Rainy and cold

Today was a disgustingly cold and rainy day, following a cold and rainy day and preceding another one. That almost makes going to work tolerable.

Since I have no lovely photos from today, here's one from a few days ago. The crabapple blossoms are starting to come out and here is a shot of the "wild" tulips in the yard with the crabs.

Rainy trip to Platteville

Today Mom, Avinash, and I went to Platteville for the State Solo & Ensemble festival. I always bring my "entourage" with me and we make a day of it, since it is so far away. I had three students playing in it this year.

The trombonist did well and recieved a special commendation from the judge for the showy Fernandino David Concerto solo. I made a few small screw-ups, especially when the music fell off the piano music stand and onto my fingers! There is no way to fix that problem when playing piano but to take your hands off the keys! It happens a lot with upright pianos and I've forgotten what a pain it is because I have a grand at home. :) Hopefully I distracted everyone with my skillful crossed-hand work later on!

My other two kids did not perform spectacularly. One actually officially scratched because he forgot the judges' copy, and so he performed for critique only. He is young and will remember next time, I am sure! The other, the confident and aggressive player, ran out of air and had to stop for breath midway. He had prefaced his piece with a notice that if he passed out, it was because there were no breath marks in the solo! It's never a good idea to tell the judge what shortcomings to watch out for before the performance! Just goes to show that you should never select a Haydn keyboard piece for the bari sax; it's totally inappropriate for the instrument and can never be done really well.

We stopped at the Bargain Nook and picked up a few Lands' End returns for cheap.

My haul:
olive green suede Mary Janes - catalog $46, cost me $4
blue suede lightweight slip-on mocs - catalog $30, cost $4.50
blue spandex trousers, list $44, cost $2
jeans - way too long and will need hemming, but nice anyhow because the waist is where is waist should be, instead of down by the underwear zone - catalog $39, cost $6
blue shorts, unfortunately pleated, catalog p[rice $28, cost $2

We rounded out our day with lunch in Madison at TGIFridays with a $25 gift card from surveys (not enough vegetarian options on the menu, as usual) and a trip to Maharani's grocery and Yue Wah.

Here is a photo of the cat watching the rain out the window, taken with my slightly compromised digital camera. A new one is on order (a camera, not a cat) and hopefully will be coming soon. At least the last one paid for itself entirely with ebay sales.

Book update:
I finished Designer Knockoff, by Ellen Byerrum, which was surprisingly good for a chick lit mystery. I will have to find the first book in the series!

Mail call:
Psychology Today
utility bill - down $10 from last month
Mystery shopping check for $17

Nice April weather

Thursday was a beautiful day, and I didn't have to work. I had an urgent secret shop, at an undisclosed location, which paid $35 + $8 for lunch. Dad and I made the most of it and I got home midafternoon.

Marketplace:
T-fal pan, sold for $10
5 books, sold for small change - but at least someone will enjoy them and I will get some space in the closet.

Incentives:
$100 from BI

Mail call:
Sample shampoo from Walmart
bank statement
bills
book from Title Trader

Sunny Wednesday

DVD project:
You've Got Mail
One Fine Day

Mail call:
2 pantene samples
bank statement
E-week
Vegetarian times

Maples, Alpine currants in bloom

I got off work today at noon after a meeting about "service excellence" ran over about an hour.

Garden news:
The freezing temperatures last night did not seem to freeze anything important in the garden. The magnolias are dropping their blossoms like crazy. I will have to get out and rake the yard.
The tulips are continuing the flower show on all sides of the yard, and the white miniature daffodils I got as a freebie last year are blooming.
The fern fiddleheads are starting to open up.
Also in blossom are:
bergenia
Virginia bluebells

Here are a few photos of the alpine currant blossoms and the maple in bloom.



This afternoon I played for Paul Sauey. Eric Meunier is supposed to be coming to practice tomorrow and I have been playing phone tag with my other student.

