not now.

Poetry Wednesday - On Eastnor Knoll

Inspired by the Masefield poem Jacqui posted today, here is my selection for this week. I love the visuals painted by this poem. Visit Jacqui for her Poetric Journey for Wednesday here.

On Eastnor Knoll

Silent are the woods, and the dim green boughs are
Hushed in the twilight: yonder, in the path through
The apple orchard, is a tired plough-boy
Calling the cows home.

A bright white star blinks, the pale moon rounds, but
Still the red, lurid wreckage of the sunset
Smoulders in smoky fire, and burns on
The misty hill-tops.

Ghostly it grows, and darker, the burning
Fades into smoke, and now the gusty oaks are
A silent army of phantoms thronging
A land of shadows.

- John Masefield

A pause

I'm taking a break. Things have gotten rather overwhelming this week. A recess seems to be in order. Bye for now.

Spiders! Eek!

Actually, I'm not that afraid of spiders anymore. I've learned to deal with them. But they do suddenly seem abundant around the house and yard. Cleaning the outside windows last week, I also washed down the siding and numerous cobwebs and spider nests. I checked my sticky spider traps in the garage and basement and I've caught quite a few, so I replaced those with new and bought some spray. I have a rule: Any spider that enters my house must die. I'm sorry, I know it's not environmentally friendly, but it's my long-standing rule and I stick to it. I know I could hire one of those companies that will spray the entire yard, but I can't help wondering what chemically-killed spiders do to the birds that eat them. I will spray around the foundation of the house, all around the garage and basement floors, doors, windows, and even around all the baseboards upstairs, though I don't seem to get them as much upstairs.

We only have two poisonous spiders in Utah: the Black Widow and the Hobo spider. I won't post pictures here as they are too creepy. We do not have the Brown Recluse as many people mistakenly believe. However, the other two are bad enough and I have seen both in my yard, so I know they are here. Clearing out those huge pfitzer bushes has helped as I know that was a haven for the black widows.

There will be stories on the news in the coming weeks about how people think they are seeing more spiders than usual. They are such idiots on the news. It's the same every year. And this short cool spell will inspire the little devils (the spiders not the newscasters) to come indoors. But isn't that the way with the news--to be eternally surprised with the things that happen every single year?

Well, enough blogging for today. It's opera day with Brittany. The weather is rainy, so I have excused myself from any yardwork and no watering will be needed either. I've gotten much done this week in the way of weed removal and other various things around the yard. The cool days will re-invigorate the grass and perennials. This morning I'm just relaxing and enjoying the cool house, the rare humid air, and anticipating a day with my granddaughter.

There is one word for today. Contentment.

I'm not all that worried about the spiders, really.

More lasagna gardening - an update

Back in May I decided to try the lasagna gardening described in an article a friend sent me. Today I evaluated the areas I had mulched and am happy to report at least partial success. My greatest success was in the experimental area that was flat and empty except for a Black-Eyed Susan and a pin cushion, making it easy to cover the ground well with all the layers. Throughout the summer I've found that area has seemed to hold in moisture better than plain dirt areas. And the flowers are growing beautifully.

That was just an experimental plot I tried prior to moving into the myrtle patch. My earliest attempts in the myrtle patch are best. The weeds are more well controlled. In later areas, I got lazy about the layers and just did the newspaper then grass, then peat moss, only three layers. And I wasn't as careful about overlapping the newspaper. The result in those areas is weeds came back. Although the myrtle has also grown and filled in nicely. I think a late autumn weeding will be needed there.

In my experimental area, I've had very few weeds, and those that did manage to grow, are pulled up easily out of the moist ground. In this picture you can see how the weeds have grown like crazy at the back border of the plot but stopped right there.

Since doing my project, I found the website for the woman who wrote the book on lasagna gardening, and I found I was being too conservative about my layers. For one thing, she says at least 5 sheets of newspaper. I was doing less than that. She was also layering very deep--as much as 8 inches deep. At most, mine was about three inches deep.

Today I prepared a little area about 5 ft x 10 ft adjacent to my experimental plot, and then did some lasagna being a lot more liberal with all layers. I still think I only ended up with maybe 4 or 5 inches at the most, but I was sure to have the newspapers well-overlapped. It looks good and I will plant in it in September transplanting more volunteers from around the yard.

By the way, I learned a couple of tips about weed removal this time of year. A USU extension service worker on television said that you should not use chemical weed killers this time of year because the heat can cause the chemical to (did he say oxidize?) and get into the air and land on the plants you don't want to kill. You should use chemicals in the fall for perennial-type weeds, and in the spring you should use pre-emergent for the annual weeds.

The area where I'm working has the most amazing wild grass. It has long runner roots, though not very deep. Every inch or so both above ground and below, it has a node that sends down new roots. Every year I dig it up, I poison it, I dig it up again, and yet it comes back. Even though the lasagna gardening author says not to bother weeding or removing grass before putting down your layers, I am removing this persistent grass. Something tells me it will come up where nothing else will.

