Stars And Stripes Forever, Babeee!

Okay, I took a little liberty, ha!, no pun intended, with the title of that great work but it's one of my favorites! I hope all of my fellow Americans are enjoying and celebrating this wonderful holiday and remembering what it's all about. I have mostly worked on the house here by myself but did go have a nice lunch with Fred and Allen and another friend and then Allen and I rode around and visited a couple of other friends for a little while. So, I have taken a little time just to relax. I'm going to watch the Boston Pops special later; I always enjoy their performances.
I would recommend two other posts by fellow bloggers on this day. Jim over at Coffee With The Hermit has a good one and the annual 4th post that Ed at Riverbend Journal puts up is great. It brings me to tears every time I read it. And last but not least, Beatrice and Grenville at Frog and Penguin have loads of great pics of 4th festivities up their way. Check them out!

So, God Bless America, land that I love!!!
Oh, and you gotta check out Google's header for today; it's cool!

*John Philip Sousa

Story Of My Life

Well, first I've got to show ya'll what I accomplished today! See that? With those windows being trimmed out, all the exterior trim is done!!! Yay!! I'm so happy. I got that finished and then proceeded to get the siding started on the clerestory face. What a pain in the butt. I got into a wasp's nest (didn't get stung), I accidentally drilled a hole in my leg (don't ask; I'm not even sure how I did that) and I messed up 6 feet of siding before I got the first piece to fit BUT I did finally get the first run started and going. I cursed so fluidly and with such veracity as to make proud the heart of any construction worker, young or old. Ol' Dominecker would have saluted me.

Of course, as soon as I finish the clerestory I've got to top out this piece of a gable. It shouldn't be too bad though.

Now, back to our discussion. Thanks so much for your answers and they did shed some light for me. I think Deb, who is only a year older than me, had a good point about our generation. I think ours was the first generation that the principles of equality for women were actively applied to public schools. The 60's and 70's had fought for equal rights and pay etc. but it didn't really come into effect until about the 80's. I remember in junior high the boys and girls took turns with Home Ec. and Shop. Each gender got half a year of both. I don't remember my older sister getting to take Shop so I think this was a new policy. It pissed me because, although we could take shop and use tools, they still wouldn't let the girls weld. I have often wanted to go back and shove my welding certificate in their face. Pfffftt! Take that, you bastards! heehee, just kidding. Then in high school there wasn't much talk of getting married and kids. The girls were encouraged and given the same options as the guys. College or join the military. ROTC was popular and many of the girls joined. In fact, several of my friends joined the regular military after high school. I think there were so many options available to us girls that many of us did 'wander' a little and there is nothing wrong with that. I went on to college because it was expected in my family but proceeded to wander after that and I am glad I did really.
As I've said, I don't have a problem with being 'abnormal', if indeed I am, but the extent to which I have taken self-sufficiency does sometimes get in the way of things. A lot of it is the social conditioning of the South. Melody, you are right. To me, women here get a real mixed message. You are supposed to be feminine and love dresses and tea parties and then at the same time, if you can't put the fear of God into some man if he dares to treat you unkindly, well, they just aren't going to respect you. Kinda that 'tomboy hiding behind high heels kinda thing'. Chicory is very correct in that it will take a very secure man to stay around me. (and I can't wait to see your studio too!) In fact, I had one carpenter sit me down and explain to me that I was too self-reliant. I give the men no opportunity to "come to my rescue" and apparently many Southern men need this in order to feel manly. As one 'ex' told me, "there's nothing I can do for you (that I can't do myself) and nothing that I can say to you (that some other man hasn't already told me)." I can assure any man however, that I will gladly let him be Bug Squasher Supreme, build all stuff he wants and take care of my truck if that makes him happy. Even the glorious Switchman told me one time at the end of that job, "I thought it was really cool when I first saw that a woman was out here doing this kind of work but after I saw the kind of work you actually have to do, it makes me feel bad. I don't like to see you work like that". Well, honey, I would gladly give it up if a decent man were to come along and want me to hold a more 'genteel' job, as my heart doctor keeps lecturing me to do. Driving 100 stakes in packed gravel in 100 degree weather lost it's adventurous appeal long ago. I'll stay my ass in the kitchen and bake pies!