Mail call:
Recruitment offers
Haz Waste stuff for Avinash
$25 gift card for TGIF from Partnership Plus
Free personalized address labels from ASPCA
Fructis sample
junk

DVD project:
Dave
the very forgettable, but shot in Sauk County, I Love Trouble

Trip to Mountain

This weekend we went up to Mountain for Jim and Diane's 65th birthday / retirement celebration. There was a lot of confusion about who would travel in what vehicle, with the enbd result being that I drove the minivan, with Ani, Dad, and Suki as passengers (Suki had her own "couch" set up in the back), and Mom, Pam, and Colleen went in Pam's car with Pam driving.

We stopped several places along the way, by necessity, for eating and changing Colleen and walking the dog. We took a little break at Rib Mountain, where the trees were budding out. We climbed to the top of the observation tower, even Colleen (264 steps), to see the view of Central Wisconsin.


.
Here's a photo of Dad, Colleen, Suki, Mom, me, and Avinash at Rib Mountain.

Arbor construction

Today Dad come over to help finish construction on the grape arbor. Here's a photo of his efforts. He did stomp on many bluebells, tulips, and hostas, but that's how it goes when Dad comes to help with a garden project.











Garden news:
The magnolias are finishing their show for the year. The redbuds are about ready to pop, and the maples are in flower. The tulips I planted in the side yard are putting on a nice display. The crabapples are starting to leaf out and we should have magnolia leaves soon. The Virginia bluebells are blossoming right now, as well.
















The composter is doing its thing. I put the kitchen trash in it today and it had heated up nicely inside!





Unfortunately, Ned got into the sunroom, which had been inadvertantly been left unlocked, and ate almost all of the rest of the beans which he had previously not yet destroyed. (!) So I will have to start over with the beans for the year. I planted some black-eyed peas in some of the bean cells which were previously decimated by Nibbly Ned.














In reading:
It took me more than a week to read Elizabeth's Rake, by Emily Hendrickson, due to constant interruptions.

The story was very predictable, but not badly written. The characters were engaging, with the small problem of the heroine and her aunt both being compelled to call their male aquaintances "sirrah" quite frequently.



DVD project:
Speed
Say Anything

Mail Call:
Junk
Electronics House magazine
bank statement

The best possible news :)

Wednesday I had my appointment with Dr. Hartig at UWHC to review the results of my CT scans. The neck and chest CT apparently did not show any signs of cancer recurrence or spread, which is the best news I could have hoped for. Calloo, callay!



Dad and I took a little walk on Picnic Point before my appointment, to enjoy the nice weather. We saw a beaver swimming in the lake, heading to its den. There were masses of trout lilies along the pedestrian walkway.



As usual, the university is doing major construction projects. All of the Madison hospitals are also doing major construction projects. There are no less than 4 big cranes at UWHC at the moment.

Bluebells, tulips arrive!

Here are some photos from the garden. The house looks as nice as it ever does, with the magnolias in full bloom. The tulips have started their yearly display as well.



DVD project:
Miss Congeniality

Mail Call:
Sample of swiffer duster from Walmart
$22 from Survey Spot
piles of junk

I have to go down to UWHC for my scan today. More on that later.

Barrier Isolator Hood

We have a new hood at work. This is a barrier isolator hood, also known as a "glove box". This is supposed to improve the air quality for sterile product admixture for USP 797 standards.

DVD project:

Moonstruck
Sleepless in Seattle

Magnolia Days

The magnolias in front of the house are blooming again.

Yardwork

We finished making the rotating composter today. Here's the finished product:



See my sister blog, sukiupdates.blogspot.com for the reunion of Mom and Suki!

Marketplace and survey update:

$45 from BI
$9 in mail for Roots videos
I sold 2 items on Amazon, both for small change. Still, better than taking up space in the closet.


I shipped out 3 items at the post office. They know me by name and also by postage class!

Laundry Day

I put away laundry this morning, which of course is a group effort.


Suki update:
bagel - no
dog food - no
lip smacking and gleaming eyes and perky ears - yes

Mom called and they are back from Michigan one day early, so they will come and pick up Suki Fri morning.

Spring is here!

Today started out with a thunderstorm at 3am. We woke to hear Suki panting very audibly in our bedroom - she had made the trek up to our room for the first time in this visit, on her arthritic legs. I coaxed her back downstairs, and she jumped back on the couch. I then coaxed her back down, and down some more stairs to the comfort and security of the basement. The thunder is much less loud down in the basement, and she stopped panting and settled down for a nap on some dirty laundry (sheets, towels, and a pillow, to comfort her joints on the cold cement floor).

