I think about those scared straight programs, and some of the education programs that teach kids what their lungs look like when they smoke. What they really need to do with young kids is to make them clean a house that has had 50+ years of smoking in it. The yellow brown gak rolling off the walls as you try to wash off the sticky goo of smoke debris makes me gag and wretch.
Today, I was cleaning the lamp globes from the MIL house and the sickening brown ooze came off with muscle, toxic cleanser, and a wire brush. Kiddies, just imagine your lungs and the snot in your sinuses oozing brown sludge into your stomach and intestines. No wonder she died of colon cancer and he of lung disease.
The living room has a lovely Tiffany lamp over the dining room. It was so brown that I was not aware it had any value at all. When I started to clean it, the brown glass turned white. It has a most beautiful design and artwork. It weighs a ton, too. This is a real Tiffany and you would never have known due to the years of crud and goo.
Every window was coated, every wall, every fixture, every inch of the house needed to be cleaned with heavy duty chemicals.
Children, if you smoke, you will die an awful death in a depressing and filthy environment. No one will want to be with you in the haze. And the family that has to clean up your mess will resent you.
There! the rant is starting to let some of the trauma out. Even though I have worked and cleaned and hired help, I can't get the stench and gag me memory out of my head.
Next Rant- dog piss in the house. Different mother, but distressing nonetheless.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
New Loom, Just can't get enough
I bought a not so new loom.
And I am working hard to get it cleaned up and operational. Currently, I am ordering parts.
I don't really even have time to use the other tools I already have, and yet, more.
Medication? maybe, but I am really enjoying these past times type past times.
I need to get a picture of it before I do much more work.
Be patient.
I have posted many pictures on my flicker account, but just this one here.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Marking Time
This is a phyllo-sophical post. Later, near the end, I am going to do something lovely with phyllo dough. But at the moment I am thoughtful about time, timing, and the passages brought by time.
I always seem to be in a rush, and yet it also seems that very little gets done. Most of what I do is not dated or marked in such a way that I can look back and say, "Hey, I built that in ...!" or "We went there in....". So little actions like groceries and banking, getting gas in the car, or cleaning the bathroom are not really marked in a significant way. They are controlled by "routine" which gives them a regular amount of attention. This is an example: I clean out the refrigerator bins before doing a big grocery trip about one time per week. When the routine gets interrupted, the fridge gets stinky with rotten produce scraps. We also pay the bills on a regular (routine) basis. If the routine gets interrupted we get charged late fees. We keep a calendar on the dining table to help us remember the time of month and what day it is. We have been very disrupted for quite some time now and we lose track of time easily. I feel it is a major accomplishment under the circumstances to keep the clothing washed and the bed clean. It is taking both of us to get everything done. And that produces redundancy, which is not efficient. But we are keeping on top, barely, of the emergency things.
In the bigger picture, there is time to do big projects. But if you don't actually start and finish the project, years can go by before a small project really happens. Large projects are even more difficult to schedule and complete. My example: I planned the kitchen for two years and actually started it when the counter collapsed and we had an emergency. It took about two months to complete, except there was a long recovery period in the middle, so it ended up being about 2 years. The kitchen was operable and nice within the 2 months, but the last part of tile and paint and new window took a month after a two year hiatus. This also happened with the living room remodel. The stuff of life, emergency stuff, gets in the middle and makes things take longer. But I can look back and say, "We started the kitchen in 2003, so that surgery would have been in 2003/4." Time marked by big events is easy to remember.
Anniversaries, major events, special trips are my friend. My life is remember in these events and the things that surround those moments. But little stuff, like when I ground that beef or cooked that chicken need to be written down in permanent marker on the freezer bag. Don't worry, the phillo dough is getting closer.
SO, by researching some records, we found that Eduard's father started building the Milling machine project in 1995, but didn't actually do any work on it until 2001, and he was not able to actually work much on it after about 2004 because of health issues. He died in 2009 at 78 years old. The project is about half done even though it has been 17 years since he started it. I could say that maybe he put off the actual work a bit too long, but that would be trite. I have no idea what issues preempted his efforts through the years. I do know that some dreams and projects die on the planning board, or should have died, because we just didn't get around to it in a timely manner.
