Updated Title: My accidental bi-polar episode (Extended Version)

"I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see." John Burroughs

Well it is the eve of the last day of 2011 and tomorrow will be the very first day of a brand new year. A whole new year. It always gives people the feeling that they have another chance to make things better or be better or do better. Another chance to make things the way they want them to be. I have to admit that I get a little of the new years bug also but I tend to get this affliction randomly throughout the year as well. I looked back at my new years resolution post from a year ago to check out how I had done this year...Let's just say that it's not about keeping score. :)

I still don't finish all my projects because I am always so scattered and unfocused. At any given time I have at least a half dozen projects going at different phases of completion. Projects I am currently working on: a scarf, my fireplace remodel, a bedroom re-arranging, a yard cleanup, I also have green paint in my closet for my room as well as a curtain rod and curtains that have yet to be hung up, a shed that is half primed, lattice for some vines that I have yet to install...and I could probably name at least 8 more things that I have at least purchased the supplies for if not started already.

I also didn't draw any pictures, sit on my porch much or get up early as much as I should have. There are a lot of things that I didn't do that I thought were important a year ago that, somewhere along the way, I decided weren't as important as watching TV, sitting on my couch and sleeping in. So, in honor of the countless resolutions around the world that are unfulfilled, discarded or forgotten I present to you my ONLY new years resolution...


NOT TO MAKE ANY NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS!


It's genius I know. The chances of success are almost guaranteed. I have learned that resolutions are just a way of people giving themselves a timeline to complete certain tasks. I have also learned that putting things on a deadline like that is not a very good way to go about things. The best way to promote change is to do it right now. Not tomorrow, or after the holidays or next year but right now. The time is never going to be right, there will always be pieces missing. If you wait for everything to be just right before you do something you will never get it done at all. If you want to be healthier or read more or try to not let things get to you so much then January 1st is not the time to do it. Right now, which is currently December 31st, is the time to do it. Waiting does not improve the time you have later; it simply squanders the time you have now.

At my ripe old age of 25 I have become quite wise if I do say so myself. Most people turn this age and have a mid mid-life crisis. Good news is that I had mine a year ahead of schedule starting last summer so that this year was actually pretty good. I figured out that if I'm pissed at the world because my house is a mess that it doesn't magically make my house clean...it only makes me miserable AND my house is a mess, which is decidedly worse. I like to talk about philosophical adult feel good inspirational bad ass stuff lately probably because I have my 20's in the choke hold again and under control. Oh and a messy house is very much both literal and figurative.

It reminds me of a book my mom gave me to read a little over a year ago when my mid mid-life crisis was in full swing. Besides all the god speak, which makes me feel a little uncomfortable, it is a good book and I know she will know exactly what I am talking about. Sometimes your house is so cluttered and dirty and unkempt that the only thing you know how to do is lash out at others as you huddle down rocking back and forth in the corner. Fifteen months ago I'm pretty sure I was living in the basement of my very filthy house. I never actually finished the book but I know that I'm not in that dark place anymore. I am a pretty happy person generally speaking but we all have our breaking points and times when we revert to bad behaviors and cry a lot about just about everything.

You see what happens when I start a post without a purpose....again....when you've had caffeine in the afternoon....again....and you're pretty stoked for no particular reason, just about life in general....

Actually I think all this good-moodness is really because my house is really clean. Literally. My dishes are done, floors clean, clothes washed and put away (mostly :). It may not seem like much, but having a clean environment helps clear out the clutter in your brain too...it's proven, trust me.

Just realized that I wrote a lot about pretty much the same things as yesterday (nothing)...and I have no pictures again. Looks like I will have to go find some beauty out in this winter wonderland tomorrow since I really just like taking pictures of inanimate objects.

Well I found a couple old ones that I like. One even has a human subject. :)

This was at Paula's house in Gridley one day when we went for a garden club meeting. It is strange to see how much this little girl has changed in just a matter of months. Okay, so it was taken in April which was a long time ago, but still.

