To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves.
~ Mohandas K. Gandhi

Which is why today...I planted.
Six potted planters and 8 different packages of seeds.
Soon...okay, so not that soon...but eventually, I will see some green.
And purple. And pink. And orange and yellow and red and I'm so excited!!!
The waiting is the hardest part.
Sigh.
But damn it felt good.
The soil and moss between my fingers.
The smell.
Good indeed.

Some girls want big, expensive, fancy cars, houses, clothes and jewelry...
Me?
I just want Daisy here, and my other dog here, a new cat (since none of the old cats would have been able to survive the trip-sniffle, sniffle-can't go there right now), plants and flowers and a beer every now and then to help me sleep.
Yeah. I'm a cheap date, broad, whathaveyou.

More randumbness:

So, the Ex requires the Nanny...I'll let you figure out why on your own.
TheRammerHammer and I do not...you know...because we're adults and attentive parents.
However, TheRammerHammer is obligated to pay half for the Nanny until the end of November and rather than leave the poor woman at the Ex's house when the kids are here, to be at the Ex's beck-and-call...just didn't seem very fair to the poor, sweet woman.
So she's here and she's not just a Nanny. She helps around the house as well. Doing dishes, laundry and cleaning.
I've never had the experience of having neither a maid nor a Nanny. So, she and I have a friendly, little, unspoken competition. Okay...I have one...I don't think she has a clue because she's just that innocent and sweet.
It doesn't feel right to have her do things...and specifically do things for me.
I'm here and even on my bad days, I'm perfectly capable of washing my dish or two.
On my good days...I'm perfectly capable of washing any/all of the dishes that TheRammerHammer, myself or the boys use.
I can throw loads of laundry in and hang them out to dry.
I can sweep and I can dust.
So the competition is that on my good days...TheRammerHammer or I make the meals for us all, and when the pots and pans and untinsels are left in the sink while we're eating, she sneaks out into the kitchen and washes them. So, I either clear the plates or ask TheRammerHammer and the boys to, bringing me the dishes so that I can wash them, and she doesn't have to.
If she throws a load of laundry in without me seeing, but I hear the machine running...I wait patiently and beat her to it, to hang them out to dry.
I know it sounds silly...but I know and have seen first hand what an unclean person the Ex is...so I know the Nanny works her fingers to the bone at the other apartment.
I feel a little bad that we'll be letting her go in November, leaving her to fend for herself 24/7 over there.
The upside of not having her here eventually though, is that .she'll stop putting things where she wants them or thinks they should go, after I've put them where I want them or think they should go for the third or fourth time.
Definitely not used to, nor do I think I would ever get used to, having that go on in my household! LOL.

Moving stuff...another hot topic:
They don't have traditional moving trucks here...no Hertz, no U-hauls, etc.
And very few people own trucks period.
Lot's of little SUV's...and locals with regular trucks that sit on the side of the road just waiting for people to pull over and hire them to move something...but that's not what this little bit is about.
When moving your belongings from one place to another here, you can pile gobs and gobs of said belongings out into the hallway and out in front of the apartment building itself and leave it all there, while you travel back and forth, for however long...and you don't have to worry at all, about anything being stolen or rummaged through. At all. People just respect what is their's and what isn't here. Amazing concept. One I don't think I've ever witnessed in my life until now.

An un-hot topic:
Who knew I shoulda packed my freakin'-frackin' long sleeve shirts when moving to the desert??
Not me.
Me? I packed short sleeve shirts, tank-tops and some pretty halter tops.
However, it's so freakin' hot outside that everyone here sets their air conditioning units to Arctic.
So, everywhere I go here...you know...in the desert...I freakin' freeze.

City life is taking some getting used to.
I miss the sound of the crickets (all of them in the distance, not just one under the bedroom window), the birds, the horses, the wind in the tree's, etc.
There are birds here, though not many...yet. I'm hoping my balcony garden and a well placed bird feeder will change that.
But they are building a city here. Yes...not just a couple of buildings here and there...a whole city...at once...at fast as possible.
They work 'round the clock here, three shifts.
Yes, there are some things they aren't permitted to do between certain sleeping hours, but they do what they can with the time they have...and it doesn't mean that some companies don't push the boundaries and try to get away with doing noisy things at all hours of the day and night.
Now, I hear the sound of cars, and banging, and trucks backing up, and sirens, etc.
I remember city life...I lived in Fort Lauderdale and Miami.
But in the Osmond's famous words...I'm a little bit country and a little big rock-n-roll.
It may take awhile, but I'll merge the two here, just like I have everywhere else.
For now...that beer to help me sleep would be very welcome tonight around 9pm, mmmkay?
Thankyouverymuch.

I've had a few emails about TV here and what's available.
The answer...anything and everything.
They have basic cable here and premium cable as well.
We have basic...lot's of channels from other countries, in each countries respective language.
What I find amusing is that (for us anyhoo) there are 3-4 American/english channels.
One in particular is called MBC...on it, at any given time, are American TV shows from CBS, NBC and ABC. Made me giggle when I first figured it out. All the 'rating rivalry' in the states for each individual channel and here...they're all on one channel.
As for the shows...the only thing I see missing is Soap-Opera's...with the exception of one, but I don't know the name of which one it is and haven't been able to catch the beginning to find out.
Otherwise...they've got Idol, Amazing Race, Without A Trace, Bones, House, Shark, Numbers, Las Vegas, and various others.
Basically, TheRammerHammer says the only restriction(s) they really put on American television here is anything with Homosexual overtones (so no Will & Grace, dang it) and shows with a lot of sexual overtones and/or almost nude/nude people on them (which is why I'm guessing there is no Survivor or Two And A Half Men...thank goodness for the internet and message boards as far as Survivor goes! TAAHM, I can also live with out Sean! LOL.)
The funny thing is, that there are plenty of gay men and lesbians here...they aren't overly affectionate in public, but then again, nobody really is. People hold hands, walk with arms around one another and kiss affectionately...just no going overboard...so one hopes (read: me) that they will eventually discover the funniness that is Will & Grace...and Jack & Karen.

Let's see what else...
I don't know what homosexuality and/or sexual content or lack there of, have to do with sourcream...but it's impossible to find here.
Although the search is not over and I'm not giving up, dagnabit.

Oh and lastyly...I spoke to soon!
I finished a difficult Soduko last night for the first time ever.
I just may frame that sucker, as it might not ever happen again!
Okay...that's it for now...time to walk a Moby...he's been a patient, patient puppy.
Hope everyone is well;)