OK, now it is time for the Phyllo dough part. Timely manner- I have been craving some spanokopita (spinach pie) for a week. I bought the spinach, had the cheese, and thought I had the dough. But, no. So time passed and I finally got to the store for the dough. The spinach has died now because the routine of cleaning the produce bin has been disrupted and I forgot when I bought it. Now I have dough, cheese and no spinach. Argh! This has been my life for the last 6 months. It is driving me crazy. I need lists, routine, order in the chaos. I need spanokopita tonight!!! This is why there is frozen spinach. I know I have some of that, but it is buried in the freezer because there has been no time to clean out the freezer. ARGH!!
Recipe- Layers of phyllo painted with melted butter (about 15). Layer of cheese/spinach mix. Layer of 15 butter painted phyllo sheets. Bake 350f for 40min. Cool for 10 min. before cutting. I use a roasting pan about 9x13 in.
Spinach/cheese mix: I like to cook the spinach to dry up some of the moisture. Then I cool it before continuing. For frozen spinach, just let it thaw and drain (squeeze out excess water). Use one pound raw spinach or one package of frozen spinach, one cup of ricotta cheese, one egg, on small pinch of nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup grated romano/or parmesan cheese ( you can also add a tablespoon of grated onion). Mix well and spread on the first layer of phyllo dough.
There, it was worth the wait for the recipe. Now I have to go to the store and get some spinach.
I always seem to be in a rush, and yet it also seems that very little gets done. Most of what I do is not dated or marked in such a way that I can look back and say, "Hey, I built that in ...!" or "We went there in....". So little actions like groceries and banking, getting gas in the car, or cleaning the bathroom are not really marked in a significant way. They are controlled by "routine" which gives them a regular amount of attention. This is an example: I clean out the refrigerator bins before doing a big grocery trip about one time per week. When the routine gets interrupted, the fridge gets stinky with rotten produce scraps. We also pay the bills on a regular (routine) basis. If the routine gets interrupted we get charged late fees. We keep a calendar on the dining table to help us remember the time of month and what day it is. We have been very disrupted for quite some time now and we lose track of time easily. I feel it is a major accomplishment under the circumstances to keep the clothing washed and the bed clean. It is taking both of us to get everything done. And that produces redundancy, which is not efficient. But we are keeping on top, barely, of the emergency things.
In the bigger picture, there is time to do big projects. But if you don't actually start and finish the project, years can go by before a small project really happens. Large projects are even more difficult to schedule and complete. My example: I planned the kitchen for two years and actually started it when the counter collapsed and we had an emergency. It took about two months to complete, except there was a long recovery period in the middle, so it ended up being about 2 years. The kitchen was operable and nice within the 2 months, but the last part of tile and paint and new window took a month after a two year hiatus. This also happened with the living room remodel. The stuff of life, emergency stuff, gets in the middle and makes things take longer. But I can look back and say, "We started the kitchen in 2003, so that surgery would have been in 2003/4." Time marked by big events is easy to remember.
Anniversaries, major events, special trips are my friend. My life is remember in these events and the things that surround those moments. But little stuff, like when I ground that beef or cooked that chicken need to be written down in permanent marker on the freezer bag. Don't worry, the phillo dough is getting closer.
SO, by researching some records, we found that Eduard's father started building the Milling machine project in 1995, but didn't actually do any work on it until 2001, and he was not able to actually work much on it after about 2004 because of health issues. He died in 2009 at 78 years old. The project is about half done even though it has been 17 years since he started it. I could say that maybe he put off the actual work a bit too long, but that would be trite. I have no idea what issues preempted his efforts through the years. I do know that some dreams and projects die on the planning board, or should have died, because we just didn't get around to it in a timely manner.