I think what it boils down to, is that I simply turned out to be the perfect, horrid combination of faulty genetics, an unbridled mind and a crappy attitude. You see, I was born with not only a heart defect, but a reproductive one as well. An imbalance of the estrogen and testosterone did not allow my organs to develop and keeps me from carrying a pregnancy. As best I can tell, this imbalance also provided a stronger upper body than most women, larger and stronger hands and an attitude closer to a man's when it comes to life. But yet, I like men. You know, I like men. Heehee.
FloridaCracker asked if I was encouraged to 'step outside the box' when I was growing up. Well, I wasn't actually encouraged to do much of anything but I wasn't discouraged either. My parents were told frequently that there was something wrong with me, that I was mentally handicapped but instead of trying to take extra time with me I think they just said, the hell with it and just kinda let me do my own thing. Maybe not the best way to go about it, but it worked. Because I was not guided a certain way I grew up with no preconceived notions of how things were 'supposed' to be for a girl. Now, socially this can be a problem but educationally this was great I guess. If I wanted to learn anything I just tried it. They could tell I was different and if it kept me quiet to give me a hammer to play with, then that was fine. My mom did buy me a little tool set when I was about 5 or 6 and any kind of crafty things to make stuff with. I do remember being tested often in elementary school. They would take me out of class and ask me crazy questions like, "what is the main ingredient in making glass?" I was six but I knew the answer. It's sand or silica. I used to read encyclopedias when I was little, that's all. I don't remember telling my parents about the tests. So, my mind was just free to wander and no one tried to guide me a certain way. Now, initially this might sound pretty good but at a very young age I also realized that I was basically on my own. I remember once when I was about 7 or 8, I woke up one night after a very bad storm when my sister came back in the room. A tornado had come very close to our house and my parents had gathered up all the others but me. I was left alone during the storm, and many other times also, and this kinda became the pattern for my life. I taught myself to tie my shoes, to swim and ride a bike. I taught myself to drive and got my license on my own. When a friend's mother took her to take the test, I just went along for the ride. Her Mom asked me if I wanted to take my test while we were there so I said 'why not' and passed. None of my family asked me about such things and I'm not saying this to sound pitiful; it's just the way it was. I did learn a bit in school besides the academic stuff. They taught me how to keep a check book and cooking and a few other things and if I ever had trouble in school I worked it out myself. I told my parents about some stuff but they didn't seem concerned, so I learned early that my life was basically up to me. I had the good fortune of having some very nice teachers and guidance counselors that helped me, so I learned who to ask for help. I became very proficient at watching other people to see how they did things. Now with the Internet, I can see how different my upbringing was when I read other's blogs about their life and see how they interact with their kids. I mean, I think it was about 2 weeks before my father realized I had moved off to college. I'm not kidding. Sometimes I look back now and think I did pretty darn good to get this far.
And yes, sometimes I have a crappy attitude. I get very impatient with men. Just let me do it my damn self. I know what I want, just get out of my way. I'm trying to work real hard on changing that. I realize most other women my age are married and simply don't have to do the things I do. And, as Beatrice suggested, maybe they underestimate their ability to do such or are discouraged by men. That's why they don't learn to weld or drive a trackhoe. Hell, I wouldn't do some of it myself if I had someone else willing to do it. I'd still want to weld though!
So, the combination of all these things is what made me. Good or bad. But, I figure if I've learned all this maybe I can learn that when a man tells me I look nice, to smile sweetly and simply say "thank you", rather than "what the f**k do you want?" Maybe?

To answer some of the other comments: Hayley, you CAN learn carpentry or anything else. Most all states, maybe even Alaska, have technical colleges where you can go to take courses in welding, carpentry or any of the trades. I realize where you are now may limit you to what schooling you can get however. When I was an apprentice, Bessemer Tech in Birmingham was where we went but the courses are open to anyone and you don't have to be actively employed in the trades at the same time. The YWCA in Birmingham also offers trade schooling for women only, at little or no cost, and most union halls offer schooling to anyone interested, so there are lots of ways for women to get training in any of the trades. If any of you women are truly interested in learning more, check out your local resources. Call some local construction companies and simply ask where their craftsmen get their training. You can usually audit courses from colleges also. You don't get hourly credits for the course, like if you were getting a degree, but you get to take the entire class for a greatly reduced price.
FloridaCracker, you can look here and here to see what circumstances directed me into the construction industry.

Keep Talkin'

Hey Everybody! thanks so much for all of your great, insightful comments and discussions. Keep them coming if you feel like it! Instead of answering them all in the comments section though, I want to answer and discuss in another post, which I will get to soon. However, the weather has turned so delightfully cool here that I'm outside as you read this, trying to get as much done on the house as I can. I am very close to finishing the siding and we actually got our 3-day weekend for the 4th! Yay! Anyway, I haven't left ya'll and after the sun goes down I'll try to get back to the blog. Unless some handsome man spirits me away on a romantic adventure. Ha! yeah, and I'm going to sprout wings and be able to fly up on the roof to work. I'll be back soon.

Oh, and Grenville, I did respond to your suggestions about the pantry shelves in the comments section of that post. Thanks!

*Pink Floyd

It Never Entered My Mind

So, I try to be pretty informative on this blog and do a good many 'how-to's' and such but now, I have a request of you all. I want to know something. I had a new reader ask a while back, "what made me the way I am?" Now, heh, that's a loaded question for sure but I have thought about this for some time and have formulated a theory for my current state of being, which I'll explain later. I realize truly that I am not like 98% of women. I know I'm very different. Hell, even among female construction workers I'm different. Thru the networking of Facebook, good or bad, I have 'met' quite a number of women carpenters, welders, pipefitters and so on. I have come to the conclusion that I am one of maybe three straight, female construction workers on the earth. Of course, I'm exaggerating (a little) but the vast majority are gay. I'm very straight. And I know there are tons of women that do physical things around their house; taking care of animals, gardening, even building a little shed or such. But how many you know that formed and poured the foundation for their house and welded the structure?
When I was interviewed for the newspaper article, the lady asked me what made me consider building my own house? Or something to that effect. I thought, well, why wouldn't I? It never occurred to me not to. Now, I've said many times I had lots of help, so it's not like I did it all by myself, but I have done it basically all, since blacking it in. So, my question is: why would a woman not consider doing some of the things I do? When I talk to many other women it's like it never occurs to them that they could, when it's just the opposite for me. Why is that? Women? Is it a question of physical strength? social conditioning? just not interested in such stuff? like to just see men work? lol!
Men? Do you prefer your wife not do such work?
Now, I don't really wish I were not like this but I feel many times it has made me into a bit of a social outcast and I'll explain more on this later. And everybody says, well, be proud you're different and all that, and I am, but that's easy for you to say, you know. I'm here alone for all my life and after so many years I begin to wonder, maybe I shouldn't have gone down certain paths. Maybe things would be different for me if I knew how to be more 'normal'. Now, whether that is something to be desired or not is open for debate, but I often wonder why I don't meet many other women on this path. I get a lot of women who say they wish they could do what I do, but hardly any that actually want to try. Anybody want to explain this to me?

Leave The Bourbon On The Shelf

Not my personal philosophy mind you, just the title to an actual song. So, these are the shelves after loading them up. I didn't think I really had enough stuff to fill all of them but lo and behold, there is even more stuff I didn't get on there. Of course, once the base cabinet is installed a few items will go in there and that will free up some shelf space.
And yes, on that middle shelf is some very excellent Knob Creek whiskey that someone recently gave me. It's not as good though if you don't have someone to share it with.