The first and only bulb that I have ever planted in my yard to this day. I only had one because it was one that I had planted at school. School...it makes me terribly sad still to think about school and not being there for the second semester in a row. The saddest thing is that in all the years that I have gone to school I have never made friends or cared if I couldn't go. I spent one semester at Butte in the Horticulture department and I gained an instant family of people who changed me. I still talk to some of my friends on Facebook but I can't help this feeling of despair and being left behind when I think of them too. The older I get the more complicated things get and the harder it is to just do something because you want to. You have too many responsibilities and too many bills and too little time. I wish more than anything that I could have gone back to school in August or even next month in January. For me this is not the time though and it is very hard for me to accept. I honestly can't even go out to Butte or talk about it or even think about it without feeling that unmistakable clenching in my throat and the feeling that your eyes are burning and want to overflow.

Maybe because my lack of friend making skills that I have mentioned before it was strange to have so many friends and then go back to having only one or two. Maybe because I sometimes feel like I missed my chance to have my dream and it's too late to go back now. It's true, I think that it may be too late. Going back in 8 months won't be the same as what it was 8 months ago. All of my friends are far ahead of me and it will be like starting all over again. Maybe I just figured it all out to late. Made my decisions too late. Starting ANOTHER two year degree at 25 only going part time...it almost seems illogical. What would I even do when I was done? Probably stay at the job I already have. I already feel lost and very much not a part of that world that I absolutely loved earlier this year. I can't really explain what I feel I had and lost because it is very strange. It was special, really really special and it meant a lot to me. I was a part of something special.

Well you can tell that I wrote this last and I turned all this positivity into a pretty big Debbie downer didn't I. It's amazing how a picture or song or words can change your mood so quickly. I spend a lot of time purposely not thinking or talking, I mean completely avoiding, the above mentioned topic for this exact reason. It makes me sad and I don't like feeling like that because it doesn't change anything. It only makes me feel bad. I still feel like the rest of my life is going pretty well and I still feel as good as I did when I started this whole thing but now I need to go remember that.

I'm not even going to proofread or spellcheck but here is a pretty picture of my Jasmine. :)

I almost can't wait to smell my Jasmine again come spring. It is the one time during the year without a doubt that I will sit on my front porch. For the month or so that my entire yard smells of the sweetest perfume I can honestly say that it is worth the wait. Until I get a headache from snorting the intoxicating fragrance like a huffing addict, that part is not so cool.

At Last!

     The classic first notes and and romantic drawl of Etta James' timeless song cannot be mistaken. It is because of this that the song has been overly used and abused by countless wedding ceremonies and of course Hollywood. Nevertheless, I believe that it is still a beautiful song about not just love but also happiness and life. As I sit here listening to this song for the sixth time in a row I realize that this song perfectly expresses my mood this evening. My oldies playlist is a regular around this household as it seems that my soul, or whatever is inside of me, is at least 40 years older than my mere 25 years of age.

     There is nothing like a little Frank, Dean, Ella, Louis, Etta and Tony to make the world sing after a long day at work. Actually I take that back, it has been an insane 6 weeks at work and I feel like I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Okay, it's not just the music, I also had a little caffeine at about 3:00 this afternoon and it seems to have done wonders to my mood and energy level. Enough energy to already have two loads of laundry done and dinner in the oven after being home for only two hours. Not bad if I do say so myself. Yes I am tooting my own horn. :)

     I can only assume that every decade of a person's life represents special challenges. The first ten years is officially the most blissful. Too bad you don't actually realize it when you are in that phase, you only realize it after you grow up and have responsibilities. Can't I just stay at home and play with my dollies all day? Geez.

     The second decade is decidedly the worst. Again, you don't realize this until you reach a later time in life and can look back and say 'Wow, that really WAS crappy wasn't it?'. Maybe it's also the worst because you go from the best phase to one that is only filled with change, uncertainty and a feeling that you are already a grown up but you really aren't, you just think you are. Again, you don't realize that you were a stupid idiot instead of the level headed responsible adult you thought you were until you are looking at your old self in the rear view mirror. It's terrible isn't it? We can never truly see ourselves and what is going on around us clearly until it's all over with.

     This brings us to the third decade in life; the one I am tackling as we speak. By tackling I mean sometimes it is kicking my butt and other times I have it in a choke hold. This is only my take on it now, as I know from what little experience I have, is that when I look back at this decade from the next one my perception we be entirely different. What I do know about this decade called the twenties is that it is freaking amazing and the most crappy time ever all rolled into one. It is like a fist fight between the first two decades of life and nobody is quite sure who is winning. Does that make sense? Well if you were 25 then you would totally understand.

