Whew! Gardening!

Well, the garden tally thus far from my five 32 sq. ft. garden plots is as follows:

Freezer, approximately 1 pint each package:

1 - spinach (we ate the rest fresh!)
4 - green beans
2 - baby carrots
10 - beet greens
3 - ground zucchini for bread later

Jars, 1 pint each:

18 - beets
15 - green beans
5 - salsa
10 - bread and butter pickles
10 - zucchini relish
12 - half pints zucchini jam, strawberry flavor

Yet to be harvested:

Corn, more carrots, acorn squash, broccoli, more tomatoes, more cukes, more hot peppers, more onions. more zucchini, more green beans and the rest of the sugar snap peas. In my hurried count of acorn squash babies, I tallied 31. I counted approximately 35 corn stalks taller than me and a dozen or so short ones, with an average of 3 ears of corn on each that will probably be ready in about 10 days... So far I've found takers for the excess zucchini, and I'll have repeat barterers for acorn squash this fall as well. Think I'll try canning some of that later on, too, just to see how it comes out. Beets are all done... finally!!! They're the most work to preserve out of all the veggies except corn, I think. Also netted a couple pints of dried chives and a couple nice volunteer garlics from last year, and should net about a pint of dried sage. The radishes were a bust, next year I'll plant them where there's more sun :)

I'd have more space available if spearmint, cornflowers, sunflowers, hollyhocks and this other interesting flower/weed thing weren't there, but I'm cultivating them to attract more honeybees for good pollination, and because certain veggies appreciate growing next to them. Of course, these are all technically "weeds," and I'm going to have to do some good thinning this fall when I mulch the beds with the pile of maple leaves and other assorted green stuff that I've been letting work since last fall. Got a lot of good stuff going on there. Needless to say, the acorns and zucchinis take up one whole bed, and the tomatoes, peppers and onions use a whole one, as well. I'll have to do some research over the winter to find out which veggies will grow best in the beds that other ones were in this year, for good crop rotation. Will be my third garden here so I want to be aware of soil nutrients next summer.

I thought about putting my flower beds into veggies this year, but I'm glad I didn't. Not enough time in a day to work full time and put up that many veggies (and still have a life!), and no point in having any waste. Not like I'm trying to grow for a farmer's market here!! Just enough to be self-sufficient and have better quality food than what comes in a can from the store, and enough to barter for great things like fresh farm eggs and venison, and some to just share with folks who enjoy the home-canned stuff.

Made a quart of tzatziki sauce with some of the cukes, onions and garlic... was a huge hit and needless to say, it was Greek food for awhile :) Lots of tomato sandwiches and BLTs, too... best summertime snack there is. Anyway, that's the gardening news for awhile, and it's past time to get the rest of the laundry done and get some well-earned sleep. Ta-ta :)

Red Lobster, Spokane, WA

OK, OK.... I know. A restaurant review?? C'mon, bear with me here :)

Yesterday was my Friday, and after surviving a day of giving and writing statements regarding a day-long incident from the previous day, I put my foot down and said to myself "Self, you're coming on a date with me tonight. So let's get dressed up and I'll take us anywhere you want to go." Truly, what single gal can turn down an offer like that??

Oh, what to wear... What shall I wear on this most special evening? Got it! Best jeans, best t-shirt, and favorite sneaks should do the trick. Never know what adventures I might take myself on after dinner, y'know.

So we piled into the car, me, myself and I (me just had to tag along, nosy broad that she is) and we motored on up to Red Lobster, which has just recently opened. We decided to venture there right at dinnertime, just to experience the crowds and see how the joint handled the dinner rush. The parking lot was full except for one space which appeared to have been reserved just for us. We joined the line filing into the restaurant and overheard others being told to expect a 45 minute wait. Ah, but we knew that we would never have to wait that long!! When it was our turn, we approached the podium and smiling, asked the pretty lady "What's the good news tonight?" She flashed her bright white smile at us and asked "How many?" When we responded "Just the three of us here, me, myself and I" she winked and said "I have a table for you right now." I turned to the couple behind me, grinned and winked and followed another pretty lady right to what is always my favorite table in a nice restaurant. In the bar, next to the kitchen, private and isolated from the rest of the restaurant :) This is the table normally reserved for the staff to use, therefore more out of sight. Why do I prefer this seating? I don't get ignored by the waitstaff, the food is hotter and fresher and the entertainment is priceless!