One last note. I got my water bill this week and it was $49. This time last year it was $81. The year before that it was over $100. I have truly been successful at conserving water with my drought-tolerant landscaping and tweaking the sprinkling system. I've maybe gone too far and could stand to put down a little more water on the lawn. But I am very pleased with this direction.

And a delightful item, my tiny little Mexican Lime tree growing in a pot on my patio, was covered with blooms a few weeks ago and now dozens of limes. Click to enlarge.
And a visitor last night on my porch rail. Praying mantis.

Sunday Morning Reverie

You were expecting something thoughtful here with that title. But this morning's reverie will have the sound of an aging sputtering engine as I attempt to mow my lawn for only the second time in July. The dry hot weather has kept the grass from growing fast, so it's not out of control. But temps are dropping a bit and things are starting to grow again. This evening I'll actually give the lawn some Weed n Feed fertilizer to stimulate more growth and see if we can't green it up a bit. I'll have to water right after feeding as there will be no rain tonight or for the foreseeable future.

I'm thinking of washing the outside of the windows, though not making any promises. They so need it, but we'll see how my energy holds out.

So that's my reverie. Hopefully something more thoughtful will be coming the next time.

UPDATE: Did indeed get the lawn mowed. That poor old mower started on the first pull. Mother Nature cooperated with an overcast sky. Zipped through that job in nothing flat. Then got the outside windows done, and after a long rest, the inside windows too. Well just the front and side. The three rear windows are ground level and easy to reach, so I'll just do those on a lunch hour one day this week.

Poetry Wednesday: Mundane Things

The Russian Sage is now in full glory and dominating the garden. But the little orange hummingbird trumpets are putting on a pretty nice little show of their own.

Visit Jacqui's Multi-Blog Poetry Wednesday.

Never Underestimate the Therapeutic Value
in Mundane Things
Breathe.
. . .
Ah, the smell of
Freshly laundered sheets
Reminds me of something.
Way in the past.
Comfort.
A carefree time.

There is a way to fold fitted sheets.
I know how.
A simple joy,
Tidy stacks of fragrant linens.
I hurry through nothing
These days.

Weeding along the pavement
Thinking only of those weeds.
How do they grow so tall?
Between those baking rocks
With no water?
Living things
Surviving harsh conditions.

Breathe in and out.

Watering the yard
And the neighbor’s lawn, too,
While they are away
As their sprinkling system stopped
And their lawn is on life support.
I have to try
To save it.

Deep breaths . . .

Sometimes they live,
The doctor told me,
For many years to come.
We have to try.
Though sometimes
They don’t survive.
I’m sorry . . .

I will go to work today,
After first sitting quietly
With my coffee,
Breathing in and out,
Watching the little hummingbirds
Who have found the feeder
Installed by Art,
In lieu of flowers.

There is no rush.
I hurry through nothing
These days.

Becky Stauffer
July 2009

From across the street in the pre-sunrise light, my own lawn looks pretty dry. But the temps have been in the 100s and I am stingy with the water. It will green up more as temps cool down. Tough love for the lawn.

UPDATE: Kwika in the comments has asked me how to fold a fitted sheet. And I have tried with a little drawing program to make an illustration (argh, I'm a terrible graphic artist). Of course, you can improvise on this. The key is tucking the corners inside one another and folding all the non-flat parts toward the middle and inside.
Fold the sheet in half by turning the the bottom rounded corners inside out and tucking them into the right-side-out top corners. The 'sides' (the part of the sheet that goes on the sides of the bed) will naturally fold inward; straighten and smooth these parts. There will be wrinkles and lumps, just smooth as best you can. This gives you a sort-of rectangle as seen in the illustration. Now fold the left and right edges in, meeting at the center. Now none of the fitted corners or sides are showing. Continue folding in halves or thirds to achieve the size you like.

Tip: Lay the sheet on the bed to fold as you'll need a large flat surface.

Jay Douglas Stauffer; 11/13/48 – 07/03/09

Whether you knew him as Doug, Jay, or JD, you knew him as a kind man with a generous heart. In the end, it was his heart that failed him. Jay Douglas Stauffer died July 3, 2009, of a heart attack.

Doug was born November 13, 1948 in Ogden Utah to Lee H. and Helen Rouse Stauffer. He grew up in South Ogden where he forged life-long friendships. He graduated from Bonneville High School and from Weber State College. He served an LDS mission to France and served in the U.S. Army. Doug was employed by Rocky Mountain Power and worked most of his career until retirement at the Gadsby Power Plant as a steam operator and then as a board operator. Like everything else Doug did, he formed lasting friendships among his co-workers.

Doug never met a sport he didn’t like. His passions early in life were baseball and football. Later on he became a fanatic for hockey, both as a player, a team organizer, a coach, and as a fan. Doug held an equal passion for music of all sorts, including a surprising love for and knowledge of opera.

