Friday Randomness
Last week got away with me, so no randomness. But we’re back this week! First off, look at the funny ad I saw on FB the other day. Who knew that putting your TP roll on the wrong way could cause migraines? Not I!
I know you are all tossing and turning at night, wondering about my plumeria. “How is Julie’s Plumeria?” you ask…”I know it partially died after she left it out for the winter, and then she cut it back and it seemed to revive, but is it, in fact, OK? She brought this plant home from Maui in 2021, and has tried ever since to make it into a lovely plant…surely she knows it is a tropical plant, and she lives in a temperate zone! She should ignore the fact that her MIL has one from that same trip that is THRIVING, and LET IT GO.” You may have a point.
I brought it inside this winter, but it still lost all of its new leaves, and then the top kind of died again. So I cut it back again. This is the current situation. Poor thing. My MIL’s plumeria is probably 3 feet tall now and has branched out with beautiful leaves, and she doesn’t bring hers in for the winter. But she has a green thumb, and I most decidedly do not.
Look at this beautiful plumeria! This is not my MIL’s, this is my cousin’s. My cousin lives in Oceanside, which is about half way between San Diego and Los Angeles, and has a much better climate for such things. When I visited her last June, she said she would give me a cutting, but it wasn’t the right time of year for it, so I would have to wait, and she would mail it to me.
I expected a little stick, like the ones I bought in Maui. Imagine my surprise when this box arrived the other day! I put the apple on top for scale, but I don’t really think you need it. Inside were 3 pretty large cuttings, packed loosely in paper so they could breathe. My cousin’s wife paid over $50 to get it here in 2 days, and it took a week. Hopefully they will be OK – I mean, they sell the cuttings in Maui wrapped in plastic, so there’s a chance, right?
Here they are in their temporary home. I don’t have a pretty container big enough for them. Plant people, give me your opinion. Should I go out now and purchase a pretty container for them and repot them right away, risking the possibility that they may not survive, and I will have spent $40 or $50 on a container for nothing? Or shall I wait and see if they survive, which means repotting them when they are settled in, which carries its own risks?
Speaking of plants, look at my little clementine plant! It looks like it’s getting fruit! Will we have home grown cuties to eat this fall, or will George Bush the asshole squirrel eat them all?
What else…well, last weekend was Ted’s birthday, so we had a lovely time celebrating. I did not take any pictures at his party, but we had a lovely time. It was small, just his parents, his brother, and us, but it was really nice. That was Saturday.
On his actual birthday, we started off with brunch at a neighborhood restaurant. I had a delicious (virgin) Bloody Mary. Later in the day, we got dressed and drove to Oakland to have a nice dinner. We got there early and walked around.
I liked seeing these signs in the shop windows. Bonus screenshot of a cute t-shirt I saw online. Speaking of such things, I have not been going to many demonstrations lately. I’ve talked before about how the medication that I take for my Rheumatoid Arthritis makes me very sensitive to the sun, and it seems like no matter how much sunscreen I used, no matter what I wore, I would have a painful rash on my chest the few days after the protests. So now I only go on Saturdays when I know there will be plenty of shade.
So I don’t feel helpless in the face of all of the bullshit that’s going on, I’ve been writing letters to voters via ‘Vote Forward’. In this case it’s to newly registered Democrats in Pennsylvania. I meant to request 20 addresses, but I hit the button twice, so I got 40. Oops. I’m plugging away at it.
Monday, Ted and I took the day off, and we went to see Project Hail Mary. We knew very little about it going in, just that it was sci-fi, and getting good reviews. What I liked: It was a fun movie, much lighter than I expected going in. The acting and cinematography were great. I thought Ryan Gosling did a great job. What I didn’t like: It was LONG. It was 2 hours and 38 minutes, and when you add in all of the commercials and previews, we were in there for about 3 hours. It’s MGM, which is now an Amazon company, meaning we gave money to Bezos. Bah! I think it relied too much on music and goofy scenes, and it had a real Pixar feel to it, if Pixar were mostly real life. So I would give it a solid B, maybe even a B+.