     You are constantly battling with yourself. The self that is scared and unsure how to grow up and which way to go and how to get there; and the self that wants to grow up and go here or there and sees friends and family going down roads that they want to go down too. This is exacerbated in my own psyche more than most people as it seems that my generation seemed to condense their teens and twenties into a much shorter time than people like me. I can honestly say that I know more people I graduated with who are married and or have kids than those who don't. I haven't decided how I feel about this other than the fact that I am glad I am not one of them. I mean no offense to those who fall into that category because everyone is different, but I cannot image having to deal with all the changes and emotions that have taken place for me in the last six years on top of real adult things like having a family. I guess that is also why I know several people my age who have already gotten divorced and or have kids with multiple people. Okay, I have somehow gotten very off track because this post is nowhere close to what I had intended. Let me regain my thoughts...

     What I meant to say is that when you are in your twenties you spend most of your time wondering if you are where you should be and thinking about how where you are is not where you thought you would be. Thinking that your life isn't moving fast enough and that it is moving to fast at the same time. I can only hope that the third decade is easier. I hope this because for twenty years things are confusing and stupid and unpredictable and I can't possibly imaging doing this for another 10 years. Really, where am I going with this...

     See, this is what happens when you have a lot of energy and listen to your favorite songs and have no clear purpose for your blog post. You get WAY off track several times...

aci's birthday tricycle/mauling of kitties and other miscellaneous things also do not qualify for this post due to the fact they they are terrible pictures. So instead I will put up a couple random plant pictures from September and a picture from a friends wedding in...well I don't actually remember when it was but the photo booth was AMAZING!

 

Pineapple Sage...

Tuberous Begonia

Toad Lily. Okay, so me and my macro setting are still figuring each other out. See, I want it to focus on the thingy in the center and my camera really wanted to focus on the inside of the flower. I have about 10 pictures that are almost exactly the same of me trying to change the focal point with no real success. Moral of the story: these flowers are really cool and they don't look like an amphibian.

Yes, I took a picture of a picture and although the picture was low quality and grainy I love it nonetheless. If there is only one thing me and David have in common it is the fact that we don't really try to get our pictures taken. I am not sure why this is but the reality is that this is one of the only pictures I have of the two of us in the last almost 8 years. Kind of sad isn't it. The problem is that neither of us is photogenic so even if we did take pictures together I wouldn't publish the majority of them anyway. So that is why I like this picture. Also because we really can be ridiculous at times when I am not so consumed with grown up things and he can remind me to just be a kid sometimes and stop worrying so much.

Since this was the most random post ever I am not really sure how to end it, so I will end with the words of another of my many favorite oldies songs. I have also decided to dedicate this post and song to my mom because she is one of the three or so people who read my blog and also because she is probably the best mom anyone could ask for. For all the times when life has kicked my but and threatened to send me over the edge. I can't tell you how much it means to have you there to tell me that everyone is crazy too and it's not just me. Also, for all the times to come because I am sure I have years before I outgrow all of my 'life crisis' situations.

Oh yeah and also because we are so much alike and that is the thing that I am most proud of.

Van Morrison

Days Like This 

When it's not always raining
there'll be days like this
When there's no one complaining
there'll be days like this
Everything falls into place
like the flick of a switch
Well my momma told me
there'll be days like this

When you don't need to worry
there'll be days like this
When no one's in a hurry
there'll be days like this
When you don't get betrayed
by that old Judas kiss
Oh my momma told me
there'll be days like this

When you don't need an answer
there'll be days like this
When you don't meet a chancer
there'll be days like this
When all the parts of the puzzle
start to look like they fit
Then I must remember
there'll be days like this

When everyone is upfront
and they're not playing tricks
When you don't have no freeloaders
out to get their kicks in
When it's nobody's business
the way that you wanna live
I just have to remember
there'll be days like this

When no one steps on my dreams
there'll be days like this
When people understand what I mean
there'll be days like this
When you bring out the changes
of how everything is
Well my momma told me
there'll be days like this

Oh my momma told me
there'll be days like this
Well my momma told me
there'll be days like this
Oh my momma told me
there'll be days like this
Oh my momma told me
there'll be days like this 



    

