Mushroom Anyone?

First compost, now mushrooms.... jeeez, leave a girl alone out in the country and no telling what she'll find herself doing. Once again, you'll have to humor me and take a look at the mushrooms growing all over the yard right now. Like human beings, some of them are stunning to look at, some are averagely interesting, while others have been beaten by the ugly stick. Of course I know close to nothing about identifying a mushroom. Some are piousness, others of course can be eaten and some others are used like a street drug. Do you think potential employers are testing for mushroom these days? Hmmmmmm.......

Looking at their patterns and the way some of them look made me think of flowers of course, but also of crop circles. The design patterns are so intricate and interesting. They almost look like some mathematical equation. These remind me of the ones you see in cartoons or recreated at Disneyland. Isn't there a ride called the "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride". Some of these are technically toadstools while others are actually mushrooms. One must know what one is doing when identifying which are eatable, etc. I'll keep you posted if I'm still here tomorrow.

COMPOST BIN CHOICE

Now look at this beauty! I think this would be the perfect size and stature for us. Looking at it makes my smoker idea pale, no? Anyway, look at all the cool things this has: Drum made from UV-protected polypropylene. Sturdy galvanized tubular steel frame will not rust. Vented lids with animal-resistant locks. Capacity: 7-8 cubic feet (roughly 58 gallons) Daily spin creates compost in as little as 21 days. Recommended by the National Home Gardening Club. Who knew there would come a time in my life when I would be in a place in my life when a compost bin would appeal to me so? It makes my head spin.......I need a job.

COMPOSTING 101

So we've learned a little more and with a decent start on 'Project Compost' I had a brainstorm last night. Take the old smoker from our collection of things to donate to Goodwill and make it into a composting vessel. On looking it over a few minutes ago, I think it could work. Since the materials need oxygen to decompose, I'll take a hammer and nail (or drill), punch air holes into the smoker canister at about 4 to 6 inch intervals until I've covered the surface of the can. Since the canister is made of metal, I'll spray paint it to stop further rusting.

This could be a chink in the armor, have to find out if using that particular metal will work.. If not, we can use a 55 gallon trash can, plastic or galvanized metal and do the same thing. BUT!!!! As you all know, we shall first give it the college try with our favorite and most economical of materials like good old fashioned Spit and Glue. Have you ever?

PHOTOGRAPHS!

Took these on a short walk this morning. Mushrooms Flower Half dog, half flower! Couldn't get this shot again if life depended on it. An abandoned, rusted out trailer hitch. Probably from Gone With The Wind!
This weedy flower is almost neon, very strange and beautiful, no?

Edward, Where Are You?

There she sits, broken-hearted, tried to run but couldn't get stared. "Old'Blue" on her last leg? I'd say we were 85% there before "Old'Blue" decided to clunk-out again yesterday. Full tank of gas, plenty of oil and fully inflated tires so we thought we were home free. Thankfully we were able to mow a path to the cottage before she sputtered to a final quit. Later I spent so much time with the week-wacker I thought we were engaged. Time to call on Edward to bring his special brand of Spit and Glue to the rescue.

The Queens of Compost!

Well not quite the Queens yet. We decided yesterday that composting would be a great idea and easy to do. This little set-up is temporary, we wanted to start small and experiment a little before going 'balls-out'. Keep in mind we don't have garbage disposals here so as it is, we're trashing our kitchen garbage anyway. What a great way to recycle and ultimately grow a superior garden, don't you think?

We've seen a large variety of composting equipment, accessories, etc, on the Internet, but nothing that fits our budget so once again, we're working on a shoe-string and with our own Spit and Glue. The goal? Keeping it 'green' and growing our own super-veggies like tomatoes, cucumbers, bell pepper and heaven knows what else. Can I get a woot-woot?

COUNTRY GARAGE SALE!