Here’s your weekly gas price update. I’m really glad that we don’t commute. Ted’s drive is about 15 miles, and he takes Beezus, our electric car. Update: We drove past this gas station yesterday, and the price had come down to $6.20 a gallon, which sounds horrible until you compare it to $6.36.
Look at that grey, overcast sky! We’ve had a lovely, mostly cool spring thus far. This was Tuesday morning. It’s been pretty sunny since then, but not hot.
I took this screenshot on Wednesday – look at Monday! But then it cools down again quickly, so we’ll be OK. I enjoyed having a decent electric bill this month. It’s Thursday afternoon as I write this, and now the Monday forecast is much better, 84. I hope that’s the case.
I’m worried about the trees in this photo. See on the left, there are three that are looking great, plenty of green leaves, and then the next four or five look pretty dead. Here’s a closer look.
Not good.
Cat update! These kittens were at the rescue for a few days, but were all adopted pretty quickly. First the orange one, then the other two went to a single household, which is nice. Anastasia is still there, and is doing very well. She came out to greet me when I got there on Wednesday. I want her to be adopted, but she’s a special case and I want her to get the right home. So no rush.
Have a great weekend everyone!
44 Comments
nance
First things first: are there drainage holes in the plumeria’s container? They like a very well-drained soil, like cacti. I find that most plants do need very good drainage, and because I tend to water too often (I’m a nurturer!) I often wait until the soil is mostly dry before watering. Honestly, I feel like most plants respond to neglect rather than over-caring.
I WANT THAT CAT TEESHIRT! And speaking of cats, those kittens–so adorable. Of course the orange one went first. Orange cats are awesome.
Thanks for the tip on Vote Forward–I need to get over there and sign up. Your voter message is almost exactly what I write on those postcards. Thank you for all of your activism.
Finally, my sons could have produced that comic back when I was working and used to pick them up after school and head directly to the grocery store. Sam still detests anything to do with any shopping, and he hasn’t gone grocery shopping since he moved into his new house in October! I did a first round for him, but there has been NO FOOD SHOPPING SINCE.
J
Hi Nance, I tend to overwater too. There are definitely holes in the bottom of the container, but maybe I need to do something more…I wonder if I should buy the soil for cacti that I saw at the nursery? RESEARCH WILL BE DONE. (I’ll probably text my other cousin, who is a master gardener, and ask her advice.)
The kittens are SO CUTE. The adult cats are so much easier to clean up after.
Thank you for signing up for Vote Forward! I generally like to do postcards more than letters because it’s cheaper, but decided to go for this one anyway.
So, what does Sam eat? Does he get groceries delivered? Uber Eats?
nance
Sam does a lot of Door Dash and Uber Eats when I’m not packing up leftovers (or making extra for dinner) for him to take home and eat. I hate thinking about all the $$$$ he could be saving.
J
Ugh, yeah. Maya does that sometimes when Ted and I go out, and it’s such a waste. She has a car, she could pick it up herself. Or cook.
AC
I am not much of a drinker, but you have me hankering after a Caesar right not, which I think is our or another version of a Bloody Mary.
J
I love a good Bloody Mary, though I don’t like them with vodka, just everything else. Delicious.
StephLove
How exciting to have your own clementines. I hope the squirrels stay away.
Happy b-day to Ted!
Love the t-shirt.
My mom and my sister’s family went to see Hail Mary and I got very different reviews from my mom & sister. One thought it was okay and the other loved it.
J
I hope the squirrels stay away too! I will resort to covering it if need be. There is an orange tree in our neighbor’s yard, and they love those things, so I think chances are good they will be a problem.
Lisa's Yarns
I’m a murderer of plants, generally speaking, so I have no advice but I hope other green thumbs share their knowledge. Best of luck – it looks like a gorgeous tree, especially when it flowers.
While you are hoping for a light electric bill, I am hoping we can stop running our heat soon. It is May for crying outloud! We had some freezing temps over night the last several weeks. But things are looking up which is good because we are hosting a family bbq for Phil’s family next Sunday and I would prefer to be able to be outdoors for that!
