hqueen's collection of Far From the Usual stuff.

[Britesea]

I know where you're coming from. I had a very needy mother as well, and it got even worse when dementia set in. Ugh, I'm getting shivers just remembering almost 10 years without a life of my own.

 

[hqueen13]

Oh man, @Britesea that is ROUGH. I have a friend that is an only child and her mother is a bit the same way, and she was telling me how challenging it is. Thankfully since the BF is one of three, that divides things up a little bit... not a lot because they've been heavily conditioned with the guilt factor from childhood, but at least it helps a little...

My clients are home today!!! After three months of being away, to the day, they're getting home this afternoon. We were going to go over tomorrow and do a little bit of stuff for them, but I guess that's not happening now since they're home already. Oh well. I did sweep the barn super good this morning, and then used a bleach wipe on everything that I touched just to try to reduce germs. I don't think I have it, but right now I feel like it's unfair to others not to be cautious.

So that's a huge weight off. That means I don't actually have to leave my house tomorrow. At all. That's good news for my gas budget for sure. HR did just message me and asked if I can watch the ponies on Thursday night and Friday morning, which shouldn't be an issue. I will have to hustle on Friday morning because I'm supposed to help on the farm, too, but we'll see how timing goes.

Not much else to report. No real updates from the mom situation. I did talk with one of my friends about it, and she's very sympathetic, and can see how his mom is struggling with the empty nest, and the impacts of the pandemic and stuff. I get it, but it's really annoying to be the one that is turned into the whipping boy for someone else's issues. We'll see how that ends up playing out, too.

Oh, I ordered some of Brad's Atomic Tomato seeds from Baker Creek.... and the packet came EMPTY! I emailed them and they got back to me right away and are resending them, so now I've got to wait, again, for those. I hope they get here quickly because I want to get them in the ground, I'm almost too late for them, really. And the reviews are mixed, so I hope they turn out good for me.

 

[wyoDreamer]

I placed an order with a seed company and when I opened the box - bean seeds fell out! Luckily I only ordered one type of bean from them so I knew what they were by the open packet that had 2 seeds left in it. Somehow the peas did not escape their open packets and get mixed up. I bought 3 kinds of peas from them and that would have been a mess. now to get the rest of the seeds in the ground before the storms Thursday and Friday...

 

[frustratedearthmother]

The seed companies are apparently overworked this year! My Red Rippers - aren't red. UGH! I need that contrasting color to make it easy to find and pick them. Sigh...

 

[flowerbug]

The seed companies are apparently overworked this year! My Red Rippers - aren't red. UGH! I need that contrasting color to make it easy to find and pick them. Sigh...

the dry beans are red, i have no idea what the pods look like since i ended up not growing them here and gave the seeds to someone who did want them to try out.

i have some nice bush beans with purple pods that are easy to see and pick so i've greatly increased their planting this year to get them crossing with the rest of my beans as much as possible. it will be fun to see what happens next. i'll have tons of dry beans to harvest if my past few seasons with these are any measure...

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I've grown them previously and they generally have bright purple/red pods that are very easy to find amidst all the green vegetation. I planted purchased seeds earlier because I had hidden my saved seeds from myself.
I found them and am now giving them a go!

 

[Britesea]

I still haven't been able to plant my Fortex beans, we keep having frosts. Had one again last night.

 

[flowerbug]

I still haven't been able to plant my Fortex beans, we keep having frosts. Had one again last night.

you must really be up in the hills!?! that's a very short season, can you actually get dry beans from them in time?

 

[Britesea]

probably not. I was planning on eating them green. Normally our last frost is around May 31, first frost is in late September. There's a lot of stuff I can't grow.

 

[hqueen13]

Geez, @Britesea that's really late!! We had a very long cool spring, too, so I feel surprised that I should be planting stuff now, but I'm often later than I'd like to be.
Yes, Baker Creek has notices all over their website that they're behind and they are under staffed due to the pandemic stuff, so it's not surprising. I know tomato seeds are small, but they aren't THAT small... lol the packet was completely flat. I knew it was missing the seeds when I picked it up. Oh well, I guess someone was in a hurry. No clue when the new ones will arrive, I just hope it's not too late. Of course, I've read lots of mixed reviews on the Brad's Atomic Tomatoes, so we'll see what happens if they grow.
Yesterday was DELIGHTFUL! I got up when I wanted (still early ), and then took my time through my day. I read some of the book we're reading in the office, and worked on laundry, got the sheets changed, and then worked on switching my summer clothes out and getting the winter stuff put away. About time I guess. I did a little computer work, and got a little extra work in for the office (might as well), and stayed in my glasses and comfy clothes all day. The BF got home and we decided to go to the grocery store, which was needed, but boo for real clothes and contacts. I made pan fried pork chops, which were good, and we had to have mashed potatoes with them, of course. We picked up veggies to have, and grabbed a few other things, so it was helpful.
Today has been nice so far, I got up early, mostly because I woke up, and got started on my office day early which means I'll finish my 8 early. That'll give me some time to do some chores this afternoon, too. I have to make 2 farm stops tonight, but they won't be difficult, and if I wait until after dinner, they'll be easier, anyway. That'll save me time in the morning when I have to muck stalls if the ponies go in late. I'm grateful for the extra cash right now, though, which helps the business keep moving. I'll be working on the veggie farm tomorrow and Saturday, so that will help with some extra funds there.
The BF stopped by his parent's house on the way home yesterday, they're away at the beach, still, and his dad commented while he was on the phone with him "let us know when yall have a free weekend and we'll all come down to the beach!" I'm like no. No, I'm not going to go to the beach and live in a house with you. Sorry, not sorry. If I'm going anywhere, it's to be ALONE, and AWAY from people right now. So I've pretty much given up on that idea. The BF has vacation to use, but he can just take time off and do whatever he wants at this point. I might as well just keep working and make money.
Speaking of making money, I had my chat with my boss RIGHT before the pandemic hit, so I pretty much back burnered any idea of getting a raise for a while. Because one of our front office staff has decided to quarantine until at least August, they're looking to hire someone else new to fill the gap (no clue if that's permanent or whatever...). I found out that they're HIRING this person at a DOLLAR more than I'm currently making, after having been with the company for about 15 years. I'm not pleased. At this point I don't feel like I can say much because they're still recovering out of about two bad months, but I'm going to have to say something eventually because this is not cool. I knew I hadn't been getting raises, but by the same token, hiring people in at a higher rate than your employees make isn't ok either. I'll have to see how the schedule goes, and how our numbers look, but as soon as things start to get back up and running more normally, I'll be bringing it up to him. Again.