Life happens

A great way to start the week: I woke up yesterday morning with hives.  I have no idea what caused them, but they sure do itch.  A dose of antihistamine and I was ready to move on with my day.  A shower, coffee, and then I sat down to check my email...but the modem wasn't working.  grrrrr!  It was cold and rainy when I headed out to work.

Things did improve, though.  The sun came out.  Eöl managed to fix the modem.  I worked overtime and came home starving.

Remember when I mentioned the auto industry/earthquake in Japan, etc?  As a result, Eöl is now officially laid off.  Not that big of a deal, really, since it turns out that unemployment pays more than he was making on the reduced work schedule.  Ok, not a lot more, but still...at least he's home to take care of things when I am at work.  I'm now free to volunteer for all the overtime I can get, knowing that Eöl is here to get the potatoes planted, split firewood, and all the rest of the homesteading fun stuff.  Thankfully, we are headed into the busy season at work, and there's plenty of overtime to be had.  Ten and twelve hour days are most likely going to be the norm for me.  I won't be getting much done at home, other than wolfing down a meal and falling into bed.  As I may have mentioned before, my job is physically demanding.  I'll be dropping my winter weight and toning up for summer, so I can't complain.  At least I get paid for my workout, rather than the other way around.

Once the weather improves, I'll be biking to and from work again.  For now, another plus to Eöl being home is that I can get a ride on those snowy, rainy, windy or cold days.  Pretty much every day lately. lol  Of course my boss has always been nice enough to offer a ride on inclement days, when I'm piling on earmuffs and rain gear for the bike trip home. But I feel that it was my choice to remain a one car family, and I should not be an imposition to others as a result.  Ok, if it was actually hailing or threatening a tornado, I'd have taken her up on the offer.  But a little rain or snow or wind, though uncomfortable, certainly won't kill me. 

In other homesteading type news:

• Eöl and Little Sis have most of the potatoes planted.
• We picked up onion sets over the weekend and I hope to get those in the ground next weekend. ( I'd like to do at least some of this homesteading stuff myself, ya know.) 
• Little Sis has been taking great care of the seedlings we started, turning, brushing, and watering them as needed.  Remember, if you are starting seeds indoors by a window, that turning them a couple of times a day will help keep them from getting too leggy.  And don't forget to brush your hand over them a few times a day, to help simulate wind and stimulate the hormone that strengthens the stems!! 
• I'll be adding a few seeds to make up for the ones that didn't germinate, and hopefully starting the squash and cukes, etc, pretty soon.

And now that I've finished my second cup of coffee, it's time to start another busy day.  Leave a comment and let me know how your spring is going.