Finally! We set a tentative time-frame for the dreaded garage sale that absolutely must take place. Neither one of us are looking forward to spending a weekend or two, or three, unpacking all the junk, putting it out for the world to see and ..... you know the rest.
Our issue is volume, not only do we have box after box of Mother's remaining nik-nak and brick-a-brak, we also have the rusult of Sis' attempt to purge some excess. Over time and in anticipation of selling Spit and Glue she's managed to pack quite a bit away, much of it for the 'moving sale". Yes, I said selling Spit and Glue. But that's another post. October is our target date, before the 15th. I plan on suggesting a thorough bombing for spiders before we start, and if by that time I'm still not employed and weather cooperates, I can get a lot of prep-work done for the sale. Wish you could be here to help!

Project Jumpstart!

All physical labor, save the lawn has come to a screeching halt at Spit and Glue this summer. If you're watching, the last time anything got done was when company came in July and we may have wasted him on minor things instead of important stuff like installing rain gutters on the cottage or clearing the roof of branches and debris... duhhhhh!! Deck painting and repair is out because it's so dog-gone humid and wet right now. But I walked by this door yesterday and thought 'maybe a small, indoor project like painting this door frame would jump start my enthusiasm'. Of course once I have my paint brush out I could do a few other small things in Sis' house while I'm at it. Maybe I'll talk to her about it this evening over a glass of wine. We'll see.

JOB HUNTING!

I'm here to tell you, the better part of this week has been a shit-sandwich! Job hunting at my age and in this town is proving to be some kind of sick joke. Have you ever filled out a job application on-line? There's nothing like it. No wait, there is something like it. Like having a gynecological or proctology exam only you get to keep your clothes on.

I've filled out quite a few recently and the average time for completion is about 50 minutes. Most maddening is that while they have you 45 minutes into the process you're then held captive for 20 pages of psychoanalytical questioning. Are you the life of the party? Are you ever depressed? Which of these statements best describes you, etc., etc!

How do all these mass murderers and perverts get jobs? They all seem to be working stiffs or hard at work (no puns intended) who obviously know something I don't. I have NEVER not been able to get a job! At this rate, how the hell am I supposed make a come-back when this Georgia stint is over? It's frightful and frustrating. I'm back to square one and stymied, face-to-face with how desperately I need a 'plan B' and to top it all off, I'm out of toothpaste!

Julie and Julia, The Movie!

I think it's a safe assumption that anyone who writes a blog has already seen the new movie"Julie and Julia". Two women, Julia Child, famous TV chef and Julie Powell, author/blogger. Two true stories, Julia's rise to literary fame and Julie's mission to cook and blog her way through Julia's literary achievement, a ginormous French cookbook. The movie opened on August 7Th and I've seen it twice. It struck me that scenes in the film relating to Julia's love of French food were far more entertaining to watch than scenes related to Julie's blogging/cooking experience. Of course Julia's scenes were shot in France, Julie's in Queens, New York. Then I realized French food and beautiful scenery had nothing to do with it. It was really about Meryl Streep, I couldn't stop watching her every tick while she was on-camera. What a performance, the woman is ............... AMAZING.......... I need a better adjective. Another treat was to learn a couple of things about cooking and about blogging, such as, always pat-dry raw meat before you cook it, and warming the bowl before adding an egg makes for perfect mayo. Also that in order to have a successful blog, you absolutely must have readers. Otherwise, you're jerking yourself off! Pardon the graphics but the point needs punctuation! One must be able to build and maintain steady reader-traffic to one's blog-site, that's all there is to it. No, I'm not a cook or movie/food critic now, just a huge fan of writers and food and blogging and films that leave you laughing and inspired the way this one did. I would highly recommend seeing it. Note: If you've stumbled upon this site and like it, please help support the effort and do your best to spread the word to others. Thank you!

Trader Joe's!

