Things and non-things

All the awesome things I accomplished today because I am the queen of awesomeness:

1. Hacked down more brambles and holly in the back yard. Not only am I the queen of awesomeness, I am also the queen of lucky-ness because my state isn't getting multiple feet of snow dumped upon it -- at least not here in the valleys. The temperature broke into the 40's today, and eskimo that I am, I took the opportunity to hang out in short sleeves with a massive pair of clippers, hacking down more brambles outside. Where the ground was still frozen solid I cut the branches down to the ice, rather than pull out the roots. Last weekend I cleared the space from the ginkgo tree half way to the pear tree. This weekend I cleared the rest of the way to the pear tree. If we break 40 degrees next week, I'm going all the way to the fence, baby.

2. Ran errands. Including picking up more books at the library, because that's currently my favorite way to waste time, and necessary grocery shopping. My favorite store is Sunflower market, where we get a full cart load of fresh produce, plus milk and yogurt and bulk candy, for just 30 bucks. A full cart load!

3. Practiced painting. I took up this hobby again three weeks ago, when Jonathan had his little kid watercolors out on the table. I used an extra brush, a piece of drawing paper from my stash downstairs, and began playing with paint, little kid style. It has been fun. I've never been successful with watercolors before -- they are very unforgiving. But unlike oil paints, they will not poison the entire family or stink up the room with fumes or spontaneously combust in the trash can. Maybe I will learn to paint with watercolor for a season.

4. Made applesauce. I know I was supposed to have this finished in the fall. But seriously, the apples have been fine - ish -- in the garage all winter. They are getting softer and softer, and wrinklier and wrinklier, but very few have gone bad. So why spend all that time preserving them now if I can wait until later? At least, that's what I've been telling myself all winter. But as you know, March is completely untrustworthy. It may warm up to nearly 50. And what will that do to the apple supply? So I spent three hours cutting and boiling and churning and bottling and cleaning and the apple sauce is still delicious. You can't even tell that the apples were wrinkly. I will remind myself of this fact if we get as many apples in October.

5. Cleaned out the oven. This was not actually on my to do list until late this evening, when a sweet potato exploded in there. Stupid potato.

But aside from the potato explosions, I am super proud of my awesome accomplishments. What a Saturday!

All the loser things I haven't yet accomplished today because I am a loser:

1. Showered. Um, because I was going to do that after I finished gardening and changed out of the muddy clothes. I am still wearing the muddy clothes, even after the trips to the library and the market. Gross.

2. Prepared a Sunday school lesson for tomorrow. We get to kill off Lot's wife, and all of Sodom and Gomorrah. I just haven't been able to figure out the best way to apply this topic to real life. At least I hope this story doesn't apply to my real life, or all that time making applesauce was the biggest waste ever.

3. Prepared a workshop for high school girls. I mentioned this in yesterday's post. Remember how occasionally I put on my feminist hat and complain that there aren't enough women in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics)? And yet I have no ideas how to fix that? Well, I finally jumped in on someone else's idea, and volunteered to do a workshop for Expanding Your Horizons at the valley's other university, for middle school and high school girls. Expanding Your Horizons is a great idea, started in the Bay area in 1974. The idea is to hold workshop on STEM stuff, to show girls how cool these fields can be, right about around the time that most girls start losing interest. Unfortunately, the problems with the idea of me doing a workshop are legion. First, my workshop has to be cool, or I will just turn all these girls off faster. Second, I have to prepare said workshop presentation, which is annoying. Third, it has to be cool. Fourth, I have to prepare it. Fifth, sixth, seventh, it has to be cool. And eighth, it is next Saturday and I'm not prepared. Please send me your cool ideas.

4. Grading. But I don't do that on weekends.