Newton

My name...Newton, Newtie, Newtron, Newtronovich, Puppy, Pretty Boy
Age...13+
Childhood ambition... To be a watch dog.
Soundtrack... Lion King
Retreat... My bed in a bright sunny window
Wildest dream... No dogs
Proudest moment... Catching mice and then presenting them to my daddy.
Biggest challenge...Mastering the Pythagorean theory.
Alarm clock...The sound of my daddy’s voice..
Perfect day... Sunshine, no dogs and a bit of Vivaldi playing.
First job... Inspected parts at an electronics factory.
Indulgence... Nip!
Last purchase... Mr. Science home chemistry kit.
Favorite movie... Born Free
Inspiration... Sir Isaac Newton
My life... A hit of nip and sleeping the afternoon away.
My card... MasterCat

Seasonal Changes

The truth is I have not been blogging much the past two weeks, and yes I need to finish up with the pet profiles. Poor Newton always gets left behind. Tune in tomorrow to learn all things Newton.

Spring is my favorite season and here in central Ohio we are in High Spring! So I have been spending most of my available daylight hours outside.

Here’s a photo of my favorite thing in the garden today. It is a small hypertufa trough I made a couple of years ago. The plants are two types of creeping Sedum, a red Czech Sempervivum, i.e. a fancy Hen & Chicks, and a bonsai weeping Canadian Hemlock.



If you are interested in Hypertufa, I will be posting a "how-to" later this spring.

Anna

My name...Anna Maria Del Vecchio
Age...Thanks for asking.
Childhood ambition... To never look back
Soundtrack... Ricky Martin, New Order, Pink, anything NPR...
Retreat... Venice in the fall or Rome in spring.
Wildest dream... For one day, just to be a small Beagle
Proudest moment... My Nobel Prize....Thank you again, I was so touched and surprised.
Biggest challenge... To always stay loyal to my simple upbringing.
Alarm clock... My gold Cartier watch with pink leather band.
Perfect day... I have many perfect days; spending time with Papa and Babbo or laying in the sun on a warm spring day, maybe spending time with the girls out shopping or even the many hours of community service I do each year.
First job... Thanks for asking.
Indulgence... Cheese of the month club and a bottle of White Zinfandel....NOT!!
Last purchase... Prada shoes. They are just sinfully gorgeous!
Favorite movie... Breakfast at Tiffany's
Inspiration... Hello Kitty
My life... Shopping with the girls at Nordstrom, a light lunch, and then several rounds of Manhattans.
My card... Platinum, Platinum, Platinum...

Questions are on loan from My Spin On Things

Tyler

My name...Tyler
Age...11
Childhood ambition... To make the world a better and safer place.
Soundtrack... Al Yankovic
Retreat...Sleeping under the sheets.
Wildest dream... To finally catch the squirrel
Proudest moment... The day I humped Scout and lived.
Biggest challenge... Trying to play with Radley, he's SO big.
Alarm clock... I think that the yellow dog wakes up Anna and then she wakes me up.
Perfect day... A meal every two hours.
First job... I guarded the house from squirrels, leaves and other bad things.
Indulgence... Any food left on the kitchen counter.
Last purchase... My anti-depressants
Favorite movie...Caddy Shack
Inspiration...Willie Coyote
My life... is busy
My card... Discover

Questions are on loan from My Spin On Things

Tree Pollen redux

Here's a shot of the crabapple tree that sits across the street from our house, what a beauty. Today the smell was intoxicating and if I wasn't completely congested (from the tree pollen) I would say that the smell was completely overwhelming.

It's been a nice spring in CenOH this year.

Scout

My name...Scout
Age…10
Childhood ambition...World domination
Soundtrack...Mahler and The Smiths
Retreat...Sunning in the backyard
Wildest dream...again, world domination
Proudest moment...Everyday of my life
Biggest challenge...Dealing with inferiors
Alarm clock...The Yellow Dog, what a pain!
Perfect day...Sleeping in late, sunny naps, and a lot of butt rubs
First job...I don't work
Indulgence...Bandanas
Last purchase...Traps for small dogs
Favorite movie...To Kill a Mockingbird
Inspiration...Margaret Thatcher
My life...Miserable
My card...PetSmarts

Questions are on loan from My Spin On Things

Radley, the original yellow dog

My name...Radley
Age…7
Childhood ambition...World peace
Soundtrack...Duran Duran, ABBA, Showtunes!
Retreat...Being with my Bob
Wildest dream...Me alone in a cheese store.
Proudest moment...Making new friends with Anna and Tyler.
Biggest challenge...Speaking English.
Alarm clock...My friend, Mr. Sunshine.
Perfect day...food and a lot of Bob time … and some cheese snacks!
First job...I’ve been in the pound twice, does that count?
Indulgence...Parmigiano-Reggiano
Last purchase...???? I don’t have any pockets!
Favorite movie...To Kill a Mockingbird
Inspiration...My sunset meditation.
My life...I’m very happay. When do we eat again?
My card...I don’t have any cards, but I do have a few tags.

Questions are on loan from My Spin On Things

I hate Tuesdays and I also hate this...

I have nothing to hate. I'm taking tomorrow off to work in the yard. The weather should be great, so as long as the dogs or the tree pollen don't bring me down, it should be a fine day.

I just need to remind myself not to check my work email.

Family

Starting tomorrow I will be blogging about my children and step children. I was hoping to start tonight, but there has been some technical difficulties. I gave each of them the same questionnaire to fill out, because I thought this would be a great way for you to get to know each of them better. But unfortunately some of them are having a bit of trouble finishing up on time. So we will start tomorrow.