I could have done a handstand I was so happy to finally make the 50 minute drive to the closest Trader Joe's store around these parts. I told you we were 'rural'.... If you've never been to a 'TJ's' and there's one in your area, you should go check it out. The food is what I would consider to be a cut-above in terms of quality. But the bigger draw is the prices. You can save a small fortune just on cheese and wine. One thing I've heard but have not confirmed is that everything in the store is kosher. Anyway, it was no major shopping spree, just a few favorites and a good excuse to try out the in-dash GPS system in Sis' new Nissan. We stopped for lunch and made it back to Spit and Glue before 2:00. Sis made this pizza on the gas BBQ using pizza dough from TJ's and a few toppings, it was delicious.

It's harder to come back than it is to arrive!

It's harder to come back than it is to arrive. I heard those words float over the din in the market last week and my reflex reaction was to say under my breath, 'ain't that the truth'... after a couple of seconds though I thought again. Yes, well, arriving is not exactly a piece of cake, is it? Or do I even know what it is to 'arrive'? Arrive at what? Arrive where and by whose definition of arrival? Somewhere deep within my life recollections there is a hazy memory of feeling I had made an arrival of some kind, somewhere, but I can't recall specifics. If whatever it was I had arrived at was anything to write home about I should be able to remember it now, right?

It's coming back that I know a little something about. Some may even go as far as to say I've made a career out of 'coming-back'. Or reinventing myself as it were. I'm not saying I'm Madonna, I've just been so many "places" in my life and time you'd think I'd pick one and stay there. The way I figure it, I maybe have one more 'come-back' left in me, and I'm not completely convinced I'll be able to pull it off, so stay tuned. What in hell does all this mean? Is there a message or a moral here to 'arrive at'? Maybe not, or maybe the lesson is not to think so much about what you hear other people say.

Cap'n Keith at the Helm!

Last week I paid a visit to the crew in Ft. Lauderdale. How lucky to have seen them twice in a matter of a few weeks and to have been invited on a cruise around the inter-coastal, what a treat.

I hadn't been near the ocean in such a long time and it had been even longer since I'd been on it.

As I stepped on board the "Dream Baby" I was overwhelmed by a giant emotional rush. The air smelled fantastically familiar with diesel fuel and musky sea water, heavenly. Suddenly there was a thick lump rising in my throat, I was starting to tear up! Geeez I hate that about being this age. Everything makes me blubber like some old boozy Shelly Winters character. I've got to practice laughing instead of crying when things touch me in that way. Hard to do when your verklept!

In the capable hands of our captain (Mr. R) Nik and I sat back and let the boat take us gently down the breezy waterway. We took in the scenery and made a little toast with our wine glasses, we chatted and joked and waved lazily at other boaters floating by who gestured back with equal enthusiasm. We docked in front of a busy waterfront restaurant and went ashore for take-out and a Margarita. As we pushed away with our snacks in tow, I remember thinking, "it was a lot easier coming aboard the first time, could I be getting drunk?" I looked at Nik to she what shape she was in, yeah we we're feeling our oats alright. Ten minutes later the sun was disappearing behind the overcast. Ten minutes after that it was night-time. Captain turned on the music and managed the boats drift over black, glass-like water that played mirror to twinkling harbor lights.

Heading back over the open channel Mr. R opened the throttle and sped across the dark water into the night. Just then on the horizon a lightening storm behind thick cloud-cover added special effect to the moment, like something out of a movie. Like clock-work the lump began it's clime up my throat once again. I forced a swallow to keep the tears from welling and per my earlier promise, I remembered to laugh.

Walk This Way!

Hi All,

Yeah, I'm back and ready to dip my toe back into the water at Spit and Glue. While I was away and surfing the Internet I came across an interesting blog belonging to a professional landscaper named Steve. As I scrolled through a set of photos he'd taken of a recently completed job, a very strange sensation came over me. All at once, and in a matter of a micro-second I thought I was looking at Moms cottage, where I live! The property in Steve's photos was almost identical to Sis'. As was the job that needed doing! Dig a small drain at the driveway's end to divert the run-off that floods the garage floor, and create a pathway the length of the building to avoid having to walk in the grass (see 6/9 blog posting entitled "Majors and Minors"). Look at this picture. It's the property Steve worked on.