After being seated and receiving the menus, a handsome waiter named Kevin approached and asked if I'd like a drink. "Of course we would like a drink," I said. "Top shelf margarita, please, rocks." This smart man caught on quickly, as he grinned and asked if we would like one straw or three, and winked. "Just one, we'll share, thank you." As he turned away, I spread open all the menus on the table so we could look at all our options. When Kevin returned with our drink he commented that he'd never seen anyone spread all the menus out at once and he chuckled when I told him "How better to see and choose?" He placed the prettiest margarita I've ever seen on the table and we ordered an appetizer - a tasty and beautifully presented combination of fried calamari, red peppers and broccoli. The margarita had a sidecar of Grand Marnier, the perfect companion to Sauza Gold tequila, and we sipped with delight while considering our many delicious entree options.

Shortly Kevin returned with our appetizer and asked if we had agreed on a menu choice yet. I told him that while I would prefer the broiled whole Maine lobster with a side of King crab, the wood-grilled lobster, shrimp and scallops would please me more, and well, myself personally would prefer the Ultimate Feast, a Maine lobster tail, steamed snow crab legs and 2 preparations of shrimp... so we compromised and had decided that we would order the Maine Lobster and Crab Bake, with garlic-roasted Maine lobster, jumbo shrimp, scallops and a half pound of snow crab legs. He complimented us on our compromise and pointed out that this meal also comes with corn on the cob, steamed broccoli and baby red potatoes as well as a Caesar salad.

The Caesar salad was nicely presented with fresh parmesan and romano cheeses atop, and the greens weren't too cold or too warm. The dressing was authentic and not too vinegary-tasting and the included biscuits were light and freshly-baked. We did rather miss the added flourish of being offered freshly-ground pepper for the salad, but the table did have sea salt and pepper grinders available.

Our meal arrived on a hot platter and was beautifully presented. I ordered another drink and proceeded to explore the offerings one by one. Scallops aren't generally my preference, but I did enjoy the opportunity to taste one that I almost liked, then another just to make sure whether or not I did or didn't like it. The baby lobster tails were heavenly, the shrimp was tender and tasty, and the snow crab was divine. We took some leftovers home, needless to say, as the portions of both the appetizer and the entree were quite large. No lobster or crab leftovers, though!!

As we walked from the restaurant, very satisfied but not over-stuffed, I knew that we'd made the right choice and I thanked myself for the wonderful date. Driving home, I realized that the stresses of the day were gone and that the weekend was upon us... YAY!!! Needless to say, we slept well and awoke refreshed and eager to meet the new day.

Alas, 'tis now time to peruse the garden for more harvest, and begin the tasks of prep and preserve. I think today it's going to be canning beets, and freezing carrots and beet greens. It will be interesting to see just how much produce fills my shelves and freezer this year, from the small garden spaces I've developed. Catch y'all later :)

Bullying More Damaging Than Sexual Harrassment

Excerpts from an article posted on Management-Stress.com:

Divide and rule, generating conflict to create a more competitive environment, pushing people hard to help them fulfil their potential – there has always been a fine line between challenging, motivational management and bullying.

But according to new research, managers who step over that line do more harm than if they were sexually harassing their team.

A study by Canadian academics has concluded that a bullying culture of belittling comments, persistent criticism and withholding of resources can inflict more damage on employees than even sexual harassment.

