Totally Gross

My gutters needed to be cleaned. They were overflowing and flooding my flowerbeds. So, my neighbor, Rick, loaned me his big tall ladder and helped me with the hard, scary, high parts. There were massive amounts nasty mushy wet leaves. I filled up a little 13 gallon trash can 2 times with that disgusting mess. Guh-ross!

I'm Taking a Breaaaaak!

I can only focus on school work for just so long. So, here's what I did to give myself a break today between rain showers.


This is a Dahlia plant in the terra cotta pot. Those three little green mounds are perenial groundcovers called "blue star" something or other. You can walk on them. Given the fact that just to the right of where this picture was taken is the fire pit and Miner and others gather around it and sometimes stand in the mulch, I am thinking this is what I am going to plant all around that area. Plus, it smells lovely. I also planted a daylilly, put a trailing petunia-type flower in my hanging baskets and potted three geraniums.


On the NW corner of the house, I was looking for something to go with the bleeding hearts (which, by the way, got their bloom on this weekend). This is a geranium that is hardy in this area, so it will come back every year, too.


Finally, the Asiatic lillies are coming up. Begonias always did well on my front porch in pots, so I thought I'd try planting them in front of the lillies.

Miner just hung out most of the day. He really wanted to eat the blood meal I put around all the new plants to keep the rabbits and squirrels away. Then we went for our walk. Now, just chilling in the living room, checking the internets and going to do some more reading.

Yellow Bandit Strikes Again

Every once in a while, a stray yellow lab comes around. The last time was a few months ago, when Miner and I were outside and he sneaked up on us on the deck. Well, this morning, Miner and I were walking around the back yard, and a rabbit came running, awfully close to Miner. No sooner had I thought, "well, that's kind of dumb, stupid rabbit," than the yellow bandit came from around the side of one of the houses behind mine. Miner was NOT happy. I completely handled it the wrong way, and freaked out. My blood pressure is still up a little. Cesar would have said, "Amy, you must remain calm and assertive, not anxious and freaked out." Argh!

New Toy, 1st Weekend of Class

Last weekend, I bought a new weed eater. The old one was gas powered and heavy and frankly, I hate it because it was an anniversary gift I didn't ask for or want 2.5 years ago. So I need to get the details on it and put it on Craig's list. The new one is under 7 lbs. and powered by an 18 volt rechargeable battery. It is great! Very quiet and easy to use. So much so, that I think I will get the leaf blower that uses the same batteries. Thank you Black & Decker for making things that short people with poor upper body strength can use.

This was the first weekend of my intersession class. I am taking "Maximizing Team Performance." I need to think of a project topic. We have the choice of working in a group or working alone. Honestly, I think if I can't pick a good topic on my own, I might just work in a group. I need to think of something along the lines of teamwork that I'd like to learn more about. This is a fun class so far.

He's My Dog Now!

Back in the day, I was always jealous that Miner got so excited when David came home. If I was home before David, or he left to go some where and came back, Miner would see his headlights pulling in and Jump up at the back window to see him. Miner NEVER did this when David was home and I was pulling in to come home.

Well, yesterday and Sunday both, when I was in the alley turning into the garage, who's little face did I see in the back window? My dog!! Yup, he's mine. We went for a walk today and he was very well behaved, too.

Birds

I have a bird feeder right out my dining room window. It's a pole that has two feeders hanging off it and a hanging basket full of yellow pansies. I love it. Especially that this morning, I just saw a male and female cardinal on it. :) I spend a little extra on bird seed to get straight thistle seed for one feeder and straight safflower seed for the other. This keeps the cardinals coming and keeps the dang crows away. The crows make such a mess and run off all the other birds. That's right. I am bird prejudiced.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

I wish it would quit raining. This means I am going to have to mow mid-week, because I didn't mow yesterday. Damn!

Sweet!!

Got a call from Brian this afternoon. He is driving to Indy this weekend with some friends. They're crashing here tonight. :) Jealous, Mom?

ugh...stomach ache

I will not eat the homemade chips and garlic dip at The River House any more. Every time I do, my stomach bothers me later that day. Today, it's stomach bothering me combined with a little dizziness. UGH!

Things to do in Denver When You're Dead

...great movie, by the way.

I always think of that title whenever I am having a "stuff to do when..." sort of thought.

For today, it's Things to do on Easter When You're Not a Practicing Christian:
- Clean your car, you can do a much better job than those twerps at Water Park anyway
- Sweep out the garage
- Contemplate selling your "engagement bicycle" and getting a cruiser bike instead (or save it for when Owen is tall enough to ride it - which might be sooner than you think, given it's the smallest adult frame available)
- Mow the lawn
- Wander aimlessly around WalBox at 7:00 AM
- Check for updates on Ruby every 2 hours
- Pay bills and straighten up your office
- Measure office closet and price out elfa system online - contemplate re-doing the inside to better suit office storage instead of clothes storage
- Go grocery shopping after planning out some meals for the week
- Contemplate buying ingredients to make Aunt Jeanette's broccoli cheese casserole...it is Easter after all
- Throw a stick around in the yard for Miner
- RELAX!
- Go for long walk after lunch

My Bedroom

Well, once again I have my own bedroom. In my 32 years of life, I shared a room with someone for 26 of them. Mine, all mine...and if I wanted to, I could jump on that bed (and run in the house with scissors, too).

Most Running Yet

Google maps measurement tool confirms that Miner and I ran 2/3 of our 1.5 mile loop today. That's the most yet. Tomorrow, I'm planning to do the same, but add a 2nd lap of walking at the end.

