I put yet another ad on Craigslist to give away some of my fish. My ponds have had far too many fish in them for quite a while now. The filtering systems get saturated quickly and I find I have to clean them out and replace filtering media in them more often than I would like.
Well, a guy finally came over today and took 8 large goldfish off of my hands. I could probably let go of another 8 or 10, but we were having difficulty catching them out of the larger pond. I need a much larger, larger-gapped net to catch them. We just took them out of the pond that is above ground and thinned that out quite a lot. It's probably good at the number of fish it's at right now.
I also was able to thin my plants back considerably in breaking off plant and root systems from the main plant and giving them to him to replant. One of the Umbrella plants had grown FAR too large for even the large pot I had it in. I took that thing down by half, it looks MUCH better now. I also gave him a sampling of the other plants, just break pieces of them off an replant them. The great thing about these water plants is that you really don't have to have a green thumb. Pluck them in whatever kind of container you can find, put some dirt in it and cover with rocks, stick it in the pond, you're done.
He didn't have a clue what he was doing, I was able to help him out quite a lot in the information department. I was in the same boat some, what, 8, 10 months ago? Less? When I started out on this little pond venture and didn't have a clue and also wasn't getting very good, complete information. I think I am going to write an entry up about ponds/ponding again so that Googlers can find it and perhaps glean a bit of help from my experiences.
Time to call an AC person out to clean the coil. It is dirty and that reduces the efficiency of the AC system. The time is now to do it while the prices are low - waiting until summer? Pay double.
So, I was talking to my neighbor over the wall - he is working on his burnt property, salvaging whatever is salvagable (not much, either). I forgot that I was next to the tree that has the hummingbird, next and 2 eggs in it, grabbed the tree to balance myself and - it flew off. I could have hit myself for doing something so absent-minded. I immediately moved off and watched her. She flew to the next tree and perched on the top of it - about 15 feet off the ground. She sat there for about 5 minutes, then did her helicopter hovering trick and slowly descended back down to the nest. Relief.
Some neighborhood kids occasionally come over and walk the dogs. They think it a prestigious thing, I guess, to walk dogs that are the size of miniature horses. Well, the neighbors behind me got yet another notice from the city of Phoenix: clean up the property or get slapped with a $2,500.00 fine. About TIME, frankly, though I had nothing to do with it. They don't come out unless someone complains, I didn't do the complaining.
Well, the kids came in the house to get the leashes. One of them pulls out a can of tomato sauce and some cheese and asks if I have any chips. He proceeds to dump the can of sauce over the chips, cheese on top of that, sits down and starts eating it. Not exactly appealing to me, I declined when offered. I do like tomato sauce, even plain - just a taste I acquired as a kid and never really let go of along with eating raw hamburger meat - but that did NOT look good at all. I dunno. He gets done with that, we walk out back and there is this man, looking over my back fence, giving one of the kids a rather stern warning.
This kid's dad, hired by the neighbor whose property has looking like a landfill since the time I moved into this neighborhood. He was cool, though, that dad that is. I decided to get into whatever conversation with the man - I'm always curious as to the parenthood of kids in this neighborhood considering some of the stuff that goes on. He wasn't letting go of any information. Nice enough person, just couldn't get anywhere with it.
Oh, last night!! ROCK ON, baby! I went to the first concert I have been to since I was a teenager in high school. A roomie scored some tickets to a small venue where a band was going to be playing, his GF apparently wagged out on him at the last minute, asked if I wanted to go. I really debated that one in my head. WHAT kind of place is this going to be and what kind of people were going to be there? But, it was something different to do, the worst that could happen is that I would hate it and never go to anything like it again. Actually, the worst that could happen is someone would start crap with me and .......... then what? I won't just stand there if someone is hauling back to hit me, I can assure you of that.
I decided to go and NOT expect some s*** would happen. When we go there, it was EXACTLY what my mind envisioned it to be, a hell-hole type of place with ALL kinds of strange people talking all kinds of junk walking all over the place. I found a "place" to stand until the concert started. This place was the size of a Denny's or something. Not very big. Maybe 15 chairs in the whole place, the rest - stand up.
However, I am not ashamed to say that I still love rock. And the band that started was awesome - they played the songs I grew up with and knew the words to. I was right up there at the front, ignoring the sexual innuendo, sexual overtones and the obvious fact that this was more of a place to hook up for a one-night stand than anything else. The band - I don't even remember the name of it - was excellent. Good music, great performance. Of course, it WAS interesting to have young ladies up there rubbing more than just elbows. I'm not saying anything sexual, but they weren't being bashful. I guess I can say that in my 47 years of living, I have figured out how to go with the flow - without giving in. No, I didn't give in, even with several "requests", if you want to call them that.
