Signs of Winter, Signs of Spring

Today started out on a dismal note. Not only was it cold, windy and gray outside, but also snow was falling when I got up and continued thoughout most of the day. There was no accumulation because the ground was above freezing, but the skies were dark and leaden the entire day. If it had been above freezing, we would have gotten a thunderstorm. Fortunately, or unfortunately, due to the fact that there is no window in the hospital pharmacy, my spirits could not be further depressed by the uninspiring weather conditions.

I had a long day at work, the highlight of which was my chicken chimichanga at lunchtime. That is the one dish the hospital cafeteria does really well. It has a lot more flavor than their usual offerings. Tom had a doctors appointment in the afternoon, so I had to work late. Fortunately work was easy and I didn't have any political issues, confrontations with coworkers or customers, or other tricky challenges.

I got my creatinine done today in preparation for my CT next month. I calculated my own creatinine clearance at 63. It sure goes downhill fast after age 18! It's not much different from last time, though, so at least it's stable.

I stopped at the post office to mail out my amazon package, and the ATM. I really wish there was an ATM that accepted deposits at the hospital or at my bank. I guess I'm the only customer in Reedsburg who actually needs to deposit anything via ATM.

I didn't get any movies at all converted today. I did, however, sell one book on amazon and one of grandma's bib necklaces on ebay. This one had a brand name stamp on it, and sold for an astonishing $46! I sold about 10 or 15 other pieces of hers, and the most I've gotten for them is about $9 for a set. It quite amazes me what you can get for items on ebay if somebody really wants it.

The Pet update:

Ned started his bouncy-bouncy routine this morning at about 4 am. He jumps up on the bed in a very jarring and energetic manner and generally makes himself obnoxious. I kept shoving him off and he kept bouncing back up like a rubber band. I think it happened about 12 times before I had to get up - I can't really recall except that it was way too many.

Rowena was also slightly obnoxious by playing with her puffy ball last night. She can't play with the ball without talking to it in a special voice she uses just for puffy balls and also bugs she is planning to kill and eat. She picks up the puffy ball and carries it around so some other location - only she knows why - and then talks and bats it around some more. This afternoon when I came home from work it was lying on the Persian rug next to several deposits of cat vomit. I don't know if it was just too exciting to play with the puffy ball after breakfast, or what. Avinash and I were just talking about how fortunate we were that the cats had not thrown up lately - I guess that was a bit premature. They used to do so almost every day, so I guess the new fancy food agrees with them more.

Mail call:
unicef ad with a nickel in it (kept the nickel)
gazania collection ad
more investment company annual report. Fund up 4%, nothing spectacular
paperback book from Title Trader

It's been a quiet evening. Avinash came home late. He is now watching The Last Samaurai dvd before it's due at the library tomorrow.

Several of the seeds I planted last weekend in plastic cells and peat pots have sprouted, which is very exciting. I am always quite amazed when something I have planted actually grows instead of sitting there like a rock in the soil. (Those are cucumber seedlings in the photo!)

So far, seeds that have sprouted into leaflets are:
Mesclun Lettuce
Summertime Lettuce
Cucumber
Zucchini
Peas
Garbanzo beans
kala chana

I took a chance on the garbanzos and kala chana. The seed packets at the store are so expensive, and we have a vast quantity of dried beans and lentils in the cupboard. So I tried planting several trays of the dried beans as well as the purchased seeds from Jungs. So far, so good! I also planted some rajma, but they haven't done anything yet. I thought the pulses might be radiated, since they come from Turkey and India, but apparently they are still viable.

Hopefully I will not kill them all and we will see some kind of crop this year.


Dinner tonight:
Avinash had chat with kala chana and potatoes, raw tomatoes, puffed rice, and sev.
I had potato soup, toast, and some cocoa.

That's all the news from here. I'm looking forward to a day off tomorrow.