J
It is well past time to be running the heater, I agree!
Margaret
I love cuties and need to buy some at the store. For some reason, I haven’t been lately. Perhaps that’s why I caught a cold. I’m feeling very discouraged about the Virginia decision. No matter what we do, the powers that be seem to be setting us up for an unfair election. 🙁 I loved PHM, but I also loved the book, so I was pre-disposed to like it.
J
I love cuties when they are good, but sometimes we get them and they are dry and then they just sit there and no one eats them but I don’t want to throw them away. UGH. I guess I should juice them when that happens.
Nicole MacPherson
I’ve never grown a plumeria, so I don’t know if you should repot right away or not. I do know for a fact that a squirrel will eat your fruit, because that is what squirrels do. One ate our light-up snowman, when we lived in Calgary. I guess it only ate its hat, but still.
I hate how long movies are now! It’s never justified. There are always parts that could have been cut and it would not have affected the plot negatively, in fact, it would make it better. I like a 90 minute movie, but I can tolerate up to 2 hours.
J
I may cover the plant with mesh when the fruit comes in, to try to keep it safe. They do eat everything…they ate the nozzel to my garden hose a few years ago.
I’m fine with a long movie if it’s waranteed (Out of Africa) but this one felt like it had a lot of filler in it. Could have been an hour shorter, or at least 40 minutes, in my opinion, and it would have been a better movie.
Jenny
Your review of Project Hail Mary is interesting, and makes me not want to see it. It’s kind of how I felt about the book- I liked it overall, but felt it was too lighthearted and joke-y, considering the extremely serious subject matter (um, the extinction of human life on Earth???) So you just saved me a lot of money!
Glad Anastasia is doing well. She’s so pretty. It’s definitely tough for an adult cat to get adopted. Kittens definitely work better if you already have cats in the house. But- someone will want her!
Hahahahaha… that grocery list cartoon. Love it.
J
I suspect if you felt that way about the book, you will feel the same way about the film. We hadn’t read the book.
I’ll be happy when Anastasia is finally adopted. She spent her whole visit outside of her little den yesterday, she’s doing SO MUCH better!
san
Plumerias are so beautiful! I am not surprised you’re having a hard time with them in the Bay Area… but I do hope the cuttings from your cousin will make it! Keep us posted!
I am happy to hear that Ted had a great birthday! And I love all the signs from the restaurant window and the t-shirt. I would wear that. 🙂
P.S. Gas prieces here are insane and I am glad I have a very short commute (I should start riding my bike again, too. It’s light enough now in the morning.)
J
Yeah, I’m not shocked about the Plumeria either, but my MIL’s is THRIVING, and she lives in Antioch, so I feel like it CAN be done. I have an old coworker who had one that he brought back from Hawaii, and it did OK. He has a real green thumb. Then he moved to Palm Springs, and now it is definitely doing a lot better. So it will be too cold for it sometimes, and with the size of the cuttings my cousin sent, I won’t be bringing it inside.
Elisabeth
I am scared to get home and see gas prices. Also, I am SO glad we booked all our flights ages ago for our current trip because I cannot imagine how much it would cost now. It will be a rude awakening to be filling up our gas tanks again.
That giant box reminds me of a blogger I used to read ages ago; she lived in Florida, but had grown up somewhere colder (Michigan, Maine??). Anyway, each fall, family from back home would send her a giant box in the mail FULL of fall foliage. She’d dump it out on her lawn and her little kids got to play with fallen leaves. It always struck me as so whimsical.
I read Project Hail Mary and really liked the book (I found it a touch too long), but I am planning to see the movie. I’m curious to see what I think, now!
And Happy Birthday to Ted. I really admire how special your family seems to make these occassions. It warms my heart <3
J
I’m worried about flying to Europe this fall, we haven’t bought tickets yet. I heard a story on the radio the other day where they said they don’t expect prices to come down either. Like, ever. What? Are they just greedy? The story didn’t go into the WHY at all. The gas thing is frustrating, because the prices are set at a global level, and are not really based on our supply. We don’t get much oil from that region, but our prices make it seem like we do, and really all that is happening is that the oil companies are making huge profits, as long as they don’t have to buy it at these prices. UGH.
