Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Spring Gardening



Our Corner of Rose Hill:

I had a couple of medical procedures 2 weeks ago that kept me lying a bit low, and then last week I had an Addison’s Event.  So I slept for a couple more days and lay around more after that.   That is how I managed to finish three movies and three books.  Bill and I both did some gardening. 

Bill on his new ladder 


He broke in his new orchard ladder and I am trying to outsmart the moles in my herb bed, for me it was mostly pulling weeds.  The moles have been eating the roots of my herbs from underneath so I had this idea,  

               

$1.49 colanders   












I went to the 99 cent Plus store and bought a pile of these plastic colanders.    I hope this will at least slow the moles down.  If it works I will be very excited. I have also decided to do more container gardening to defeat the moles and also because Bill digs everywhere with his projects and if I have my stuff in containers we can just move it to a new spot.   Containers can get very heavy so I filled the bottom of the ones I have done with empty plastic water bottles to take up space and keep it a bit lighter.  I did a little research on Pinterest then went through the recycling bin to find as many plastic bottles as I could.  I have two containers planted, but I need a lot more bottles…….



After Planting
Much Lighter
Before Planting 






Events and Happenings:

Last Saturday we went to McCaw Hall at Seattle Center to see Shen Yun 2016.  I have wanted to go for years.  I love ethnic dance and music and this did not disappoint.  The music was wonderful; we were on the third row in the balcony so we could see everything in the orchestra pit.  There were all the usual instruments and percussion but they also had an Erhu, a two string instrument said to resemble the human voice, the Pipa another stringed instrument that looks like a cross between a banjo and a ukulele and the Suona is a double reed woodwind instrument that looks like it is in the clarinet family.   What I did not know going in was this production is very anti the current Chinese regime and also speaks strongly to the Spiritual.  The performing company is based in New York where it trains the singers and dancers that are then it sent out around the world to tell their story.   They speak strongly of deity and a very vocal about the immorality of atheism and the hope that comes from following ‘Falun Dafa’ the Great Way.

My new health insurance this year is an HMO called Group Health.  It has just united with Kaiser out of California but the names haven’t changed yet.  The reason I changed to Group Health is that both Bill and I were feeling a stronger need for my doctors and medical records to be available to the whole team.  Since the first of the year I have met my internist, endocrinologist, gastroenterologist, ophthalmologist, and multiple advisors.  It was recommended that I take a class called “Living a Healthy Life with Chronic Conditions” and I started it this past Friday morning. Everyone in this class is diabetic but many, like me have more than one chronic condition.  I thought it would be silly and that I knew all that stuff already but I am glad I am going.  The class is designed to equip you with a full tool box of skills that you can use as needed in your life.  I have 5 more weeks of Friday morning classes.


Movies this week:  

Philomena is a 2013 drama film directed by Stephen Frears, based on the book The Lost Child of Philomena Lee by journalist Martin Sixsmith.   It is a sad and moving story about a young woman who gets pregnant and then the child is forcibly taken and given up for adoption and the shame and denial that go with her all of her life.  The story covers her search for the lost child, the adventure and all she learns about the child and the people who touched each of their lives along the way.  

Jersey Boys is a 2014 American biographical musical drama film directed and produced by Clint Eastwood based on the Tony Award winning jukebox musical of the same name. The film tells the story of the musical group The Four Seasons. The film was released in the United States on June 20, 2014.  The film was created to feel like you were in the theater watching a live musical even to the finale where all the characters make an appearance again in the final song and dance. The story was okay but the music was lots of fun; Sherry, Walk Like a Man and Big Girls Don’t Cry.

Planes is a 2013 American 3D computer-animated sports comedy film produced by DisneyToon Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures.  I have wanted to see this one for some time,  I enjoy animation and I love airplanes.  This is about a crop-duster that wants to win the big race and all his adventures along the way.   I thought it was cute.


Books this week: 

The Paris Wife is a 2011 novel by Paula McLain.  It is the story of Ernest Hemingway's marriage to Hadley Richardson, the first of his four wives, how they met and fell in love, lived and travelled during the early 1920’s and then his affairs and the demise of the marriage.  I am glad I read it.

The Boston Girl by 

 

Ugliesprettiesspecialsextras by  Scott Westerfeld  This is book one of what I think is a four part seriesIn Tally Youngblood’s world, looks matter. She lives in a society created to function with perfect-looking people who never have a chance to think for themselves. And she’s tired of it.  I started this because I have enjoyed some of the other ‘dystopia’ type series that have been written for younger people recently.   I listen while I am knitting and I continue listening things I might not have continued reading.   I don’t think I will read any more but I did like reading about hover board adventures,  I want to do that.

 




How Many weeks until football season.  (hint - 24)

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi, CeLinda,
Gave me a bit of a scare - "broke" and "ladder" in the same sentence usually don't have good endings. haha. Sorry to hear about your recent health issues but hope you're well on the mend now. Rod and I also have Group Health insurance, and especially for Rod's chronic issues, it is a good thing. We aren't excited about the merger with Kaiser, but hopefully, it will not negatively affect care.

Loving our new place here in Central Oregon! So different, but so lovely. Last night we enjoyed our first thunderstorm from the deck. And an eagle flew up the river canyon at about eye level and then climbed over our house and on his way. Wow. Incredible.

CeLindakot said...

One day while BK was trimming the trees in the back yard an eagle was flying over head, there were 2 crows also and the 3 were engaged in a full on dog-fight. It was a loud conflict.

CeLindakot said...

One day while BK was trimming the trees in the back yard an eagle was flying over head, there were 2 crows also and the 3 were engaged in a full on dog-fight. It was a loud conflict.