Nook, Nook

When I was little, my Dad's nickname for me was Snoot. It rhymed with Nook, not shoot. Then I went through those teenage years when I thought the nickname was stupid. I remember being really mad at him for calling me by my nickname.
My nickname came about because we had pigs when I was younger. Apparently when I was very young I was unable to make pig-snorting noises so I would say "snoot snoot" to the pigs. Or at least that's what I think the origin of the nickname is.
What does this have to do with my Nook? Nothing, except it rhymes.
And I see my Dad everyday now and sometimes I miss being called Snoot.
I was also going to tell you a little bit about my Nook. My brother and I both received Nook Colors for Christmas from our parents. This is something I never would have bought for myself. I have the Kindle app on my smart phone and it worked for what I needed it for. I used it to free read classic books. For current books, I went to the library and checked out hardcopies.
I read a lot of fiction books. I also read magazines and cookbooks. (I realize it's weird to read cookbooks, but it gives me ideas!) I've decided that getting magazines and cookbooks on the Nook are not for me, though. I like to write on the pages when I make a recipe, notes about how to improve the taste next time, who liked it, how to make it better, etc. I put sticky notes on pages with recipes I want to try. There are options for highlighting and notetaking on the Nook, but it's just not the same. Magazines and cookbooks are items I like to share with friends. When I finish an Organic Gardening and it has tips on chicken-keeping in the city, or fall gardening, I pass it on to friends who share those interests. Right now, I'm living with my Grandma, and if I passed the Nook over to her to read the latest Organic Gardening issue, I'm pretty sure she would hand it back to me and say she's not interested. She doesn't even know how to use a computer.
There are several things I like about the Nook, though.
If I don't know a word, I can look it up, even without wi-fi access. Sometimes that feature wouldn't work on my Kindle app without cell service.
I can crawl into bed with the lights out and not have to worry about getting back out of bed later, and getting chilled, just to turn off the lights. I just adjust the brightness of the screen so it doesn't hurt my eyes in the dark and pretend like I'm a kid reading a book with a flashlight under the covers when I should be sleeping. Except my head is still outside the covers.
It's lightweight. Even with the protective cover I bought. I have fifty or more books on my Nook right now and it still weighs the same as it would empty. I wish I had this in college. That 20 pound art history book would have been a lot easier to lug around.
I also like that when I finish a book, I close it on the Nook and open up another one. This will be really handy on vacations, so I won't have to contemplate "Do I need to take two books or three?" I won't have to worry about books taking up valuable luggage space anymore! (Unless of course I purchase a local cookbook to bring back home!)
I haven't had the opportunity to try it out yet, but I'm also able to "borrow" Nook books from the local library. They're free just like checking out hardcopy books.
All in all, I'm pretty stoked to have the Nook.

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Music Monday: I Want To Know What Love is by Foreigner

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History Lesson: Fort D

I'm a little embarrassed to admit this. I was raised in the Cape Girardeau area, I'm 27, and just within the last 2 months I learned about a Civil War Fort here in Cape Girardeau.

The property is City owned, and part of my job these last couple months has been evaluating City owned properties for code compliance and maintenance issues. Fort D is maintained by the Parks & Recreation Department.

The fort itself is just the earthen berms.

The limestone building was built in the late 1930s as a WPA project.

Now the grounds are used for Civil War reenactments.

I guess if I was a history buff I would have known about this sooner, huh?

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Earthquake preparedness

 Today I am going to bore you with an item I find fascinating and scary.

Moving back to Cape Girardeau means I am not only still in tornado country, but also smack dab in the middle of earthquake country. The New Madrid fault zone is over here on this side of the state.

I've never been in a big earthquake, but I remember one in kindergarten. Grandma Ettling babysat me in the morning (I had afternoon kindergarten) and I thought she was passing gas but it was an earthquake. The tectonic plates were moving. We ran and stood in the doorway like they teach in school.

I've always been told that we're overdue for an earthquake. I didn't realize just how overdue until I read this information.The last big earthquake was in 1895 and they typically occur every 70 years +/- 15 years. We should have had a "big one" by 1980 at the latest. It's 2012.

These photos are part of our disaster preparedness manual at work. As a City employee, after a natural disaster I'm expected to take care of my family first and then come to town and help evaluate structures for their safety.