I had completely forgotten the experience it is to be at a live concert. Regardless of their appearance, these are professional musicians. If they get anywhere with it, they pay the price to get there, and I am not referring to drugs and sex, I am referring to exhaustingly long, arduous hours of practicing the same thing, over and over and over, getting the music down to the point they don't even have to think about it. They put an act together to make it entertaining. I don't believe it is an "easy" life, I believe it is probably no different in some respects than me going to work every morning, Monday through Friday, clocking in and clocking out, giving my heart to whatever it is that I am engaging myself with.
It was a good show. The second band was okay, not great but not bad. I would have been happy to leave after the first band was done, but, my roomie wanted to stay so, we stayed. No biggies excepting I am not normally used to getting home at 2:00 am. The only other thing I do in that department - and rarely at this point - is going to the casino. Which is going on quite a while since my last visit, a prosperous one at that. I'm sure the bug will bite soon enough and I will be writing an entry about the latest visit I might have made.
As for today, it is over. Productive day, too. I got quite a lot done outside. I had no plans, whatsoever, this morning in doing anything because I went to bed late and got up around 9:00am, not feeling very good. Around noon, though, I was feeling better, the weather is gorgeous and isn't going to stay that way forever, I took advantage of it. I'm a creature of habit - I like to go to bed around the same time, every night whether I have to work in the morning or not, and I like to get up at the same time in the morning, again, whether I'm getting up for work or not.
Anyway, that's enough for one entry. There is plenty going on in the news - but - I don't care to go into my views on that right now. I'm sure tomorrow morning that will change : )
G'nite.
ben
6 comments:
Monday
So, I'm going around a sharpish curve, a transition from one freeway to another this morning and the car dies. My instant thought: here comes Monday. After getting through the curve, the car comes back on. I instantly knew what was going on: the car is almost out of fuel. Well that's a FAR cry better than having the stupid thing break down again. I don't know why I do it, procrastination I guess, but I always wait until the tank is almost bone dry before filling it back up again.
Fortunately, I made it to work without any problems.
"In its February report, the World Bank noted “sharp increases” in the global prices of wheat, maize, sugar, and edible oils over the last six months, with an accompanying rise, albeit smaller, in the price of rice"
Now, I have heard a couple of the more or less popular - depending on what side of the aisle you stride in politics - talk show hosts predicting that the prices of food were going to go up, and up, and up, and that eventually, there will be worldwide food shortage.
I didn't know whether to believe these people or not. I have enmassed a small amount of food, enough to last about 2 months. That's not eating a lot, but, it's surviving. I am stocking up my new freezer with chicken. I intend on buying another 20 pounds of it on the way home from work today, Basha's has boneless, skinless chicken breast on sale.
Shall I panic and go out and start stuffing my pantry with all kinds of canned and dried foods? No, I am not going to panic, but, just in case these folks are correct? I am definitely going to get more. A few other things I want to add to the mix as well, but I won't go there. It's just me being me. I started eating through some of the food I started putting away last year just so the expiration dates weren't going to get too carried away.
A crisis doesn't necessarily have to even mean a shortage of food, but, rather, the cost of food going up so high that it becomes unaffordable.
Well, whatever. I intend on getting 100 pounds of chicken into that freezer and then some other meats as well, as much as I can stuff in there.
I read this morning an email from our company announcing the hiring of some new folks to work in another region, yet still under the management here. I have wondered for some time now, while they are hiring new people, why they aren't reinstating full hours. I mean, I'm not talking overtime, I'm just talking 40 hours a week. They have hired a few people, here and there. I don't get it. 35 hours per week for hourly associates yet they are hiring new people.....I'm not trying to criticize my company, I am trying to get a handle on this hour situation. Corporate put out a survey last week, asking associates to input whatever questions they might have of upper management as they prepare to put out their yearly video. It is a video they do to give us the state of the company, the direction it is going in and where they want it to be at the end of the fiscal year. Yes, I put in my question: When, do you think, hourly associates will get their full hours reinstated?
I HAD to ask and I hope they answer the question, regardless of whether it's what I want to hear or not, I would like to see some sort of light at the end of the tunnel, cause Mrs. Jones, it's all dark in there right now. I've been holding out because I like the company I am working for versus simply going out and finding a new job. In the trucking industry, finding management that treats you well isn't exactly a prevalent condition.
So, I decided at the beginning of this year to stick it out another 6 months at least and then revisit the issue. If management would give us some kind of clue when, if ever, that would certainly help me.
Anyway, work day is almost here and I'm offa this thing.
G'day.
ben
Tuesday
Wow. That's all I can say about that. Some "dude" is getting out of prison - the guy killed and allegedly ate a 5 year old boy - a long time ago. The boy's father has proclaimed right to the press that if that man does, indeed, get out of prison and if he can find him, he is going to "murder" him.
After reading the accounting of his son's death, I can't say that I blame the man.
