ATL Admiration - Day 9

I asked Tarzan what he will miss when ATL moves out and he waxed very esoteric about it. "The paradigm of our life and what will be missing..."
Oy, man.
I think what he means, more specifically, is that he will miss there being another voice when we have heated discussions. He will miss having another librarian around, being able to share/pass on/collaborate with her about library stuff.
In many ways, we have kind of, sort of, felt a little like a launching pad for ATL and now that she really is flying out on her own, Tarzan is empty nesting a tiny bit.
He asked me "what will the next big project be?"

This is me and he's going to miss her too.

ATL Admiration - Day 8

The remote control.
I know, technology was a post a few days ago, but this is it's own category, believe me.
ATL has taught me everything I know about the television and the pieces that go with it and how to make it do what I want. I learned about streaming video and channels and especially the DVR, DVDs and the tuner and in particular the remote controls that each of those electronics has and what all the buttons do.
I will miss ATL and her ability to know what the difference between the square button and the triangle button.

This is me, stuck with only the Food Network now.

ATL Admiration - Day 7

I don't like to think of myself as old - and there are certainly many that I work with/for who are older - but email was only starting to be a thing when I graduated from college. Website addresses had to be typed in, as numbers. There was no .com, .net stuff yet.
Our wedding pictures were shot on 35mm film, not digital. Cell phones were super expensive, really big and not that useful.
I'm not a techno-phobe but it's all mostly new to me.
ATL is very mature and self assured, but she is eight years younger than me and therefore has eight more years in the technology/digital world we live in.
So, one of the many things I will miss about ATL is her understanding technology and being able to explain it to me.
Especially about my phone or my computer. She taught me to text, how to find the emoji keyboard, about Skype and folders in my email.
It's like having my own customer service representative.

This is me and I can't ever get anything new.

ATL Admiration - Day 6

Tarzan and I realized the other day that ATL has lived with us for almost nine years! Of course, we've always known, but the realization of it hit us. We had only been married for three and a half years when ATL came to stay with us, and we have changed over the years, more or less with ATL as part of the equation.
What are we going to do/be when she's gone?
How will our lives change?
What will we do?
Never fear, we have plans and goals and I'll keep you posted. But it's a little weird to think of regular life without her.

This is me and it's both scary and exciting.

My Favorite

My dream has been realized.
I love blueberries - there are never enough, they're expensive to buy in the quantities to sustain my craving, and they never last long in our house - but given the area of the world in which we live, I never thought it possible that we could grow our own. Blueberries typically require cooler temperatures than we have here in The Jungle (ask me about chill hours...do it, ask me!!)
This is not so...anymore. Geneticists have bred blueberry plants that can survive, even thrive, in the warmth that is The Jungle. (75 degrees Farenheit in February)
Tarzan and I were thoroughly educated on this blessed topic last summer when we visited his uncle, who lives even further south than we do; he has bushes everywhere!
I came home from that trip and ordered some southern blueberry bushes straight away from GrowOrganic.com:

Of course they don't ship plants all year 'round, so I had to be patient and wait.
And wait.
And wait.
But the blueberry plants finally arrived this week and I planted them.
I made sure to get big pots:

For two reasons, portability - in case I have to move them for more/less sun or to avoid the cats or cars or whatever - and so I can have HUGE blueberry bushes and lots of berries.
Then I put a shallow layer of rocks in the bottom, for drainage:

Special soil - blueberries like acidic soil:

Dug a hole and put the sucker in:

Then a layer of mulch to retain water - they still need lots of water, even in warm areas:

And some chicken wire to keep the cats from sleeping in the pots on the nice sun warmed earth. Watered them up and now I get to wait some more.
I planted three of the Sunshine Blue variety (lowest number of chill hours required) and two of the Jewel variety (only a few chill hours more). The idea is to see what grows best here in our little neighborhood and, because chances are small any of our neighbors are doing the same thing, to guarantee cross pollination.

This is me and they can't grow fast enough.

Once Again

You know how after visiting a store or a restaurant the server hands out an opportunity to fill out a survey or evaluate the experience - usually in exchange for the chance to win something or get a coupon?
Grocery stores do it.
Manicurists do it.
Shoe stores do it.
Even doctors do it.
Dentists don't do it.
And there's a very good reason that they don't.
Because no one has a good time at the dentist.
Ever.

This is me, not giving them a good evaluation.