Hotellin It

I was sitting at the desk in my hotel room the other night and looking at the assortment of things I had going on. Yep, life on the road with long working hours is about making use of the available time and multi-tasking. I was working on coloring jellybeans for my nursery age sunday school class while watching a movie I had from Netflix and shoveling leftover pumpkin cheesecake from Olive Garden (super tasty) with a protractor I had in my backpack (forgot to ask for a fork). Meanwhile, while the movie was playing, my computer was uploading my work email and timesheet. I had my knitting off to the side in case I had time for The Sweater II before getting to bed at a decent time.

Unhappy Truths Continued

More woe to my already woeful story of the unhappy discovery of Mavis the Maple's true identity as a sweet gum tree. Tonight I set myself to the task of discovering more about sweet gums, to enlighten myself and my readers who have "watched" Mavis grow up on my blog this past year. The news is not good, my friends, but here you have it from a website forum where people are posting their comments and asking for help regarding their sweet gum trees. I found this to be extremely enlightening, if not downright funny at times, but also sad if I do choose to keep Mavis planted in our yard. These are all quotes from the forum on website http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf86353601.tip.html :

"People, these trees are troublesome and dangerous, I had to rebuild the garage years ago because one approx. 30 inches in diameter fell across it, limbs, leaves, balls, are constantly falling. From what I have seen and heard these trees are very weak, lots of times breaking off 20 and 30 feet up with just a little wind. Anyhow, just want to rant a little because I so disliked those trees."

"For all you that don't like sweet gum trees, get some goats, mine have cleaned up every tree they could munch on and none come back because the goats eat as soon as anything on them sprouts. No problem here!"

"HELP!I had two VERY large sweetgums cut down in my backyard and now I have hundreds if not literally THOUSANDS of small sweetgum trees popping up EVERYWHERE around my house. I just run them over with the lawnmower and sure enough in 1 week they are everywhere again... What can I do/spray to get rid of all of these trees and keep what grass I do have? Please help!"

"My 9 year experience with a twenty year old sweet gum tree is: 1) the spikey balls are good for nothing, except building muscles raking the never ending supply, 2) it will raise the floor of your garage an 1 1/2" in the course of a couple of months and evidently crack it, 3) the branches, at any age, will easily snap in a wind storm - and aim for your roof, 4) the wood burns well, but only after it dries for three years, AND, 5) unless you dig all the roots out once you've fallen the tree and dug out the stump, you will continue to have sweet gum starts all over your world FOR YEARS. Good luck!"

"Reading through all these postings, I didn't see anyone mention the feature of this tree that I enjoy the most - crush some leaves in your hand and they produce a smell like turpentine. I don't like gathering up the thousands of "spiny balls" either, but I do enjoy the shade provided by the one tree we have in our front yard. Hey - I haven't gotten the flu in several years! maybe inhaling the "fumes" from the crushed leaves has something to do with it? Caution: some folks (such as my wife) may experience negative effects from this practice, but I really enjoy it!"

"Dear sweet gum club,I too have many sweet gum trees. Has anyone seen the wireball contraption that rolls on the ground picking up the balls as it is pushed?"

"The first year we lived in this house with the gumball trees our bull terrior got two infections in between her toes from those spikey little devils. Be careful with your pets."

"I would love to know how to effectively even rake up these gumballs. My hubby tried to "vacuum" them with a leaf blower. Not good! We could spend weeks raking and not make a dent!"

"Does ANYONE have a solution to our population explosion of gumballs?
Shockingly, not only do these huge, towering trees spit spiked balls all over our lot, but this spring, OVERNIGHT, it dumped some sort of leafy-type pods --- thousands, millions of them --- covering the patio and surrounding area. WORSE, these pods almost immediately ROT and STINK, almost like manure! As if that weren't enough, they then shed pollen, which creates an even further mess! What could people be thinking of when they plant these things? We live in Atlanta, so everything that thrives elsewhere thrives even more here!"

"I have come up with one use for the "porcupine balls" as i call them. i put them in the bottom of my potted plants (annuals) instead of rocks, for drainage. at the end of the season, i just dump the whole thing in the compost pile & dont have to dig out the rocks! i have also heard of making table top Christmas trees out of them, but havent tried it myself."

Unhappy Truths

The big event of fall season here on the east coast, is naturally, the fall leaf color debates. One popular phrase is "Since it has been unseasonably dry this year, the colors won't be very vivid." Others say, "The height of color can only be seen in the mountains, but wait another week or so before you make the trip." Some say, "You better go this weekend or miss the display entirely!" Everyone has some tidbit of information to add about the leaf coloration and when and where to see the best display.

What better time to be outside doing field work? None that I can think of. And lucky me, I've been out for 3 weeks already and have enjoyed every bit of it (when I've been smart enough to dress warm enough).

