May I speak frankly? Because I am going to talk about what I have become - and I don't mean fat, by any stretch of an American imagination (well, maybe by an imagination horizontally stretched. But that's all). I realized yesterday, as I packed an entire box with clothes that I can hardly squeeze into, that I am a little overfed.
My new summer goal is to have a reason to unpack that box, which I labelled "tiny clothes." (Kina, our girl cat, loves to sit on my tiny clothes box, like she's saying "I'm tiny, so these are mine. In fact, everything is mine, because I am in charge.") This means refusing the rice krispy treats, birthday cakes, and corn dogs that are served at work, and remembering two good reasons why I don't keep those things around my own house: they are not healthy, and they make my clothes so very tiny.
Speaking of what I am becoming, my hair is growing out of control. Today when I got out of the shower, I looked like a female, lighter-haired John Travolta - but without the leather jacket, because who wears leather in the shower? Crazy folk, that's who.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
The quick multiplication of rabbits, and please leave the baby carrots alone
Two things I know about rabbits: they want to devour my vegetable garden, and they want to make more rabbits. We hadn't been driving Ben and Lexi's for a week when Abe knew he had to have one of his own.
A seventeen hour trip to Asheville later, and voila! A little silver rabbit to call our own.
Pictured: Ben and Lexi's blue rabbit (front), relieved to have a cousin.
A seventeen hour trip to Asheville later, and voila! A little silver rabbit to call our own.
Pictured: Ben and Lexi's blue rabbit (front), relieved to have a cousin.Friday, April 9, 2010
Interruption
We interrupt your regular internet perusal for the following Very Important Announcement:
Only eleven days until we have a house of our very own! As you might expect, if you know us, Abe has been busy packing, I have been busy crafting "we've moved" postcards, and Franc has been busy eating our cardboard boxes. Kina has found more and more creative places to hide for the secret naps she likes to take, and is possibly more neurotic than usual: she stands at the door and meows for 15 minutes at a time, like she's afraid we'll leave her behind, so she wants to get a head start moving to our new house.
You are all welcome to come visit; please bring house plants.
Only eleven days until we have a house of our very own! As you might expect, if you know us, Abe has been busy packing, I have been busy crafting "we've moved" postcards, and Franc has been busy eating our cardboard boxes. Kina has found more and more creative places to hide for the secret naps she likes to take, and is possibly more neurotic than usual: she stands at the door and meows for 15 minutes at a time, like she's afraid we'll leave her behind, so she wants to get a head start moving to our new house.
You are all welcome to come visit; please bring house plants.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Happy Easter from the Kovaches!
For us, Easter is about ultimately important things like atonement and redemption. It's a celebration of things made new ... and of cats wearing bunny ears.
Materials: white felt, pink adhesive felt, scissors, needle & thread, ribbon.
Materials: white felt, pink adhesive felt, scissors, needle & thread, ribbon.Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Me vs. cats, cats vs. cauliflower... the wasp wins every time
The cats love to sit on our seed flats. So far, they have squashed all of my baby cauliflower and most of the brussel sprouts. The peppers seem to be safe so far, because they show no sign of germinating. Are you serious, Peppers? You are so immature for your age. Grow up.
Cats have no respect for the money or effort that goes in to growing heirloom all-season cauliflower. They have no vision for the glorious brussel sprouts to come from the tiny sprouts in their flats. All they see is warm dirt to nap in. From this, I deduce that cats should be indoors and gardens should be outdoors, and no good can come when their lives intersect.
- dirt all over your house
- dirt all over your cats
- lopsided seed flats (I would be lopsided too, if Franc sat on me all day.)
- a lean harvest
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Make It! March : DIY Garden Markers
Today, our baby nephew was dedicated at church. (Yes, he was the cutest, thanks for noticing! He took off one of his shoes, and then chewed on it like a champ.) The pastor talked about planting seeds - which is perfect, because our dining room table has turned into a nursery. The table gets better light than the rest of the apartment, so that's where we set up our three flats of seeds: four kinds of tomatoes, three kinds of basil, four kinds of peppers, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, thyme, chives, parsley, cilantro....
