creeping charlie and clover

So I am fairly committed to doing things as organically as possible in my yard... but Bill takes some convincing. while looking up organic ways to treat clover I came across this joke and had to share:

YARD WORK - AS VIEWED FROM HEAVEN
(overheard in a conversation between God and St. Francis):
God: Hey, St. Francis, you know all about gardens and nature;
what in the world is going on down there in the U.S.?

What happened to the dandelions, violets, thistles and the stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought, and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long-lasting blossoms attract butterflies, honeybees, and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of color by now. All I see are patches of green.
. .
St. Francis: It's the tribes that settled there, Lord. They are called the Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers 'weeds' and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass.
. .
God: Grass? But it is so boring, it's not colorful. It doesn't attract butterflies, bees or birds, only grubs and sod worms. It's temperamental with temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want grass growing there?
. .
St. Francis: Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it has grown a little, they cut it.... sometimes two times a week.
. .
God: They cut it? Do they bale it like hay?
..
. St. Francis: Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags.
. .
God: They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it?
. .
St. Francis: No sir, just the opposite. They pay to throw it away.
. .
God: Now let me get this straight...they fertilize it to make it grow and when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away?
. .
St. Francis: Yes, sir.
. .
God: These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work.
. .
St. Francis: You aren't going to believe this Lord, but when the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it, so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it.
. .
God: What nonsense! At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the autumn they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep the moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. Plus, as they rot, the leaves become compost to enhance the soil. It's a natural circle of life.
. .
St. Francis: You'd better sit down, Lord. As soon as the leaves fall, the Suburbanites rake them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away.
. .
God: No way! What do they do to protect the shrubs and tree roots in the winter to keep the soil moist and loose?
. .
St Francis: After throwing the leaves away, they go out and buy something called mulch. They haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves.
. .
God: And where do they get this mulch?
. .
St. Francis: They cut down the trees and grind them up to make mulch.
. .
God: Enough! I don't want to think about this anymore. Saint Catherine, you're in charge of the arts. What movie have you scheduled for us tonight?
. .
St. Catherine: 'Dumb and Dumber,' Lord. It's a really stupid movie about . . . .
. .
God: Never mind -- I think I just heard the whole story from Saint Francis!

ok

so I have been bad recently about posting. I think about things to post all the time, but finding the time to write them out in any sort of cohesive way is not easy.

Letsee.... Friday Bill and I saw how to train your dragon. It was no pixar but it was sweet and amusing just the same. Saturday we met up with friend from college and Sunday we went to the market in the morning and the headed down to the Cavs (Bulls) game. Bill and I did not see eye to eye on the correct team to root for, however my Cleveland Cave had a stellar game and hopefully they will whomp the Bulls tonight (sorry honey).

It rained all weekend, so I have not been able to get my beet seeds or chard seeds into the ground. The peas I planted a few weeks ago are all about 3 inches tall and my broccoli needs to be transplanted as soon as possible. Out of all the asparagus roots I planted I have seen only two stems (one is already ferning), so hopefully next year they are more established.

No word from uofc but I am not expecting any until the 11/12th. I continue my studying and am down the the final 5 hour lecture. then its a month of crazy review and practice tests.

oh an Andrea I don't have your email so just email me and I can send you the biscuit recipe: sarahyoung921 at gmail dot com

so many things so little time

But first i want you all to check this out:

Bet Against The American Dream from Planet Money on Vimeo.

and if you don't normally listen to NPR or This American Life, Act One of this broadcast is totally worth your time. or you can go here this is the collaborator on the story and they have some great graphics and other explanatory tools. If you don't have to know what a CDO or CDS is for your CFA exam (like me!) this explains it pretty well.

Congratulations Bill!!!!

While my process for going back to school is still up in the air, Bill got the news today... He will be joining the UChicago part time MBA program in June.

Bill I am so proud of you!

guess what!!

Bill got tickets for us to go to the Bulls Cavs play off game on the 25th. I am sooo excited!

Outside of that not much going on right now. This weekend I have about 5 hours of lecture, woo. The first farmers market is on Sunday. I know there wont be much, but I would like to see if they have asparagus yet. mmm nothing better than asparagus soup.

dad's biscuit recipe

dad gave me a recipe for yummy home made biscuits and I made them last night along with a ham. yummy! i never realized how easy homemade biscuits are... and they are so much better than the pre-made types.

weather has been great around here and I can't wait for the weekend.

Happy Birthday Clizzle

Hope you have a great day!!

Creamy tomato and goat cheese risotto

With broiled tilapia and broccoli yum!

Happy Birthday Mommy!

It's my mom's birthday today, so Happy Birthday mom!

As an update on the bird aftermath (just so I can make a point to Alana), I have continued to find signs all over my house for the little fine feathered friend. I think I will have to take the comforter to a laundry mat, because it won't fit into my washer. Outside of that I still think we should get the merry maids cleaning service to disinfect the entire house.

This week is tax week, and Bill and I sat down and did ours yesterday. Don't forget to get yours in.

This weekend we went to the art museum and saw a photography exhibit and a Matisse exhibit. We also worked in the yard for a while. I planted my peas and lettuce in pots, and weeded my garden and flower boarders.

We don't have much else going on. I am happy to stay that, after today, I have 2 more topics to read (out of the 18 that I started with). I have 3 sets of lessons to watch (each are about 3 hours) and when the readings and the lessons are done I will officially start review.

Bird.

In House.

Not cool.


Bill was incredibly heroic last night as he hunted down the bird that was flapping about in my guest bedroom, caught it in a conglomeration of a fishing net, milk crate and Rubbermaid container lid. I on the other hand was scared and went down stairs and updated my facebook status. Bill might never let me live that down.

Now I feel like my entire house needs disinfecting. There was poo on my dining room table cloth and place mats, on chairs and on the floor. I didn't have the energy to start in my guest bedroom, but I will have to conquer that this weekend.

Sigh.

I love this poem

I wandered lonely as a Cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and Hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden Daffodils;
Beside the Lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:-
A Poet could not but be gay
In such a jocund company:
I gazed---and gazed---but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude,
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the Daffodils.

William Wordsworth
-------
and every time I see all the happy daffodils in my neighborhood I think of this poem and Mrs. Dooner one of the best elementary school teacher I had. I also think of going daffodil picking at in the forest at the Western reserve Farm with my godparents lived. such happy memories!

Happy Easter!

I hope you all have wonderful spring weather like we have. Enjoy the day!

Yay

A short post but winnie just got to meet onyx. And I think she just made a good friend. C it was wonderful to see you!

Chocolate Kahlua cake

So I am posting this on my phone from Cleveland. With all the family birthdays we are having one big celebration tonight at Easter dinner. I asked Bill what kind on cake he would like and he said it depended on if it was Easter or not.
So tonight I will happily have chocolate cake while celebrating Easter.
Outside the cake we are pet sitting and have under our care 3 dogs (winnie plus 2 more), a cat , a beta fish and a tank full of salt water tropical fish. It's a full zoo here.