The Watcher

That doggone Oscar-Tyrone... he's a master at keeping watch...

From the beams high above my living room...

Or from behind the laptop screen...

The boy just loves to sit back and watch...

There's a message in there somewhere...

Someone's always watching you...

Have a good weekend.

Gardens and Such, Part VIII

Man...

I have been soooo busy, buried waaaay under paperwork. So I dug myself out and decided to take a bit of time to do a garden post. I don't have much to say, so this is mostly a picture post...

Well, all is well in the garden. I picked a good pound of beans last Friday.

My cup (bootleg plastic container) runneth over!!!


LadyTee keeps screaming, "Lee, you need to go get a pretty little basket to place your vegetables in!"

**crickets**

No, LadyTee... any old Wal-mart bag or bootleg piece of Tupperware will do.

I threw those beans in a pot, along with a smoked chicken leg quarter, a couple of cut up onions, and some red potatoes and did the darn thing!

Yes, those are cooked "southern style", i.e., throw that ish in a pot and cook it to death.

I never knew one could eat green beans raw until the Infamous Hen-Dog came over one day, grabbed one of the green beans and started munching on it.

**LadyLee reaching for him yelling "Wait Shorty, those are raw!!".

He said, "Now those are FRESH right there. I can taste the chlorophyll in them beans right there!"

(Yes, us food chemists think and talk like that. This is normal).

So, I tried one, and he was right. They were very fresh, succulent, and sweet. I saved up some raw ones for my salad.

Anyway... other gardening news.

Something went terribly wrong with the radishes. The tops were quite pretty, green and soaring almost a foot high above the ground, but the actual radish roots were JACKED UP!

This is almost always due to rocky soil. I live in the ATL, land of the red Georgia clay... I would have to mix up some special soil or something.

Oh. Dear.

What is an Oldgirl to do?

I tell you what an Oldgirl does. I dug that ish up... and kept it moving. I went and bought a couple of pepper plants and placed them there. Problem solved.

I'll be damn if I'm going to be mixing up some special soil. Humph.

Moving right along... got some peppers coming in from apepper plant I planted a month ago. I think I'm suppose to leave them on the vine until they turn red or orange. I don't know. I will just water them everyday, and see what happens. And that's the way I like it.

And the tomatoes have suddenly appeared.

Houston... we have LIFT OFF!!!! LOL! 'Bout time!!!

Those are of the Roma variety. I hate those big tomatos... These should be small...

Cucumber plants are beginning to flower, which mean I should see cukes beginning to bud in the next ten days or so.

I thought they would leaf up a bit bigger than that, but oh well... Long as I don't have to tend to them (besides watering)... whatever.

I got a little bean leaf blight going on in the back corner of one of the bean patches. Not sure why that is happening. I think it is deficient in a certain mineral or something.



I don't know. And you know me...

I got my shovel in my hand, just in case I gotta dig that ish up!!!

Bush varieties, of which both my cucumber and bean plants are, are determinant plants, which means that they are going to produce heavy for a few weeks, and then die off. That might be what's happening. The indeterminant plants (the vining varieties) produce all season long.(See, I do read about this stuff sometimes-- albeit for only a few minutes at a time, LOL.) I can't stand vining varieties, because that means I have to build frameworks and trellises and fool with chicken wire... I've done that once before. Never again! My name ain't no damn Celie, man!!

Which means I'll be digging that part of the garden up in a couple of weeks and replanting for a... FALL HARVEST! Whoooo-hoooooo!!!

Well, on to the front yard. (yeah, this post is long... SUE ME! You'll be a'ight!)

I planted some pretty flowers, all purple and white, a few weeks ago. This was an interesting experience because as usual, I had to hear Snake complain about all the hard work he had to do helping me spread out my pinestraw and plant the flowers.

But I had to dig it up (man, I LOVE my shovel!!) and throw them away...


Why? Because for some reason, the purple flowers grew out of control and ate up the white flowers... So I had a bunch of purple flowers and weeds... That stuff grew so out of control that we had to have a running start to get up the front steps.

So I went and bought some new flowers. Home Depot had a sale, and took my tail out there in the hot sun and looked around... I came home and yelled up the steps for my sister...

"Kentucky! Kennnnntuuuuuuckkkkky!!!"