I started out by attaching these brackets to the walls at the appropriate heights. I made these out of the little bit of leftover cypress I had. It is a beautiful wood also. They are 1 1/4" thick and 1 1/2" top to bottom. I cut the length so that the long point is about 1/4" shorter than the width of the shelf. I also think the angle cut on front just looks nicer that a square cut and doesn't give you something to poke your hand on. Not that you would really but you never know. Now, Allen talked me into sheathing the interior of the pantry with plywood instead of sheetrock and I am somewhat glad I did this. This way you can run a screw into any part of the wall; you don't have to worry about hitting a stud in order to have the screw hold. It is very important to pre-drill the holes in any small piece of wood like this and I also countersunk the holes so that the bugle head screws would sink up flush the the surface of the wood. I used something like 2 1/2" coarse-thread screws to attach these brackets to the wall.

Once I got the brackets up I simply laid in the shelves, one at a time and working from the bottom up. Starting at the bottom lets you have plenty of space to work above and not be knocking your head on a shelf or whatever. I also put two dowels along the length of the shelves, into the studs, to help support the back length but my pics of that didn't come out worth a crap. I believe I am also going to add a center bracket to each shelf though, to support the front edge.

I used these 2" trim head screws to attach the shelves to the brackets, predrilling those holes too. The trim head allows the screw to sink beneath the surface of the wood but leaves a very small, inconspicuous hole that can easily be filled if you want. These will never be seen but they were the length I needed. I used three screws in the each, evenly paced of course. I mentioned that if you have a wide board that has some cupping in it you can draw that out by installing the board with the cupped middle facing up. It is easier to draw the middle down with screws than to try to draw and keep the edges down. Screw the back of the board down first and then the middle. It sometimes helps to clamp or wedge the hump out and then run the screw in securely. When you take the clamp or wedge off the board will remain flat.

So, I was happy to get this done. At least one thing that makes me feel good. Work is fairly sucky right now, as is my personal life. I know I have a crappy attitude but I could really use a nice thing to happen now. In the meantime I'm just trying to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

* The Killers

Talkin' Smooth

I had to laugh today when I read Beau's account, over at Foxhaven Journal, of his construction of one, little chicken coop door that took him all day to do. I told him not to feel bad; it took me all weekend to install 3 measly shelves in my pantry! In my defence, these boards were a little rough when I got them. Apparently, they had been out in the warehouse of the lumber yard for some time and two of them had discolored somewhat. So, I spent all day Saturday sanding and filling and sanding and sanding some more before I got a consistent enough surface on all of them to finally apply the finish.
I got a pretty good deal on these though and they are basically clear (no knots), so I am very happy with them.

One reason I got a pretty good price is because they are actually stair treads and did not have to be milled specifically for me. These are five-quarter pine boards and you can see their original purpose by the bullnose on one side. I actually like square edges for shelves but was willing to live with this. It still looks nice. Now, when I say a five-quarter board, that means the finished dimension is a full one inch thick. All dimensional lumber refers to it's rough-sawn measurements, not the finished size, thus a five-quarter board does start out as 1 1/4" thick.
I could have gotten some 1x12's at Lowe's for a good price but I wanted something with more strength and heft. Besides, it just looks nicer.
Now, you can see in this pic, a slight bit of cupping in one of the board but some of that was cut out and the rest can usually be gotten out in the installation.

I ordered full 8' boards, knowing that my pantry is only 7'-6" wide, so that I could square up the ends and possibly cut off any rough end. Due to this, I was able to cut this knot out and get a perfectly clear board. You always want to check the ends for square before you cut. Don't ever assume the factory ends are going to be square. Sometimes I'll recut the ends just to get a nicer, smoother cut and then measure my length from that.

Since these boards are going to be in my pantry, loaded with food, I wanted to apply a very non-toxic sealer. Now, I realize that once a polyurethane is cured it is basically inert and probably not going to affect anything but I like the beeswax finish and I know it is pure and natural. Plus, it doesn't hurt that it makes the house smell like honey. Obviously, the far board on the right has not had the wax applied and you can see how much the finish darkens the wood. This is actually a 50/50 mixture of natural (no petroleum distillation) linseed oil and beeswax. It is almost solid in the can and you have to carefully heat it to apply. Once heated, it becomes very fluid and brushes on easily. I apply one thin coat and then let dry for 24 hours. Then it is buffed with a soft cloth and 000 steel wool. This has no stain on it at all; just the wax and I absolutely love how it brings out the beauty of the grain and does not obscure anything. I have a serious penchant for the looks of natural wood. Heh, that and men with neatly trimmed facial hair. Yum.
Ahem, okay...what were we talking about? So, anyway, tomorrow I'll show you the finished product. It is SO wonderful having usable, permanent pantry shelves! Now, I just need to see about having the base cabinet made and I'll be well on my way to finishing that room.

*Kate Voegele

Summertime

I did get quite a bit done on the pantry shelves today but I didn't finish the project so I want to get a little further along before I post about that. In the meantime, ya'll will have to endure tales of some of my other excursions. I took some time this morning to run down to the local farmer's market. I really want to grow most of my own foods at some point but until I finish the house and can devote a lot more time to gardening, I have to rely on outside sources. However, this does give me the opportunity to support our local farmers and economy. Something I feel is very important. In fact, I don't think most Alabamians realize just how blessed we are in the natural resources area. We can and do grow a wealth of wonderful produce here. I know this photo doesn't show much but there were loads of farmers here with a wide assortment of fruits and veggies. There is almost no reason to go to a regular grocery store for these items.

