what to do with baby grasshoppers
Smoosh.
I may be denounced by some grasshopper-loving group, but I discovered an early crop of grasshoppers in the patio this week. I don't know where they came from. They seem to like the leaves of the peppers and the sweet basil (maybe there's more sugar in the sweet basil, because they're leaving the other basil alone.
I stopped by the Master Gardeners table at the OSU-OKC farmer's market, and asked. They recommended sticky papers put around the garden. I haven't had a chance to get any yet, so I'm smooshing the ones I find. (They're fairly small, so it's not too gross).
One thing I've discovered about having plants, especially veggies and herbs, is how much more interested I am in the weather, the bugs, the birds, etc. So another connection I see between gardening and knitting is that I feel more connected to the process of making things. I'm not saying this very well, and obviously how much can I say about something I've only been doing for a week? But I notice myself much more interested in the weather broadcasts--and since we live in Oklahoma, the kingdom of weather forecasting, there's plenty to listen too!
21st century communion
While sitting in our new living room last week, I realized that the DH and I, were surrounded by our new wireless phone (land line), our two new cell phones, my old pay as you go cell phone, and the remnants of my computer, and contemplating ordering me a laptop and David a computer at his office. How much connectivity do two people need, I wonder? And are any of us actually closer to each other despite being connected 24 hours a day?
Of course the flip side of all this is that I do feel more connected. Thanks to email, phones, and blogging, I am able to keep in touch with close friends in places I no longer live. And thanks to blogging and email groups I have been able to meet people in Oklahoma before I even arrived here. Last night some of us who are on the Oklahoma Knitters list met at a local Barnes and Noble, including Barbara of Effervescence. So I've now gotten to meet a fellow Episcoblogger in person (woo-hoo!)
The heat is broken, the new plants on the patio look a little less fried today, it was so hot the new yucca looked wilted! I'm discovering that gardening is a bit like knitting--absorbing and a great excuse to wander around nurseries (instead of yarn shops). And if you buy vegetables, you can convince yourself you're spending money on nutritional food for your family.
Rationalization, apparently, crosses the boundaries of both activities.
(For the record, in the shady northern part I have containers of Persian shield, impatiens and a pink vinca in the dappled sunny spot. In the heat island of our patio I have a yucca, some purple fountain grass, a lemon tree, a banana palm, another palm that was given to me by a friend, some begonias, sweet potato vine, some tomatoes, peppers and squash, some verbena and zinnias, and a canna lily. I am basically working my way through the Oklahoma Gardener's Guide, which I have found to be a very useful book. I'm still playing with the designs out there as I find out what can tolerate the various sun/shade/heat combos on the patio.)
monastery
Monk-in-Training wanted to know more about the monastery David and I visited in MO before we moved to OK.
We visited the Trappist Assumption Abbey, located in the Ozarks just outside of Ava, MO. Basically we drove to Rolla, took a left turn (onto Hwy 63) and drove down to Cabool. Ava is very close to Cabool, also Mansfield, where Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote the Little House series (a worthwhile side trip in itself).
The monastery has a nice little guest house run by a local Irish woman named Brigid. We were well fed, attended many services (but let's just say David has more of a monastic temperament than I for some of those early morning services). We read and walked and did the Stations of the Cross. We weren't really there long enough but we were privileged to get both a tour of their fruitcake bakery (very rummy, one might add) and a small hermitage just down the road.
I was very moved by their way of life and found myself questioning the need for all the stuff we have when we got back. It sure made it easier to make some trips to Goodwill. I don't think the monastic way of life is more privileged (that's the Protestant in me)--I think marriage is a holy calling, too, but I do think we Americans have gotten pretty pretty messed up about how much space we occupy in the world and a few days at a monastery are a good reorientation.
Arrived!
It's a long drive.
A very long drive.
The constructions between STL and Rolla didn't help--almost took us 2 hours to go 70+ miles.
We made it, and the kitties did too. I lost the bet with the DH that Hootie would calm down around Rolla--with all the construction stop/start, he didn't settle down until after lunch, near Springfield, MO. When we hit OK he would wake up when we hit a toll booth to let the attendant know precisely how he was being abused. If you belong to a cat, you know how impeccable their timing is! Wilbur did NOT poop. He howled more than Hootie.
Thanks for the prayers and thoughts. More later!
(I'm in serious need of knitting time. . .)
whew!
We called the movers Sunday night and asked for help. . .we're just not as young as we used to be and can't pull those packing all-nighters anymore. I realized halfway through last week why this was taking so long--marriage means more stuff! I had outgrown the "everything fits in my car syndrome" a while back, but I couldn't figure out why we couldn't get our act together. . .we moved in to our apartment separately, plus wedding presents arrived as well.
Those of you who know us know that sometimes our dear cats think "outside the box" as it were, so we had some little extra cleaning projects to do as well. They are safely tucked away at a local boarding location, although I'm sure their little kitty noses are completely out of joint.
The fun part will be the traveling with the cats, of course. One is a howler and the other is a pooper (when he gets stressed). A guy at Petsmart recommended puppy training pads for the carriers--they are duly lined (kind of like a big diaper).
I feel a little silly blogging about this everyday stuff--we actually had some cool adventures on our vacation--we spent a few days at a Trappist monastery in south central MO, and drove up the river road to Nauvoo (I know, I know--it's such a religiously oriented vacation! Maybe next year in Cancun. . .)
I've been so warmly welcomed by the Oklahoma Knitters yahoo group! Thanks!
I'll have to update my weather pixie and all that, but that will have to wait. . .