There's also a section in the manual on what to do to prepare for an earthquake. When we were relocating offices a couple weeks ago we came across an earthquake kit that was full of bottled water, flashlights, batteries, Sharpies and other things. There's even a list of items you should have in an emergency kit in your car, at all times. Guess I need to work on that!

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Music Monday: REO Speedwagon's Can't Fight This Feeling

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Garden List 2012

A couple weeks ago, Mom asked me to write down a list of the vegetables and fruits that I want in the garden.

I'll warn you, it's a long list.

This is the first year in almost a decade that I'll be planting at the farm. In a huge garden. I could plant everything on my list and possibly not fill the space up.

I have plans for lots of canning and freezing this year. A lot.

I've divided the list into three categories: veggies, herbs and fruit.

Here we go with veggies:
Asparagus (needs a permanent bed)
Green beans
beets
cantaloupe
carrots
corn
cukes
eggplant
garlic
kale
lettuce
okra
onions
peas
sweet peppers
hot peppers
potatoes
pumpkins
radishes (for Grandma Betty)
spinach
zucchini
acorn squash
butternut squash
tomatoes for juice/sauce
tomatoes for canning whole and eating fresh
tomatoes, cherry or grape

I also have some artichokes that I started from seed last year that need to be transplanted. I have leftover seed for a lot of these veggies, but some of them date back to 2009 so I'm not sure if they'll germinate.

Fruit (Including nuts. Varieties listed are what I found at Stark Brothers, a nursery in Louisiana, MO)
Apples (Starkrimson Red Delicious, JonARed Jonathan)
Blueberries (Jersey, Earliblue)
Cherries (North Star Pie, Royalton Sweet)
Peaches (Polar peach special: Intrepid and Reliance)
Pears (Bartlett, Starking Delicious)
Strawberries (a june bearing variety not an everbearing)
Rhubarb
Raspberries

Herbs:
Bay
Basil
Chives (I have this in a pot but it might not survive the winter)
Cilantro
Dill
Epazote (for beans)
Lemongrass (I have in a pot)
Mint (I have peppermint in pots)
Oregano
Rosemary (I have in a pot, but it also might not survive the winter.)
Sage (I have a pretty big sage plant in Springfield but I'm afraid it might not survive a transplant. And it's kind of been a tradition since the Hubs and I started living together that I buy a new sage plant at each house. We're on plant #3 now.)
Tarragon (I started this from seed but I don't think it's getting enough warmth/light.)
Thyme (I have in a pot)
Parsley
Cumin

I have seeds for many of the herbs too and most of them are only from 2011.

I've also been in discussion with Grandma and Dad about getting new chicks this Spring. I want fresh eggs again, and I want to learn how to butcher chickens. I know that's kind of a gross thing to admit, but I figure while I still have Grandma around it would be easiest to learn. She raised and butchered a lot of chickens when she was growing up. 

I may need to purchase a new grow lamp and seedling heat mat as the ones out in Springfield are packed and lost in the abyss of the storage unit. Guess I need to start hunting soon because the nightshade family of vegetables will need to be started soon!

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Running Update

Running has been a bit of a challenge since I moved to the farm. The gym is on my way home from work, but the motivation has been lacking. I started going again because I want to work up to a 5K. I'm also motivated by a request to be a bridesmaid for a friend in early June.

I'm still doing the whole run/walk thing like I was before. But I'm learning that I need to walk a longer warm-up otherwise my calves and shins get really tight and sore while I'm running. Last night, I did:

.25 miles at 3.0 mph
.25 miles at 3.5 mph
.25 miles at 4.6 mph
.25 miles at 3.5 mph
.5 miles at 4.6 mph
.5 miles at 3.5 mph
.25 miles at 4.6 mph
.25 miles at 3.5 mph
.25 miles at 3.0 mph

I ended up running a mile and walking 1-1/2 miles. It took about 45 minutes.

A 5K is 3.1 miles. I wanted to do that last night, but I also knew that even though I called and reminded Grandma that I would be late getting home due to going to the gym that they still wouldn't eat without me. Sure enough, I got a text message from my brother on my way home to the tune of "Why aren't you home yet?"

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