Thursday, May 3, 2012

Hodge Podge of Thoughts!

I have such a hodge podge of thoughts going through my head, and it is hard to really organize them and make sense of one thing. First what is the origin of hodge podge:
1350–1400; Middle English hoche poche, rhyming variant of hotchpot

When my cousin came to visit, he reminded me why he and I are so alike.  As I drove the car, he would see a sign or a street name or something and ask what it was or the meaning of something.  Often I would not know, and he would pull out his Blackberry and look it up.  I often write down something, and then look it up later on the computer.  But most often I would forget or lose the paper I had written something on.  Sometimes when we returned to my house, he would look up information on the computer.  So now I am going to get back into that habit. 

 

This is an iris I found on the hillside two late winters ago before the honeysuckle had covered everything up.  Isn't it lovely?  I think I like it better than the bearded iris that is in everyone's yard.  What kind of iris is this?  I think it is a blue flag iris. It has a rhizome, and it is not bearded.  So it is a flag iris.  That much I know.  It has quite a long stem, and it seems to spreading out, as iris do.

A young child was here on Sunday with is mom.  In the middle of the conversation, he suddenly said, "I think I hear a bird."  I said it is a bird.  He said where did I keep it.  And I pointed out the window to the top of my oak tree, and told him to look up there.  My brown thrasher sits there and whistles and talks all day long.  He is much noisier than the mockingbirds.  It is usually the first thing I hear in the morning.  I am trying so desperately not to use the air conditioning, and the windows and doors are open all day long.  So I get songs all day long.

My friend who had the surgery is doing really dumb and stupid things now.  She went out to breakfast with her husband on Sunday-six days after open-heart surgery.  She went to her doctor for her blood test for coumadin yesterday.  Her mother-in-law drove her, and they stopped at a quilt shop on the way home.  She lay down when she got home, and when she woke up she was disoriented and thinking something was on her mind.  After finally waking up fully, she realized she had another doctor's appointment to have an ekg done.  And she drove herself to that appt.  I am wiping my hands on this one.  I think once I get over being mad at her, I will give her a good stern medical talking-to.
I am so happy she is never one of my patients that I have to work with.

I was standing outside this morning while Patty was sniffing the ground.  I was trying to see what my front of the house "really" looks like.  I like it.  I remember that when I moved in there was nothing in front.  There was a huge expanse of pasture grass/weeds that had to be mowed.  Now I have several redbuds, a huge expanse of flowers, two weigelias, and four red buckeyes.  I did not take the birdfeeder down that is in the flower bed.   That gives a primitive sculpture added in.

We are having temps close to 90 degrees this week.  I refuse to use the air conditioner this early.  My allergies are rampant. Even with allergies, I just breathe better with real air, not that artificial stuff.  So far the front north room that I use for knitting/weaving is the coolest room in the house.  I moved my spinning wheel in yesterday to ply the yarn.  It is nice to sit under the ceiling fan and have the windows open. I also get to hear all the birds and I get to watch the woodchuck come out and eat.  I did see my roadrunner yesterday running across the front of the yard and then across the road to the cow pasture.

Cows-my goodness we have had a bunch of babies hatch in the last week or so.  They are so darn cute.  Yesterday I went out to the mailbox and roadside to weedeat, and all the cows with their babies were up to the fence line.  I just stood there and watched the babies and their mamas.  Once I made eye contact with one of the kids, but he/she wasn't really interested in me.  One of the mamas was watching me pretty closely.

I know it sounds pretty rural, doesn't it.  Actually I am in the city limits.  A friend once told me it is called urban/rural.  I like the area.  I am within 15 mins of a hospital driving fast.  I am within five miles of grocery, gas, and three miles from Highway 412.  Going the other way I am in Fayetteville within fifteen minutes.  But I get to see cows, horses, birds, hear coyotes at night, and listen to owls.

The yearly battle with ants has started again in the kitchen.  It usually only lasts a short time, but it is ugly to see the line marching across the counter.  I found a huge glob of them trying to figure out how to get into the honey jar.  So I made a paste of borax and water and smeared all over the jar.  So far that has worked.  It is imperative to not leave any food out, and to keep wiping down the counters. UGH!

Well, I think the grass has dried enough that I can do the trim mowing before it gets too hot.  I need to weedeat, too.

Have a good weekend.  Try to stay cool and calm.  It is nice to just stay in and knit, weave and spin. 

   



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