This is Sis' property. The staircase leads to the cottage. We use the path next to the building to get to and from, but it's all grass and dirt. I make the trip several times a day - every day and my feet have begun to look like that of a farmhands. Is that a pun? Here's the end of our driveway where the water collects and where the drain is needed. Here's the work Steve did in North Carolina! It's uncanny!

I contacted Steve at http://www.stevemoize.blogspot.com/ and he was kind enough to answer with a very generous offer to bid the job. However, as we know, unless Steve knows how to do Spit and Glue, we'll have to leave it on the long list, right there next to the back-burner!

Always Curtsy When You Sneeze!

How do you like that title? Ladies............................... can you guess what the inspiration was? Well, it's the name of yet another blog I'll be starting within the next couple of weeks. I know, I know.... you're thinking that this news doesn't coincide with recent writings here on Spit and Glue. You're right, it doesn't. But I was feeling so discouraged when auto statistics indicated that only SIX people had visited SnG. I was ready to stop blogging all together. So I looked further and discovered the stats were incorrect. I was looking at information that was less than a day old and realized I was reading it wrong.

The numbers still aren't where I want them to be on SnG, but they're building steadily and that's all one can ask for at this stage of the game.

I'm still out of town and away from my own PC, so you may not see any good posting on SnG until my return on Tuesday. For now I'm in Florida with family doing family things, but not to worry, we're also brainstorming new ideas for your reading pleasure.

Spit and Glue Blues

I love this little blog and have had so much fun doing it. But I have to be honest, my enthusiasm for keeping it going has begun to wane. It started out to be a chronicle of the many, many fix-it projects that are crying out to be completed here on Sis' property. My hope was to elicit constructive comments from people out there who have managed to complete similar projects on just a shoe-string. Unfortunately, my focus has been on developing content for the page instead of marketing it, therefore, it has come to my attention that hardly anyone reads it. News of this has my spirit a bit deflated, so I'm considering taking a break from Spit and Glue, the blog. I'll keep you posted.

Getting Old Ain't For Sissies!

Getting old ain't for sissies. That's our mantra around Spit and Glue, or for short, "SAG". However if you're reading this and you're not over the age of 40, the expression may sail right over your under 40 year old head, so to explain.

What we mean when we say "getting old ain't for sissies" is that if you don't have a pretty thick skin about vanity, you're in for a very rude awakening the day your skin turns to spotted crepe. It'll hit you like a subtle ton of bricks, like pulling into a parking space that faces plate-glass and catching a glimpse of yourself behind the wheel. For the first half a second, you don't realize it's you. You're looking right into a reflection of yourself the way the world sees you. This actually happened to me and I've been masterfully avoiding my own reflection ever since. I could give you many more examples of the same phenomenon, and I just might.

But aside from the physical manifestation of everything bad you've ever done showing up on your face one day, there's another set of frustrating things the aging process brings which have nothing to do with looks. I don't mean forgetting where you hid your favorite jewelry or an important document. Short term memory loss is a legitimate sign that you're getting up there, but any sissy should be able to handle it.

I'm talking about a dirty little secret that some women have to learn the hard way, such as.... right about the time you've lost your ability to see past the nose on your lovely face, it starts to grow whiskers. You'll be the last to know because you can't see them and no one you know will be brave enough to tell you. So you'll discover them yourself one evening in some restaurant ladies room with cruel and unusual lighting. I warn you now, don't allow this particular situation to propel you into a state of deep denial. You can't afford to ignore what's coming next. Does the name Dorian Grey mean anything to you?

Information of this kind must be spoon fed to the unknowing. Anyone in their 50's is hip to it already and could probably add a great deal to this discussion. You're welcome to do so, just hit the comment button at the end of this post and tell me about it.

On a happy note, by the time you're this age, you've managed to structure your life so that it's virtually free of annoying people or having to do things you don't want to do. You've paid some dues and earned your place in the world. You're around folks you love and who love you and you haven't forgotten how to laugh, especially at yourself.