There is usually someone there selling homemade bread and homegrown flowers also. I know I don't have a tremendous number of Alabama readers (something that irritates me) but if you do live here, please get out and visit these markets. Especially if you live near me! The Blount county market is great. And they are open a couple of days during the week also. Our growing season is so long there is only a few months when these people are not selling and their produce is very fresh.
Edit: the Blount County market is located at the Agri-Business Center in downtown Oneonta.

I also like to get out and talk with some of the old farmer men. They are usually pretty funny. I don't mean silly, I mean they love to joke around and flirt with the women. They are just a hoot. I talked with a very nice Hispanic man from a nearby town who was selling a wonderful variety of veggies and fruit. I got the eggplant below from him. They are all very proud of the food they grow and love to tell you all about it. A lot of times you can even get recipes and all sorts of tips.
I also talked with another, very friendly farmer who told me that the organization that runs this market passed a ruling that all the produce must be grown in Blount county. I thought this was great.

This is my haul for today. A lot of people would say that it's too expensive to go and the grocery stores are cheaper, blah, blah, blah. I got that bowl of squash for $1. Can you get that at the grocery store? I don't think so. And they were probably picked this morning or yesterday evening instead of that old crap at the store that has been trucked halfway across the country. Now, I think normally that amount of squash would be $2 but I bought that from the friendly farmer and I think maybe he was just being nice. Allen always says I get stuff like that because I have boobs. I don't know about that; he was just being nice. The farmer I mean. At any rate, I enjoy going and meeting new people, it helps local people make a living and I get some wonderful fresh food. Now, you get out there and support your local farmers and help these markets grow!


*Janis Joplin

Voodoo Child

Pick up the pieces, make an island....might even raise a little sand

Cause I’m a voodoo chile....lord knows I’m a voodoo chile

Heh. Ohh, I think my recent illness and this insufferable heat has taxed my brain. That and I've been in a very Stevie Ray Vaughn mood lately. I feel a nagging restlessness stirring in me but for what I'm not sure. I need to express myself some way or another but the outlet for such seems just slightly beyond my grasp. Tattoos and piercings are just so overdone these days. I know what the guys would say. In fact, I've heard them mumbling something about taking up a collection...that's not fair though, I haven't cussed anyone lately or thrown anything at any of them. Granted, I've been a little weak to raise much hell, the days I did make it to work, but still, I have behaved.
I know one thing for sure, this week has really got me to considering again just how long I want to do this for a living. I know I've thought about this many times and it's not very often that a bad illness corresponds with a heat wave but dang! it's rough when it does. I went back to work Tuesday and that was probably a mistake as it's been in the high 90's all week. Probably should have taken another day. To sweat so hard that you actually breath it up your nose is an odd sensation. I made it through Wednesday but that day I had to work on a galvanized roof, right in the sun, all day and wearing a harness on top of all that. Thursday morning I just couldn't do it so I took that day off and I felt much better today. When people or friends come to the realization that we have to work in such conditions they always stare at me with open mouths. Their expressions hint at either utter amazement at our strength or horror at our stupidity. I often wonder myself, which it is. Of course, we are better acclimated to such conditions, having to do it every day, but it's still hard. I suspect that a warm, manly pair of hands and some lotion would do wonders for my back and spirits but I guess I'll have to settle for some Aleve and maybe a shot of whiskey, although not at the same time.

So, on a better note, I hope to actually accomplish something this weekend other than closely inspecting my toilet. I am going to finish (and hopefully), install the pantry shelves and maybe get the last of that exterior trim milled. I know ya'll are sick of my whiny posts and want to see something done on this house. Me too. If I can get an early enough start, maybe install some siding on the clerestory area also. We are supposed to have a cool spell of highs only around 90 F! Wow! I might have to put on a sweater.

In other news, I am awaiting the return of the foot pedal for my pottery wheel and then I hope to finish the orders some of you have placed. I apologize for the inexcusable delay but in my haste and impatience I destroyed the other foot pedal, trying a quick fix, and am having to have a new one built. A very expensive mistake on my part. I'll have to sell a lot of mugs to make up for this one.


*Stevie Ray Vaughn. also done by Jimi Hendricks

Mean Woman Blues

Well, I hate to foist more daylily photos on you but this weekend just didn't turn out like I had hoped. I wanted to be able to blog about putting up the last of the exterior trim and pantry shelves, since I just got the material in, but my body had other plans. It thought it would be a good idea to throw up for 10 hours straight. I got up early Saturday morning ready to start work and just didn't feel too good. I figured maybe I had gotten too hot at work the day before and was a little run down but soon realized it was something else.
Btw, this is one of the new additions to my daylily collection.

And this is one of the others. So, anyhoo, I puked my guts up all Saturday and just couldn't get it to stop even with taking some anti-nausea stuff so I finally broke down and had Allen take me to the ER. I felt stupid for going to the ER for something as insignificant as throwing up but I couldn't get it to stop. It's bad when you drink stuff just so you'll have something to throw back up. I know this is gross but bear with me. lol! The doc there said apparently something was going around as he had 3 other patients with the same thing at the same time as me. So, I didn't get anything done this weekend and I'm off work today. I feel somewhat better but we'll just see about tomorrow. In our line of work it's hard to jump right back to work after being really sick due to the heat.

This is one of the few purplish lilies I have ever found and it is a dwarf also. I like to layer shorter flowers in with the tall stuff so you have some rhythm of up and down.

I felt well enough to walk around outside a little yesterday and take these few pictures. This is a variety that I've had for a couple of years now. The blooms are very large on this one.

This is one of my favorite plants and apparently, a favorite of the bees also. It is a Vitex Agnus-Castus, the 'Texas Lilac' variety. It is very hardy and grows quickly. It doesn't seem to mind the heat or dry soil. They get up to 12 feet tall and are just covered in these blueish-purple spikes that all the bees go nuts for. Also, when the flowers fade, the seeds left behind can be harvested and use for medicinal purposes for women. It helps regulate your hormones. I have bought Vitex capsules at health food stores before and had great results. But of course, everyone should use caution and study any plant before using any of it.