I had hoped to have rows and rows of tiny plants to show you. But the hard truth is that without a professional photographer (cough -Ben- cough) or a camera with a microscope to work visual magic, a seed doesn't do anything to brag about in just three days. I admit that I ran out of time/became too lazy after planting all those peppers to change my craft at the last minute. So this week, we have pictures only thanks to my parents, who let me dig random holes in their yard with very little notice.
Let me introduce the final craft of the National Month for them, just in time for your own spring seedlings:*
1. Pottery shards are perfect to label your herbs and veggies. (If you don't have any broken pots, I recommend Goodwill, or our cats would be happy to come over to break some for you.)
2. Find some children to collect flat rocks for you. Wash them thoroughly, and then use paint or markers to decorate them and mark them with veggie names. Use a couple coats of polyurethane or clear spray paint to seal.
3. For artsy garden markers, raid your local thrift shop for old silverware. Find some with cool, mismatched handles, and write your labels with a sharpie on the metal. In scientific testing I performed, permanent marker holds up to water but not hard scrubbing, so you should be able to reuse your cutlery again and again. (Good. I don't know how to grow mulch.)
This at least is truth in advertising.
If you prefer something simpler, use white plastic cutlery. It looks neat, photographs much better, and stands out in a garden.
4. Use scissors to cut the top and bottom off of an aluminum soda or beer can. Cut the can into strips. You can either cut these into regular-shaped garden markers (rounded on one side, pointy on the other), or you can create whatever shape you want, hole punch it, and hang it with wire.
Chances are, this sign is too illegible to mislead you.
You can try to "engrave" your plant names on to the aluminum, but I had limited patience/success with that, because even using a nail, the words didn't show up very well. But permanent marker looked fine.
5. Oh, your cats also chewed and destroyed your blinds? Before you throw them away, salvage what you can! Scissors and a permanent marker will make these into perfect plant markers.
*Did I intend to photograph all of them? I did, until I remembered that my blog photographer returned to Haiti and anyway, haven't your imaginations been dormant all winter? And gotten flabby?
I had hoped to have rows and rows of tiny plants to show you. But the hard truth is that without a professional photographer (cough -Ben- cough) or a camera with a microscope to work visual magic, a seed doesn't do anything to brag about in just three days. I admit that I ran out of time/became too lazy after planting all those peppers to change my craft at the last minute. So this week, we have pictures only thanks to my parents, who let me dig random holes in their yard with very little notice.
Let me introduce the final craft of the National Month for them, just in time for your own spring seedlings:*
5 ways to make your own garden markers
1. Pottery shards are perfect to label your herbs and veggies. (If you don't have any broken pots, I recommend Goodwill, or our cats would be happy to come over to break some for you.)
2. Find some children to collect flat rocks for you. Wash them thoroughly, and then use paint or markers to decorate them and mark them with veggie names. Use a couple coats of polyurethane or clear spray paint to seal.
3. For artsy garden markers, raid your local thrift shop for old silverware. Find some with cool, mismatched handles, and write your labels with a sharpie on the metal. In scientific testing I performed, permanent marker holds up to water but not hard scrubbing, so you should be able to reuse your cutlery again and again. (Good. I don't know how to grow mulch.)
This at least is truth in advertising.
4. Use scissors to cut the top and bottom off of an aluminum soda or beer can. Cut the can into strips. You can either cut these into regular-shaped garden markers (rounded on one side, pointy on the other), or you can create whatever shape you want, hole punch it, and hang it with wire.
Chances are, this sign is too illegible to mislead you.