Bullying, it argued, included persistently criticising employees' work, yelling, repeatedly reminding employees of mistakes, spreading gossip or lies, ignoring or excluding workers and insulting employees' habits, attitudes or private life. Other bullying behaviours included hostility, verbal aggression and angry exchanges.

While both bullying and sexual harassment clearly created negative work environments and had unhealthy consequences for employees, the researchers found workplace aggression had the more severe consequences.

Employees who experienced bullying, incivility or interpersonal conflict were more likely to quit their jobs, it found. They also had lower well-being, were less satisfied with their jobs and had less satisfying relations with their bosses than employees who were sexually harassed. Furthermore, bullied employees reported more job stress, lower job commitment and higher levels of anger and anxiety.

"As sexual harassment becomes less acceptable in society, organizations may be more attuned to helping victims, who may therefore find it easier to cope," said lead author M Sandy Hershcovis, of the University of Manitoba.

"In contrast, non-violent forms of workplace aggression such as incivility and bullying are not illegal, leaving victims to fend for themselves," she added.

"Bullying is often more subtle, and may include behaviours that do not appear obvious to others," said Hershcovis.

Click on the post title to review the entire article and access other areas of the site.

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If you believe yourself to be the target of workplace bullying, there are some things you absolutely must do.

• The first and most important thing you must do is DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT. Write down every incident that occurs. It is vital that your record the date, time, place, and what was said or done by whom. If you have to begin a journal to accomplish this, do so. If you can keep the record on a notepad in your hip pocket, do so. However you can best achieve this record keeping is up to you, but you must do it or there will be no record of what's been happening when you try to end the bullying behavior.
• After you've documented the instances of bullying or abuse, there are some steps you can take to address the problem. One step is to confront the boss in person. Only you would know if this is an option for you, but I've known some bosses who, when confronted with their own negative behavior, were shocked and apologetic, not realizing they were even conducting themselves this way. They worked hard on changing their ways, after the big slap-in-the-face a-ha moment. Ask for a meeting, and bring a witness if you feel you need to.
  
• Another step you might take is to access programs that are available in the workplace. Many workplaces have conflict resolution programs that may or may not be confidential. Look into it however, before you decide not to use this avenue. You might be able to have a facilitator sit in with you when you meet with your boss.
• If you feel that the above options aren't options for you, you can take your documentation up the chain. Not many managers will be excited to learn that one of their direct reports is engaging in the behaviors you've logged, and most managers will aggressively take action to extinguish negative behaviors in their lower ranks, realizing that low employee morale affects the bottom line. Not all will, however; yours might not.
• Your Union Rep is also an avenue.
• Your family physician also is a resource you can use to document any ill physiological and/or psychological effects of the bullying and harrassment.
  

Whatever route you choose, however, unless you've documented the actions adequately and in a timely manner, there may be no recourse. Anybody who is going to try to help resolve this issue will need facts. Remember, too, that you are undoubtedly angry and you may want to "feel" the satisfaction of knowing your boss has been punished. It's likely that you'll never know what happens to the boss, due to The Privacy Act and how it mandates that personnel actions be disclosed on a need-to-know-basis only. Be satisfied if the bullying behavior ceases, and realize it might take you awhile to trust that it's ended. But every day that goes by without the bullying is a better day than before, and you may eventually discover that you like your job again.

DISCLAIMER

It is a common misconception that bullying, discrimination, and harassment are already actionable (worthy of civil litigation) under present law. Only racial or sexual discrimination are against the law. Status-blind bullying is legal when targets are not bullied due to their membership in a protected class under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Amendment (race, color, sex, religion, or national origin). In addition, present whistleblower laws are marginally effective.

The TSA Blog: Can I Take my Hand Grenade on the Plane?

The TSA Blog: Can I Take my Hand Grenade on the Plane?

