pookieville

I don't know what Phil said...

but it is definitely spring here. Yesterday was a crazy beautiful day- very nap worthy. Today is sunny but much cooler- and we have some rain warnings for this week. Very spring in L.A. Something that I absolutely wanted to do this year was get some sweet peas in. I missed my window of opportunity last year, and the yard just didn't seem as happy without the show that the peas put on. I have branches that I have saved, and I build these crooked crazy t-pees, and use twine so the peas can climb. For Easter I have a huge egg hunt and it is very fun to hide eggs in with the flowers.
Usually I go to a local nursery to get seeds by the scoop, but they didn't have any this year and I was forced to buy them in little packages. It is making me be very careful with the few seeds that I have. When I get a scoop, I am very generous with my planting. A few here, toss a few over there..
 I also decided to put in a little bit of lettuce. I  wish lettuce was a summer crop. That is when I want to eat salads! Anyway, the lettuce will look very cute with my sweet pea t-pees. 

Can you belive it gets to looking this bad every year? I can't. I actually like the weeds when they are green and flower, and the cats love it. They stalk around chasing moths and jumping things- a true adventure. 

Jackson, will usually come out to be with me while I garden. She stands guard- making sure no jumping things get me. Often with her coloring, she will blend in and become camo kitty. 

These are a few of the volunteers from last years nasturtiums. I love volunteers. These guys are growing in a stone and cement composting bin that my great grandfather built for my grandmother when he was out visiting her one year. My grandmother accidentally planted a lemon tree to close to the opening where you would get the compost out, so now I use it as a planter. I love nasturtiums. So did my grandmother. My Mom always thought of them as poor peoples flower. She grew up on a dairy and the flowers that they had were hollyhocks and nasturtiums. She thought geraniums were much better. I never cared much for geraniums-but their ease is growing on me.Meanwhile in my grandmothers memory, I scatter as many nasturtiums as I can. Wish my sweetpeas luck!

Hope you have a lovely day-

about being 45

I was informed that by turing 45 I am half way to 90. Wow- I don't have any desiere really to be 90. That just seems like a lot of work doesn't it? How much laundry is one person expected to do? And don't even get me started on the litter box. I figure if I get to 80, I will have done my fair share of work and cleaning and paid my taxes. But back to being 45, and being a woman... how is it possible that I can't sleep anymore because I am hot and cold at the same freakin time? How is that even fair?! I will say that in general my symptoms of being 45 are minimal- but this lack of sleep might kill me. Do you think that my general radiation issue is what is keeping all the cats from sleeping on the bed too? or is that just my sparkling personality? And while I am at this complaining thing, can you die from heartburn? O.K. I think that is all my questions... I will wait patiently for your answers. Make it quick. :)

I think laughing is so important..

it keeps me from crying at my ridiculous life sometimes. My life is filled with fodder to laugh at, so I do. So, it was my birthday on Thursday. I decided that since my neck has been so sore, and my back is so tight that my chiropractor can't even adjust it, I will start to get massages regularly. I totally believe in massage - and remember, I am a certified massage therapist. I looked on Yelp ( if you haven't used this... then go use this..!!!) for a place close to me that I can visit regularly. I find a Thai/Swedish fusion place in a strip mall and it has such high reviews! They warn that it isn't fancy but it is clean and the folks are nice and the work is good and it is very affordable. Make my appointment- and when I got  there it turns out it is next to a "dispensary" and they guy that I am kinda running from cause he is scaring the pants off me is actually the "guard" . I will probably be using lots of quote marks in this so get use to it. Once inside I am lead down a dimly lit hall to a "room" - I mean a space partitioned off by curtains. I'm o.k. with that. I am not paying for the ambiance. I disrobe, but leave my panties on, cause I am just not sure how they are gonna to Thai part if I am totally naked. I am very comfortable receiving body work- that time in school kinda gets you over any issues. The rule of thumb is, naked means they can massage your buttock.. which is awesome if you are comfortable with it. Panties on means please don't touch me there under the sheet. It is considered a boundary. So the nice lady comes in and asks "medium or hard?" and I am thinking those are my only choices?? How about not hurting and just right?? She gets to work doing some Thai palpations and I am very happy. She climbs on the table and uses her legs along my hamstrings.. good, and then some pressure on my back and she lifts she sheet to expose my back and when she gets to my panties, she yanks them down so fast I start to laugh. NO one has ever pulled my panties down that fast. EVER. Normal protocol would be to tuck the sheet carefully in the underwear. I realize now that all bets of a normal massage are out the door- and the game begins. She applies oil and works on my back. So much oil in fact it is dripping into the crevasse that my underwear usually covers. Get it?? We get into a rhythm of things and it is all going along well, and then we move into more Thai massage. The nice lady has had me flip over on to my back and she gently lifts my feet-and walks them to my head. Now if I  had gone sans underwear, my ass along with everything else would have been ready for Brazilian waxing. I am so glad I left my ass cover on. The Thai work was great and she stretched me in places that I knew needed it, and few I did. She then tried to rip my head off of my neck and shoulders, and proceeded to massage my temples until I was again laughing at the thought of having to explain the bruising on my face the next day. I know it sounds bad, it wasn't. I had a good time, and I am actually going to go back. Any "problems" I had were really my own fault because it is the responsibility of the client to let the therapist know... I just really wanted to see where things would go if I kept quiet.  And I had a really good laugh, oh and an oily butt.

How not to keep bees 101-

It's official. My bees are assholes- and I made them that way.Yes, it is completely my fault that my bees are assholes. Mean ones too. Last summer when I put the hive in, it went really well, and they were not too agitated in general. I made the mistake of leaving them alone way too long. Like leaving teenagers with cable and a credit card. I have opened the hive box a few times, but never really gotten into it. Initially I wanted them to settle in before winter and have enough honey stored. Each time you open the box, it will slow honey production for a day or two. Then during the cold of winter I didn't want to open the hive box because bees hate cold rainy days. It was my fault for not taking advantage of good weather and keep checking in on them so that they could be used to me being around them.Today I just decided I had to open the box, and pull out a frame and see how they were doing.I did all the right stuff, moved slowly, smoked them, waited, but as soon as I took off the inner cover- that was it- they threw down, and I can't fight. I  instantly got a bee under my hat/bonnet. NOTHING will give you the creeps more that feeling an angry bee ( I could feel the anger in it's tiny stomping feet!!) marching across your neck and then finally deciding that your jugular is where it will take a break, the whole time buzzing and being generally pissed.There is no way to not be giving off the fear pheromone while that is happening. I managed to get my hat off, and not get stung, but then he kept attacking me, I had my smoker and I made a ring around myself and let everyone settle down again.As soon as I moved in to the box again to began to remove a frame, BAMBAMBAM they are pelting me and as I move way, they are following me. I don't like that part one bit. I get stung on my stomach, then my arm. I smoke the spots so hopefully they won't get the sent. I move in, only to close it all up. They have won the day.I gather my things and head down the hill and I hear a persistent buzz in my ear. I move a little faster, bastard follows me into the house- I can't see him. I keep moving- walk out the front door, and luckily ditch him. I was being chased in the house by a bee! I tend my wounds- more than most would get- more than I have ever gotten, 3 nice plump stings. That is when it struck me that I turned my bees into assholes and now I will have un-turn them. I will have to open that box every week and get them used to it again, and right now, I am not looking forward to that. Good thing I didn't raise kids.