Old Friends

There are old friends that you see from time to time and although you may try to pick up where you once left off, what actually happens is an awkward and unpleasant thing: and then there are those old friends that you see from time to time and it is like no time has passed at all between you. Like nothing has changed and you are still both 10 or 16 or 20 or whatever and you just saw one another yesterday. It is the kind of friendship that is not often found for some, and for me this holds true. I have a history of many friends, none of which have yet to be the life long sort. From time to time I get invites to lunches or champagne brunches and I never go for the simple fact that these people create the kind of awkward/unpleasant events that I try to courteously avoid as if it were the plague. I find that I am more of a social chameleon who goes through phases quite quickly and then leaves them behind in the dust. It is not that I am an insincere person who lacks true character or identity, I am just one of those people who is incessantly attempting to move forward. To what? I do not know. Moral of the story: most people can't keep up with my nonsensical nonsense for very long.

Also, I like to sit in my own home and crochet and watch movies and read and wear overly large pants...things that are not very conducive to collecting new friends. Nobody sees another person in pants two sizes too big (some of which may have a hole or two in the behind area but are otherwise perfectly useful for sleeping and lounging in), who hasn't brushed their hair in at least 24 hours and says: "Yes! I want to be friends with that person!". Once I actually did leave my house in this very condition to pick up my paycheck on a Sunday evening, only I wasn't actually aware of what turned out to be several holes in the behindish area of my favorite pair of sweat pants...Lesson learned!

On another much more cheery and more in the direction I intended to go at first note, I have lots to share about what has been going on the last several months while I haven't been here.

This is what the folder on my memory card told me happened in May:

I had pretty fuschias that lasted only a short while before I figured out that me and fuschias don't get along. Plants are kind of like different dog breeds: some will work for your lifestyle and some simply don't. This plant is dead as well as it's white/pink cousin located in another hanging basket a few feet away and yes they are all dried up and dead and still hanging on my front porch. I know I should take them down but really I just keep forgetting.

Anyway, in May this also happened:

Before I filled my planter with beautiful flowers that managed to reach gargantuan sizes in a very short period and only six days before my sisters wedding, on May 15th, we had quite a freak hail storm. This is about as close to snow as we have seen in Oroville for some years and it was quite amazing.

All I can say is that I am glad that we don't get snow because really, the last thing I would ever want to do is have to shovel snow in the mornings before leaving for work. Yeah, no thanks. Instead, it all melted almost as fast as it had come and then I had my own personal river in front of my house.

That's right, I do know how to take horizontal pictures too, but the vertical ones just work so much better on my blog. See: another vertical!

Those people on my watering can don't seem to like the snow/hail either as looks as though they are running away from it. :) Come on, you know you were thinking the same thing. Or maybe this watering can is from Kansas and they were running from a tornado...those are WAY worse than even snow and daily shoveling.

That's all that happened in May. Lets see what is in my June folder...

We did a lot in June!

We built a fence in the front yard so I would yell at the neighborhood kids less:

I was so excited that I got my camera out of my car to take pictures and then left the door wide open. I was really excited. Especially since it was being done good, I mean with tape measures and leveling equipment...not just some janky fence. I love my fence. :)

Now at least I feel like I can plant in my own front yard without worrying about annoying kids/neighborhood dogs/disturbing plants already established by putting up a fence later. Now if only plants were free and I could just go dig them up and bring them home this whole landscaping thing would be a whole lot easier.

Also in June/the very first few days of July we removed our old roof and got a brand spanking new one. By we I mean David and his friends/family that were crazy enough to work on top of our roof in the 100 plus degree heat while I came home on my lunch breaks and offered them glasses of water and some encouragement.

Oh yeah, and new roofing also meant new awning off the back porch since it was completely rotted and leaked like a sieve when it rained. Now I could actually go sit outside in the freezing rain on my back porch and not get wet if I felt like it.

Look: No roof...

ROOF!!!

It's like magic isn't it. :)

Man, I need to seriously address my porch lighting, that is really terrible. Please don't look at my lights.

Also at the exact same time as my house was a complete disaster zone from roof remodeling my Lilies decided to bloom. This was my first attempt with bulbs and I had been long awaiting for them to show their beautiful little faces.

They were especially pretty in the early morning sunlight. This was the first one to open. All twenty something plants opened at least two flowers each with days of one another. It would have been easier to enjoy them without all the other ruckus going on around the house but I tried to nevertheless.