Today I was off work, so I did a lot of projects around the house. I chatted with my e-pal from China for a while this morning, then went downstairs and made a bagel for breakfast. This has formerly been my fool-proof meal for Suki, but this morning she turned up her little gulab-jamun nose at even a toasted Sesame bagel with butter.

The magnolia buds are coming out, and I see little pink bumps on the redbuds as well. We have bloodroots blooming outside the house (see photo). My green peppers and hot peppers and tomatoes have finally decided to sprout, so things are looking good in the garden department.

I did three loads of laundry and hung them out on the line. The day was sunny and beautiful, so I brought the veggie seedlings outside for a little sun and wind to harden them up.


Then I ran some errands. I biked to the post office with my ebay and amazon sales, and picked up a DVD at the library, since it had just arrived in the bookmobile. Then I picked up Suki and we did some more errands in the car. I stopped at the glass place and picked up the garage window, which had been re-glazed. They had quoted me $6 to replace the glass, but charged me $15. I was a bit miffed about that. Then I went to the dollar store, to get some more clothespins and also a spray bottle for the plants. They had eggs on sale for $0.39 a dozen, so I bought some of them, too.

When I got home, I made lunch (salad) and made a chocolate cake since I had two dozen eggs on hand.

Then I worked in the yard a bit, hauling away debris and old leaves and branches. That is a job that takes me weeks and weeks in the spring.

My last project of the day was to work on the homemade rotating composter. I used the drill and jigsaw to cut two circular holes in the garbage can, and inserted a PVC pipe to form an axle. The lid was bungee-corded on, and now is secure enough to rotate. Next, we need to make a stand for the composter with 2 x 4s and design some kind of hatch.

Here are the results of my efforts:



Marketplace:
I sold a videotape for $20. Whoopee!

Mail Call:
sample of Degree Deoderant
appointment reminders from UWHC
$12.62 Walgreens gift card (rebates)
new pharmacist's license
$5.06 rebate from Kwik Trip
$30 rebate from Logitech

Weekday news

Monday was a beautiful day with warm weather, sun, and balmy temps. Unfortunately, I had to work until 7 pm. Tuesday dawned cloudy, but still quite warm, and the sun has peeped out later. Suki refused her breakfast, including the usually fail-safe bagel bites.

Suki and I shared two sloppy joes for lunch. She ate the meat first, then the bun. I offered her dog food for dinner, which she of course refused.

Here are some photos from our afternoon walk. The Siberian squill is putting on a nice display. I think the white flowers are called "starry eyes". I'm not sure of the scientific name.




Mail call:
free sample of Nestle Stixx
book from Title Trader
$5 Pizza Hut gift card (survey incentive)
House and Garden magazine
Computer Shopper Magazine
Horticulture magazine
letter from German penpal
Reedsburg newsletter (yawn!)
Sample Hallmark card from Walmart
free sample of "face primer" (sounds like I will be doing a latex satin paint later on)
pharmacy recruitment ads
money order for $36 for Roots videotapes
investment statements
junk

Suki comes to visit!

Suki arrived at 7 am this morning for a week's visit. Here she is enjoying the sun the the backyard!

Also we have photos of our wide-body cat Rowena (aka Fatty) overflowing the desk:










And in a sleeker angle (it's all in the angles!)









And here's grumpy Ned being snuggled against his will:









He has his nose out of joint since the cat's arrival.

A bit or rain, a bit of snow, some sleet, and some hail

I made kulcha dough this morning.

The weather is quite disgusting, with overnight rain, heavy rain, sleet, hail, and snow. Now it has cleared up, but it's still pretty dank outside. A good day to build a fire and read in front of the fireplace with a cat.

Books:

A Regency Invitation, an anthology by three different authors. It's thoroughly enjoyable without some of the dreaded cliches.

An Intimate Arrangement, by Nancy Lawrence. This was a freebie from the library discard pile. I wasn't expecting much of it, but it wasn't too bad at all.

