My contract with the NCC ended on May 2. While I wait for my Americorps education award to arrive so that I can enroll to get a math education degree, I’m focused on cleaning my parents’ house. They are helping me by offering me the job so that I can not pay rent while working towards my degree, and I’m doing a lot of dejunking/painting/organizing for them. For wanting to be outside all the time, I’ve spent most of my time inside the last few days since getting back from Vegas. Playing Guitar Hero III. Re-leveling up to expert. I’m not sure if I’m having such difficulty because the only TV in the house is from the early 80s and does not even have composite jacks, or if I’m really the out of practice. I have the PS2 system hooked up to my computer via a PCMCIA card that has a jack that converts the composite to a digital. The card inserts where it is supposed to and relies on a program that would allow me to watch TV and VCRs on my computer. Thankfully, it also allows one to play games via game systems on one’s laptop. In addition to only being at Medium at the moment, I’m really good at covering up the IR wireless connection on the guitar as I’m playing, and usually only realize why I failed after I fail the song. Grrr.
But back to the title. Stumping.
Last summer, I tried to eliminate a stubborn tree from the wildflower garden, by cutting off all the shoots and leaving it under a black plastic garbage bag all summer. Guess who’s back. Well, this year, after learning everything that I learned while with the NCC, I took out the gosh darn stump. Not the stubborn one yet, but the stump of the same kind of tree that WAS in the front of the garden. That was a nice little work out last evening. Though the climate is humid here, I barely broke a sweat. And I had so much fun with the pick mattock, half axe, axe, saw, spade, and clippers. I did realize though, this morning, that from May 2 – May 14, when I was getting a lot of cardiovascular exercise and using my legs a lot, that my upper back strength waned a bit. But between gardening and painting, the muscles will stick around.
Speaking of the (vegetable) garden, I’m dumbfounded at the amount of lambs quarters aka pigweed (Chenopodium album L) that has taken root. A green carpet of lambs quarters. At least the stuff is edible (and in the same family as spinach). I don’t really have to buy any salad greens at the grocery store. The entire garden is covered with the green fuzzies. Although I usually let a patch grow, I have a huge task in front of me. The garden is about 30′ x 50′. I am surprised that the mustard didn’t come back though. A few onions came back, but that’s about it. I’m waiting to see if the buckwheat crossed with the bindweed, and what sort of disaster that will be…