Garden July 2010

Life just wouldn't be as nice without a garden.

More Garden Photos

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes."

-Marcel Proust

Garden

Sage and Italian Parsley

Yellow Squash

Things are growing and getting much more colorful in the garden. This is still a bit of a work in progress, but things are really starting to look good and I can't be any happier. I have come up with some better ideas on how to do things next year, but I really like the way everything turned out. If all goes well, I should be eating some really fresh veggies in less than a month...

World Cup

For the last eight days, I have been completely engrossed in the beautiful game. Every four years, the world comes together to watch the World Cup of Soccer. When I say the world comes together, I am not exaggerating...some estimates state the final will be watched live by 25% of the world's population.

Four years ago, being a soccer (football) fan in the United States could be a bit lonely. I have seen some writers say the same thing today and maybe it still is in their city. In Kansas City, I have been amazed at the number of people watching and talking about the Cup. Yes, most of the people I work with could care less and don't understand my obsession, but there are watch parties throughout the city...not only for the United States, but for every game. As I walked through the grocery store in a Brazil jersey yesterday, six people started conversations with me about the Cup.

As with most fans, I have multiple teams I have been cheering on and hoping they do well. Of course I want our US boys to do as well as possible and I truly believe if we could always play like we did in the second half versus Slovenia, we could compete with any team in the world. I am also a huge fan of the African style of play and have been cheering on the likes of the Elephants, the Black Stars, the Super Eagles, the Desert Foxes (especially in their match versus England), the Indomitable Lions, and Bafana Bafana.

I have been lucky enough to get to watch the games with a huge picture thanks to a great overhead projector I picked up during the silent auction at Wayside Waifs Fur Ball. It makes this World Cup all the better. There have been ups and downs, some surprises, some amazing performances, some gaffes, some great goals and a lot of action in these first 24 games. Here's hoping the next 40 are even more exciting.

Tea Time for Birds

Thanks to www.readymade.com for this idea!

Garden and Flower Bed

So, after many days of work, the garden project is going strong. The veggie garden is currently planted with three varieties of tomatoes, five varieties of bell peppers (including lilac and chocolate), jalapenos (red and green), red chili peppers, eggplant, cucumber, buttercup squash, butternut squash, lemon basil and lavender. One small section of the flower garden adjacent to the house contains Italian parsley and sage.

I finally built the flower bed along the fence and planted this with zinnia, marigold, ageratum, celosia and poppy. Hopefully they all grow and look amazing! I plan on cleaning up the rest of the flower beds along the side of the house and plant some more flowers and/or more veggies. Once things really start growing, I will post some more pictures. For now, this is what it looks like:
I can’t express how relaxing I find gardening. It is a lot of hard work, but I feel more alive than I have in a long, long time. I missed this more than I ever knew.

"Gardening is the purest of human pleasures." -- Francis Bacon

My Garden Project

These pictures chronicle the beginning of my garden. It isn't the biggest and it won't be the prettiest, but I think it is a great start. The side of my house was the only place a garden could go, due to all the big and beautiful trees I have in my yard. This led to a couple of other challenges, but they all seem to be coming together well.

The garden is still in progress and I hope to have it finished and planted during the upcoming weekend. More pictures will follow of the finished garden and I will post some more once we start harvesting (hopefully) the veggies. Enjoy!


“Gardening is about enjoying the smell of things growing in the soil, getting dirty without feeling guilty, and generally taking the time to soak up a little peace and serenity.”

-Lindley Karstens

Life Is Too Short

Life is too short to work a job you hate (or despise or dislike or even just tolerate). Either love what you do or love what it pays (which will allow you to do what you love in your off time). Always remember that your job is what you do, not who you are.

Life is too short to do what you think other people expect you to do. Do what you want. If you want to sit back and watch TV, then do it. If you want to read a book, then read. If you want to leave work early on a Thursday to go to a movie, then get your work done and leave. You control your life and your happiness.

Life is too short to spend all of your time worried about the future.

Life is too short to be angry all the time.

Life is too damn short to be stressed out all the time.

Life is too short to let people push you around. Stand up for yourself or no one else will.

Life is too short to spend time on BS. Figure out what matters to you and focus on that. Will some BS creep in? Of course, but get it done and move on to the things that matter. Don’t focus your energy on the bullshit. The best minds know what needs to be perfect and what just needs to be accomplished.

Life is too short to live without passion. Put your all in to everything you do.

Life is too short to let people bother you. People will hurt you, but move on and forget about them. Those who hurt you are usually not worthy of your time. Spend time with people who enjoy being around you and want to see you succeed.

Life is too short to not share. Share experiences, things, time, love, songs, stories, hopes, dreams, anything and everything you can share. Life is a much better time when someone is experiencing it with you. The selfish will die sad and lonely.

Life is way too short to not have fun. Live each and every day as if it were your last.

Enjoying a Beautiful Spring Saturday

Beautiful weather, amazingly blue skies, lots of grilled veggies and eating with a beautiful woman...is there a better way to spend a Saturday evening?