Garden of Dreams, by Valerie King. Freebie from Title Trader. This is also pretty good, although for a "gardening" theme, there sure isn't much gardening going on. The protagonist shapes up the gardens by hiring workers from the local village instead of doing things in a more hands-on approach.

Survey payouts:
$18.05 from survey spot

DVD project:
The Client
Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Creeping Terror
Mystery Science Theater 3000: Voyage of Sinbad
Sinbad: Son of a Preacher Man
Dog Park

Mail call:
bank statement
junk
2 prospectus from investment company. The Income Fund of America is anything but, showing a return of -2.75% this year. It makes mutual funds look better all the time.
2 sample tubes of toothpaste
Pharmacist's License renewal notice. The fee has gone all the way up to $97
Pharmacy Graduate Newsletter
flower catalogs
Notice from TechB that they will not be honoring my rebate submission due to supposedly missing information, and would I please send "validation information" no later than 2 days ago. So, don't buy from TechB. TechB is EVIL.
Flyer from the Evil Empire.
Maximum PC magazine

chow:
whole wheat bagel
lunch was a leftover cajun chicken sandwich with fried onion strings.

Garden News:
Siberian squill are putting on a nice show (see photo)

A good day

I didn't have to go to work today, so that makes it a good day right from the beginning. I had gotten up at 3 am to take some migraine medication so I had a leisurely doze until 8:30 am due to the sedative effect of the medicine. I got up and spent 30 or 40 minutes trying to get my computer to talk to the internet to check my mail. Every time it is shut down properly, there is a 50 or 60% chance that the router will not work right after booting up. It almost makes me want to leave the thing on 24/7.

I called Dad and told him what supplies I wanted him to bring over for our grape arbor project. I found directions online last night for a rotating composter, so I also needed some PVC piping and 2 x 4s.

I planted the eggplant seeds in a container to get them started indoors, and then put in the strawberry rootlets in the plastic outside container. If it freezes, that can easily be moved onto the porch.

He came soon afterward with his truck full of treated 4 x 4 posts and post-hole digger, miter saw, drills, etc. It is very handy that he has everything just lying around, and also handy to use it rather than it just piling up there.

Dad drilled the post holes and set the timber, and I held everything while it was being nailed and fetched tools, markers, and levels. I also hauled 6 wheelbarrowfuls of dead leaves and branches out to the curb for the spring cleanup. We decided we had to get a 2 x 6 from the lumber yard and also some longer nails. A truck is very handy for that. I did have to clean out all kinds of McDonalds bags and newspapers and cookie packages from the seat, as usual, to get into the truck.

Dad divulged that he had just come from the DMV, where he was himself surprised to have PASSED his vision test. I asked him if they had made it any easier, and he didn't respond. He said that he thought the Lantus was helping him with his eyesight. So he is free to drive on the roads for another 8 years - the less said about that, the better.

Dad had some of his own unique ideas on the construction of the arbor. We got up the side wall and one crosspiece, but he didn't want to put in a third corner post or back piece. He has some other plan in mind, and I'm not sure he and I have the same vision of what an arbor should look like. But that comes with the territory when you ask for his help.

Dad rewarded himself for his work with TWO pieces of homemade apple pie. I asked if he would like some lunch, but he said that the pie was all he needed.

I showed Dad some of the edited Korea photos, and he left about 1:30.

I made some lunch and quick watched the DVD which was due, The Dark Crystal. That movie really brought back some memories for me, since I think I was in Jr High the last time I saw it!

Then it was time to return all the library materials, pick up my reserve (a Tori Amos cd), and drive to the Dells for my mystery shop.

The shop was relatively quick and easy, and I have dinner for the next two nights!

DVD project:
Jurassic Park

Mail call:
Amazon.com book for Mom
free sample of Dove soap - very very tiny
junk

Today's photos show the start of my springtime flower show!

O Frabjous Day!

Finally, a pleasant day outside! The sun has emerged from its week of hiding and the daffodils are blooming.

Here are some photos from the garden today.



When I got home from work I moved some indoor plants to the sunroom to start toughening them up for going outdoors. The temperature is supposed to go down to 25F tonight, but from then on in I think it will be above freezing.