Well, hopefully I will have something interesting to post about soon. I hope all the fathers out there had a great day yesterday. Oh! I almost forgot; some of you might be wondering about the title to this post. See, whenever I get this sick, Allen always tells me it's just the meanness in me trying to come out. lol! Maybe he's on to something.


*Elvis Presley

Hot In Herre

This week at work has been absolutely miserable as far as the heat goes. We've been able to work in the shade of the building but it's still hot inside. However, today I had to work out in the sun grading gravel for a slab pour, surrounded by concrete and it was near 100 F. I am not one who sweats a lot but even my pant legs were soaked by the end of the day. I'm getting too old for that kind of crap.
I'm going to try to get some work done around here in the morning and maybe take a break during the hottest part of the day.

Yesterday I was working inside the sanctuary part, sawing lumber for blocking and it was terribly hot. Now, we have several very large fans set up in the building and they help a lot but I wasn't feeling any breeze coming my way. After a brief investigation I noticed that the stupid duct men had 3 of the fans on the stage area all pointed at them! All three of them! I called bullshit and went up and turned one of the fans out toward the sanctuary to where several of us were working. Ahh, that felt much better! Well, after about 30 minutes I noticed it got very hot again. WTH? I turned around and couldn't believe it when I saw that one of the duct guys had turned that fan back towards them, so all 3 fans were back on just those 3 guys. The sorry sonova.... I didn't say a word. I didn't make any gestures or pick up anything. I simply put one hand on my hip and gave him 'the Eye'. Even at about 50 feet he could see that look. He looked sheepishly at me and then slowly eased over to the fan and turned it back towards me. Damn skippy, and you better not touch it again.

No wonder I can't attract a man. ;)

I Can Stop Anytime, Really.

I haven't sunk to the point of pawning stuff yet to buy these but...I did forsake any fried pies so I could afford one more pot. Pot of daylily that is. This weekend was a bust as far as accomplishing much around the house but I did get out Sunday to attend this daylily sale and wow! was it worth it. There is a nursery a few miles from my place that specializes in these and one weekend a year they have a big sale with homemade ice cream and fried pies being offered too. If you live anyway near Blount county and have never been to this, and like daylilies, you must go next time. I highly recommend it.
This field is the ones they are currently growing, plus another field, and then they have the ones potted up for sale closer to the road.

The people running the place are super nice and had several educational things about the lilies. The selection and price list was like a small phone book. There must have been a couple hundred varieties it seemed. These are a few examples of the 'ruffled' type. You can see it the best on the yellow one.

I actually limited myself to only three varieties. I got 3 for $10 of one type. Those were on sale. Then I got 2 of another type; 'the Wild One'! Ha! I had picked it out before I saw the name but thought it was quite suitable. Then I got just one of the third variety. The ones I picked were all pretty reasonable but I did notice a few varieties that were upwards of $40-50 a piece.

These are next on my list! these are listed as the 'spider' type and they were huge! The blooms were probably 8-10 inches across.

I have joked (sorta) on here before that it's a law in the south that you must plant daylilies if you have any form of yard at all but this past year I really realized just how ingrained these things are. These orange ones are the oldest (I guess) most basic variety there is and they have actually become so prolific here that they are basically wildflowers now. They grow everywhere, whether anyone plants them or not. Most of our country roads, like this one, will have many large clumps lining them, often times with no houses for great distances. They have just entered the wild realm now.

Well, it has been ungodly hot here for the past week, and I wasn't feeling real sporty this past weekend, so I just took it kinda easy. I have ordered the last of the exterior trim and the shelves for the pantry, so hopefully, this coming weekend will be filled with much activity on my part.

History Lesson

OK, this is my last post about my vacation so ya'll just bear with me! I promise I won't inflict anymore of this on you. The kids were real excited about going somewhere on Tuesday and they are very interested in history so I took them to historic Georgetown. It was a really cool town and we had a good time just wandering around and reading about the area. The town started as a major port for the area and was sort of a business hub for all of the rice plantations of pre-Civil war days. The town dates back to the mid-1700's.
We enjoyed a great lunch at this restaurant on the water and could watch the fishing boats come and go.

This is one of the remaining plantation houses; which is now a museum/tour stop. The only thing is that it seemed all the tours were $7 a head and with 3 kids, that's a little steep. So, we just guided ourselves.

We did visit a church that was built in 1747 and the wonderful folks there welcomed us in for free to look around and talked for over an hour, giving us a great history lesson on the area. The man was very knowledgeable and interesting and the kids really enjoyed learning about all of it.
We wandered about the attached cemetery some and they noticed there were a lot of children buried there, some from before the Revolutionary War. I think this headstone was the mother and her daughter, by the same name, buried beside her. I love the old slate marker and the artwork of that time.

This was the little town square. There was a bunch of still occupied houses in the neighboring blocks that were built in the 1700's. Most of them appeared in marvelous condition.

So, when I got home there was much to do. The lavender needs harvesting and this was my first bundle. You can barely tell I picked any. I always leave a decent amount because the bees just go nutso for it and I've even spied a few honeybees on it.

So, I'll try to have something about the house very soon. I know these last posts have probably been boring for some. I did finally order the last of the exterior trim and the shelves for the pantry. Should have that this coming week.

Have Cool, Will Travel

If you go to the Myrtle Beach area I would highly recommend the Brookgreen Gardens. This was an incredibly beautiful place. Acres of sculpture gardens, a nature preserve for native animals, a cool butterfly house all surrounded by wonderful botanical gardens. In the previous post, this is where the giant oaks lining the road were. The sculpture gardens are divided up into 'rooms' and this was one of the first ones we came to, aptly named "Ann's Garden"!
Now, when I go to another state, especially driving that far, I want to get out and see some stuff; to explore, you know. I love the beach as much as the next person, and I did want to spend time there since we won't get to enjoy ours anymore, but I just don't see the point in driving almost 600 miles to sit in one spot for a week. On top of that, the poor kids would have been burnt to a crisp by the end of the week, so we decided to take some excursions. Now, everyone was invited but only the kids wanted to take advantage of these opportunities. Well, sister and BIL did show up there after lunch but he tried to rush us through the rest of the place. Claiming they had already seen the whole thing in about an hour. Bullshit. We took our time and saw everything.