She steps out of her room, and looks over the railing. "Yes?"

"Whatchu doin'?"

"Nothing."

"Help me plant some flowers later on."

"Okay."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I will help you."

I thought she would say no. She even looked excited about it. Wow. I am 1% Diva, and I don't like dirt. And I sho nuff can't stand being out in any type of heat. My sister Kentucky is a PURE 100% Diva. Enough said. But she said okay. We decided to plant at six o'clock. She even came outside early, around 5:30, while I was still piddling around in the garden.

We planted some lovely plants out front.

It was TOO funny seeing my sister fool with the trusty shovel, using her flip-flop clad feet to shove the spade into the ground.

We had too much fun. Man, it is very RARE for me to spend time with my sister. VERY RARE. I think it is the age difference, and we are both consumant loners, who like waaaay too much quiet and solitude. I am more apt to run with my brother Milk and Cookies, since I tend to be a tomboy and like to tare up stuff, lol. But we hung out for and hour and a half, planting flowers and spreading pinestraw.

Even Mr. Thomas, a local, came by and cut the grass. And of course, he wanted something to drink afterwards. (Hen-Dog gets pissed about this. "Lee, stop spoiling the crackheads!!!")

Whatever, Shorty. It was hot as hell outside, and I don't want old dude to fall out in my yard. I would hate to have to drag his body out into the middle of the street after he die from heat exhaustion...

So that is the the gardening news update...

Yes it was long... As I may just do one other post this week (or maybe not). It's all according to how much of this paperwork I can get off my desk!

Have a good week:)

Summer Candy

Man, I tell you...

If you didn't know by now...

Summer is here!

It's reaching the mid-ninties here in the ATL.

In other words... It's HOT!!!

So, to celebrate the official first days of summer...

Have a piece of candy:

Oh come on. You know me.

I ain't talkin' 'bout THAT kind of candy (although it do look mighty good.)

No have a REAL piece of candy...

Eye Candy, that is...

A little. candy. for. your. eye.


My friend and neighbor Tiny offered to show off some of those biceps for the laaaaadiiiiies! LOL!!!!

Nothing wrong with a little candy...

Candy can be good for you...

Good for the eye, that is...

That one right there is for the ladies. (All my Oldboys, go find your own piece of candy. That piece is NOT for you!) LOL!!!

The funny thing about these pics... we were taking them in my front yard. I know my neighbors had to be looking out the window thinking...

"What are those two fools doing out there doing?!"

Yeah, and uh, Tiny... I'ma need you to get rid of that tank top. It's as if you and Hen-Dog robbed a tank top truck somewhere, because ya'll wear those tops like they some Versace gear or something.

Now, the Infamous Hen-Dog was supposed to take some eye candy pictures, but he's shuffling around, talking about how he need to loose some weight or something. I'm not sure what's up with the "water weight" issues, but he will eventually take some... I've been threatening to catch him coming out the shower, LOL LOL!!

It's all good. I don't care. I am just glad it's summer... just wish that I was a child again, with no responsibilities, no nothing... just time on my hands to play alllll day long...

So with that said... Let the summer begin:)

**Happy Birthday TIFFANY**

I'd like to send a special Happy Birthday to my book club sista Tiffany!!

She's celebrating birthday #35...

Lawd... I feel soooo old.

For some reason I thought she was older than me... That's always the case when I find out one is younger... They all have the wisdom of someone so much older...

I missed your birthday bash last night! Sorry, chica!

I know ya'll sistas are crazy... And I see you all on the email thread today, so that uh, means none of ya'll got ta drinking and tearing the club up at the Cheesecake Factory last night.

(Yeah, ya'll save the craziness for when I'M there. HUMPH)

So Happy 35th, girl!!

And many many more.

Gardens and Such, Part VII

Okay, it's been a little over 6-7 weeks, and the garden's starting to do some things now, ya'll...

Last week, the bean patch was looking like something out of the movie Aliens.

But now, the beans are ready!

I even have a few peppers coming in. I don't know when I should pick those... I guess I'll pick them when they start turning red.

And the Oldgirl did a little bean picking:

This is just the right amount of beans for me... I would lose my mind if I was picking POUNDS and POUNDS of beans. But it looks as if I will be picking this amount once every five days, and that is fine with me.

