In 2015, an image of a dress circulated around the Internet. It was a sensory illusion that caused a great many people to argue if the striped dress was blue and black or white and gold. It had something to do with the way our brains cancel out the natural shadows. Anyway… the same exact thing has happened again!
This illusion is even better than the dress thing because there are TWO illusions in the same photo. To preface, a colleague of Perry’s gave us 10 tomato plants — we kept 5 and gave 5 to the Peskies. Of the five I planted in bags, two were yellow and three were the meaty German type. In the photo below, the tomato in the middle is the big German one, and the other five are yellow.
Illusion number two has to do with the size of my home-grown jewels. They look to be a decent size in the photo above, right? Well… for a better perspective, I have another photo to share…
The Wyze cam that huge (HA!) tomato is resting upon is a little less than a 2-inch cube. Mr. Pesky had to humiliate me by saying mine looked like cherry tomatoes compared to those he’s grown over the summer. I know… I should be embarrassed and should have kept my gardening failure private. Oh well — they say failure is the mother of success. 😉
After a long HOT day in southern Indiana yesterday, the wind kicked up and the sky dropped some much needed rain. It even got my sidewalk wet for about 10-minutes.
I’m pretty sure the Peskies’ garden turned out better tomatoes because there was a whole lot more rain 12 miles south of here.
TIL (Today I Learned): It is estimated that 1 in 15 people have moderate to severe sleep apnea, causing daytime sleepiness and grogginess upon waking.
Working mornings on Ben’s yard, I’m so looking forward to more weed wacking and clean-up tomorrow. 🙄 You know the quote as it applies to business, but I can attest to the fact that it also applies to yardwork specifically…
That blister is the least of my problems though. Ben sent a text this evening and said he thought he “got into something.” He sent a photo of his arm that’s broken out with some kind of creeping crud from the mutated weeds we’ve been attacking. I didn’t tell him, but whatever is on his arm is on my leg. And it ITCHES! It’s all I can do not to take a hairbrush to it.
In other news, my tomato plants still have green babies while the Peskies are delivering huge ripe tomatoes to me at least every other day. I’m eating those suckers like it’s my job — even for breakfast — and I still can’t keep up. My plants have a 90% chance of ending up in this week’s trash pick-up.
And… I won $250 bucks on a scratch off lottery ticket. First one I’ve picked up in forever, so now I might be addicted. Saving the best for last — I booked a speech today for a LIVE EVENT in October. Yippee! Things are looking up. Or, at least they will be if I can stop itching and eat more tomatoes. 🙂
TIL (Today I Learned): There is a little known island in New York City called Hart Island used as a burial ground for poor or unidentified people for decades. In 2012, Hurricane Sandy’s heavy storm surge tore at its shore revealing hundreds of human bones.
I’ve mentioned lots of times that COVID has me cooking more. For better or worse, I’ve stepped out there on the food preparation ledge… so far out of my comfort zone, for sure.
My second COVID vaccine is scheduled for 3/31 and now that Indiana has opened up requirements to 45+, Perry is eligible. He gets #1 the same day as I get #2. Food consumption will likely change around here within the next six weeks or so (wait for me Pho Shiki!) — but I’m guessing I’ll still be cooking more than I ever did pre-pandemic.
Rather than a bologna sandwich, I actually cook meals. ME!!
Puppies can’t have meatloaf because of the onions — but they need vegetables just like we humans do. At least, THEY think they need vegetables because they think HUMAN food is about the most amazing thing on the planet.
No potatoes for them but green beans? Oh yah… they LOVE green beans. Next big uncomfortable step is to eat more leftovers. Dharma and Merida are fighting pretty hard against that happening around here… COVID or no COVID.