Myrtle Beach proper is a stinky, commercialized Hell as far as I'm concerned. Crowded beaches, unsavory shorelines and unbridled development, but 30 minutes to the south it was wonderful. Beautiful wetlands, state park beaches, museums, you name it. Why would anybody not want to enjoy all of that? Most people might think the kids would be bored stiff with the art but they had a blast. They took it all in, reading abut everything we came upon. Maybe I don't understand because I don't have kids, but I think they need to be encouraged to get out and see the world and learn about new things every chance they can get. Admission is about $12 or $15 (I can't remember) for adults but your tickets are good for 7 days. I thought that was great.

This was probably my favorite sculpture in the whole place. Of course, this is Diana; goddess of the hunt etc. A wild, free woman. I can relate. Sissy mentioned in the comments on the last post that time away often gives you a new perspective on things. I whole-heartedly agree. I certainly came back with a new outlook and perspective. It also gave me a renewed interest and spirit on improving my land. New ideas for my own art and designs.

These pictures just don't do the oak trees justice. They were so massive. The kids chatted with one of the gardeners out working about the place and asked what they thought the approximate age of the trees were. The lady said they estimated these to be around 270 years old. If only these old trees could talk to us. Well, maybe it's a good thing they can't; I'm afraid we would not like what they would tell us.
I was excited to see that many of the fern varieties they had here are the same type I have growing naturally at my place. Cool!

I would also recommend getting to this place early so you have plenty of time to sit and enjoy things and read all about it. They have 2 restaurants here also. I have a few pics of the animals and such but I won't bore ya'll with much more from here.
Now, time for me to get off my butt and get to work around my place. Lots to do!!

Celebrate Me Home

Hey! I'm back ya'll! Here are just a few images from my trip. It was a very enlightening time and I got to spend most all of it with my sweetie-bug nephew and niece and her boyfriend, who is a real nice boy. Thank you all for the good vacation wishes and nice to have new readers! Welcome Possum and Beatrice.

We saw all kinds of neat things and went up and down the coast in search of adventure. I told ya'll that it was kinda odd that I was invited to go... turns out for a reason a bit more disturbing than what I originally thought. Apparently, it was hoped that my presence, being of my sister's family, would deter my BIL from being a total jackass. Which, unbeknown to us, is actually his custom on vacations. We, my brother and Mom etc, were always under the impression that he was a nice guy. I know better now.

I did shanghai the kids, which didn't take much on their part, and we tore up the roads finding places like this to explore. We had a good time and they seemed to really enjoy it. They are really good kids and a joy to be around.

I didn't get too many photos of the beach, although it was very nice. This was at Huntington State Park, a wonderful place. I'm not sure what they were doing. I think trying to build some type of sand castle.
More later, when I have a little more time.

Holiday

Okay chickies, ya'll are going to have to excuse me for a few days while I go take some time for a much needed vacation. I'm heading out bright and early Saturday morning for Myrtle Beach. I've never visited South Carolina for any extended period of time so I'm looking forward to this. I've always heard wonderful things about the area. Alas, I'm not running off with some handsome man in a sure-fire bid to end my seemingly perpetual state of crabbiness, but....it should be fun anyway. My sister has invited me to go along with her and her family and her kids are enjoyable. I was rather surprised they invited me to tell the truth. It seems, judging by the last few holidays spent together that I don't have much of anything left in common with my family but I'm always willing to see what's going on. I think I have just progressed to the status of 'the weird old aunt that the family invites along because she obviously has no life and we feel bad for her.' Ah well, it may, at least, give me some opportunity to fiendishly influence my niece and nephew before they completely succumb to goody-two shoeness.
And unfortunately, this may be one of my last beach trips for a very long time. It just sickens, saddens and breaks my heart what has happened in the Gulf and it seems that area will not be available for beach vacations in the very near future. Our state reported oil or tar on all of our beaches today and, though they have not officially closed them, are strongly advising people not to get in the water. Our world is sick and I don't mean the Earth. I mean the people. They are sick in the head and in their souls. When will we ever learn? Greed and avarice and short-sightedness have mated with a willing ignorance to produce a hideous sickness spreading all over the planet. As a friend so well quoted the statement by Chief Seattle, “When the last tree is felled, the last river poisoned and the last fish is caught, then you will see perhaps, that you can not eat money.” -
Now, I realize my ranting about the oil industry and then going on a long trip (thus using a fair amount of gas) presents something of a conundrum but I have thoughts on that too. I will try to address that when I get back.

Hopefully, I'll be back soon with a better outlook on things and maybe even some interesting adventures to tell you about. I can probably manage to stir up something. Heh.

Easy For You To Say

Ackk!! See what I mean; I did it again! I have a lot of trouble sometimes getting the words to come out right, even written ones, and end up making something sound completely opposite what I'm trying for. Now, I'm sure most of you don't know what I'm talking about but apparently, in that last post, I made it sound like the guy I had the bad date with this weekend, turned out to be married. That was not the case. I do make an effort to investigate that stuff before agreeing to go out with someone! What I meant to say, was that the guy on the job that favors the Switchman, turned out to be married. I know I had talked about that guy and then a couple of days later said I had a date and I didn't want anybody to construe that it was with him. Mainly because the Switchman lookalike is a nice guy and I didn't what to cast any bad shadow on him.
Anyway, when I get on a roll I can misspeak and offend most anyone. For all the physical talents I have, I am a complete social moron. Anything from the original Switchman story, to flat out offending people just trying to be nice. I have good intentions but we all know what they say about that and everything comes out jumbled up. It's probably the most likely reason I've always been alone and why I feel more comfortable, and competent, creating something with my hands rather than opening my mouth. So, if I say some really stupid crap on here sometimes, just overlook it. Or ask me to clarify. I don't mind and I will not cuss anybody for their comments either, I promise. Even ugly ones. Well, if they're real ugly maybe but not for just regular ugly.