Doug was married to Becky Griffin Stauffer on July 5, 1979. They were recently divorced, but remained friends to the end of his life. Doug and Becky were the parents of one daughter, Jennifer, who was the light and joy of his life. Doug also helped to raise his stepsons and was a loving kind father to them as if they were his own. Not enough can be said of those good years filled with fun and adventure for the kids.

Doug made no enemies in life. Everyone loved him. The world loses a good soul in his passing. He is survived by his daughter, Jennifer Lynn Stauffer, his brother Robert David Stauffer (Terol), his step-sons Jeffery Strate, Steven Strate (Simone), and Eric Strate, five grandchildren, his ex-wife Becky, his friend Jayme, many nieces and nephews, extended family and friends. He was preceded in death by his mother, father, and older brother, Richard.

Per Doug’s wishes there will be no public viewing or funeral. A public gathering will be held on Wednesday, July 8, 2009 at Larkin Mortuary, 260 E. South Temple, Salt Lake City, from 6 to 8 p.m. where anyone who desires may meet with the family and share reminiscences of this good man. To honor Doug’s memory, he always asked that people do something fun instead of a funeral or flowers for him. Attend a hockey game or an opera in his memory.

(Published in the Salt Lake Tribune and the Ogden Standard Examiner on July 7, 2009)

Today

Today

Today I held the hand
Of a man as he lay dying.
His chest, rising and falling
In rhythm with the machine
He would have abhorred
Which forced his body to carry on
In his absence.
Without his consent.

Today I held the hand
Of a man I once loved,
Who loved me back.
And thought of our years
Together.
Many good ones,
Some not so good.
All part of our history now.

Today I held the hand
Of the father of my daughter.
A father for my three sons.
A good man
With a big heart
That in the end failed him.
And oddly the pain seemed transferred
To my own strong heart.

Today I held the hand
Of a man slowly slipping
Into the eternities
Unaware of time
Until all the digits turned to zero
And the nurse said
“He is gone.”

And still I held your hand.
Feeling you must know
Despite all that went before
I stood by you in the end
To the very end
So you would not be alone
I stood by your side
And held your hand.

-----
For Doug
Jay Douglas Stauffer, 11/13/48--07/03/09.
Today, July 5th, would be our 30th anniversary.-----

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It's all in the details

I had to fill out an information form from the county recorder who is apparently doing a reassessment of property values in Davis County (how is that even possible while real estate values are in such a state of flux?).

The form included current information and asked me to correct and update anything that had changed. I was intrigued to read that my lot size is .29999999999999999 acres. That's right. Not .3, but exactly .29999999999999999. Seventeen decimal places, sixteen nines. Such precision!

It made me wonder, could I acquire a bit of land from my neighbor so I might have that nice round number of .3? And if so, how would you measure that miniscule piece and what would it cost? Would it be so small as to be populated with only Who folks such as found by Horton the Elephant?

What number is the 17th decimal anyway? I think 12 decimals would be quadrillionths. A tiny piece of land, smaller than a quadrillionth of an acre!

I won't attempt the calculation. I'll wait until my daughter, the math whiz, gets home from vacation.

In the cool, cool, cool of the evening

Just took a few minutes to sit on the deck with a glass of wine and watch the day come to an end. We've had gray clouds off and on all day, but no rain. But as I sat there, splash, splash, large drops began falling and I was forced to take cover on the covered patio. A warmish evening cooled down quickly in that brief rain that offered a great deal more in thunder and lightning than in actual water. No pictures tonight. Just a happy feeling.

Incidentally, I learned while watching the news that the colorful sunsets we are enjoying are thanks to a volcano that erupted recently in Russia. It has sent a plume literally around the world, and we are in its path, providing us with photo-worthy displays every evening.

If it's July, it must be time for a new LOTTD

I do my lists of things to do by month. At the end of the month, I check the list and either transfer any unfinished items to the new list or drop them altogether. July's list will be more about indoors than outdoors. I had to carry the 'wash windows' forward. All the rain in June kept me holding off on that task. But I'll get to those soon now as the windows are pathetic. Outdoors will be down to maintenance now: mowing, weeding, dead-heading the flowers. Too hot now for planting. Indoors, I have three major items: each room in the upstairs will get a true "spring" cleaning including walls, carpets, furniture, drawers and shelves, and freshening up of decor. I'll also get all those large items hauled away from garage and inside that are of no value. And the real biggie, I'll take steps to start remodeling my kitchen.

I'm driven by lists. Writing these things down at the first of the month helps me remember all month long what I want to do, and each day I can pick from the list as I wish.

I didn't take Oprah's advice and put myself on the list, but I am making a conscientious effort to work in some fun every week. This Friday it is an outing with girlfriends, Saturday is a family reunion. Monday, an extra day off to extend the weekend. The following Monday, we have tickets to see Joan Baez. And then, oh no, the month is halfway over! Soon to be followed by Pioneer Days on the 24th--another holiday.

Whew! No wonder I feel like time flies.