Oh, the idea of ALL OF THOSE LEAVES, so charming!
Birchie
Lol, I can relate to that grocery list!
I love having the option not to drive, and I also love my small, fuel efficient car.
I’m in awe of your plants. I have a brown thumb so this world is totally out of my league.
Also love: the cat t-shirt.
J
Yes, we are fortunate to not have to drive much for sure.
Michelle G.
I love the randomness! I totally relate to the grocery list of reasons not to go shopping! I have a feeling Elisabeth would agree that toilet paper put on the wrong way will cause a migraine! Ha! Ha! A while ago, Facebook showed me an article about Chonkers the big sea lion that was hanging out in San Francisco. I clicked on it because…sea lions! And now every day I’m getting news about Chonkers. Did you go see him?
J
I’ll admit I put that toilet paper meme up especially for Elisabeth!
No, we haven’t been to see Chonkers, though I’ve seen pictures. He’s HUGE! Like a grizzly bear in with a bunch of brown bears.
PocoBrat
Omigosh that shot of pure envy in my bones when I saw your cousin’s plumeria! And such cute photos of that kitty tee and your promising clementines… I hope those four brown trees will spring into life yet…
I WROTE THOSE SAME POSTCARDS TO PA VOTERS YESTERDAY!!!! I like how direct your “heartfelt message” is. Did you use the same one for all of your mailings? Mine was a bit namby-pamby, and I may borrow yours for future ones, if that’s ok with you.
I hope you have another lovely weekend!
J
I know, that plumeria is stunning, right? I read yesterday that they need a lot of sun in order to flower, which makes me think that mine probably won’t ever get blossoms, our yard is so small and shady. This is a tiny hopeful thing, I guess, and unlikely to work.
Yay regarding the postcards! I will be writing more today.
I hope you have a lovely weekend too my friend. I know it’s a rough one, but may there be glimmers in there too.
NGS
Oh, that cat shirt. I love it. Cats are so serious in their destruction.
Going to the grocery store is so taxing. We have a “do not murder anyone” mantra that we say before we go inside. So far it has worked and no felonies have been committed!
J
That’s an excellent mantra!
Allison McCaskill
“On his actual birthday, we started off with brunch at a neighborhood restaurant. I had a delicious (virgin) Bloody Mary. Later in the day, we got dressed and drove to Oakland to have a nice dinner. We got there early and walked around.” – amusing myself by pretending this means you went to brunch naked.
I also have a black thumb and plant on the blind faith approach. Sometimes stuff that shouldn’t work works. Sometimes stuff that’s supposed to be easy dies. *shrug*
I read Project Hail Mary and didn’t see how they’d be able to cut it down to movie length. I really liked it, but I’m not sure if I would have as much if I didn’t have sort of the weight of the book still sort of in my head, because there was a lot of goofiness.
J
We DID go to brunch naked, so they comped our meal! We were VERY popular. Thank you for catching that.
So I’m getting that the book version of PHM is long, which maybe explains why the film was so long…
Gina
I love plumeria so much! We had a very pretty one at our old house, but it had been planted in a terrible spot, and I kept having to cut it back or else it would block people from accessing the walkway. I don’t know who put it there, but they chose a very bad place. Poor thing, it could never truly thrive! It wanted, to, bless it’s heart! I am wondering if Antioch is just a bit drier? I feel like even though they love moisture they love a warmer moisture than what you get up there. And yes, sun is a must.
We all went to see PHM and loved it so much. It doesn’t hurt that I love Ryan Gosling either…
I am not so much the grocery shopper here, although I don’t mind it too much. We all have such different palates here.
I hope you all are doing great!
J
Cooking for different palates can be difficult, right? Oh, I’m sorry about that plumeria that couldn’t thrive. Mine will have to live its life in a container, which is good in a way I guess because it can be moved if it isn’t thriving.
