My neighborhood growing up

My neighborhood growing up
19th Street, Port Townsend

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

My book is done

Well, at least I think my book is done. I may give it one more read-through to see if I can find any typos.  I've read it and edited it again and again and at some point you just have to say OK...I'm done now...and hope for the best.

One day I'm pleased with it and am sure it will be enjoyed.  The next day, self doubt creeps in, and I wonder if I'm being realistic.  I guess that's normal.  Most of the time, I'm okay with the finished product, and am eager to get it printed and OUT THERE for people to read.

Yesterday I called the outfit that is going to print it so I could get another lesson on saving to pdf. I'd watched their tutorials but this one section was leaving me unsure.  (Embedding fonts)  Now that I have that accomplished, I'm ready to send it off.

I'm driving to Silverdale Mall this afternoon. Taking four kids to Target parking lot so Catie  can pick them up and take them on to Mary and Andy's house in Renton. They're going camping at Mayfield Lake near Mossyrock. I had to google it 'cause I wasn't sure where that was.

Been studying up on horsehair weeds (Love Google!) and I think I'm going to buy a big bottle of vinegar at Target today. Found this .....

Common horsetail, Equisetum arvense was the first vascular plant seen recovering after the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption and therein lies the answer. Equisetum arvense is found in areas with soil with little or no nutritional content, for example, gravel pits. Simply raising the nutritional content of your soil by adding generous quantities of composted materials will, in time, get rid of your horsetail.

After some hit and miss - I have found the answer - plain vinegar straight out of the bottle sprayed onto the soil just around the offending weed (s). With no rain in the next 24 hours - they turn brown and die. Also no new ones! Love it! Then in 2 weeks’ time I can plant anything and it will grow quite nicely. The dead weed patch is about 2 inches in diameter so nothing nearby gets damaged. I also tried that on some clover in the lawn and it worked too! I think I just put Monsanto (Roundup) out of business.
 
This  is why I'm concerned...  First picture is the curbside project completed by Mary and Andy (and Hunter) a few weeks ago.  Second picture is how the curb looks now.  Apparently horsehair is very tough to control and thrives under black plastic and bark!
 


I cleaned up all my birdhouses yesterday but haven't hung them back up yet.  Am hoping the pigeons
(who already look well fed) will lose interest in this neighborhood and move elsewhere.  As I've sat here typing this morning, however, I've noticed several flocks swooping in to have breakfast along the curb in front of my house and the others on this block.  They must sleep in the grassy field area across from my driveway.  (And yes, I can hardly believe this whole subject is even interesting to me)  ha ha

 
It is fun to watch the crows in the backyard, though.  I've been keeping water in the bird bath and yesterday as I was filling it with fresh water, several sat on the wire overhead cawing at me.  Or perhaps cawing at fellow crows to tell them the old fat lady is using the hose again.
 
Watched a terrific movie on Netflix two nights ago.  Red with Tom Sizemore.  2008.  I recommend.
 
Now that my book is finished, I think I'll get back into genealogy again.  Also have my photo project sitting in the wings waiting for me to get them filed and sorted.  I think I'll wait until fall to start sewing again.  I do miss it.
 
Got some scanning I need to attend to now so I'll close this and maybe write more tonight...or tomorrow. Sending a speedy recovery to Les Walden in Swedish in Seattle.  Poor guy had a stroke a couple days after his birthday party at the Legion.

 

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