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Southern Living: Odd, Local Signs of Spring
Ever hear of the flowering plant Jessamine? It's a Southern plant that grows wild in our area. I understand that the name is a corruption of the word "jasmine," a plant which also flourishes in this area and bears a superficial resemblance to it. But while jasmine is an edible flower, jessamine is poisonous. This is basically the view of some ( Read more... ) -
spring is really here in the South
As a lifetime North-easterner, it's hard for me to get used to this semi-tropical climate. The winters are so short here! Early daffodils and hyacinths have been up for a month. Robins were back at the end of the first week in February, and various birds seem to be making nests in every tree. Most nights it's hovered above freezing to the mid-40s F ( Read more... ) -
Southern Living: Moving House. Literally.
IN my next my Southern Living "Outbuildings" post, I will talk about the high water table here and the fact that basements were therefore nearly unheard of. Another facet of building in this hot climate is that the homes have vents in the crawl spaces, or just are set on blocks to allow air to circulate under the floor, cooling the house ( Read more... ) -
TED talk: How to green the desert and reverse climate change
This is mind-blowing. Much of what we thought we knew about desertification is wrong. The (proven, now) solution is counter-intuitive. And it can reverse climate change, while helping feed the world.
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five things make a post
- Today I was interviewed by a financial reporter today regarding the post I did on CareCredit, the scam financiers of medical devices like my hearing aids. I will let you know when the article comes out.
- My seed tomatoes, bell peppers, jalapenos, eggplant green onions, and three kinds of annual herbs are started in dome tray flats near a window. And ( Read more... )
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healthcare concerns
I saw this article today. It got me thinking about how to deal with such things. Healthcare billing is changing. But some things remain the same. One constant thing is checking bills.
My mother was ill the whole time I was growing up, in the hospital at least once a year. (Wrong kind of blood in a transfusion, anaphylactic shock, only witness on ( Read more... ) -
Poor? No, living within our means.
I had an interesting talk with a friend earlier today. I was venting: three relatives/friends crashed last Friday's wedding rehearsal dinner without invitations and I was annoyed at not only their temerity, but the added expense . We'd only budgeted $400 for the restaurant bill. Luckily, my brother paid for himself and my sister from VA and her son ( Read more... ) -
Ah, the wedding day
The reception hall for my son's wedding was decorated yesterday; I spent six hours on that with a crew of relatives and friends. Then we had the rehearsal, and then the rehearsal dinner. It was fine, even though my ex was there with his second wife. I've had trouble with his second wife in the past but that seems to be over. The hatchet she seems ( Read more... ) -
my son's wedding is rehearsal tomorrow...
...and the wedding is the day after that. It's been so hectic leading up to a post-holidays wedding, I've rarely been here ( Read more... )