Speaking of hearing funny things though, one of the guys at work cracked me up today. I had to do a little welding this morning and when I finished I was rolling up my leads and such, cleaning up. There was a young electrician working very nearby and he walked over to me. He had never really spoken before so I wondered what was up. He smiled, "They say you can do just about anything.... is there anything you can't do?" I had to laugh. A myriad of things ran through my mind that I cannot do! I joked about not being able to sing or dance and he laughed too. I get comments like that fairly frequently. If they only knew. And I always wonder who 'they' is. Podie started off talking to me with the comment, "They say your Daddy was a superintendent, that's where you learned all this stuff". Nope. If 'they' were my guys, 'they' would know the truth behind that. It's kinda weird to hear yourself talked about like that. Guys I don't know who know me. I've heard some outrageous stuff about myself ( I told ya'll the 'used to be a man thing') Fortunately, that's the most offensive thing I've ever heard. Mostly, to hear them talk, I hold lightning bolts in my bare hands and wrestle bears for fun. Hhhmmm, not too far from the actual truth. I like to think of myself as an adult Pippie Longstockings.

Here's a garden update! Or maybe I should say, a tomato patch update because I don't have much else planted. The maters are doing really well this year and I think all the plants already have a number of fruits on them. These are Beefsteak and Rutgers. The brussels sprouts are doing well but I'm not sure how they are going to take the hot weather. I planted them when it was quite cool but they just sat there for weeks and only now have started growing. Oh well, we'll see. I have a few pepper plants that are doing okay and my strawberries are starting up for another round. I think their soil still needs a lot more amending. And some pine straw mulch!

Buzzin'

The dragons are still heavy in the air here. I just love having so many. They are so cool. Last weekend I was sunbathing a little on the deck and one lit on my right shoulder. I could just barely see him if I turned my head but he didn't seem to mind; he stayed there for some time. Fortunately, they cannot walk around, because that might have felt creepy but I could feel his little feet touching me. That was okay.
This one was one of the largest I've seen here. I would guess his wing span was about 5 inches. Well, that is a 4x4 that he is on and his wings were slightly wider; maybe 4 1/2". I loved the shadow he cast. I thought it was very interesting that his wings would cast such a dark shadow in contrast to their delicate transparency.
And for something else with about the same brain power..... Ernie is definite proof that ignorance is bliss. Happiest damn dawg I've ever seen.

Oh, and in case anyone was wondering; the (horrid) guy I went out with was not the one from the job that favors the Switchman. The Switchman lookalike is married. This other guy was someone I met here in my little town.

Thank U (Revised)

I would just like to extend my gratitude and respect to all the servicemen and women of our country, past and present. May we all remember that this is a day for more than cooking out and going to the beach. My family served mostly in WWII and Korea. One of my uncles won the Bronze Star. All of them were fortunate enough to come home. I am very proud of all of them.

The construction job that I am most proud of working on was our state Memorial for our fallen soldiers from all wars. God help us to never have to build any more.

Edit: I have been reminded by a reader that Memorial Day is for fallen soldiers only (which I knew but just didn't word it in a very clear way), they put it much better: Although every day is a good day to say thank you to those who have and who are serving in our nation's armed forces, please let's remember that Memorial Day is the day designated to remember and honor our nations *war dead* and should not be confused with Veterans Day. This extra special class of veteran deserves their special day of remembrance and our gratitude for their ultimate sacrifice. Please, let's not dilute the meaning of Memorial Day.
I apologize for not being more specific in my wording or any perceived disrespect. I would never knowingly slight any serviceman the respect they are due.

*Alanis Morisette

Hold What You've Got

Weeelllllll, all I can say about yesterday is, dang. I think I've just lost my desire to even try to describe such events anymore. I'll just say this: ladies, and guys too really, if you have found a good partner, one that reciprocates your love. One that shares your beliefs and doesn't ridicule or put down your achievements. One that asks you how your day was and actually listens and doesn't ask you 5 minutes later the same question because they were not even paying attention. Then go find that person NOW and tell them you love them. Heck, go find them now and show them how much they mean to you. And don't give me that crap about 'well, the neighbors might see or he's out in the barn shoveling poop...whine, whine.' Especially if he's out in the barn shoveling poop! Go get 'em! 'Cause I'll tell you what, you're damn lucky and if that person ups and leaves one day because you sat on your ass and ignored them, you're gonna be hurting.
Let me give you just a little insight into what's out there in the world although I'm sure you are smart enough to suspect such stuff.. And you know, I've thought many times maybe I'm just being too picky. I'm expecting too much out of someone. I've berated myself for years for not being good enough, smart enough, considerate enough and yah, yah, yah, yah. Hey, I know I'm not perfect and have always tried not to judge people by their profession, origin or past mistakes. I've made plenty and continue to. But I don't think this is asking too much. These are Annie's Rules For Dating: and again, these are for dating, not necessarily if you've been with each other for a long time.

