Early Spring?!

It feels like it’s spring already here in the Columbia River Gorge, as well as much of Oregon. I really feel bad for those friends on the east coast.. but I guess that’s why I stay on the west coast!

I’ve been doing tons of gardening. Yesterday I banged out almost the whole western side of the house. I don’t know when the last time someone lived here was. The gardens were atrocious! Two or three layers of dead leaves from bulbs.. So tulips or daffodils. And the roses. Oh jesus, the roses. They haven’t seen a good pruning in a few years I’m sure. I didn’t do anything drastic, but I did trim them up to force them to grow the right way. Not a big cut back, just some thoughtful trimming.

All was going fine and well until I found a mystery bulb. It looks like grass with long thin green leaves.. and then I ripped some up and they had these white bulbs. So I’m like is this fucking wild garlic? Nope. Lemon grass? Nope! It had no smells!! I have no idea what it is so I left it alone. I figure once it starts blossoming I’ll have a better time identifying it.

I should’ve taken pictures, but you know that whole not having a camera thing.

And then I stuck my (gloved) hand in dog shit and I was done. It wasn’t old. We don’t own a dog. The neighbors fenced in their yard so their dog could be let out unattended.

Fuck people who let their dogs poop in other people’s yards. Backyards no less.

Yesterday I also swept and mopped the entire down stairs, dusted from top to bottom, everything was nice and clean. I’m not a big fan of cleaning, but I think spending 3 hours outside in the fresh air and sunshine gave me a spring-cleaning kick in the ass.

Except it’s February. It is not Spring! I don’t get it but I’m not looking a gift horse in the mouth.

Lots of accordion playing! I recently took another trip down to the Willamette valley to see family and visit and my Aunt sent some more books my way to practice. So new videos of that will be coming soon to my YouTube channel.

I’m finishing up my pair of Jackalopes for my friends birthday in April. They’re watercolor and they’re turning out pretty all right! I’m happy about it.

What else? Well, I got a job offer from a local department store and I took it of course because I want a job. They sent me off Monday to take my UA and they sent me to the wrong place and I almost got lost but I didn’t and then I got hte drug test all taken care. Hahaha. I always worry that I’m going to fail even though I honestly don’t have a reason to worry. What if that one time I was standing next to someone smoking pot and I inhaled it shows up?! Yeah, dumb anxiety.

However, I also just got an email from a local PowerSport shop that I had applied to last month asking me to come in an interview. And I’d much rather work with dirt bikes and a shop than in the retail wasteland known as Big Box Retail. Guess we’ll see what happens.

The Dalles

I made it! I survived! Hooray!

Enough exclamation marks. M and I are officially settled into our new house. It was stressful, and we forgot stuff, and it’s COLD here, but over all I really like it. We got a cute turn of the century house that’s since had the interior remodeled.. new paint, new appliances, etc.. It has a large back yard as well as a root cellar and off street parking. Yay!

Our house is, of course, minimally furnished since we just brought what we could hold in our cars. I prioritized with my computer and instruments while M prioritized with TV and entertainment.

But we have a blow up mattress, which is pretty sweet. Beats the hell out of sleeping on the hard wood floors.

I’ve been playing around with Flash Pay via NetSpend and it seems like it’s all new.. Does anyone understand how to use flashpay? Because I sure as fuck don’t.