Posted on

Garbage Pile

I have a backlog of stuff that I’ve failed to post due to life’s distractions.  So here’s a summary of what I’ve been up to:

1. Quarantine Breakfast

I’ve begun a Sunday ritual where I make a more time-consuming brunch.  This family is not one to rise early of our own accord, so weekday breakfasts are often skipped or consist of premade options.  And since Saturdays are packed with accomplishing chores, there should be at least a few relaxing hours once a  week.

2. Home School

The kid’s had to adapt to completing her schoolwork remotely.  Her focus, however, is still that of an 8-year old’s.  I’ve taken to creating a temporary workstation for her in the basement so I can keep an eye on her, but the visual scene is rather spartan and sad.  Do what works I suppose.

3. Garden Trellis

Each year I make a stronger tomato trellis, and each year it collapses by the end of the season.  This year I decided to build an ultimate trellis, of treated lumber, 3 inch deck screws, and 2-foot deep settings.  It won’t fall down this year, dammit!

4. Victory Garden Planted

The victory garden from earlier this month got planted for the first time.  It’ll be a squash garden with some sunflowers.

–Simon

Posted on

Victory Garden Indeed

It’s of some amusement to me that I’ve been calling my vegetable garden a Victory Garden in times of relative peace, only to see the term re-enter our collective lexicon now that our food system is eroding under the COVID-19 crisis.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/home-and-garden/fight-the-pandemic-grow-a-victory-garden/ar-BB11XHKG

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/621868/coronavirus-revives-victory-gardens

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/coronavirus-update-more-people-growing-e2-80-98victory-gardens-e2-80-99-for-food-and-stress-relief/ar-BB11VZZo

Maybe “amusement” isn’t the proper term, but “irony” doesn’t seem right either.  No matter.

It is, however, encouraging to see so many taking it up.  And as chance would have it, I’ve expanded my own Victory Garden.

VG2

Squashes are the plan, since last year’s garden got a little crowded.

Also, as a suggestion to any would-be gardeners out there.  I’d strongly recommend sweet potatoes.  They’re easy to grow, ignored by most pests, prolific, and highly nutritious.  If you’re goal is to create a produce buffer, they’re an easy choice that requires very little effort.

Happy gardening!

–Simon

Posted on

Compost

A few years back I “fondly” recalled my parents’ compost pile.  That was during the Texas years.  It wasn’t fun.  I vowed to never force the experience upon my own kid.

And I have indeed stuck to that principle, though I’ve admittedly since started composting anyway.  But in fairness, there’s a lot of organic waste that needs to be disposed of, and why fill up the trash bins with it?  And we have gardens.  So fine–there are advantages.  But I won’t go crazy with it.

No, I’ll create a quaint and reasonable compost pile.

Right side: last year’s yard waste

Plus, I have a tiller to mix it up, so no manually turning with a pitchfork.

And so far, I’m impressed with how well it’s breaking down.  As new kitchen waste gets added to the pile (something I do make the kid take care of), I simply pile leaves on top from the edges to keep the stink down.

Apparently it’s possible to do these things non-obsessively.  Who knew?

–Simon

Posted on

AVP-Ness

A middle-management banking title, AVP (Assistant Vice President) can mean whatever the company wants it to.  In my case, it appears to mean more to my employer than it does to other banks, as it’s defined with a higher pay band than the junior-level exempt positions, whilst other banks tend to use it solely to define a more senior employee, often devoid of significant pay delineation.  But regardless the salary details, the title identifies a certain managerial level–one specifically higher than a mere supervisor who manages a team’s time cards.

I am, at present, an AVP of Marketing Email Management (AVP, Email Manager, to be exact).

And with that grossly uninteresting introduction, I’ll segue to the actual joke.  As Liz also holds an AVP title at a financial company, we have modified the title in self-mockery of who we’ve become in regards to such socioeconomic standing.  We call it AVP-Ness (say it out loud if you’re having trouble getting it).  Clever, I know.  But it serves a useful function.  It’s a reminder to appreciate what we have and to keep hubris in check, as while job success requires a certain degree of experience and ability, possessing these qualities alone doesn’t guarantee success, to which anyone underemployed can attest.

And AVP-Ness can creep up unexpectedly.  But I will be the first to admit it!  Here are some examples:

Why tomatoes? Because I’m using land to cultivate a rather low-energy plant just because I find them tasty–indicative that I have no need for subsistence farming.
Let’s face it: whippets are elitist. They’re expensive and fairly useless as a utility dog. Plus, we give it blankets and let it on the furniture.
I don’t think a cheese tray warrants further explanation here.
Caviar–expensive and arguably damaging to the species.

And there you have it.  We have achieved success, but in the spirit of the Holidays and in the words of Bing Crosby, and overlooking the religious implications of the exact wording, “I count my blessings”, because “when my bankroll is getting small I think of when I had none at all”.

Hoping everyone had a good Christmas!

–Simon

Posted on

The Most Nutritious Vegetable

And it comes from a weed

I don’t know if it’s the most nutritious, but it’s certainly up there.  I speak of the humble sweet potato–a vegetable I never much cared for because people have this tendency to make it sweet with molasses and brown sugar.  Yet the vegetable itself I find to be more savory than sweet, and is better complimented with salt and butter.

Of course, salt and butter are not what make them nutritious.  But they are delicious.  So when the victory garden went in, and we decided to experiment, sweet potatoes made the list.

They eventually took over, so they’ll get their own spot next year.  I also learned that I’m terrible at digging them up, as I severed more than a handful before Liz took over.

There were quite a few, although I was disappointed with their size, save the goliath.  Next year we’ll start them earlier.

And they were about the easiest plant to grow.  No bugs ate them, and they required no attention.  I can see why they’re popular across cultures.  Surely some more attention would have swollen the harvest, but at least I can have the satisfaction of using my own sweep potatoes for the holiday dinners.

–Simon