OK, now it is time for the Phyllo dough part. Timely manner- I have been craving some spanokopita (spinach pie) for a week. I bought the spinach, had the cheese, and thought I had the dough. But, no. So time passed and I finally got to the store for the dough. The spinach has died now because the routine of cleaning the produce bin has been disrupted and I forgot when I bought it. Now I have dough, cheese and no spinach. Argh! This has been my life for the last 6 months. It is driving me crazy. I need lists, routine, order in the chaos. I need spanokopita tonight!!! This is why there is frozen spinach. I know I have some of that, but it is buried in the freezer because there has been no time to clean out the freezer. ARGH!!
Recipe- Layers of phyllo painted with melted butter (about 15). Layer of cheese/spinach mix. Layer of 15 butter painted phyllo sheets. Bake 350f for 40min. Cool for 10 min. before cutting. I use a roasting pan about 9x13 in.
Spinach/cheese mix: I like to cook the spinach to dry up some of the moisture. Then I cool it before continuing. For frozen spinach, just let it thaw and drain (squeeze out excess water). Use one pound raw spinach or one package of frozen spinach, one cup of ricotta cheese, one egg, on small pinch of nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup grated romano/or parmesan cheese ( you can also add a tablespoon of grated onion). Mix well and spread on the first layer of phyllo dough.
There, it was worth the wait for the recipe. Now I have to go to the store and get some spinach.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
T-day Frenzy Withdrawal
It is getting closer and I am getting nervous. Getting the house cleaned up, setting out the best service ware, preparing the menu, shopping, cooking, invitation, family conflicts... except this year, it is not going to happen. I am not going to have Thanksgiving at my house. I am nervous out of habit.
I am going to my daughter's house because she and her dear husband have taken the baton and are running the next lap. I am making "appetizers and side dishes". I am still searching for ingredients and special recipes, delicacies and fun ideas. And I have found some very special things.
While out and about last week, my darling and I discovered a new SPICE store in Newport, Ca. Amazing selection, ability to sample and sniff, can buy in small quantities for single use or in bulk. And some very unusual things- like meat cure for making sausages that need to age before cooking. And powdered blue cheese, which can turn that Ranch dressing into something special.
While we wandered around in Newport, we found a cheese store, Vin Goat, and tasted several different goat cheeses along with a smoky blue. These were very tasty and unusual. Made me want to add a few ideas to my cheese making adventure.
And there was the coffee class at Sur La Table. Very enlightening. My coupon expires today and I have decided to use it one last time for a special treat. Like I need another gadget or thing in the cupboard that goes unused for many years.
I promise my children that I will have removed the bulk of this stuff so they don't have to have a giant garage sale after I am gone. But, it is so cute. No honey, not the $300 thing, but the $60 thing.
Then as I was wandering though the recipe ideas, I read something really weird. California has banned the sale of fattened Goose and Duck Livers- Foie Gras. This is so reminiscent of the junk food ban of the 80's. The theory is that ducks and geese are "force fed" to get fat livers for the production of Pate Fat Liver (Foie Gras). Most people who can eat pate are buying pork liver flavored with tiny amounts of other meats because Goose and Duck are sooo expensive here. The duck produces lots of fat around it's skin (same for goose) so making the duck extra fat so that the liver is really fatty seems unnecessary, but some politicians (who can't balance the budget) have at least decided to protect the ducks and geese from the absurdly rich. What about regular duck liver? Like the chicken parts in a whole chicken, can you still get a regular duck liver with your duck? I don't know. Maybe the Pate Patrol will individually remove all duck liver from the frozen birds. I have two lovely ducks in the freezer. One for the after Tday weekend, and one for the xmas day dinner. I am hoping there are livers in the cavity with the heart, neck and "parts". The Pate Patrol doesn't start until Jan. 1, 2012. My ducks should be all there.
I am going to my daughter's house because she and her dear husband have taken the baton and are running the next lap. I am making "appetizers and side dishes". I am still searching for ingredients and special recipes, delicacies and fun ideas. And I have found some very special things.
