Yucking Other People’s Yum
I posted a cute story this summer about the Mafia Squirrels stealing the paintbrush I use to hand pollinate the squash and cucumbers.
Someone commented a bit of nonsense about how hand pollination is destroying the world.
(I don’t think he understands what hand pollination is or much of anything about gardening.)
This isn’t the first time he’s left a comment like this.
Any time I post something joyful, he comments, criticizing it.
I’ve reached the conclusion that he is trying to steal my happiness around any task or thing I love.
He is deliberately yucking my yum.
This is an act of hate, not of love or friendship.
And, in this tire fire world, I don’t have the energy for this.
(shakes head)
I blocked him and moved on with my life.
Don’t yuck other people’s yum (if that yum doesn’t directly hurt others).
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Putting Instagram On Pause For Updates
With all the drama surrounding Meta social media properties, I’ve decided to hit pause on any updates on Instagram.
(My Facebook account was deactivated years ago and I was never able to get a new account approved. I guess I wasn’t botlike enough for them. – laughs)
I’m okay. Don’t worry about me if you don’t see any updates there. (smiles) I’m merely waiting to see what happens.
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The Hungry Gap
Gardeners often talk about the ‘hungry gap’, the duration between last harvests and first harvests.
Here in Toronto, Canada, that is often between December 1st and April 1st.
In the our household, the tomatoes picked green in November usually ripen over December.
(We also, of course, always have herbs growing indoors.)
Then we enjoy butternut squash for January, March, and April.
This year, we’ll have enough butternut squash to eat one a week during that time. (grins) One butternut squash lasts the two of us two days. That’s a LOT of butternut squash. And it’s a happy challenge to have.
We also have dried beans, of course. And our frozen tomatoes. And anything we buy or bought at the store.
In the Fall/Autumn, boxes of local produce are sold at grocery stores. The Dear Wonderful Hubby and I chop up (or otherwise process) vegetables and freeze them. We always have enough vegetables stored for the ‘hungry gap.’
In the UK and other places, gardeners can often ‘store’ vegetables like kale and beets outside (i.e. just leave those plants in the ground). We get so much snow it is a lot of work for us to do that. Being lazy, I prefer to have the vegetables in the freezer.
Laziness is also why we freeze stuff and don’t can it. Plus it is merely the two of us.
To shorten the ‘hungry gap’, we ensure we have vegetables (usually perennials or self seeders) ready to go in the garden as soon as possible. Peas, bok choy/pak choi, french sorrel, good king henry and other vegetables love the cooler Spring weather. They often emerge/are planted as soon as the ground thaws.
I grew up hungry, not eating every day. I like to have vegetables in the house or in the backyard garden. That makes me happy.
(smiles)
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Change The World
When we talk about changing the world, we often think of huge actions like arranging a protest rally or figuring out how to decrease all the plastic waste currently in existence.
But it is actually quite easy to change the world.
*
You donate a can of soup to a food bank, for example.
That soup gives someone else a meal, allowing that someone to focus on the exam she’s taking that day.
Doing well on that exam helps land her a scholarship.
She goes to school in a science program.
And eventually cures cancer.
*
Or you smile at a mom struggling with two toddlers in the grocery store.
She feels a bit better, treats her toddlers with more kindness.
The toddlers grow up. And one of them starts a charity, helping young single moms.
Which results in hundreds more kids growing up feeling supported and happy.
And a few of them start charities also.
*
You will likely never know how your kindness has changed the world for the better.
But I assure you
it has.
(smiles)
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An Object In Motion
Part of Newton’s First Law Of Motion states that an object in motion stays in motion.
I find that’s certainly true for me.
(grins)
When I start taking action, I most likely continue to take action.
I have days when I get sh*t done in a big way. I complete task after task.
And when I have one of those days, I usually work with it. I keep going until I’m physically or mentally done.
Because I often find it more stressful on me to stop.
If you’re in motion, consider staying in motion.
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Naps Are Awesome
I’ve always taken naps.
At university, they allowed me to both party all night at the school pubs and attend class clearheaded.
Now, they allow me to do the tasks best completed early in the morning (for example: watering the garden during gardening season) and indulge my natural night owl tendencies. (The Dear Wonderful Hubby is a night owl also. – smiles)
There’s nothing wrong with taking naps.
Take them if they make you happy!
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Ease Your Fears
When the Dear Wonderful Hubby plans to go to bed after I do, he turns on the light on his side of the bed. We joke about it being the anti-monster light. He knows I don’t like to sleep with the lights off unless he’s sleeping beside me, protecting me.
I’m not scared of the dark. I’m scared of sleeping alone (i.e. without someone I trust by my side) in the dark.
I accept this.
I’ve shared this with the person I love.
We take this small step to ease my fears.
Fears aren’t always rational but they ARE very real. If it doesn’t harm anyone else, take steps to ease your fears.
If you’re food insecure (as I am), for example, have an emergency case of beans in your pantry. If you’re scared of walking home alone, ask a friend to walk with you. If you’re scared of spiders, arrange to have your home cleaned (by friends or a paid professional or someone else) every week.
Do what YOU need to do to feel safe, my friends.
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What Can I Make With This?
The Dear Wonderful Hubby came home yesterday with SIX 8 ounce/250 g blocks of cream cheese. The grocery store was selling each block for $1 as they were near their best before date. They are usually north of $4 a block.
We are two people. We tend to go through one block a month using it as spreads.
So we have an opportunity to get creative.
Yesterday, I made fudge using one of the blocks. It was pretty dang good. And the fudge can be stored in the freezer.
I might use up two more blocks that way, freezing the fudge.
The Dear Wonderful Hubby is planning to make a cheesecake.
We might also make some dips. Or stuffed pasta. Or other things.
We’re having fun with this. (smiles) And we’re eating well.
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Why Are So Many Celebrities Dying?
When I feel down in the dumps about so many celebrities I know dying,
I remind myself
that this is because I’m fortunate to KNOW of a lot of celebrities.
My grandparents might have known only one hundred or so celebrities. Those were mostly movie stars, TV stars, singers, political leaders and sports folks.
I know of THOUSANDS of celebrities. There are the movie stars, TV stars, singers, political leaders and sports folks, yes, but there are MANY more of them.
My grandma had ONE TV channel.
I have a thousand or more TV channels.
She listened to ONE radio station.
I have thousands of radio stations featuring artists from all over the world.
Being Canadian, she knew the name of the President of the US and that was about it.
I know of Senators and Congress people.
I also know of streaming stars, YouTube stars, influencers, and so many other people.
My world is much bigger.
And I know of a LOT of people. So, of course, I will lose a LOT of people.
This is still sad but it is a fortunate place to be.
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You Can Stop
If something, that in the past you were doing because it gave you joy, no longer gives you joy, you can stop doing that something.
If something, that in the past you were doing because it earned you much needed cash, no longer earns you much needed cash, you can stop doing that something also.
You don’t have to read an entire book series. You don’t have to spend your entire working life at the same job. You don’t have to finish a movie. You don’t have to eat the whole cake. (Yes, I heard that gasp. – grins) You don’t have to continue a side hustle. You don’t have to separate lights and darks while doing the laundry this week.
If it no longer serves you (makes you happy or earns you an income or…), you can stop. You have that ability.
Stopping that action will also free up your time and energy for something else. Which is an awesome gift to yourself!
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