And then within another week or two I realized that me and Lily bulbs do not understand each other. They all turned yellow and proceeded to loose all their leaves shortly before shriveling and dyeing. That's right, they all died and I have no idea why. I tried to save them. I tried to water them more, then I tried to water them less then eventually I gave up and cut down the dry stocks they had left behind and I have since decided that I need something else to lead people to my front door. It just didn't work out and it makes me a little sad, especially now remembering how pretty they were and how long I had been waiting and anticipating their loveliness only to be sorely disappointed by their untimely demise.

As you can see, June was a very busy month. I am not sure I have the energy to go through another 4 months even though there will be much less to share because I did absolutely nothing compared to June. I must have used up all my ambition and energy in June, I'm still recovering in my very large pajama pants with no holes. :)

I remember now how this whole thing started. This blog is much like that friend with which time passes unnoticed. I feel at home here even though much time has passed since we last spoke. There is no awkwardness or unpleasant feelings. There is no disappointment or expectations, it's just like that old friend that we all need. A blog is like a special part of the author separate from their other self. A piece that we may forget from time to time but we will always go back to it and it will feel like going home again no matter how long it has been.  

I hate coming up with titles.

So I won't come up with one. :)

After spending only a half hour outside I accomplished very little but obtained at least a dozen or so mosquito bites. Apparently I need to invest in some bug spray...very soon so that I can get back to my outside work. But in the meantime I took some pictures while I was out there, so here they are.

Oh wait, OMG! I forgot to tell you! I checked on my ladybug friend today since he was still hanging out in the same spot. I was afraid he was dying or something, but apparently he is just fine.

HE IS METAMORPHOSING!!!

See: ladybug friend two days ago.

I can't wait to see him tomorrow. It is so strange that they just do this out in the open. No cocoon or secret hiding place. Out in the open on my climbing hydrangea. It will be sad when he is gone: one morning I will go out to water and he will just be gone. Hopefully he will stick around and eat some of the aphids that plague me every year.

Anyway, on to less exciting things. I have acquired two kinds of spirea, one of which has the cutest little white flowers on it as do a lot of them, but I am not sure of the actual variety. Me and my camera aren't agreeing on how to focus on small objects so things are not working out like I would prefer but we are going to have a little chat and figure this whole thing out soon.

And I have 24 moon vines that I am not sure what to do with but I am thinking that dressing up Riley's ugly cyclone fence kennel may be an option even though it may be short lived. And yes, they bloom at night. Hence the name: which I think is pretty awesome since they also smell like vanilla (so i've read) which sounds amazing for those warm summer evening BBQ's....

OMG, super exciting thing number two: I got an amazing Laceleaf Japanese Maple for a corner in my backyard. Bad news: totally didn't take a picture because I have lost my mind. I will show you soon I promise. :) You are going to LOVE it just as much as I do.

Um, lets see what else I took pictures of.

Oh yeah, I replanted my hanging basket on my front porch. The dried sticks remaining from last year weren't making much of a statement.

Me and my mom were just talking today about how Fuscias always remind me of my grandma's house in San Jose. She always had the most beautiful Fuscias hanging on her front porch.

And yesterday at the Plant Barn (my favorite plant place to visit) I got a new daylily. It's just too bad that each bloom only lasts one day.

Like I said, me and my focus aren't getting along right now and it didn't quite get the spot I wanted but I just need to work on it. I also need to work on choosing better backgrounds because I usually have stupid things behind my subject that I don't even realize are there.

And I think that concludes my adventures for the night...yep, that's it. 

Busy Bee

So much has happened in such a short time but I still feel like I have nothing to blog about. I have developed a serious Craigslist addiction. Now that I have an app on my iTouch that makes it easy to view ads and their photos I am on the hunt for everything and anything. As a result of said addiction I have aquired picket fencing for the front yard (super duper YAY!), two swivel chairs, a ceiling fan and a new coffee table. It may sound like a lot, but I can tell you that if every item I had called on/looked at would have made it home with me I would have a few more. Oh yeah, did I mention that this has all happened in like the last 2 1/2 weeks...
I told you I had a severe addiction. I only check for new listings like a dozen times a day, it could be worse. :)
So lets start with the chairs since I don't have pictures of the fan or the fencing.