While out and about last week, my darling and I discovered a new SPICE store in Newport, Ca. Amazing selection, ability to sample and sniff, can buy in small quantities for single use or in bulk. And some very unusual things- like meat cure for making sausages that need to age before cooking. And powdered blue cheese, which can turn that Ranch dressing into something special.
While we wandered around in Newport, we found a cheese store, Vin Goat, and tasted several different goat cheeses along with a smoky blue. These were very tasty and unusual. Made me want to add a few ideas to my cheese making adventure.
And there was the coffee class at Sur La Table. Very enlightening. My coupon expires today and I have decided to use it one last time for a special treat. Like I need another gadget or thing in the cupboard that goes unused for many years.
I promise my children that I will have removed the bulk of this stuff so they don't have to have a giant garage sale after I am gone. But, it is so cute. No honey, not the $300 thing, but the $60 thing.
Then as I was wandering though the recipe ideas, I read something really weird. California has banned the sale of fattened Goose and Duck Livers- Foie Gras. This is so reminiscent of the junk food ban of the 80's. The theory is that ducks and geese are "force fed" to get fat livers for the production of Pate Fat Liver (Foie Gras). Most people who can eat pate are buying pork liver flavored with tiny amounts of other meats because Goose and Duck are sooo expensive here. The duck produces lots of fat around it's skin (same for goose) so making the duck extra fat so that the liver is really fatty seems unnecessary, but some politicians (who can't balance the budget) have at least decided to protect the ducks and geese from the absurdly rich. What about regular duck liver? Like the chicken parts in a whole chicken, can you still get a regular duck liver with your duck? I don't know. Maybe the Pate Patrol will individually remove all duck liver from the frozen birds. I have two lovely ducks in the freezer. One for the after Tday weekend, and one for the xmas day dinner. I am hoping there are livers in the cavity with the heart, neck and "parts". The Pate Patrol doesn't start until Jan. 1, 2012. My ducks should be all there.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Taking Back the Life
There has been a swirl around me for the last few years. The Chaos has been building to dysfunction level. And now, I am striking back, forcing the clutter into submission, tossing and sorting, and... where did this stuff come from?
I was looking at some things in the dining room and found a box full to the top with jars of every size and sort. None of them looked familiar and I had no idea where the box came from. And inside this box was a collection of lid rims and tops to odd size jars. I had been searching for these and assumed that I had tossed them in a cleaning frenzy. Tossed? Surely not me! I have to admit that occasionally a useful item gets tossed, but not a rim to a jar, unless it is rusted beyond use.
As I sorted honey pots, moved the general debris to the trash, I started to see the floor and realized- I haven't mopped this part of the floor in two years. Made me want to cover it right back up.
Eduard and I grabbed a shelving unit from his mom's house and made a place for his coffee stash- roaster, power cord, green bean collection, aging jars, and coffee miscellany. I stole back the bottom shelf for the honey collection- a two year supply just in case of a bee failure. As I studied this new arrangement, I realized that we have covered a wall that was waiting for "repair". It needed wall patching and paint, and my time has been sucked into the black hole for the last two years, so it never got done. And it won't get done now either. I will have to do it when I can move all the stuff out of the way, which may never happen. At least it is covered with lovely and interesting stuff, so I hope no one notices.
The Wyrmberg towers, tube homes for spinning silk worms, have all been cleaned out now and taken to the garage for storage. The boxes are getting flattened for the recycle bin. The floor is getting swept. The wool processing... well, it may have to stay a little longer. The dining room has been the overflow work room, since the woolyroom is rather a bit too full. I have had looms and drum carders occupying the dining room for months. The woolyroom is still way out of control. Even with things getting sold and moving on, it is way too full. And I still have raw fleece to wash. It can't go into the woolyroom until it is clean.
My spinning wheel collection is taking over the living room. Right now there are three in there. The guest room has a loom and the cotton collection. I haven't had time to weave or spin. I have been making socks for a client, socks for myself and some presents. I am just running everywhere and getting nothing done- except socks.
