Garden Woes

Well, well, well it has taken awhile for our garden to get going with all of the crazy weather we had. As much as I hate the heat the tomatoes love it. Guess I have said that a few times.

I was like a new mother the other day. I called Mike and advised him our first born was here. Meaning I had seen our first heirloom tomato. Okay, it is kind of silly, but if you had waited as long as we have it is a blessing.

Oh, but to my dismay I saw the little black droppings of the worm that can suck the life out of a tomato plant. The Tomato Horn Worm (manduca quinquemaculata). I don't want them to stay around until the metamorphosis into The Five-Spotted Hawkmoth happens. The Hawkmoth is the size of a hummingbird  and not bad looking. I just wish their toddler stage was done on some other plant. Maybe the ugly shrubs in the yard, the weeds, we have plenty for them to eat. Get off my tomatoes, dammit. Okay not the best pic but you get the drift.

The zucchinis are, well do I really need to comment on this. One day they are two inches long, the next ten.

Lemon cucumbers are doing what they do best - climb. Beets are already picked and waiting to be roasted. Green beans are slow since we had to replant due to crappy soil, our bad.

Don't ever buy Kellogg soils. The are mostly wood, a tad of soil, and bat guano. Apparently, a bat flew over and pooped on it once. Oh yes, they did list it on the bag. The best soil is mushroom compost, organic matter, some cow or chicken manure. Let it sit after tilling it together. If you don't mix in the manure and let it sit, the soil will be to hot. Not weather hot but soil hot.

I think I'm done for right now, may go out and pick some worms. That is if I can find them, need the eyes of a hawk to spot them.

Ciao Bella

Ranting

Okay, I've had enough of this unemployment. Why you ask, because I had to cancel our wine clubs. One was Four Vines in Templeton (Paso Robles), the other was Esterlina in Philo.

I miss having my closet full of great wine to share with friends or to drink myself. I know that one of these days I'll have the wine again. There are more important things on my agenda.

Had dinner with friends on Saturday and had an awesome dinner and exceptional wine.

I have to get back on the bandwagon regarding my weight and working out. I had to freeze my gym membership to save some money. I go back next month and I am really ready. I just don't work out as hard at home. I notice that I don't feel as good nor do I have the energy I had when I was going. (Wait, maybe it is the lack of wine doing it. No? Okay I thought I would throw that in.)

One thing I have learned on this trip through the land of unemployment, there are a lot of things I can live without. When there is only one income coming in you have to make sacrifices. I don't get my nails done anymore, I wait longer to get my hair cut (I color it myself), the clothes in my closet are just fine, Mike doesn't mind that I cut his hair, we only go out to eat once in a while. We also plan our grocery shopping trips better. We still don't give up organic or quality, we just make it last. We have our own garden, we shop at the local farmer's markets, and I try to use as many coupons as I can. Our landlords are understanding during this time and they let us pay our rent in two payments. Thank you Steve and Linda.

This also becomes a problem when it comes to looking for employment. It looks like it would have to be something part time that doesn't conflict with Mike's schedule or something at night. Although I'm not sure I could work at night, I would probably fall asleep all of the time.

If the job market is getting better I sure haven't seen it, especially here in the foothills. Most people are now to the point where they are running out of unemployment benefits, what happens to these people now? They are already barely making it. People are still losing jobs, their houses, their cars, spouses, and sometimes their minds (depression is a horrible state of being).

You get questioned why you haven't found work from the person that is making $100k a year, driving a Mercedes, and their kids go to private school. They are also very good about giving suggestions of what you should do to find a job. Have you looked here? Have you looked there? These well meaning friends do not understand that when there is a job opening, 500 people have probably applied for it. Most of the people that apply may not even have the qualifications, but they apply anyway just because they want a job.

On the news and in person I see hundreds of people standing in line for a company that is hiring 100 people, there are more than 500 people showing up at job fairs. You know what I don't see? People dressed professionally, like they really want a job. I've seen hoodies, t-shirts, ripped jeans, ratty clothing in general, standing along with the minority of people dressed in business attire. Men in a suit or a decent pair of slacks and a nice shirt. Women in a dress, nice slacks, or business suit.

Oh, if you do want a job, LOSE THE DAMN CELL PHONE. You don't need to be texting your buds or BFFs what you are doing every five seconds. Do you think a potential employer is going to hire you if you are texting while being interviewed? Unless, they are a company that does texting studies, I doubt you will get hired.

Okay, I think I'm done for tonight. Keep positive thoughts and everything will be alright.