Mail call:
nice card from the Peidelsteins
Shoppers Hotline newsletter
investment magazine
junk

Survey payouts:
$5 in Burger King bucks from Shoppers Hotline

DVD project:
Grosse Pointe Blank

Dinner was hamburgers / veggie burgers

In the evening we watched The Whole 10 Yards, the sequel to The Whole 9 Yards we had watched the previous evening. The library cd was too scratched to see it on the TV and we had to watch it on the computer.

That's all the news for today.

Sunny evening!

As usual, mine is the first house in town with daffodils blooming. It's a welcome display of cheer after the long winter months.

Monday was cold and dreary in the morning, but the sun had peeped out by the afternoon and when I got off work at 7 pm, the skies were clear for the first time in a week.

DVD project:
Mission Impossible

Mail call:
junk
coupon for free vehicle inspection from Discover
sample dry-erase marker from Crayola
check for $110.36 for Iditarod videos

Weekend News

Saturday Avinash and I did some heavy-duty Indian cooking and ran errands. We planned to make kulcha and an Indian main dish to go with it. I suffered my usual memory lapses at the grocery store and ended up going there about 4 times! Fortunately they have self-checkout lanes and I didn't have to face a cashier so many times. ;)

I decided on murgh kaju, and Avinash planned aloo kaju. It was made with a tempered cashew, onion, garlic, and spice base, with cashew paste thickening the gravy. This was mixed with sauteed chicken and potatoes, respectively. The end result was quite mild and I "spooked it up" with a bit more crushed red pepper.

The kulcha was made with naan dough. We had tried making naan before, without much success. We got some brand-new yeast and I made the dough. It rose not-very-impressively in the oven and then was punched down and rolled out. Avinash rolled in chopped red onions, chili, and mint leaves, and I cooked each one in the broiler. They came out crusty on the outside and moist and chewy on the inside, unlike our previous efforts on the griddle and in the oven. I was pretty pleased with the entire meal.

I worked on revising Dad's Korea photos. Attached above is a sample showing what I believe is Camp Casey near Seoul.




Here is what the military website has to say about it:
Camp Casey is located in Tongduchon, just 40 miles north of Seoul. TONGDUCHON, located on the most northern part of Korea, is at the edge of Soyo Mountain, also known as Kyonggi's "Little Kumkang Mountain." It is the first gateway to the northern countries. It is also developing into the most important city in northern Kyonggi. The Tongduchun city population status is over 70,000 citizens.
Dvd project:
Ever After

Survey payouts:
$25 gift card to TGIF

Mail call:
utility bill
credit card bill
junk
$24 money order for ebay
CE certificate
Local apostrophe-impaired ad

Books:
I read A Regency Christmas Courtship, a compilation of novelettes. The reviews were
right on the money, with 2 or 3 good ones and 2 bad ones in the collection.

Romance cliches included:
1. a magical puppy whose goal was to get the hero and heroine together
2. two parties whose arranged match they were both fleeing meeting unexpectedly on the road, getting holed up in an inn together in a snowstorm, and falling for each other unbeknownst to each other's respective identities.

Sunday I worked my usual shift. When I got home, I made an apple pie from my tried and true recipe I've been using ever since I was about 10. Avinash and I watched Analyze That while I sliced apples and made the dough. I enjoyed that as much as the first movie.

In the evening I went to Baraboo to play in the woodwind quintet. We haven't met in a couple of months and it was nice to get together again. I tried to make a new reed just before I left,because mine were old and worn out, but it was just too hard to play and needs more scraping. As it is, it might cause a stroke if I played it longer than a few minutes! I gave up on that for now and played an older and more feeble reed. Jane had nicely reorganized and renumbered our folders and for the first time in probably 15 years we could all find our music. Quintet news: Becky is looking for a new horn now that hers has "red rot". She was trying out a friend's custom made horn from Germany and it sounded really nice. Willy has a new granddaughter.

I got home about 9:30 and tried to get to sleep, but my body is not used to the new time and I gave up and played solitaire (the only thing I can do quietly on the computer) for an hour or so.