So back to the dining room- I may actually get that room under control this week. I have repackaged jars, sorted things to get rid of, taken out trash, and cleaned off the table. I have put away the cheese tools, toasted lots of cocoons, and am ready to wash off part of the kitchen counter. I suspect that I may even get a chance to vacuum.
It is beginning to feel a little bit better in there, not so confusing and disorienting from the clutter. I just hope I can find things now. The new "arrangement" with actual floor showing is a bit dizzying. The room looks so much larger.
I was looking at some things in the dining room and found a box full to the top with jars of every size and sort. None of them looked familiar and I had no idea where the box came from. And inside this box was a collection of lid rims and tops to odd size jars. I had been searching for these and assumed that I had tossed them in a cleaning frenzy. Tossed? Surely not me! I have to admit that occasionally a useful item gets tossed, but not a rim to a jar, unless it is rusted beyond use.
As I sorted honey pots, moved the general debris to the trash, I started to see the floor and realized- I haven't mopped this part of the floor in two years. Made me want to cover it right back up.
Eduard and I grabbed a shelving unit from his mom's house and made a place for his coffee stash- roaster, power cord, green bean collection, aging jars, and coffee miscellany. I stole back the bottom shelf for the honey collection- a two year supply just in case of a bee failure. As I studied this new arrangement, I realized that we have covered a wall that was waiting for "repair". It needed wall patching and paint, and my time has been sucked into the black hole for the last two years, so it never got done. And it won't get done now either. I will have to do it when I can move all the stuff out of the way, which may never happen. At least it is covered with lovely and interesting stuff, so I hope no one notices.
The Wyrmberg towers, tube homes for spinning silk worms, have all been cleaned out now and taken to the garage for storage. The boxes are getting flattened for the recycle bin. The floor is getting swept. The wool processing... well, it may have to stay a little longer. The dining room has been the overflow work room, since the woolyroom is rather a bit too full. I have had looms and drum carders occupying the dining room for months. The woolyroom is still way out of control. Even with things getting sold and moving on, it is way too full. And I still have raw fleece to wash. It can't go into the woolyroom until it is clean.
My spinning wheel collection is taking over the living room. Right now there are three in there. The guest room has a loom and the cotton collection. I haven't had time to weave or spin. I have been making socks for a client, socks for myself and some presents. I am just running everywhere and getting nothing done- except socks.
So back to the dining room- I may actually get that room under control this week. I have repackaged jars, sorted things to get rid of, taken out trash, and cleaned off the table. I have put away the cheese tools, toasted lots of cocoons, and am ready to wash off part of the kitchen counter. I suspect that I may even get a chance to vacuum.
It is beginning to feel a little bit better in there, not so confusing and disorienting from the clutter. I just hope I can find things now. The new "arrangement" with actual floor showing is a bit dizzying. The room looks so much larger.
Monday, October 31, 2011
October Finale
I have too many projects. We know this. The Eduard and I we, the world who know me we, and the world who don't know me we- We all know I have too many projects. I can't find time to blog about all of them. I can barely find time to do some of them.
This month, I was (and still am) raising silk worms, had a booth at the fiber festival, organized the spin group at the same festival, went to the Palomar Apple festival and did spin demonstrations there, made goat's milk cheese, cleaned up the mess from the festival, made new friends, found old friends, continued helping Eduard and his mom, spent time as a volunteer at UCSD and did laundry. I took a cooking class- first in 30 years. I feel it was a really full month and now it is over. Today is the last day. Halloween and I have no candy.
I do have silk worm cocoons, a silk project to write about, items coming from ASHFORD for my clients, a pile of clean laundry, and most of my kitchen back.
The silk worms are almost done now. I am down to one active box of worms who are not yet spinning cocoons but are close. I have enough leaves to finish the silk worms (I hope, because they pruned the tree). And I am ready to move to the next project- cheese, bread, and Thanksgiving.