TIL (Today I Learned): It was illegal for Americans to own gold — with the exception of jewelry and collector coins — between 1933 and 1975. Read about the Gold Reserve Act here…
Have y’all got your Christmas tree down and packed away for another year? Me neither! I always take down my tree the day after Christmas, but it’s still twinkling in the living room. I’ve penciled in Wednesday to do the deed because I’m hoping Perry will get the boxes down from the attic for me tomorrow after he’s off from work.
Ole’ Teddy Bear broke a hip on the ladder to the attic here many moons ago. It’s sturdy enough — but it’s sure easier when there’s someone to hand stuff down to. And who is even going to know the tree is still up? Me. Perry. And Ben if he gets hungry enough.
In other news (#dogproblems), Merida ate the side off of my Tommy Bahama ultra soft throw that is 3 days old! She’s so very lucky the battery was dead in her shock collar. I was mashing that “light yourass up button” like it was my job — all the while screaming, “Did you do that??” at the top of my lungs.
She knows she was bad, and now she’s ignoring me… what a brat!
And on to the all-consuming COVID-19 yackety smackety. Cases are rising but still, SIX MILLION PEOPLE traveled through US airports before Christmas Eve. On the eve of Christmas Eve, more than 1.1 MILLION PEOPLE screened at airports. That breaks the pandemic travel record even though hospitals are full and healthcare workers are stressed.
Which leads to the text message I got yesterday that I still haven’t replied to. A cousin and friend, Celina, from Illinois is coming to Jackson County within the next few days with her daughter, Leisha. She wants to see me while she’s here — and may hit me up to spend a few nights. But you guys, I’ve been sooo very careful since March!
I don’t want to be paranoid and miss making new memories, but I also want to make sure I’m around a whole lot more years to make more of them. I don’t want to be rude, and I’d love to spend time with them and have a few glasses (or bottles) of wine while talking about all the other relatives. We always have SO MUCH FUN!
Celina (far left) and the pretty blonde directly on my right, Leisha, is the daughter coming with her to Indiana.
So what to do? UGH! Here’s the thing… I have no clue how many people she and Leisha were around over the holiday — but I’m guessing LOTS. I have a decision to make, and the options are crap. 🙁
How severe the pandemic is in the places where people I care about are located…
Daily NEW COVID-19 cases (7 day moving average): Indiana-75.6 (down); Jackson Co – 76.5 (down) — 8.37% infected (up); Florida 52.6 (down slightly); Nevada – 71.0 (up slightly)
TIL (today I learned): Burger King has the rights to use its name throughout the entire United States, with the exception of a 20-mile radius surrounding a totally unrelated restaurant, also called Burger King, in Mattoon, Illinois. Click to read more about the name dispute…
I’m writing this just after midnight so it’s technically Christmas Eve. Our presents have already been opened so I’m basking in the memories of the past couple days. Like… my Walmart grocery order being delivered just in time. And then, receiving an email and wondering if I was supposed to rate my driver on his/her photography skills .
And… like Colette making waffles shaped like snowflakes while pretending she was the owner of chic restaurant named ‘Coco’s Wafflebutter Waffles.’ She ate the first one to make sure it wasn’t poison.
And even the little round table ready for our small group of four to eat our traditional bowl of Christmas Eve chili before opening gifts is a good memory. When you celebrate a holiday in the middle of a pandemic, it’s ok if you count every little thing as a win.
If you’re celebrating tonight or even tomorrow on Christmas Day, please be safe and especially mindful of others. COVID is still out there, yanno. The worst thing ever would to make those you love sick.
And finally, while it is a balmy 52 degrees right now (ok, not really balmy — but warm for Christmastime in Indiana), a cold front is moving in here throughout the day. Rain mixing to snow showers with wind chills in the downright frigid zone is what we’re looking forward to. Who is hoping for snow? THIS GIRL RIGHT HERE! Gimme a white Christmas!
TIL (today I learned): The first American soldier to land on the beach during the invasion of Normandy was shot twice and not only survived, but lived to be 90 years old. Read more about Max from Maryland here…