5. Oh, your cats also chewed and destroyed your blinds? Before you throw them away, salvage what you can! Scissors and a permanent marker will make these into perfect plant markers.*Did I intend to photograph all of them? I did, until I remembered that my blog photographer returned to Haiti and anyway, haven't your imaginations been dormant all winter? And gotten flabby?
Friday, March 26, 2010
Spring fling
I wanted to take this slowly, because I've been hurt before. But spring came, and I couldn't wait any longer. Please meet my potential new daffodils in the potential new yard of my potential new house.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
It Could Happen To You :: Three Short Stories About Buying a Home
One
It was Sunday night, and we had an online meeting with our realtor. We were tired, so we took the laptop into the bedroom and sat on the bed. We logged in to his meeting program, and watched his mouse all over the screen as we talked through details of an offer we were making on a property. I was sitting with one leg tucked beneath me, and realized my foot was falling asleep. I leaned back to move my leg, and fell out of bed.
Online meetings are hazardous.
Two
We had some paperwork to take to the bank regarding our home loan. I remembered to take my W2's from 2008, my last pay stub, and even my glasses. We pulled up at the bank, parked, and walked in. I don't remember who noticed first, Abe or I. "That's weird. They must have redecorated." I turned around, looking for something familiar. "Abe. We're in the wrong bank."
Someone had already approached us. "Welcome to Wachovia!" We made a hasty retreat, got back in the car, and drove 25 feet to the bank we intended.
Three
Buying a house has made me obsessed with home decorating magazines. At work, we have about 8 months of old 'Better Homes and Gardens' magazines (which should come with a warning: These products and remodels cost more than the home you're buying, Karen. Put the magazine down.). I have read all of them.
In August 2009, I came across this idiotic tip (p. 83). "A teacup or dipping bowl makes a pretty organizer on a desk, dresser, or nightstand. Check your cupboards - even a small, ceramic pet-food dish you no longer use can work." Clearly, the person with that idea has never met a pet, or at least has never met pets like mine. Given half a chance, Franc and Kina will chew the tops off the q-tips, the elastics for my hair, and the rubber bands we keep in the kitchen. Pets don't need an invitation - like putting it in their bowl - to eat your stuff. And unless you plan to spend your money on the interior of your cat, instead of your home, I suggest you organize your office supplies in a container with a lid.
It was Sunday night, and we had an online meeting with our realtor. We were tired, so we took the laptop into the bedroom and sat on the bed. We logged in to his meeting program, and watched his mouse all over the screen as we talked through details of an offer we were making on a property. I was sitting with one leg tucked beneath me, and realized my foot was falling asleep. I leaned back to move my leg, and fell out of bed.
Online meetings are hazardous.
Two
We had some paperwork to take to the bank regarding our home loan. I remembered to take my W2's from 2008, my last pay stub, and even my glasses. We pulled up at the bank, parked, and walked in. I don't remember who noticed first, Abe or I. "That's weird. They must have redecorated." I turned around, looking for something familiar. "Abe. We're in the wrong bank."
Someone had already approached us. "Welcome to Wachovia!" We made a hasty retreat, got back in the car, and drove 25 feet to the bank we intended.
Three
Buying a house has made me obsessed with home decorating magazines. At work, we have about 8 months of old 'Better Homes and Gardens' magazines (which should come with a warning: These products and remodels cost more than the home you're buying, Karen. Put the magazine down.). I have read all of them.
In August 2009, I came across this idiotic tip (p. 83). "A teacup or dipping bowl makes a pretty organizer on a desk, dresser, or nightstand. Check your cupboards - even a small, ceramic pet-food dish you no longer use can work." Clearly, the person with that idea has never met a pet, or at least has never met pets like mine. Given half a chance, Franc and Kina will chew the tops off the q-tips, the elastics for my hair, and the rubber bands we keep in the kitchen. Pets don't need an invitation - like putting it in their bowl - to eat your stuff. And unless you plan to spend your money on the interior of your cat, instead of your home, I suggest you organize your office supplies in a container with a lid.
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