More Rain, More Musing

Today was a rainy, rainy day again. We were supposed to go out to the AT to hike with friends and the puppy, but we canceled because it was so crappy out.

Yesterday I spent quite a lot of time digging up a portion of my yard for my experimental garden. I’d love to take pictures of garden-in-process but my camera is still broken. Sigh. Still, I will attempt to describe it, to make pictures of my words, which I am kinda supposed to be able to do for a living. Anyway, I dug up all the sod and put in a raised brick wall border that actually turned out looking pretty good, given that I eyeballed the whole thing. Found lots of worms, which is great, and these weird curly larva-things which creeped me out. I wish I knew what kind of bugs they were and if they are garden friendly or not. Anyway, I loosened up all the soil with my brand-new cultivator and then, based on my neighbor’s (experienced organic gardener) advice, am leaving it to sit for a few days and then I’m going to fill the whole thing in with this pile of compost he gave me. It’s a “mostly-elevated” garden. (I just totally made up that term, btw.)

Like I said, experimental. I’ve never gardened in my life, and this is my first year owning any kind of property on which to garden. I shall keep you posted.

So today, being rainy, was all about the Netflix. We watched a whole disk of Avatar. (To be fair, that’s only an hour and a half). We only have two disks left in the series, and then I think I might cry, because I love this show so much. I really hate finishing thing that I love, which is why I’ve been so slowly savoring my ARC of DULL BOY, by Sarah Cross.

By the early afternoon, Rio was bouncing off the walls, so we bundled up and went for a little stroll through Rock Creek Park. Rio became a total mudball. Wow, was she a mess. She’s less of a mess now, since I think most of the dirt fell off when she was asleep in her kennel (and on the couch — yuck, Rio!), and we were asleep in front of the TV. Luckily, before I lost consciousness, I remembered to pile up a load of beans and some tomatoes and chili powder in the crock pot. For some reason this chili was not as delicious as my last attempt at “throw everything in the crock pot” bean chili. I don’t know what I did wrong. It’s possible, however, that it just didn’t cook long enough. that’s the problem of doing things without recipes. You can never repeat your successes.

Speaking of successes, another recipe I tried this week. My verdict: not worth the effort. I probably will roast my own red peppers again in the future, because they were delicious, but the sauce was pretty bland and certainly not better, in the genre of meatless-pasta-sauces, than Ree’s vodka-blush sauce, which has become a weekly staple at our house. And the vodka sauce is WAY less hassle.

Over the bowls of not-as-great chili, Sailor Boy and I watched Dollhouse, which is getting much better. I really liked this episode, though I think this show, far more than other Whedon shows, is following the trend of “massive conspiracy we dole out to you in dribs and drabs” as popularized by LOST and HEROES and shows of that ilk, wihch is fine, but I don’t know how well suited it is for a *series* (cf. the — apparently cured in the case of LOST– second-season derailings of the abovementioned shows). Another reason to love Avatar: it’s a show that said “Hi, we’re a three-season series. Yay us.” I really, really love it. I haven’t loved a show like this in a long time. I think since THE WIRE, which was such a remarkably different kind of show. But I’m not done yet.

And now I am trying to work. Trying being the operative word. I’ve reached a point in my current project where I have to make some really big choices and I’m waffling something fierce. But I really can’t put it off any longer.