1. Don't show up at my house drunk. I think that's all I need to say about that.
2. Don't come to my house and proceed to get drunk unless that was our express plan. Although I must say, that really isn't going to be a likely possibility.
3. If we are going out, don't show up at my house in dirty clothes. Take a freakin' bath and put on clean clothes. Some damn deodorant would be nice too.
4. Do not talk ugly about your mother. aahah! I don't give a shit; don't do it.
5. Do not, as a way of asking me out for the first time, invite yourself over to eat a dinner that I have bought and cooked and then to have sex with me. I know that this is a shock but my joy in life is not to serve you.
6. If you are over the age of 18, ok, I'm gonna be nice about this one, 21; don't defer all issues of your life to what your mother wants, down to whether you should wear a long or short sleeve shirt out because you're not sure about the weather.
7. Do not tell me that if you take me out on one date that I 'owe' you sex and then, when I tell you to go scratch, try to be nice to me for the next couple of weeks in hopes I'll change my mind. Because, you see, I can still remember what you said 2 weeks ago, dumbass.
8. Don't try to piss down my back and tell me it's raining. i.e. "oh, I'm listed on this site as a Morman, lawyer, alien, whatever but I'm not really. It's just to meet people." WTF? Or, "oh, I own, free and clear, a bunch of beautiful land in a stunning environment but I'm thinking of selling it and moving to some remote location." Ya, and I'm Queen Elizabeth.
9. Don't call me up an hour before you want to go out. I will be busy. I have to give my cat a bath or something.
10. Don't call me up and say you wished we could go out but you can't afford it, you're way behind etc etc. and then in the next sentence, tell me all about how you just got back from Bike Week in Panama City.
11. Do not contact me unless you are completely, totally divorced. I don't care if you have signed the papers or what. I want to see that last signature from the judge.
12. If we go out, do not talk on your cell phone for half of the date.
13. In the same line of thought, don't ask me a question only to start talking about your opinion of it because you really only want to hear yourself talk anyway.
14. If you do not call me for weeks at a time, I will get the impression that you are not interested, so don't be surprised when I say, 'who is this?'
15. Do not tell me if I had my nose fixed I could be really pretty. If you catch me in the wrong mood, your nose is gonna need fixing.

And I could go on but this is becoming depressing. Also, don't give me any lip about well, it's those hooligans you work with (blue-collar) guys and all that. Naw, uh-uh, many of these words and worse proceeded from the lips of white-collar fellows. Now, excuse me while I go fix myself something to eat...and give Grendal a bath.

Shelter From The Storm

I don't care much for Dylan's music but his songs do have good titles usually. I awoke early this morning to a steady, hard rain. You know the kind that falls relentlessly straight down. No wind, just a very occasional distance flash of lightning and even that so far off that the rumbling is very faint. Usually overcome by the strumming of the drops on the metal roof anyway. The sound is somewhat muffled in the bedroom, as I have an attic over that area of the house, but it's still a soft roar. It's been cool enough this spring to keep the windows open at night and I could feel the slight chill coming off the rain. That's what I love so much about this house. It's openness let's you feel so close to nature, yet keeps you sheltered and snug at the same time. I don't see how people can stand to live sequestered in the caves many of them have built. So cluttered and full that you can barely get to the windows even. Much less open them. Seems the older I get the more physical and mental freedom I yearn for.

So, I've been working on the clerestory area after work some. We've had little afternoon thunderstorms pop up several days this week so I have worked on some other stuff too, where I was sheltered from the rain. I'm not sure you can even tell what this photo is but it's the new soffit material I finally put up on the side clerestory eaves. Looks much better now. Still got to order a little more trim. I just get so much on my mind during the week I forget.
Seems it will be raining much of this weekend so i don't know how much I'll get to do on the house. Well, I have several very overdue inside projects I need to complete so maybe it's a good thing.

The native hydrangeas are blooming here. I am abundantly blessed with these things around the house but I love them and am grateful for their beauty. I am trying to transplant enough that my drive is somewhat lined with them. And the deer don't like them! These can get quite large; some of them 7 feet tall or more.

Well, that's about the extent of my news for today. I might have a date tonight but I'm having trouble being extremely hopeful about this one. Oh, I'll enjoy it but just not sure how good of a match this one is. It will be nice to get out and do something at any rate.


*Bob Dylan

Whatcha' Say?

Well. I am discouraged somewhat. Yes, I know it's hard to believe, that my bright and sunny disposition could have dimmed somewhat but I have begun to fear that my social graces are fading faster than Joan Rivers latest face lift. I am apparently becoming an inexorable bitch and I really don't mean to. A few weeks ago (before I posted about the house) the BFA emailed with the usual chitchat and then asked me what I had spent on the house to date. I thought it was an odd question but I replied that I really hadn't figured it up at the time. If he would give me a little while I could tell him but in the meantime, could I ask why he wanted to know? I mean, it's my house, I didn't think that was a bad thing to ask. So, he never replied and now won't speak to me.
Then last week Cat Daddy called me and said some very ugly and inappropriate things to me. He has been laid off for a couple of months and isn't taking it well to say the least. I told him to go get fucked, and not in the good way. So, he's not speaking to me but that was my intention.
Then last week also, the assendofasuperintendent, excuse me, the assistant superintendent on the job started screaming and cursing at me because I was being cautious about rigging some 20 foot steel columns we were taking down. I have a slight aversion to getting myself killed, silly me! This ass chewing did not strike me well, so I proceeded to cuss him until a fly wouldn't light on him. I really don't like to get that upset and it's generally not a good policy to curse at your boss, however, he has been really nice to me ever since.
So, I feel like a pariah. I hate to sound like I'm trying to be pathetic but I don't really have another ear to chew on. What do ya'll do when you get down? Does your spouse help cheer you up? Am I being unreasonable?
Maybe I'm losing it. Hell, maybe I never had it! But I see no point in taking shit off people. I think I have had to work so hard, for so long, so aggressively to prove myself that I have become like a little wolverine that runs around bristling and snapping at the least provocation. And not that I wasn't somewhat provoked, but still. I think one of the reasons I would like to have a man around is just so I could practice being lady like. That sounds stupid doesn't it? Now, I'm afraid I would just end up biting him. And not in a good way.

Oh Well, Okay