Cemeteries on Memorial Day

Today TS and I took my new camera to the two Pioneer Cemeteries near our house and took pictures.

(I got a new camera this weekend - it's a Nikon d80. Originally I had planned on the smaller, newbier D40x, but after some research I decided on the D80. It's a little more camera than I need, but I can grow into it. I hope.)

Since it was Memorial Day weekend all the dead who had been soldiers had flags decorating their graves. Even in the old pioneer cemetery, where no one is buried anymore. It felt lonely there.

A few years ago some vandals went through and knocked down a bunch of tombstones - stole the lamb off the top of of one of the children's graves. That seems sad to me. The historical society is still repairing the damage. Every few years Eagle Scouts make the cemetery their project, so there are people who care for it.

I had actually walked down the hill and taken pictures there years ago, so I might have some good pictures of it, pre-vandalism.

It was interesting though, and hopefully I got some good pictures.

Old House Plants

I know there are probably older houseplants out there, but here are two old houseplants of that belong to TS and I.

The Norfolk pine is 31 years old, the Mother-in-law tongues are probably 50 years old.

The Norfolk pine has aluminum foil around the base to keep the cat from using it as a litter box. I am hoping that her doing so last week will not kill it. Although it survived the attentions of a 12 year old gardener (me) a busy teen, and a young newlywed without dying. It has been regulated to the utility room for a few years, but since Magic ate a bunch of the dirt I decided to move it back into the utility room so the new puppy won't have that opportunity.

I took the MIL tongues from my mom's house before she moved. They were plants she'd had before I was born, divided many times I'm sure. I started out with one kind of sickly one. It had been on her bathroom sill, and was pretty starved for light. It didn't take long to flourish with a little light and water.

My husband had a cactus from when he was 5 years old - we had it for at least 20 years before it died at about 32 years old. I also had an old jade plant from his grandmother, but it died not long after I got it - the trunk was hollow. I think his grandfather may have over-watered it when his grandmother was ill.

I try to water just once a week during the summer, once every couple of weeks in the winter.

Repot as needed. I rarely fertilize. I don't have a green thumb as much as I just find out about what different plants like, and try to provide that for them, as much as possible.

I wonder how old houseplants can get?

Do people have houseplants that are hundreds of years old?

I haven't been able to find much information on the Internet about this. I am sure the age would vary from plant to plant. If I find out anything else about this, I will post it later.

Riding The Bus

A news article in one of the local papers said bus ridership was up significantly, and I believe it!

I take the bus to work. It's not bad - there is a bus down the hill, and another one to work. The transfer is quick. Lately, however, transit has been packed. On a normal early day, (9:30am-6 pm) if the first bus is too packed, I have waited for next one 10 minutes later. Now IT'S packed.

I take both a SoundTransit bus and a King County Metro bus.

Part of it must be the rising gas prices. Even so, there seems to be more riders in the Seattle area.

Today I took a little earlier bus. I left a half hour earlier for work, and got off an hour earlier (took a short lunch). I don't usually do that, but with no ride from Renton there was the choice of leaving at 5 and getting home by 6:30, or leaving at 6 and getting home at 8:30. The Renton Transit Center is NOT where a sane person wants to hang out for an hour.

The first bus down the hill was packed. The bus to work was an articulated bus. It was my first ride in one since - who knows when. It was nice. And it was packed. On the way home, the bus back to the bottom of the hill was so packed I had to stand the whole way! I was shocked.

It's not the standing - more when I began taking this bus, oh, 15 years ago, there weren't many occupants. Riders had their choice of seats.
My favorite is the one across from the back door, on the driver's side. In case you were wondering.

Now, one is lucky to get a seat. It's good though - a packed bus means overall less carbon in the air, and fewer drivers on the road. Go, bus riders.

Another Fine Month You've Gotten Us Into....

So far, May has not been any better than March or April.

My house is still under construction. Tonight my washer and dryer have been taken out of commission until the utility room floor is fixed.

The worst problem is, in two or three weeks, The Saint may be out of commission for a couple of months. He's going to have surgery on his ear - but because of how they do it, and the muscles and nerves involved it is a little bit like brain surgery, even though the brain isn't involved. Hopefully.

So, at the mimimum, it will be day surgery, he will be off work for a week, and not able to fly, lift anything over 5 lbs, and a number of other things for 6 weeks. Worst case scenario - in the hospital for three days, off work for three weeks, and the same restrictions. Worst case scenario isn't likely. Still - that is six weeks that he's not able to lift anything, and probably he will be limited for awhile after that.

I am worried about him. I don't think I have to say it, but I should, because people have accused me of being mean to him about it. I am worried, and scared. I get pissed instead of sobbing and moaning and wailing.

Still, I am really, really hoping we get all the work done BEFORE his surgery, because otherwise we will be in an unfinished house all summer. That's not the biggest worry I have, but it is a worry.

So, now The Saint has to have surgery.

Another piece of pooh in the pile that this year has become.

I guess I better just write off May, and June, and look forward to July.