First Casualties of the Season

All I can say is I am glad I didn't find them. My neighbor Rick found 5 baby rabbits in one of the nests in my yard...the ones I keep trying to fill back up with dirt...that I don't want there precisely because I don't want baby rabbits in my yard. Rick disposed of them yesterday, but I found out today. This explains why Miner would not come when called this morning when he was sniffing around that hole. I need to mow the lawn. I never did a late fall, mow it short one last time sort of mowing...so there are some long patches of grass. Plan is one day this weekend to mow, and buy a few bags of top soil and fill in the rabbit holes and build the soil up where the drain tile is exposed. Really, I am just greatful that I didn't have to deal with the baby rabbits...as in clean up the mess when Miner would have eventually gotten hold of them.

Punching and Kicking

I love, love, LOVE when there is a Jazzercise routine with punching and I actually have a person's face to visualize. :) Let me be clear, the number of times I have hit a person and intended to inflict pain is like...twice...maybe. I think I attempted to slap one of the Brazell sisters at the bus stop in middle school, but didn't connect. And I don't really count any time I hit Erin or Brian because I think that evened out eventually (right e? right b?) Maybe that one time I threw a plastic cup at Erin and cut her cheek below her eye...but I digress.

Anyway, I have been getting way to emotionally involved in this project at work. By emotionally involved, I mean angry that I have provided answers to a group of people over the course of the last 8 months. The answer has not changed, they just don't like it. They continue to challenge it. I continue to provide evidence that supports what I am telling them. They still don't like it. They are in denial. It doesn't make their numbers in this project they are proposing look very good, so they are trying to get a different answer. So, they are planning to travel for a week on the west coast, visiting our dealers...who are more than likely going to give them the same answer I did. At least, I am pretty darn confident that our dealers will give them the same answers...otherwise I never would have given them that answer in the first place. So, when they get back and get the same answer I gave them, I can sit there smugly thinking, "See, I know what the fuck I am talking about!" while just saying, "that's good to have confirmation from more than one source that this is the strategy we need to follow."

I did get a little snippy on a conference call this afternoon. My boss said afterward, "Amy, try not to get so emotionally involved. You can hear it in your tone of voice. But, don't back down. You are right, and you need to continue to challenge them on this issue." I am thinking Jazzercise punching is going to be a darn good release for me today.

Between challenging the jerks at work and challenging my muscles with exercise, I kept telling myself all day, "Cha...cha...cha...challenge yourself!" Poussons & Johnsons know what I'm talking about. ;)

exercise, damnit!

When I moved to Davenport at the beginning of 2002, I saw it as an opportunity to start new (good) habits. I lost 50 lbs. in 2002. And another 25 in 2003. Then I got married and gained 40 of it back. On a 5-ft. 1-in. frame that's pretty bad.

So, I am looking at the divorce as a good opportunity to re-invent myself. Figure out who this Amy is. Yesterday began my mission to get my ass back in shape. Back then, I was going to Jazzercise 3-4 times a week and in the summers playing volleyball once a week. At least one of those Jazzercise classes was a strength training class. My usual Jazzercise place doesn't do those anymore. Luckily, a woman in my office teaches the strength training class in my building at lunch time two days a week. Started that yesterday (triceps are killing me). The rest of the plan is to go to regular Jazzercise class at my usual place 2 times a week as well. Then, walk/run with Miner on the other days - walk on my "rest" days and run on the others. I am cool with running on the same days that I do strength training. The idea being that 5 or 6 days a week I need to do something vigorous and 1 or 2 days of taking it easy. Plus, Miner always does better when he's had a walk.

Yeah, that's the plan. I know I will have gotten some where when I fit in these pants and that blue North Face top fits that loose again.


That photo is from the Badlands in SD...taken the day before I got married. I was probably in the best shape of my life at that point. Even better than when I played softball in high school (because back then I was smoking and not eating breakfast and having a Dr. Pepper and Snickers bar for lunch - it's a wonder I didn't faint more often than I did).

Eh...

I had a rough night last night...I was missing David. Well, I was missing having another human in the house with me. But missing David, too. :( One day at a time.

My new crush...

...is Dhani Jones on the Travel Channel. He's cute AND funny. And it doesn't hurt that he's a frikkin' NFL linebacker, so he's hellah ripped.

It's Spring and Everyone is Nuts!

It's official, all the animals in my near vicinity have gone berserk. There are rabbits attempting to nest in the middle of my back yard. They are digging out little shallow spots in the grass and pushing dead grass and leaves into it for a nice little bunny nest. They are doing this right in the area that Miner hangs out. Stupid rabbits!

Then, when I am letting Miner out this morning, I notice this.


Last year, it was a walnut wedged into the space between the garage and the down-spout for the gutter. But in this case, some squirrel dragged this corn cob from who knows where (probably the house on the NE corner of the intersection of my street and the closest cross-street).

Plus, Miner just doesn't want to listen much these days. I remember back when he was in obedience training, the gal was saying to make sure you keep a close eye on your dogs this time of year - basically they've got spring fever and would run off after any little bunny or squirrel and run a good risk of getting hit by cars.

Something I Remembered Today

...was that if you want to convince someone to do something they don't want to, you
A. Make it seem like their idea
B. Comment how the fact that they are a "process pro" can help make things better
C. Don't "Pous Out" as JohnJohn would say - and share more information than is absolutely necessary.

Oh, I still realize that no one gives a shit about undercarriage and all the crazy requirements we have for warranty...but that's why I have a job. To make them care! Damnit!