My son, changing the subject, has been asked to work at some sort of youth camp up in the White Mountains for the summer. I'm not sure all the details about this, yet, excepting that he is having a hard time deciding what to do: stay at his current job or quit and go for the experience. Well, I say nothing. From my point of view, that is, let him make up his own mind. His mother appears to be trying to make up his mind for him, which also means she bears partial blame for consequences ill if such occur. Not that I wish or foresee anything bad happening out of it, but, my boy is going to be 18 in May, a legal adult. I am backing off - he is going to have to make a LOT of decisions in life, coming soon, too, he should have the latitude to make those decisions, learn from whatever mistakes and move on.
He will be in charge of - other kids, I guess. I mean, kids he knows from High School. He is already in such position as a commander in the JROTC. I am definitely optimistic about his career, life in general and the direction it is leading. He doesn't do drugs, he doesn't drink and he has no desire to start. At least for now. I have no idea what's going to happen in the future, the rest is in God's hands and that is where I leave it.
However, I WILL be getting my car back. Lol. I have been driving the old thing for some time now - fortunately the break downs seem to have stopped. But, since he has been driving my newer car all this time, I have decided to let him finish out high school with it, after that, he can either have the old Buick or - he can go buy his own car, I guess. He doesn't really have the money to go buy his own car.
The problem with this old one is that the paint is badly faded, it is pretty much an eyesore. I am done, for now, spending money on it.
Well, I am getting offa this one. I have some other news I would like to read before the work day starts.
ben
White Mountains of New Hampshire?
Good Lord I wish I could take a driving trip to New Hampshire! No, Arizona has it's own version of the White Mountains, absolutely beautiful, too!
ben
Wednesday
I am speechless. I mean, what do you say about something like that? How does a person live for almost 3 decades and learn absolutely nothing about life?
I am referring to the 27 year old tenant. I came home yesterday to have my ears filled with a tale of his - inability to deal with even the simplest problems in life.
The story with him stuffing too much toilet paper into the toilet bowl, flushing the toilet and the toilet over-flowing onto the floor. Now, if the story stopped there, it wouldn't really be an issue, it happens. I mean, it should become obvious that if the entire bowl is filled up with toilet paper, you probably should have flushed the thing before it got to that point.
It doesn't stop there. He continues to flush the toilet. He does nothing to unplug the toilet. I have a conveniently placed plunger that sits behind the toilet and to the right of it. This guy didn't understand that flushing the toilet was why it continued to overflow onto the floor. So, to get it to stop overflowing, what did he do?
Takes the top off the tank. Reaches down into the tank, takes off the flapper/stopper. A simple problem turned into a mini-nightmare, now the toilet isn't GOING to stop overflowing since the valve inside the tank is hissing away, dumping water into the tank which is dumping water, unabated, into the bowl since the flapper has been removed.
He has NO clue what to do here. He ends up having to go outside, get Mark and ask him what to do. Mark is like, wow. Uhhh, dude, you don't take off the flapper to get the water to stop flowing. You don't have to do ANYTHING. Stop flushing the toilet, stop everything. Get the plunger, plunge the toilet.
He is attempting to explain what to do here, versus what not to do. I'm sure my jaw is about on the floor at this point, listening to this story being retold yesterday afternoon, in complete awe of a person that has learned absolutely NOTHING in life in terms of how to do every day tasks, how to cook, shut off lights, this that and the other thing.
Mark puts the toilet back together, basically. The floor is a lake. Now, this kid actually has to ask: How do I get the water up off of the floor? Apparently the word MOP is not in his vocabulary.
I was amazed. You see, I had NO clue what I was getting into when I let this guy move into my house, renting out a room. He asked the other day about how to microwave a Cup O' Noodles. Do you put water in it?
Well, while the other tenants were relaying this story, a truck with food boxes shows up. They actually will bring them to your house. I didn't order them, the trailer tenants and this kid did. At the kid's expense, albeit he wasn't there, someone was foraging through the box with all the food in it, wondering HOW he will ever use any of it, since he hasn't got any idea how to cook.
The things this kid doesn't even know I had learned at the age of 5. I just don't have any idea how parents can be that bad, really is what this boils down to. If you have kids that are in their 20's and they don't know how to make Ramen noodles, I can tell you that, probably, you haven't really done a very good job raising them, training them and getting them ready for adult life. Notwithstanding the fact that by the time you are this kid's age, you are WELL into adulthood. At least by age, if nothing else. The trailer tenants have much more patience than I do, especially Lynnette and they are sort of helping him learn some of this stuff. I have thrown my two cents in here and there as the situation comes up.
Such as running the dishwasher half full. In my house, that thing better be crammed full of dishes, silverware and glasses before anyone even thinks of turning it on. It has become the property of me, and me alone. Not to empty, I threw in there, but to turn it on.
Ummm, well whatever. I have a nice trip up into the mountains today, haven't had one of those runs in quite a while.
And, the work day approaches and I have hardly even delved into the news, so........
........outta here.
Good day.
ben
Post a Comment