mopinko
mopinko's Journalcan i- should i- prune my watermelon vines?
they are completely insane, taking over the whole block! the thing is, i know that melons starting now will not have time to grow and ripen. i have a couple beautiful big ones, a few small ones, and, i assume, a few hidden ones. sure they will be delish, but that is a lot of space. not that they are hurting anything, but...
i just am thinking that if i pinched back the tips on the vines, they will concentrate on ripening up what is already there.
good idea? or bad idea?
childhood memories
today DH and i are processing some of out garden bounty, including some extremely awesome extreme hot peppers. making sauces, bbq sauces, and just 'hot lava' sauce.
also picking wild grapes, planning to make some jelly.
DH has never canned anything, so i talked him through that. looked through mom's old recipe box for dad's chili sauce that we used to make but couldn't find it.
sharing this will folks on our facebook page, and with their reminders on top of it all, i am consumed by nostalgia.
my family was pretty dysfunctional, and big and poor, so we really didn't have that many adventures. but canning time was one. going out to the greenhouse on the edge of town with my dad to get bushels of tomatoes and hot peppers was a bit of very cherished (and sober) one on one.
grinding the hot peppers in the handcrank meat grinder on the back porch was an act of heroism that i was always ready for. drinking the odd bit of tomato juice that didn't fit in the last jar was my reward.
i would help tighen down the rings, and test for popped lids.
mom made concord jelly, courtesy of her friend whose big exuburban yard was ringed with grapevines. i can perfectly picture a pillowcase full of cooked grapes tied to the handle on the cabinet above the stove. dripping into a giant pot, steam rising off everything. she would seal the jars with paraffin, and it was always a little delight to open a fresh jar and lick that cratered surface to get the little bit of jelly from it.
such a time.
my son and i leave on a road trip to the rest of his life in the morning.
i am driving with him from chicago to salt lake city so he can get his phd in math. he just graduated first in his class from uic. i am so happy for him. i am so proud of him.
i hope we both survive the trip.
we have a lot of issues based in my depression during his childhood, and the damage done. and his own several year depression after dropping out of high school. but he picked himself up and followed a rigorous daily regime of clean living and exercise, regular sleep habits, and only the most healthy foods.
as he got out of his depression, went to college, etc, we have gotten along better. but we still have our moments.
really, he has stacked up many impressive accomplishments, almost exclusively devoted to proving me, and his father, to be completely wrong about everything everywhere ever. i think a deep study of successful eccentrics would reveal a great many mother haters.
anyway, he does not need me to drive him, but we are doing it. he is a little nervous, but i think it will be ok. i am grateful for a little quality time with him, since he swears he will never return to chicago.
he really is an amazing and amusing person. i think he will have a great life 2.0 as he says.
send us a good vibe if you can.
rape culture in chicago- r. kelly headlines pitchfork music festival.
i am fb friends with an african american alderman here, and he posted a pic of himself with kelly today.
jim d. rogatis has been an advocate for kelly's victims for quite a while. a very interesting (and infuriating) conversation.
http://www.wbez.org/blogs/jim-derogatis
more
http://www.wbez.org/results?s=kelly%20conversations
cut the MIC budget. here is how.
first, everyone should see the old movie "the pentagon wars" with kelsey grammer and matthew brodrick. this thread made me think about it.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014528412
it is about the absurdity that was the development of the abrams a1 (iirc)
what would be smart to do is to find a way to reach down to the grunt, and give them a certified confidential way to report the bullshit. they know where it bullshit is, and they don't have 19 years toward their pension to worry about.
i doubt the people looking for support in this SUPPORT group are interested
in crack pot medical advice. i know i am not. if you want that kind of info the health forum, which is the proper place to discuss symptoms and treatments, if full of that sort of thing. or there is alternative healing, too.
i intend to alert on them in the future. they make this forum useless. and aggravating as hell.
dear hive mind- a question about nigerian culture.
we have been invited to the 10th birthday party of our tenant's son. i have been told it is a huge deal, coming of age time. i am flattered to be invited, and don't want to be stupid. (i love my tenants.)
so, my question- does anyone know what a traditional or appropriate gift is? is it one of those money type occasions? what would be an appropriate amount?
i know someone on here knows the answer here, and sometimes it just mind boggling the depth of the hive mind here at du.
don't forget your local party.
i serve on the steering committee of my ward dem party. most of the heavy lifting has always been done by the committeeman, which is an elected but unpaid job. (go figure.) so, it was mostly just a rallying point, bus trips to iowa, etc. we are part of the lean, mean, election winning il-9th district machine. most of us were there from that feb day in springfield, through iowa, and part of the 5 seat gain in illinois last november.
as it happens, tho, our committeeman has been gravely ill. were it not for the generosity of our alderman, our office would have closed. and our phone equipment was not going to be any help in 2014.
so, a lazy committee stepped up to the plate.
we raised almost enough money to keep the office open for the next year. we are still twisting a few arms, but we are first going to upgrade our phone system. we do do a lot of phone banking, and were a very busy ofa office. we are getting a new router which supports predictive dialing, and new phones.
we have every intention of helping jan schakowsky increase the illinois democratic delegation, as well as reaching out to other states, particularly wisconsin.
i loves me my president, but we all have to focus on 2014, and that is a block to block, district to district fight. get down on the ground level, and get ready!!!
the boss must be in town.
just saw the usual 3 helicopter formation over the lakefront here.
my son is getting sucked into the woo.
in spite of being my child, he is so soft at heart that he just can't think of people as nuts. he is 22 and a high school drop out mostly sitting on my couch. there is no conspiracy theory to outlandish for him. he was a buddhist for a while, but that wore off. he just throws in with whatever comes along.
my most off the beam neighbor sucked him into a mission to help build a house for an old choctaw chief. with one day's notice, he takes off for south dakota. now, this is really the kind of thing the kid needs to be a part of. i just shut my mouth and lent him my car.
he has been there for a few weeks, has done a few sweat lodges, including having the "honor" of stoking the fire. now he is on his way to a sun dance. 4 days of eating, 4 days of fasting and dancing, followed by a flesh tearing ritual.
i am assured my son will come home a different person.
yes, i suppose he will.
oy.
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Member since: Tue Oct 28, 2003, 08:34 PMNumber of posts: 70,237