But amidst the leaf excitement, last week I was in the field with my boss who happens to be a (self-proclaimed) expert on deciduous trees. I didn't know this because he's a geologist not a biologist. But get him outside and he's pointing out hickory trees here and maples there and live oaks yonder. So we were sitting and sampling a well and admiring the surrounding tree coloration when I saw a tree that looked the spitting image of Mavis the Maple who Paul and I have fondly raised from the wee size of 6" tall. I proudly stated, "I have a maple tree just like that one." He smirked and said, putting on his Agent C cap, "Actually it's real identity is a sweet gum tree." I didn't dare tell him that I have even named my sweet gum tree "Mavis the Maple." I just concealed my disappointment and said, "oh."

Meanwhile, Mavis the Makeshift Maple is enjoying her new home, transplanted in our backyard a few weeks ago. She has decided not to change colors yet, and it's probably because she's suffering from an identity crisis.

The Sweater II Update and Yardwork

The delicious feel of fall in the air and the smell of fires in fireplaces are some of the signals of my favorite time of the year. Our maple tree in the front yard is Christmas red right now (our small maple, Mavis, has still not turned any colors yet) and I spent a few hours yesterday raking leaves and getting ready to re-seed the lawn. It was a great weekend to be outdoors!

But some of my favorite things about the fall are sitting by the fire and reading a good book and bundling up in flannel sheets and cozy blankets at night. I sleep so wonderfully in the cold weather. It is also a time when I enjoy my knitting more.

It is not fun to have a hot sweater on your lap in the summer and work on knitting it with sweaty hands, and so naturally I didn't get a lot done on The Sweater II this summer. But I am 1.5 inches from finishing the back as of this weekend! I will post a picture when it is done and off the needles. I think I'll work on the sleeves next before starting the front piece, to add a bit of variety (the front is identical to the back).

Chicken with Corn Salsa Recipe

Another week in the field, but fun thing is this project is in Charlotte so I get to come home every night!

The other night I felt like making something really easy, but didn't want to have to resort to a box. Ok, I did use a jar of something, but for the most part it was a very fresh food dinner, the flavors went well together and with very little time involved(15-20 minutes).

1 jar of Trader Joe's Corn and Chile Tomato-less Salsa
4 chicken breasts
1 head of broccoli
8 oz of sliced baby bella mushrooms
polenta
paprika
cumin
salt
pepper
grapeseed oil (healthy and relatively low fat)

Heat a few Tbs. of grapeseed oil in a large frying pan,season chicken with cumin, salt, pepper and paprika. When oil is hot add the chicken breasts.

Meanwhile, slice the polenta (I've never had polenta before so don't know if I was doing this the traditional way) into 1/4" slices and add to the pan with the chicken.

Heat a pot of water to boiling. Meanwhile cut the broccoli and then add to the pot of boiling water.

Heat another pan with 1 Tbs. of grapeseed oil.

Flip the chicken and polenta after lightly brown. Add corn salsa.

Add mushrooms to new pan of hot oil and saute until brown.

Serve with the corn salsa on top of the chicken and polenta, with mushrooms and broccoli on the side.

A Short Story: "The Lone Tomato"

It all started back when the tomato plant was very young... no, I must go back further. It all started with the summer drought, nearly dead grass and a sudden surge of rain...

We live in a home owner association where I'd estimate half of the people who live here either work from home or are retired. So "keeping up with the Joneses" is a big deal here. When one person gets sod, everyone starts getting sod. Except for us.

So back in the spring and summer when everyone had dry to dead grass because of the water restrictions, no body was really bothering with seeding and lawn beautifying because what's the point? However, we suddenly got a lot of rain all within a few days from Saturday to Monday, let's say, and subsequently by Wednesday, we, along with everyone else, got long shoots of "grass" that sprang up overnight.

On Friday, Paul was home and got a knock on the door by Mrs. Neighbor who was happy to announce we were getting a fine from the homeowner's association for our long grass that was "an eyesore." We had been really good pals with Mrs. and Mr. Neighbor up until this point, so it was a surprise how excited she was. Paul leaned down and looked across at her lawn and said, "Huh. Doesn't look any longer than yours." And so ensued a semi-polite discourse during which she said she was getting it cut tomorrow, and Paul said that we were doing the same, pointing out that we really only get to yard work on the weekend, and it had not even been a week since the grass grew.

He afterwards called the homeowners association president and asked why our neighbors are being informed we are getting fined before we are. She said, "oh, that's not the case. Only the people on the board know who's getting fined, or the people who report the incident. Your neighbor is not on the board." So started the seething anger.

Needless to say, we rushed out to buy a lawnmower which we had not bothered to do before because no grass was growing. We bought it late that night, and stealthily backed into the garage so Mrs. Neighbor couldn't see that we just ran out to get one. We assembled it with the garage door closed and woke up to mow at 7:00 on Saturday.