Cat-Walking

My cat is desperately imploring me to take him outside. He's a humane-society rescue, we've been together now for 2 1/2 years. When I got him, I decided that he'd be an indoor cat because I lived in the woods and wasn't keen on him being eaten by eagles or coyotes - both of which were regular visitors to my backyard. It wasn't fair for him to never go outdoors, though, so I leash-trained him. Now he loves going outside for walks. Quite a sight to see a cat going for a walk through the neighborhood here in our new city, we've gotten a lot of stares from passersby and more than a few people have stopped to inquire and chat awhile. Note - a cat on a leash is quite a conversation-magnet!!

It was interesting training him. Pretty much a mutual training, I think. Should you ever be interested in leash-training your cat, the first and most important element is establishing trust. He/she absolutely must trust you. Affectionate cats are better candidates than their aloof relatives. Get a harness that fits correctly. Attach it to a leash. Then let this setup become an interactive play-toy. Get him to chase it, play with it, hunt and capture it, chew on it, whatever he likes. After awhile of playing with it like that, he'll be comfortable with it. Then you can put the harness on. Just put it on, be lovey when you do it, then praise him for putting up with your fumbling. Let him wear it around the house for awhile (even if he doesn't like it), then take it off, toss it on the floor and ignore it. Praise him for his patience with your wierdness, give him a treat, then go on about life. Do this a bunch of times. Pretty soon he'll resign himself to the fact that his human does strange things, but they don't hurt and aren't scary anymore. Then one day, after you've put on the harness, attach the leash. Just let it go loose and see what he does. If he's mellow, you can try walking him in the house. If he's frisky, go along with it and play. He'll probably like chasing the end of the leash. Lots of luvins, and if he likes treats, those too. Do this a few times for short periods of time, until he trusts that he's going to be rewarded for his efforts.

He's an indoor cat, he's probably going to want to go outdoors. Put his leash and harness on, give him some luvins or a treat, then open your door. Keep ahold of the leash :) He WILL want to explore this new territory! Here's where he trains you... just go wherever he wants to go, and you do the work of keeping him untangled from things. If he gets spooked about something, don't yell at him. Do what it takes for him to understand that you can be trusted to keep him safe. If he wants to go back in, that's OK. He might want to find hidey-spots... just be gentle, pick him up and carry him to somewhere else to explore. Take him outdoors like this for as long as it takes for him to be confident. After while, he'll be familiar and then you can start asking him to do things that you want him to do. Take a few steps the way you want to go, and if he follows that's great and if he lays down, just stop. Here's where you get to outlast him. Just stop. He'll eventually get up and want to go somewhere. Keep trying to get him to go your way, and when he does, reward him. Won't be long before he'll have the idea and he'll go "your way, not his way." Find the words you want him to learn and use them frequently - like "This way," or "Come" or whatever. Gentle, consistant voice.

This process took me 2 weeks. Cats are independent and want to believe that everything they do is their idea. The more they trust you, the more they'll "tolerate" your ideas. Pretty soon they'll realize that your ideas can be fun too. The more you do things together, the more willing they'll be to try new things and the better they'll get. My guy loves to trot down the sidewalk for about 50 feet, then veer off toward the street or into someone's yard. I just stop, and don't let him go there. The words he understands are "This way." I say that, with gentle pressure on the leash, until he refocuses and we get back to walking on the sidewalk. I let him explore wherever he wants though, within leash range.

A couple weeks ago, it was hot out... was my weekend so I was staying up late. He asked to go out, and I decided that sounded pretty good. So I rigged him up, grabbed another beer and we took off. Was about midnight. It didn't occur to me until after the fact that it probably wasn't a great idea to be walking around town with an open container, but it was a blast walking the neighborhood at midnight with a cold beer and my li'l buddy :) Glad I didn't have to try to explain my open container to the party wagon!!!

LOL... !!!! Can you tell I don't have an exciting social life? :) That's OK, though... not looking for one. Like I said in my profile... been there, done that. It's not so bad to focus closer to home and enjoy some of the simpler joys of life. Wish I'd understood this better a few years back.

Challenge for the day: Identify someone with whom you'd like to build a safe and trusting rapport, and find a way to communicate your sincerity to them.

