Feel The Heat

Back to school time. No new binders, pens and dividers for me. These are my back-to-school supplies. Expect to be bored to tears with stories of my adventures in welding. Danny Walker has his work cut out trying to keep me from melting the hoses and exploding the world as we know it. But, dammit, I want to melt iron and build things or..."I'm gonna build shit with fahr"! I am woman - hear me whine when the sparks and random chunks of molten metal fly.

Life in the Fast Lane

The sun came out this afternoon so I took the opportunity to run some outgoing up to the mailroom and take the long way back to the office. Walking behind the field house towards the stadium, I spotted this guy in the path, all appendages tucked away, covered with the dried remains of pond plants, only the tiniest hint of a snout and claws held a clue that this was no rock. The hare was nowhere to be seen.

Less-than-average rainfall this winter left my pond walks around campus lacking treasures; the spots where last year I spotted hundreds of pollywogs are all but dry, the water starting far beyond my reach. I'm sure Speedy was bored and left for wetter pastures and, angry though he may have been, I took it upon myself to transport him to a more appropriate environment. Naturally, I wore a skirt today so I was less than demure as I climbed through the brambles and snags to find a clear bank but I found him some bog nonetheless. I startled a frog or two with my crashing about so I figure it must be friendlier territory for amphibians than the warm asphalt of the gym parking lot.

Ch Ch Ch Changes

Like a lot of people, I find myself constantly fighting the battle of environment vs. economy. In an effort to support conscious production of my food as well as the local economy, I make the tough decision to buy, for example, $2/pound organic zucchini at the Farmer's Market rather than the much more economical standard squash at the grocery store. I have to admit that I am not as concerned about the eating as much as the process of organics. After all, we survived our childhoods fraught with copious amounts of lead and lawn sprays, not to mention the lack of seatbelts and bicycle helmets. It's more the process of genetically modifying crops to suit our schedules and spraying chemicals over the farm crews as if they were dispensable that disturbs me. That said, I wanted to share this week's farm box and hopefully, each week's bounty in order to encourage more of you to support local farms - pricey but I think it will save us much in the long run. This week, another kohlrabi (that's the funny purple spaceship), a bit of lettuce and a small chunk of broccoli. those went into a pasta pot into which I added some home-canned tuna and scads of garlic. The garlic was in there, too, along with some new potatoes, a few onions, summer squash (which, in hindsight, would have been better with the tuna), some basil and parsley, both of which also added to the dinner. It's still only our second box so the pickin's are slim but really very nice. The box will get fuller as the weeks go by. The letter enclosed assures us that tomatoes are on their way. My most recent adjustment has been my milk purchases. As pleased as I've been with a gallon of milk finally costing less than two bucks at Winco, neither of the brands they carry are California produced....what about our Happy Cows? They do carry Humboldt Creamery milk in half gallons but it's much more expensive. What's a girl to do when, as a Surfrider member, she supports the Rise Above Plastics but the gallon jugs of milk are SO much less expensive. Argh! have discovered Walgreen's carries Humboldt Creamery milk, often just a bit above the $2 mark so I've been making a stop there to buy my milk and decided this week to spend more (about 75¢/gallon) to switch to half-gallon cartons that I can burn. When you buy three or four gallons of milk a week, it can add up but it's a price I'm willing to pay to keep money local and avoid the use of plastic. It has totally changed the look of my frig, though.

No More Pencils....No More Books

Well folks...I did it. Thirty some odd years after graduating from Harbor High in Santa Cruz, I finally got my two-year degree. I've been calling it the "ten year plan" but I realized it only took five years. And with highest honors, no less. Associate of Science degree in what I call Random Studies, I have taken classes that help me to do my job...a little business...a little digital and assorted software...oh, and Pilates. I would be remiss if I didn't express sincere gratitude for the patience of my family. Setting a good example for the girls, getting my homework done really sucked! I was a content B student in high school because, well ... A's would have taken too much effort. Will I go on? As a co-graduate told me, "As soon as I figure out what I want to be when I grow up."

It's Beginning to Smell A Lot Like Christmas

Making a cross-campus trek this afternoon, the smell of Christmas greeted me. There has been some trimming of the trees on the hill but this was strong…and somehow festive. Coming back, I heard the sound of the chipper. Aah! Our grounds crew cleaning up AFTER the recent winds and likely catching loose branches BEFORE they blow down on a car. There’s a fine line between winter ambiance and just plain scrappy (see previous blog on my pathetic garden) when it comes to yard maintenance but the grounds crew here manage to keep things looking tidy but not artificial. On this particular winter afternoon, it was perfect timing. I will head off into the weekend with the smell of pine … or fir…or some form of evergreen in my nose putting me in the mood to decorate and bake and maybe listen to Perry Como and the Tran Siberian Orchestra do battle over Christmas songs… Fa la la la la