We also mowed the next door neighbor's lawn, Mrs. Nice who we were told by Mrs. Neighbor was also getting reported. Mrs. Nice lives up in New York and is still trying to sell her house there. So she wouldn't know about the state of affairs down here and that she was being reported. I have to admit, I mowed her lawn at the time, mostly out of anger towards Mrs. Neighbor, who I thought I'd kill with kindness, and it worked. Mrs. Neighbor told me repeatedly that I should not be cutting Mrs. Nice's lawn. I told her that I thought it unfair that Mrs. Nice is getting fined for suddenly rampant growing grass when she's not here to see it and arrange accordingly. She had nothing to say to this and would walk away, only to repeat the plea next time.

As it turned out, the "grass" was a case of rampant weeds because they grew up every few days. It was tough for everyone in the neighborhood because it meant either mowing every few days or pulling them all up by hand, which is what I did in our yard and part of Mrs. Nice's yard after the second week.

With time, Mrs. Neighbor and I became on friendlier terms again, but not without telling her I knew she wasn't on the board, and subtly let her know we knew what she had done. And then throughout the weeks she became more complimentary and saying how nice our shrubs were, and "my that tomato is looking good!" I had one small tomato plant in a container on my front porch and it was growing the most delicious looking tomato, and everyday I talked with Mrs. Neighbor, she admired it and said it was doing so much better than hers. I told her I was nurturing it carefully and gave it plenty of water.

Then, the day after the last admiration, at the peak of tomato ripeness, I went out the front door to go to work and the tomato was gone! Nipped clean from the vine with no remnants suggesting an animal had taken it. I immediately came to the conclusion that spiteful Mrs. Neighbor took it because she was jealous of my tomato and also upset that I was cutting Mrs. Nice's lawn.

I went into work feeling angry and after talking to several colleague's at work, my boss agreed it sounded like the workings of a thief, and so he devised a plan to bring me a bushel of tomatoes from his backyard to take over to Mrs. Neighbor. He said that I needed to take them to her and say, "I know how much you like tomatoes so I thought I'd share the wealth. These were the backyard tomatoes (notice I wasn't to say who's backyard) and they had done much better than the one in the front yard." By watching her reaction, I would be able to tell if she was the thief. My boss, Agent C, has a talent in these things, so I took him up on the offer.

True to his word, Agent C. brought me in a bushel of dirty, very backyard-looking Roma tomatoes, some with holes and everything, to look legit. I brought them home and had all intentions of going over to Mrs. Neighbor's but found that she and her husband were on vacation for two weeks. Oh well.

Weeks later, long after we had enjoyed all of Agent C's tomatoes (he was disappointed that the plan flopped), I was talking to Mrs. Neighbor, not really angry about the grass and one little tomato anymore, and she complimented me on the next two tomatoes coming in. "I had that one from a few weeks ago stolen you know," I told her. She couldn't believe it, adding that the bench in her front yard was stolen the night before, and a lady down the street had her watermelon stolen. Huh. All that hoopla and planning for nothing! So I told her I was going to move my tomato plant to the back porch instead and it has been fine since.

It was a valuable lesson in how anger can snowball and cause unreasonable stress and desire for revenge over something that was originally something so small and petty.

The funniest thing is that it has never been the showiest or most proliferate plant! Here she is in all her glory:

THE END

Agent S

Another busy 10 day shift in Hendersonville, with more fun at the Waverly Inn. A few days into my stay, John, Diane and Darla, the innkeepers headed out on vacation. I was a little sad because they always make me feel like I'm coming home after a busy day at work. The fun thing is that the "innsitters" that came in to cover for them were every bit as welcoming and the transition was seamless.

On the second day of Jim and Susan's reign, I came back from work and they asked me if I knew anything about an auditor from my company arriving. I usually get a safety audit once a week and since I already had one that week, I was not expecting another one. "No, I don't know any more auditors arriving this week." Susan said, "Oh, well, we were just wondering if you knew if he was going to be a late check-in or not." I said that I was sorry I couldn't be of more help, but if it was a safety audit I was getting, then it was intended to be a surprise. Susan lowered her voice to a whisper and said, "We'll let you know one way or another if he arrives so that you have a warning." I laughed and admired her good humor.

Then next morning I came downstairs and my sausage and egg sandwich was wrapped in foil and sitting on the counter for me promptly at 6:30, same as what John normally does for me. I took it with me to eat on the drive to the site, and when I got in the truck and opened up the foil, there was a secret note in with my sandwich:

I laughed half the drive to work, and dubbed Susan "Agent S." I have dubbed all of us who can perform covert operations. I am Agent K of course, my dearest friend Laurie, Agent L, who I worked with in California, is one of the sneakiest of all when it comes to finding out the latest office news. My sister is Agent H and is real good with agent speak, and Mom is Agent M, pretty newly installed. Agent S is the newest recruit, and will do just fine holding down the mountain post in North Carolina. We had so much fun talking the rest of the week, and I'm sad that she will be gone when I go up there again in a few weeks.