"Legalize Marijuana" Text Message Ploy

I got several text messages from my friends stating "Vote to legalize marijuana. This is for real. CNN today, Obama will consider w/ 1 million votes. Call 973-409-3274."

So I web-searched, and made the following discovery: http://current.com/items/90233922_marijuana-phone-poll-not-a-scam.htm .

"This number is one of many numbers created by the novelty-number company Humor Hotlines. Unlike other numbers from HH, Jeff Goldblatt (President and Founder of RHBrands.com) claims this is a legitimate poll being conducted which he plans to compile and give to various contacts within the government in hopes that it will be presented to Congress and President Barack Obama. This number is completely free and has apparently no known risks/fees associated with it outside of normal cell phone charges/minutes used/etc. If the number reaches a certain amount of votes (1,000,000), HH has every intention to follow through and send the compiled petition to the government."

That's nice. It's also not what the text said. So it's not honest. Now why would anybody want to just randomly dial a phone number to vote on something without even knowing if it's true or not, and without knowing whether or not the phone number is even legit? Everybody who has dialed that phone number has left a legitimate, traceable record of their own phone number, and this Jeff Goldblatt person now has a humongous list of people he knows are "probably" herb-friendly. Why, people.... why? It only takes a minute to research things out, y'know? A few minutes spent discerning what's true and what isn't can go a long, long way toward the betterment of our lives and toward the prevention of opening ourselves up to things we really might not want in our lives.

Here's another link for you: http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/drugpoll.asp . You'll have to copy and paste these, because I haven't yet learned how to make things into working links on this blog page.

C'mon people... Don't be sheeple :) Think before you act and don't assume everything you read or hear in the media (including text messages) is true!!! Remember what happens when we assume? We make an ASS of U and ME. I for one prefer to not follow the lemmings over the cliff.

Feed Your Brain

From The Spokesman Review:

Saturday turned out to be a record day for temperatures across the Inland Northwest. It hit 101 degrees at the Spokane International Airport, tying the record set in 1971. Lewiston, Idaho also tied a record at 106 degrees.

Other high temperatures on Saturday include Wenatchee at 107 degrees. Moses Lake and Ephrata topped out at 105 and Coeur d’Alene reached just 99 degrees. None of those cities tied or broke records.

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Yup, it's hot. I have a small window A/C that keeps the house at about 82, provided I keep bathroom and bedroom doors shut. I can live with that. So this week while I was canning green beans, beets and zucchini relish, I was thinking about how things were for people "back in the day" when there wasn't A/C or even electric stoves. Grandma would be in the kitchen doing these things on her wood cook stove. Putting up everything that couldn't be immediately used, for future use... making bread, cooking meals for the crews working in the fields, and taking care of all the rest of the household work. How much fun would it NOT be to have a wood stove fired up all day long with temps outside at a hundred degrees?? I certainly can respect the satisfaction she had to have felt looking in the pantry seeing jars of veggies, fruits and meats lined up on her shelves from floor to ceiling! I'd be willing to bet that back in the day there were very few people who suffered from insomnia, too. Come bedtime they would have been too exhausted to lay awake thinking about things, I'm sure.

I think we take an awful lot for granted in our lives. I know I do, and the more I've deliberately stepped back from the hectic, fast-paced style of living that we're stuck in today, the more I realize how out-of-control the world is. Scary stuff. Alas, a soapbox for another time, since it's now time to go to work.

Challenge of the day: Do something today that isn't wholly dependent upon someone else having done all the work for your convenience.

Wheee!

So now that I've traversed the first rugged steps of creating a blog, what's next? I guess I'm supposed to start talking about something. What do you want me to talk about? Perhaps the question would be... What do I want to talk about? Gawd. Everything. Stay tuned for discussion on topics ranging from our STUPID government, gun control, sex, parenting, dog and cat training, gardening, food preservation, being broke, home improvement and renovation, and anything else that comes along in our busy lives!!