in which our plucky heroine's work in all undone...
Once upon a time there were three hens: Speckledy, Sparkley, and Spot. Not that long ago Spot acquired a new name: "Stupid" (why you may ask, well go here and read the second section down, after the Sea of Holes and all the medical fu) Well today, Stupid almost acquired her third and final name: "Supper"...
I am sooo mad, mostly at myself for being absent-minded in my delight at having company. See... S & B came over this afternoon, and B was willing to mow my very shaggy backyard (I'd intended mowing a few days ago, but shoulder fu intervened) He did an absolutely splendid job, then came back in to join us. A little while later C arrived here, a stopping point on her way south to the War, and we all were having much good conversation. I'd somehow forgotten that not only can said hen escape from the henyard, and had done so, and also entirely forgotten to check that the gate to the side yard had been closed...
The Very Sad Results - my lovely lacinato kale plant babies are now mostly stubs. Some are entirely gone. While said hen fortunately ignored the other plant babies, she systematically destroyed all my autumn greens, before they could even get started. Even the ones that I'd interplanted with the other new plants. (sigh) Since they were really new starts, there is probably not enough root system for them to regrow, without leaves anyhow... (grrrr... arrrgh...)
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This just in, glasses and sunglasses ordered online two weeks ago have arrived today; am happy to now have a pair of perscription sunglasses ($24) and a pair of polycarbonate backup/safety/shooting glasses ($28). They fit well, seem to match my pupil distance accurately, and are very easy on the pocketbook. Shall probably go ahead and order backup bifocals as well, (they run about $50). There are a number of online sources, these came from Zenni Optical.
While you do not get the personal attention and fitting help that a local shop would provide, the savings (at least a factor of ten) makes forgoing that worth it. These are not my "dream" glasses, I did look long and hard around Portland to find a local shop that would actually sell me what I really wanted (cable temples), but was entirely unsuccessful. Learning when close enough is okay is a useful adult skill. I'd rather have these backups in hand, and use my limited resources to add additional resilient resources to Acorn Cottage, rather than spend several hundred dollars on only one pair... (thanks to Andrea for the initial idea and useful feedback)
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My student Amelia has been experimenting with applying enamel to only a portion of the metal base plate, creating a more dimensional effect. I'd say that her experiments are successful; they are certainly attractive!
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I now have a better diagnosis after today's doc visit - is rotator cuff tendinitis :(
can stop taking heavy meds, on the advice of regular doc (yay!! current meds ineffective for pain and have most unpleasant side effects) He suggested cortisone in shoulder then a course of physical therapy, has anyone out there had similar injection with good or bad results?
Pain is like the elephant in the living room, not in that no one talks about it, but that it takes up all the central space, leaving only small peripheral areas visible...
here are a few bits of peripheralia:
the northside garden, which S helped me set up, now is full of plants. I cheated and bought plant starts. From front to back, there is Lacinato Kale, Golden Chard, and Jimmy Nardello peppers. Barely visible are arugala, and walking onions. My hope is to be able to harvest some greens for a long time, once the plants get large enough, with peppers for a bit of a change once in a long while. Not sure if this area gets enought sun for peppers, but we'll see.
The arugala that was planted a while back is all going to seed. Not only are the flowers pretty, but they make a tasty addition to salad, having much the same flavor as the arugala leaves.
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This is what my new flashlight looks like, with the diffusion cap that I made. As you can see, it throws quite a bit of light even on the lowest setting. Am very happy with the way it is designed to be able to stand on end as a kind of LED candle...