I also ordered a new wheel- an electric wheel- just in time for the Power Co. to give us notice of an all day shut down. Well, I can still use the other ones. But I have been really busy with all these different tasks and projects. Now for Thanksgiving, I am trying some new and exciting food ideas. I got these ideas from my cooking class and added some of my own ideas, plus some new equipment. And Presto!- I need to make a list of ingredients and try the ideas before I make other people eat them. One of the items involves a duck- part of a duck anyway. Another item is orange colored. One has marshmallows but is not new. I am very excited to be making these treats and treasures for my family. I haven't been particularly excited about cooking for a long time and this class has gotten me excited again. Enough to take another class- in November, with Eduard. This is a class in Newport on making coffee drinks- barrista style. Macchiatto, frappachino, and that kind of stuff. We don't have an espresso machine. We use the coffee pot for our stuff. But it is possible to make these drinks with regular coffee. I know this and hope that the class addresses this issue.
But now I have to go grate some lemon zest. It is time to make dinner.
This month, I was (and still am) raising silk worms, had a booth at the fiber festival, organized the spin group at the same festival, went to the Palomar Apple festival and did spin demonstrations there, made goat's milk cheese, cleaned up the mess from the festival, made new friends, found old friends, continued helping Eduard and his mom, spent time as a volunteer at UCSD and did laundry. I took a cooking class- first in 30 years. I feel it was a really full month and now it is over. Today is the last day. Halloween and I have no candy.
I do have silk worm cocoons, a silk project to write about, items coming from ASHFORD for my clients, a pile of clean laundry, and most of my kitchen back.
The silk worms are almost done now. I am down to one active box of worms who are not yet spinning cocoons but are close. I have enough leaves to finish the silk worms (I hope, because they pruned the tree). And I am ready to move to the next project- cheese, bread, and Thanksgiving.
I also ordered a new wheel- an electric wheel- just in time for the Power Co. to give us notice of an all day shut down. Well, I can still use the other ones. But I have been really busy with all these different tasks and projects. Now for Thanksgiving, I am trying some new and exciting food ideas. I got these ideas from my cooking class and added some of my own ideas, plus some new equipment. And Presto!- I need to make a list of ingredients and try the ideas before I make other people eat them. One of the items involves a duck- part of a duck anyway. Another item is orange colored. One has marshmallows but is not new. I am very excited to be making these treats and treasures for my family. I haven't been particularly excited about cooking for a long time and this class has gotten me excited again. Enough to take another class- in November, with Eduard. This is a class in Newport on making coffee drinks- barrista style. Macchiatto, frappachino, and that kind of stuff. We don't have an espresso machine. We use the coffee pot for our stuff. But it is possible to make these drinks with regular coffee. I know this and hope that the class addresses this issue.
But now I have to go grate some lemon zest. It is time to make dinner.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Setting Limits
Some of us enter into things with blind naivety. Like having children. We take it on faith that it is a reasonable thing to do and it has a limited time frame, say 18-20 years. But afterward, we discover that it could actually be 30+ years, or suck up out entire life so that we are chronically sleep deprived. And it is expensive.
Even after doing considerable research, we often fail to consider obvious facts or base our decisions on hope for the outcome. This sometimes leads us to have to compromise during the activity and to the "setting of limits".
This is where I am today. Setting limits. Some of the activities are those I chose and some have been thrust upon me, but whatever caused the start of it, today I am setting some limits.
I do not speak of my wool collection, wheel collection or fiber frenzy. These activities know no limits. What I am speaking of is...worms.
I entered into an experiment on raising silk worms with considerable research and some expense. The anticipated time limit seemed reasonable and the space required seems tolerable. The food was a bit expensive, but convenient as I don't have a Mulberry tree. There was not much information out "there" on this type of food plan, but I knew I could wing it and make it work. And it was only for 4 weeks. This, I could do.
