Marvelous Monday Update 7/14/08

Gardening
I've finally managed to get the rest of my little vegetable garden planted. Yes, I know it's kinda late. Oh well. I've got 3 tomato plants, 3 sets of climbing pole beans, 3 rows of baby romaine lettuce, 3 hills of bush cucumbers, and a row of climbing snap peas. The green beans are about 8" high already and *something* is eating up the leaves! I've started to sprinkle with garlic powder and will do cayenne pepper, too. That seemed to do the trick last year.

Will my 6 bags-at-time mulching project EVER be done? Let's hope so! I put down some more mulch this past weekend. I'm about 2/3 done.

Here's one of two planters I created this year. It's growing in nicely!


Here's a closeup of the Goldfinger Potentilla bushes that line my garage in the backyard:


I wish I could visit this garden: Beijing Olympic Garden. Absolutely stunning!


The Dating Game
Some of my faithful readers remember S from last year. We had some good times and I thought things were going OK until he whigged out over the fact that I dared to correct his kid misbehaving in MY home when Dad didn't. Details HERE.

Right before the July 4th holiday (almost a year later), he came to pick up the stuff he left at my house. Yes, I know... I'm a nice person for keeping it in my garage all that time. LOTS of people gave me suggestions as to how to dispose of it... Burn it, Sell it, Freecycle it, Give it away, etc. etc. I put it all out in my garage last Fall so it wasn't in my way. He showed up and acted like we were friends/buddies... like NOTHING happened! Are men *really* THAT ignorant? He let it be known that he wasn't dating anyone, too. Like I'd care about that? Here's the real kicker: He sent me a text message last Wed asking me if I wanted to go to a Thai restaurant with him! One of my friends said: Did you tell him HELL NO!? I wanted to text back and say: "Obviously therapy isn't working... What makes you think I'd want to go with you after the way you acted??" The man couldn't even bring himself to talk to me on the telephone after the "incident"! Geesh.

I texted him back, "Are you asking me out on a date?" He said yes, and when I didn't answer he sent me another text: "Are you still thinking?"

Yeah, I'm thinking all right...


Freecycle
Each time I receive something from a Freecycler, I thank my lucky stars. Being a new homeowner, there are lots of yard tools that I've needed to get and it can get expensive! I received this weedeater from a lady on Freecycle:

It's only a 7" cut, and the battery only holds a charge for about 20 minutes, but it'll do until I can afford to buy a bigger one.


Stitchy Stuff
I fell off the wagon and broke my self-imposed stash diet. I couldn't resist. These are cross stitch miniatures kits:

Aren't they the cutest things?


Books
I've always loved books and reading. When I moved last year, my Dad was in disbelief at how many of my boxes contained books. LOL With that said, I rarely have time to read books of my own choosing... usually I am reading textbooks for school. Since I've had the summer off, I've actually read two books! What were they? Totally and utterly useless reading material, yet entertaining. ;-) Harlequin Intrigue novels! It's been decades since I've read Harlequin. These "intrigue" novels are advertised as a "breathtaking romantic suspense" series.

Phantom Lover by Rebecca York
Bree Brennan goes undercover as a schoolteacher to protect Troy London at the request of his sister. From the moment she arrives at the beautiful old mansion by the sea, Bree's encounters with dangerous tenants, ghosts and hauntings crank up the suspense. But Troy is not to be found—at least not in physical form.

I really don't think this had much suspense in it. The ending wasn't what I expected and the crux of this story was (to me) rather strange.


Under Lock and Key by Slvie Kurtz
Isolated in the family castle because of a childhood disfigurement, Melissa Carnes is in danger and doesn't know it. Her uncle calls in a favor to get hard-hitting investigative journalist Tyler Blackwell to protect his niece and find out who is threatening her.

This story kept my interest from beginning to end. It had all the elements of a romantic suspense: a dark castle, an incredible hero, a heroine whose courage is tested, tension and a twisted ending.


Can you say "Yummy!"?

Grilled Bourbon-Glazed Salmon,
Grilled Candied-Basil Carrots,
Grilled Dill Potatoes,
Iced Suntea