Category: The DayBook

I have done my part with the herb/butterfly garden. Now, it is all up to Momma Nature. And we all know that she is a bitch. Note to Mother Nature: I will add water from time to time.

Here in the Old Bat Cave we have Jello. Vats and more vats of the jiggly stuff.

I think I’ll do a little series on Jello. Wonder where it will go. Everyday – for a month or until it isn’t fun anymore – I’ll take a picture of the Jello. With Shamu the Phone. I have never actually eaten any of the Jello. My plate is a Jello Free Zone.

Now on to something more serious. I am having increasing bad feelings about the outcome of the 2016 Presidential Election. Maybe Hillary and Bernie could take one for the country and and between them figure out who – Hillary, Bernie or SOMEONE ELSE – would have the best chance of beating The Donald. And get that person to nominated.

Trying to explore the neighborhood. Mostly, I have been trying to escape the neighborhood. But, over the weekend – I started poking around. Figure I need find out what is within a two mile radius. That is within my round trip walking range. Went to the closest farm market on Sunday. It is a perfectly fine market. I bought some plants for my 11 square feet of dirt, some soap, and a jar of honey. I did not patronize any of the bakers. Or the ice cream maker.

Actually, it isn’t here that I hate. It is the life without Carlton that gets me down from time to time. Now is one of those times. In all honesty, life is simpler without Carlton. He wasn’t always easy to live with. But, he was never boring.

I finished planting my 11 square feet of dirt yesterday. All herbs and bee and butterfly friendly plants. I believe that it would be called a “Pollinator Garden” in today’s terminology. Will have to wait for a couple of months to see if I get any bees or butterflies.

 

Went to the American Indian Museum to bid a final aloha to the Hokulea. It is impossible to underestimate the importance of the Hokulea to not only Hawai’i but all of Polynesia. NPR honored her with a super piece about her history and the current voyage. Check it out.

Had a great time. Talk story. Lots of hugs. Chickenskin singing Hawai’i Pono’i with the Kamehameha School alumni. Humbled to be called “honored kupuna”. Much aloha.

And then – Black and White Time at the Botanical Gardens.

Just a new normal day.

 

 

I operated under the delusion that it was Friday until I got to work and the computer insisted that it was Thursday. But, it was fine and warm. And sunny. If I still lived in the old digs I would be anticipating the opening of the pool. I guess I could anticipate going to the indoor pool. But, it just isn’t the same.

Note to my overseas friends: I fear there is a chance that Donald Trump could win. I am afraid. Very afraid.

Now, today’s pictures.

Or maybe it is a dragon fly. It is very small. And very fast. And impossible for me to photograph.

Well, I spent the afternoon rounding up some perennial herbs. It took a walk and a bus ride. Then I Ubered back to the OBC. I can only carry so many plants. And, I didn’t want to squash or fatally injure any of these expensive little plants. I want a couple more herbs and plan to fill up the empty spots with basal and annual plants that are bee friendly. I planted fennel and butterfly weed for bees and butterflies today. But, bees need all the help they can get.

Speaking of bees –

Yes, Laurent – the Garden Boxes are one of the “recreational activities” here at the asylum. There are about 30 boxes and about 500 residents… So, gardening isn’t a real popular activity. Way more than 30 people show up at the bar for Happy Hour 🙂 And, I think your buried treasure theory is the best explanation about the vanishing herbs. I went on a search for them – didn’t find them. Herb has left the building.

Most of the garden boxers try to grow tomatoes. But, I have heard there are tomato rustlers. Not squirrels, deers, or turtles – but other residents. So, I’ll most likely pass on the tomatoes. Beets, carrots, or chard might be safe.

Lunch got missed today – what with all the garden shopping. Just got an email saying today’s special is: Pan Seared Corvina with Parmesan Potatoes, Asparagus Slaw and Black Rice. Sounds good.

Yesterday, I happily signed up for Garden Box #4. Half of it was full of wonderful herbs. Silly me. I assumed this was what I was going to get. I emailed my request for #4 and said I wanted the herbs. Well…

This is what the box looked like this afternoon. The herbs did not convey. My guess is the groundskeeper wanted them. Now I have 11 square feet of dirt. I don’t think I would have taken the box if I had known it was going to be just dirt. There is no free herb.

Yesterday’s post had a picture of a sweet ladybug. This is a not so sweet looking ladybug larvae.

Yes, blue sky, puffy white clouds, the sun, shadows… for a couple of hours. Oh it was warm too.

So, after lunch,,, I went bug hunting.

 

I loved those bats!

Made a SERIOUS mistake this rainy Sunday morning. I decided to read all the “news” parts of the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday Washington Posts. (In the dead tree paper – not on line.) There wasn’t a single cheerful, optimistic or even neutral article, column or op-ed piece. The cheeriest part of the papers were the obits – where I happily noted that people younger than me die all the time from various cancers that you get just because you have bad luck.

So, there is hope that I’ll not live to see how this mess of radicalized selfish weapons packing bomb tossing humanity plays out over the next 30 years. I guess things were this bad in the 1930s. But, the 1930s didn’t end so very good.

I am not afraid from my physical safety. We live in a dangerous time. (Aren’t all times dangerous? Plague, famine, smallpox, polio, enslavement, debtor’s prison, electroshock treatment, lynchings, nuclear bombs… the list goes on and on.) I can deal with the physical dangers – it is the total fraying of civil society that distresses me.

And, there is nothing at all that I can see that a little old lady can do to slow this march to madness.

Maybe we need to be invaded by aliens.

Oh, on a lighter note – in one of the “not news” sections of the paper a question was asked: “How long will cannabis infused butter last in the fridge?” – now that question is as silly as asking how to use up leftover dark chocolate truffles. Somethings just aren’t going to happen.

Rain. Not great torrents of rain. No lightening. Nothing exciting. Just wet. And more wet. Seattle without legal weed, great coffee and assisted suicide.

Note to Carlton: I am happy to report that you would absolutely hate the green beans that they served at the asylum today. Nice and crunchy. Just like you hated them!

There was a memorial service this afternoon at the asylum for a departed resident. The dearly departed lady was Resident #1 when the asylum opened 39 years ago. For the last couple of years she was in poor health. She was in her early 60’s when she moved in.

Having drinks yesterday one of my 90 something neighbors stopped by to share a glass of wine… When she was in her late 70’s she went around the world on a several freighters (alone). She encouraged me to do likewise before I hit the 79 year old mark – because after 80 one is declare too old to travel by freighter.

A lot of interesting and adventurous old ladies live here.

 

Finally. The Employee Health Computer system is back. At 1300 today – the IT department threw in the towel and rolled the network back 7 days. And by 1301 – it was all good again.

Finally. I got out of the office before 1400 hours.

Finally. When I got home – it was warm and sunny.

Finally. It’s Aloha Friday.

Note to Carlton: I saw Lelia yesterday – she still works at the hospital. She is over 80. And she is still as happy and perky as ever.

It is supposed to be cold and rainy tomorrow. But, that is then. Nobody is promised tomorrow – so I should welcome tomorrow – rain and all.

Glad I got some photos today. Don’t think there will be any tomorrow.