The first failed observation was time. The research suggested that you feed them 3 times a day for a couple of minutes. Clean their waste every three or four days. But with the new feeding system, this didn't turn out to be the case. I feed them once a day and spend about 1 1/2 hours cleaning out the trays of waste. Even with the worm herding system working, it takes more time than I had expected. AND the biggest issue was the 4 week commitment. It is really longer because the eggs have to be out of the refrigerator for a couple of weeks before they start to hatch. Already we are looking at 6 weeks. AND the little buggers don't all hatch at the same time. They can take weeks to hatch. Now we are looking at 8-10 weeks of commitment.
My second failed observation was that those eggs are really small, and the little bit I put on the tray turned into 300+ worms. Not a problem while they are small. I have sufficient room and trays, but they get bigger and the trays will fill the dining room and every flat surface in it. Then the little guys will want to cocoon somewhere and I have gathered less than 50 tubes. I will spend hours rolling paper into little tubes and taping them together to make cocoon condos for the worms. A massive complex for my little dining room.
I think I have enough food, but I am only mixing up a little at a time. I don't have enough room in my fridge for all the food for the worms and food for us people, too. This experiment has "bloomed" into a worm boom.
So that part about setting limits. Well, today I made a decision. I was cleaning the worm trays and decided that any eggs that had not hatched as of that morning cleaning, would go to the composter. I am committed to the babies I have, but after this morning- no more babies. That way, I will at least be somewhat certain that the existing worms will have 4 more weeks to get to adulthood and that there will be enough food and space. I probably tossed 50 eggs with little worms inside screaming, "Wait! I am almost ready!" But since they didn't waive their little heads at me, I didn't listen.
Vermicide? Or setting limits to my commitments. You can judge me if you want but I feel better all ready.
Even after doing considerable research, we often fail to consider obvious facts or base our decisions on hope for the outcome. This sometimes leads us to have to compromise during the activity and to the "setting of limits".
This is where I am today. Setting limits. Some of the activities are those I chose and some have been thrust upon me, but whatever caused the start of it, today I am setting some limits.
I do not speak of my wool collection, wheel collection or fiber frenzy. These activities know no limits. What I am speaking of is...worms.
I entered into an experiment on raising silk worms with considerable research and some expense. The anticipated time limit seemed reasonable and the space required seems tolerable. The food was a bit expensive, but convenient as I don't have a Mulberry tree. There was not much information out "there" on this type of food plan, but I knew I could wing it and make it work. And it was only for 4 weeks. This, I could do.
The first failed observation was time. The research suggested that you feed them 3 times a day for a couple of minutes. Clean their waste every three or four days. But with the new feeding system, this didn't turn out to be the case. I feed them once a day and spend about 1 1/2 hours cleaning out the trays of waste. Even with the worm herding system working, it takes more time than I had expected. AND the biggest issue was the 4 week commitment. It is really longer because the eggs have to be out of the refrigerator for a couple of weeks before they start to hatch. Already we are looking at 6 weeks. AND the little buggers don't all hatch at the same time. They can take weeks to hatch. Now we are looking at 8-10 weeks of commitment.
My second failed observation was that those eggs are really small, and the little bit I put on the tray turned into 300+ worms. Not a problem while they are small. I have sufficient room and trays, but they get bigger and the trays will fill the dining room and every flat surface in it. Then the little guys will want to cocoon somewhere and I have gathered less than 50 tubes. I will spend hours rolling paper into little tubes and taping them together to make cocoon condos for the worms. A massive complex for my little dining room.
I think I have enough food, but I am only mixing up a little at a time. I don't have enough room in my fridge for all the food for the worms and food for us people, too. This experiment has "bloomed" into a worm boom.
So that part about setting limits. Well, today I made a decision. I was cleaning the worm trays and decided that any eggs that had not hatched as of that morning cleaning, would go to the composter. I am committed to the babies I have, but after this morning- no more babies. That way, I will at least be somewhat certain that the existing worms will have 4 more weeks to get to adulthood and that there will be enough food and space. I probably tossed 50 eggs with little worms inside screaming, "Wait! I am almost ready!" But since they didn't waive their little heads at me, I didn't listen.
Vermicide? Or setting limits to my commitments. You can judge me if you want but I feel better all ready.
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