Suzanne
I loved Project Hail Mary so much that I listened to it on audiobook twice — once by myself, once with my kid. I was worried about the movie (how could they translate Rocky into a visual?), but I think overall it was pretty well done. I still prefer the book, though, but I really enjoyed the movie and thought Ryan Gosling did a fantastic job.
I am crossing my fingers that your plumeria experiment results in a beautiful plumeria like your cousin’s! Wow! Please do keep us updated. I adore plants and am terrible about keeping them healthy, so I am rooting for you.
J
I don’t know that my plumeria will ever be as beautiful as my cousin’s…which makes me wonder why I’m trying. SIGH. But here we are.
I’m glad to hear that they did a good job with Project Hail Mary, book to film can be SO difficult.
jeanie
I need to find that cat t-shirt. That’s just the best. Subtle and spot on. Love the signs, too.
I’m probably not the best person to give plant pot advice, since I tend to kill almost all the plants I have. But because of that, if it was me, I’d hold off a bit on the pot, unless you want to plant other things in it if it dies. Good luck — it would be a gorgeous plant. And I admire your fortitude! And how wonderful to have the clementine plant doing so well!
I’ve been doing postcards to swing states too — my last batch, 100 to Michigan. Waiting for the next to arrive! And Boo on the gas. I want to believe it can’t go on forever. (I also want to believe that when I wake up one day, the clock will be set back a good 10 or 15 years and I’ll look great!)
J
100 post cards! Amazing, bless you!
ernie
I have no plant insight or suggestions. I plant some flowers every year – the ones that are hard to kill. I liked Project Hail Mary – we saw it at a drive in in Florida. I was wishing they kept his hair long in the space bits and short in the earth bits because a few times I was a little confused about the flashbacks. I didn’t know anything about it and in general I don’t like sci fi, but I did enjoy it. It was long. Tank drove and he had to keep turing the car on to get the sound to play through the radio, so we missed a few sentences every now and then when the radio went out. By the end it was almost comedic.
J
Oh goodness, yeah, the whole ‘keep the radio going’ thing for a drive in would be hard. The last drive in I went to was in 2020…everyone was so tired of being home and not going anywhere, so it was REALLY crowded. It took us maybe 45 minutes to get in there and find a spot, so we missed part of the movie, and it was really distracting having people walking around and so on. I remember when the sound came through a speaker that you put on your drivers side window. Through the radio is better for sound, but drains your battery, and now we know, can shut off after too long. Funny.
Stephany
We had vastly different experiences watching Project Hail Mary! I loved the humor so much and thought the score was excellent – the way they played with music and silence was just… chef’s kiss to me! But I also read and adored the book, and had only heard rave reviews, so I was just READY to love it and I did. Rocky 4ever.
However, I do agree that it was way too long! I need movies to be 90 minutes, not a minute longer.
J
Rocky 4ever for sure. Are you a fan of Pixar movies? I don’t really enjoy them, and this felt like a Pixar film to me. I mean, I liked it, just didn’t love it like you did.
Daria
I love those signs. I need a link to that cat t-shirt (cat knocking a crown). Please!
Plumeria- gorgeous!!! Not sure if it’d survive in New Jersey soil. Too contaminated and too cold.
I have been MIA from blog-land and I think that is because I am burned out…
J
I am not sure whether the plumeria will survive here, Daria. It may be too cold in the winter. They are well suited to tropical climates, not so much the temperate climate here. But I’m trying.
I’ve been pretty so-so on blogging too.
Tobia | craftaliciousme
Ah I wish these kind of plants would grow in my backyard/reagion. Tehy do not. I had a kumquat tree for a while and was able to bring it to bloom and once it had a handful of fruits. But I just killed another eucaluptus and a lot of stuff froze during the winter. Sigh.
So I am obviously no help.
J
I wish you would come and kill the eucalyptus that is behind our house, in the parking lot next door. It’s a pretty tree, but a hazard. It has dropped branches at least 3 times, doing a lot of damage to our fence. The apartment complex management company next door does not care, they pay for the repairs and that is it. I worry it will drop a branch on one of our homes or a person. Those branches are huge.