Wednesday will be Radley's day. Yes he is the original yellow dog.


Thursday will be Scout's day. She just recently celebrated her tenth birthday.


Friday we will be visiting with Tyler. He's our special child.


Saturday will be Anna's day. She is one wild blogging Beagle.


And then Sunday will be Newton's day. As the only cat in the house, he refuses to appear here with the dogs.


So stay tuned.

Monday Pretend

Today I'm pretending that it is a warm late spring/early summer morning and I am working in my old vegetable garden.



Yes it is true that I still own the garden property in the country, but I do spend most of my time in the city. I have been busy with the city garden, last year I did a major overhaul to the front yard, and this year I will be adding the final touches. Also, this year I will begin the shade garden on the side on the house.

Last year we had a great crop of tomatoes, peppers, and basil that I grew in pots in the back yard. I'll be doing that and maybe more this year. Tonight I planted some lettuce seedlings in pots that will sit at the base of the front porch.

I spend a lot of time just looking out the front window over looking the front yard. Each day something new is beginning to come up and I am just amazed at other plants that have double in size just over night. But I really miss looking over my old vegetable from a second floor window.



I became a Master Gardener in 1998 and since 1999 I have taught "Vegetable Gardening" at Master Gardener School. Last Tuesday, I think I might have taught my last class. Why? 1.) Well I have really been letting my volunteer hours slip to the bare minimum, 2.) The program coordinator who started the program is retiring this year, 3.) I don't know most of the people currently in the program, 4.) All the activities are at least a 30-minute drive away, 5.) I'm just lazy. I just don't know....

Here's an image from my PowerPoint presentation from MG School. It is an example of 'interplanting' i.e. planting two different crops that mature at different time within the same space. Here we have lettuce and broccoli.

I hate Tuesdays...and I hate this...

Tree Pollen
Yes, I know it's important, but my eyes hurt, my head is throbbing, and I'm congested. Come on trees you're killing me!

Monday Pretend

Today I'm pretending that it is early summer and I am at Wave Hill, a fabulous public garden in the northwest Bronx along the Hudson River.




These photos are from mid-July 2004. If you are visiting Manhattan, take the Hudson Line local train from Grand Central Station to Riverdale, then take a nice (but steep) 15 minute walk to the garden entrance.

PBS Hotness

Larry Durrell
"Larry was designed by Providence to go through life like a small, blond firework, exploding ideas in other people's minds, and then curling up with cat-like unctuousness and refusing to take any blame for the consequences..."

my family and other animals.

Matthew Goode was born in 1976 in Exeter, Devon, England, the youngest of five children. He studied drama at the University of Birmingham before continuing his training at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. He has been seen previously on Masterpiece Theatre in The Inspector Lynley Mysteries Series 3, He Knew He Was Right and in Miss Marple: A Murder is Announced.

Goode received two Teen Choice Award nominations in 2004 -- "Breakout Movie Star" and "Movie Liar" -- for his role opposite Mandy Moore in the film Chasing Liberty.

He'll be seen in Copying Beethoven (scheduled for limited release in the US in 2006), a fictionalized account of the last year of Beethoven's life with Ed Harris and Diane Kruger.

Spring Time Memories

It is beginning to appear that spring will be in it's glory this week here in central Ohio. Today I spotted the first Honey bees flying around the flowering bulbs. I have noticed that the bird population is changing, gone with the Juncos and hello House finches. The Robins are singing and the Doves are mating everywhere.

I don't know if it is because of spring or what, but today I had a flashback to my middle school years. You know way back when in math class when you had to go up to the chalk board to show the answer to the problem but you couldn't because the problem was in your pants. Well here I am, not quite in my teens... Twenties... Thirties... FUCK!... anymore, with a huge old erection in the middle of the sub shop. Was it because of the very cute guy sitting at the entrance (?), my sweetie's comments on how well my butt was looking (?), or is it because of spring. There I was at the coke machine with a big old pup tent sticking out between my legs. I LOVE SPRING!!!

We were at the Target and Old Navy Last night and sweetness bought me my 2006 pair of flip flops.


Yes, I will wear them everyday until...Thanksgiving. And Yes, if too cold I will wear them with socks, but only in the house, or in the yard, or maybe at the store. Nowhere too embarrassing.

I hate Tuesdays...but I love doing laundry!

Some people have said that I do laundry on any day of the week that ends in "y". Well I wouldn't be unhappy to do laundry often, but I do pass on popping in a load on a Friday night.

I was wondering about the origins of my love of doing laundry and I think I found it. As a wee Toadhead-tot, back in Arkansas, I always got to fold or I guess tried to fold the laundry while mom had Another World on the TV.

Oh! Another World, what a great show. I still miss Rachel, Mac and Iris.

While my older brothers were out in the yard playing football or some war game. I was with my laundry and soaps. What a fabulous way for a boy to spend a summer afternoon.

Monday Pretend

Today I'm pretending to be in Bologna

Not the most exciting photo, but I thought the signage was interesting.

Amazing!!!

It's 10:30 and I am just getting out of bed. The dogs let me sleep in four hours longer than usual. They now have had their breakfast and are all quietly laying around the house. I've never seen anything like this, sorry that the Gumby is missing this.








Ok..Ok.. April Fools!!

I've been up since 6:15 and if the dogs are not walking around whining they are outside barking or trying to break into the Cat compound. The good news is that I will be out of the house most of the afternoon.