For such a small space I sure had a lot of furniture. We got rid of the gigantic sectional which has given the room so much space. Whatever, boring...moving on.

So other than that I got a really cool carnivorous plant.

Not a great picture but I love my little sundew. Best thing about it is that it just sits in a little tray of distilled water and that's about all I have to do since it feeds itself. :)

I also planted my window box again today. That's right again. Not sure if I posted pictures the last few times I did but it is a pretty frequent occurence.

It will be interesting to see how it looks in a month. I am hoping it will be robust and out of control and falling all over the place. We will see if the sun bakes this one.

Oh yeah, and I found this little guy outside too.

I will never forget the uh-huh moment I had in class one day when we talked about beneficial and predatory insects. This little guy is an adolescent lady bug. As with a lot of little buggies that I find while gardening I used to squish these kinds of bugs all the time always wondering what they were. It's true that I always seem to have a lot of lady bugs around and I love them. I feel a little sad every time I think about how many I must have killed. :(

But, I don't do that anymore so hopefully they forgive me.

I have a million projects going on, not started yet and half done so there will be a lot to come. I have like a million plants that still need to be transplanted and I think the vast numbers of plants that I started this year is really starting to sink in. Anyway, this was a strange post and I should probably erase it but it's better than nothing so here it goes.

The Journey of Plant ID

Even for a plant lover it can be hard to cram 15 new plant scientific/common names into your head each week. That doesn't even include the bonus plants. By the end of the semester I will have memorized approximately 270 plants...you heard me right: 270 plants!!! It's nice to walk around outside and play with plants all day at school, who knew school could be fun. Too bad they make you take other not so fun things like math and English and such.

Well anyway: since part of my job is to take pictures, most of which are for me to study off of and not very impressive, there are some good ones once in awhile. Also I have learned that I have a serious issue with taking like 90% of my pictures vertically. Not actually sure if this is a problem but it does seem a little unbalanced. It's totally not my fault though because plants like to be photographed vertically.

Mentha x piperita 'Chocolate Mint'

Chocolate Mint

This is what happens as I walk around in the world: I look at plants and name them in my head....no seriously, not joking.

Ginkgo biloba 'Autumn Gold'

Maidenhair Tree

Kind of funny that the first two pictures I chose are horizontal after I made such a big deal out of it; whatever.

Thymus pseudolanuginosus

Woolly Thyme

I just like to show off my big words so there will be some not so cool pictures with some really cool names. READ THE NAMES!

Acer palmatum 'Dissectum'

Laceleaf Japanese Maple

I love these trees...mmm

Betula pendula

European White Birch

Too bad you can see human shadown on the ground. :(

Callistemon citrinus

Lemon Bottlebrush

Cercis occidentalis

Western Redbud

Go natives!!!

Come on, even you know this one!

Hydrangea macrophylla

Garden Hydrangea

Metasequoia glyptostroboides

Dawn Redwood

Not much of a picture but it's one of the best names. It has quite a ring to it don't you think?

Parthenocissus tricuspidata

Boston Ivy

Iconic fall plant for sure.

Picea pungens glauca

Colorado Blue Spruce

That's right, I have to ID like a million different kinds of pines and junipers and a bunch of things that look the same. Ok not the same but only because my trained eyes know what to look for. : |

Fraxinus angustifolia oxycarpa 'Raywood'

Raywood Ash

Oh yeah and until about two weeks ago we also had to be able to differentiate about 20 different kinds of sticks. That's right: sticks without leaves or anything else to speak of. Glad spring is in full swing, no more sticks. :)

OMG, this is one of my favorite pictures and names mainly because the name is so long for something so simple.

Wait for it...

wait for it...

Solenostemon scutellarioides

Coleus

Fun huh.

Wisteria sinensis

Chinese Wisteria

Ok, the leaves belong to something else, but the flowers are Wisteria for sure.

Hosta

...

Yeah, that's it. I haven't learned this one yet so it's just Hosta. A freshly rained on Hosta too.

mmm...rain

And while not listening to the instructor blab forever (that's another story) I looked around and appreciated the freshly washed outdoor surroundings. Thank goodness the rain took a long enough break this afternoon for us to do our plant walk out to the creek.

That's me...off in lala land.

Well congratulations, you made it to the end. Twenty pictures later I bid you adeiu.