Now, if I can just get those cucumbers and tomatoes to come on in...

TGIF!!!

I am glad it is Friday!

Especially since it means I get paid...


Mo' money, mo money, MO' money!!

Time to ball 'til ya freakin' fall, ya'll!!

I wish... Gotta pay the bills, babes. **hard sigh**

But in the meantime, while I'm waiting for the days when I can be a baller, I think you and I should take a lesson from my book club sista Kim's niece, Miss Kyla, who happen to be the youngest "woman" at my last Inspirational Journal Writing Group meeting.

We should all put on our favorite outfit and grab our favorite purse...

Look here, now! I said grab your FAVORITE purse. It don't have to match the outfit, you know.

Kyla demonstrates this all too well. She seems to prefer the baby blue and black patent leather purse. And uh, I do believe she doesn't give a flying flip what anyone says about her choice of gear.

And then put your game face on, baby!! That is, put on your biggest SMILE!

Once you do all of that?

I think you are more than ready for your weekend.

Thanks Kyla for showing us how to dress to impress, and get our weekend started off right!!

And you all have a good weekend.

Oh, and to all the fathers out there, like my personal chauffeur friend The Infamous Hen-Dog?

Have a Happy Father's day:)

~LL~

Dreams and Milk and Cookies

I had a dream on Saturday night that my brother Milk and Cookies snuck into the house and suprised me... He has the habit of not telling anyone that he is on leave from base and then just show up in town. Then he likes to sneak into my house real late at night and scare me.

Well, I can usually hear the door alarm triple beep when he comes in.

But I didn't that night.

I dreamed he came in my room sat on the bed, and talked to me for a few minutes. One would think that I was awake because the TV was on, but I wasn't.

So I thought I was just dreaming of him because I missed him...

That is, until I got up the next morning and saw this on my dining room table:


Milk and Cookies' motorcycle helmet and gloves.

This meant he was somewhere in my house asleep, most likely upstairs in the spare bedroom. I didn't check to see, as I rarely go upstairs. But he eventually dragged his tail downstairs around noon. (He and my sister don't get out of the bed until at least noon... I, however, am bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at 5:00 a.m. ~sigh~).
He came downstairs and talked to me for awhile. I told him that I dreamed he'd come into my room and dove on the bed. (That mess was cute when he was two years old. Now, it's downright insane. He is too old and to big to be doing all that!)
He said he did come in and jump on the bed, and we talked. I thought I was dreaming, but I wasn't. Go figure. LOL!
Our sister Kentucky woke up right after him and came downstairs and threw some sausage patties in a skillet. Then she asked Milk and Cookies to watch it so it wouldn't burn. Then she disappeared back upstairs.
And didn't come back.
As a result, a whining Milk and Cookies had to cook breakfast for the two of them.


(Yeah, 'cause I, the Oldgirl, ain't cooking breakfast for NOBODY. They know they better work that ish out).
We went outside later on, and I took some pictures of him with his beloved motorcycle.

(I bought him that shirt when he was 12. I can't believe he still wears it. Goodness.)
He pointed at a couple of motorcycle parts that he was proud of. I had no idea what he was talking about. I was more concerned about the pieces of electrical tape on the rear bumper.

He blew that off. "Oh, that's just a piece that fell off."
**crickets**
I just let that go. I've given up complaining about him wanting a motorcycle. Didn't matter what I said anyway, because he went ahead on and bought it.

Even the Infamous Hen-Dog, my co-worker and personal chaffeur, stopped by to say hello. He pointed at Milk and Cookies and simply stated "He's the man."

But just as fast as Milk and Cookies rode into town... he left just as fast.
I only got a chance to spend a couple of hours with him.
But it was worth it!
Come back soon, little man... and be safe out there.

Gardens and Such, Part VI

All I gotta say is...

"Welcome to the Jungle!!!!"

Looks like the plantlife just exploded overnight. Goodness Gracious alive!

And it looks as if I have a few beans coming in.

They look like worms or alien tentacles right now, but give it a week!

The cucumber plants are starting to grow. I thought I did something wrong, but looks like it may have to be hot as hell outside for them to grow or something. (And you know me, I wasn't going to think about it too hard. I would dig that ish up if I had to. Whatever, man.


And that's all for now!! Stay tuned...