This has been hit and miss. The 3 herbs I already have in pots are doing well. I thought my thyme was a gonner a few weeks back (It was pretty miserable-looking when I first bought it tbh) but now I've trimmed it down a bit, it seems to be doing better. My sage is always happy, and my rosemary started blossoming some really pretty blue flowers over the weekend
My only disaster is the rosemary "tree" I bought after Christmas. You know those cute hostess gifts, where the plant has been shaped into a mini Christmas tree? I'd been eyeing them before Christmas- rosemary is my faaaaavorite herb and I was going to buy another one anyway, and then after the holiday they were half-price so I snapped one up. But it never flourished. I was doing everything I do for my other plants, but it just kept getting browner and browner. Then, I looked online and it turns out rosemary toparies are infamously hard to keep healthy and growing. I figured as the water was draining immediately out of the pot when I watered it, the plant was strangling itself with its own roots, so I called it.
I took some clippings from the healthy part of the plant, to see if any will take root and hopefully I can start at least one new plant off. The rest I have hanging around the house in brown paper bags to dry, so I can use whats left for cooking. Starter plants are usually only $3 anyways, so its no huge loss if my clippings don't take.
Otherwise, I have to wait a month or two to start on growing more plants- I don't want to get anymore till I can re-pot them, and its going to be too cold for months now. I want to do something like this though:
The chances of our new house having a garden are slim, so this will be perfect, as I know we'll at least have some sort of deck or patio. Just don't know what pots I want, terracotta would be the most practical, but I've seen ones on pinterest made out of wine barrels or galvanized buckets, and I really like those too!
Mission 2- Getting fit
Since Ryan's visit, I realized just how much work I've got to do, and I think I've been doing well. I really should have taken a picture at the start of January, so I could see the process. I've been doing back and ab work-outs at home during the day, then weights, treadmill and recently the stepper at the gym at least 3 days a week for probably a month now. I also do some zumba on the WiiU on the days I know we probably won't go to the gym. Turns out I'm pretty good at Bollywood dancing
I've actually put on weight, but I look leaner. I've been a US size 4 for for nearly 2 years now, but I've been that sort of "Skinny-fat" you know? Where I'm smaller, but I'm not toned at all? My SO has recognized my thighs and butt have toned up a little (the ego-boost from the oogling is most helpful at keeping this new regime up
) and the bingo-wings have definitely tightened up. Its just the damn lower-belly pooch and hips which aren't co-operating, and I feel I've been concentrating the most on those. My SO says abs are probably the hardest to build up, so I guess I just have to keep at it. I'm feeling great though. My lower back hurts a lot less now I've started doing strengthening exercises, which is awesome
I've never been able to run much- I was always a sprinter in high-school, but now I can make it to 5 minutes before my legs hurt, which may not sound much, but for me, is huge. Part of my problem is my knees- I messed them up competing at high-jump back high-school and college, and running kills them. I don't think I'll ever be able to run a 5k, but if it helps build my stamina for hiking, I feel like I've achieved something! In other news
My SO is now obsessed with real-estate. We had an idea of buying an income property, where we'd either buy a duplex, or else a place broken into 2 units, we could rent out one unit and live in the other till we save enough money for our own home. Then we'd have 2 tenants and a house of our own after about 5 years.
This would have been easily achievable back in Ohio- before we knew we'd be moving to Colorado, I found my dream home- stone, 3 bedrooms, huge kitchen and fenced back yard in the rich part of town for $120,000. Here that will buy you a trailer in the ghetto. We're looking at at least $150,000 for a 2 bedroom townhome with no garden. So trying to find an income property is basically impossible, unless of course, we rent out one of our bedrooms and have a roommate. I am over roommates. I've always had shitty roommates, my SO has had great ones, so someone's luck would change, most likely his. I mentioned maybe buying a cabin up in the mountains and renting it out to tourists, but we'd never be guaranteed the income if people don't rent it, so thats out too.
Meh, we're going to find a realtor soon anyway, and start looking properly, so hopefully we can find something nice that we can make our own in the next few months. I'm very excited to be able to decorate a place the way I want it! Also, I aced my first Math exam and case study for Interpersonal communication
I've got till Saturday night to take my first Medical Terminology exam and I'm dreading it. I'm not so good with memorizing 150+ word definitions. At least its online so I can have my textbook infront of me I guess, but still =/
Also, when do you start planting for spring? I'm supposedly in zone 5b? Sources say to start in March, and I've been told March is when we get the most snow? I don't want to murder my plants!
LB- Yeah I'm trying not to go by the scales too much, I know I'm feeling fitter, and I'm less wobbly allround, so I know putting on a few pound is probably putting on muscle. Its just annoying, my SO's abs get so pronounced really quick! I don't want a 6-pack, I just want the pooch to shrink a little! I don't want to go down any more sizes anyway- with my frame and face-shape, I'd look like Skeletor if I dropped any more!
23- ha this week has been bad- its been -22C for days so we've both slacked off, but we're getting back now!
Karringtyn- tell me about it! In my SO's hometown you can buy a mansion for the same price of a pokey lil falling-apart ranch round here! I'm sure we'll find something, it just won't be our dream home yet!
Some things I plant as soon as the ground is defrosted enough that it can be "worked" (dug). This would include spinach, lettuce, peas, onions. That's usually the last week of March around here. Last winter it was the first week of April. We had a freak 4 inch snow May 1st and I was convinced everything would die- it was fine! Everything else I space out in 2 week increments. Tender stuff like tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, cucumbers etc. don't go out until well after the last frost date. Usually that means I would plant them the 2nd week of May, but last summer it was the first week of June before I got them in the garden.
Oh, I've tried the rosemary trees twice now and they both died by the end of Jan. Glad to hear I'm not the only one!