Full

This describes our weekend, and it also describes my stomach, as I just had a delicious piece of apple pie (left over from Thanksgiving) with Jesse. We had the usual youth group on Friday night, and our 3rd and final wedding reception at the church on Saturday. A few friends came up from as far away as Sydney, and many from the church and area were able to come. It was fun to celebrate again with all of them. Yesterday, I was able to spend some time reading and writing in my journal, which was good.

We're still being invaded by ants. We did a little Wikipedia research this morning, and it sounds like we're doing some of the right things - we're washing the counter and windowsill (their point of entry) with vinegar-water. We may need to get some corn meal or something for them to eat and take back to their nests. One of the suggestions was to capture a bunch of them, dump them on another ant hill, and let them fight it out. I think you can guess which suggestion Jesse related most heartily to.

It was another humid day, and I spent most of it IMming with friends. The weekend, though nice, had made me a bit homesick, and it was nice to get out of my own head for a little while and catch up with friends. Once I finally became productive, though, I attacked our office room with a vengeance. I put all my summer clothes (and almost all of Jesse's) into our dresser. Winter clothes are still in a suitcase, awaiting a better home, but the floor of the office is generally picked up now. I also pulled aside the Christmas decorations so they're ready for when we get a tree. By far, the best news of the day was finding some skin medicine I thought we'd lost in the transition over here. I was so happy, as I'd been convinced we HAD to still have it, but had combed every place I could think of and hadn't found it. It was tucked away, with a few other forgotten toiletries, in a Target-style plastic bag. That was a good find.

When Jesse got home from work, it was roasting inside the house, and we decided to go out to dinner. Not only could we enjoy air-conditioned solace, but that meant I could have a break from cooking, and he could have a break from the dishes. Also, we would have a break from vinegar-ing the entire counter after using it for food preparation. We returned home, watched a little tv and ate pie, and now I'm watching Jesse play the Raving Rabbids game he bought for the Wii. He's convinced there must be something seriously wrong with the people who invented the game. But he's enjoying it, nonetheless :)

Green

It seems "green" has come to refer not only to the environment in general, but to things that are 'good' for the environment, or at least 'better' than other things. At my former job, we had a 'greening' initiative of sorts, that involved moderating temperatures to save on the energy required for heat or a/c, being issued mugs made out of corn (not sure how that one worked) to be used instead of disposable cups in the office, unplugging power cords when not in use, and other measures.

I was thinking about my "green" footprint today as I stood battle, yet again, against an army of ants determined to take over my kitchen. They launched their best assault yet this afternoon. Jesse and I had taken our lunches (which consisted of leftover meatloaf, 4 baking powder biscuits-turned-grilled ham & cheese sandwiches, and tomato soup) into the other room to continue watching Battlestar Galactica (on which I am now hooked), and I kept watching after he'd left to go back to the church. On my return to the kitchen, the little ants had turned out en masse. After removing all the items from the counter yet again, the orange spray-bottle cleaner and I struck back. Jesse is bringing home some sticky-tack, as a temporary plug for the hole the ants are coming in.

After cleaning up the counter and dishes, I saw another failed attempt at being "green." Sometime last week, during a grocery trip, I noticed some basil plants in small planter boxes that were on sale. (Incidentally, some of that fresh basil had been used in the tomato soup that I thawed out for lunch. But I digress.) I purchased one, and dutifully set it at the front of the sink, where it could receive sunlight, and I would be more likely to remember to water it. However, on hanging out the initial loads of laundry (on which I've previously waxed eloquent), I noticed that the leaves were shriveling up and realized I was baking the little basil plant, since the sun shines on the back of the house all afternoon. I then moved it to the other side of the kitchen (actually, the dining room), where it gets more moderate sunlight and, you guessed it - forgotten in the water department. So I gave the poor struggling thing some water.

On the plus side, there is a cute little lizard living under our house who's probably 4 inches long (not counting his/her tail) and scampers under the house whenever I come outside. Supposedly, our twin-tub washer is environmentally friendly. So is our laundry detergent and dish soap. That's got to count for something. On the minus side, there was a 2-inch or so cockroach in the kitchen last night. The young adults from church were still over, playing on the wii, and I just called, "Jesse, I need you. Big big bug."

Also on the plus side, there is a beautiful flower garden in front of the house which was put in and maintained by the former tenants. As we were walking in one of the first days we lived here, I said to Jesse, "Too bad about that flower garden." "What? Why?" "We're probably going to kill it." "Oh. Yeah."

The first day of the rest of my life

The subject reflects how I'm feeling about today. Although it seems like something that would have been on a poster in my junior high school cafeteria (right next to "When we Compromise, Everyone Wins"), today is different because, after a little over a month of auto-pilot, planning, wedding, and moving, Jesse and I went to work. Jesse to the church, and me to try my hand at the life of a stay-at-home spouse. By way of quick background for those who don't know, I'm taking a little break from the working world to get us settled, take care of additional visa stuff, and have a bit of a "summer vacation" for a change. Soon, I will begin circulating my resume in the hope of finding a job to start in 2009.

At any rate, Jesse left early this morning for a meeting, and I happily slept in until 7am. This was great, as it shows I'm adjusting to the time here. After catching up on email for a bit, I wrote some thank-you cards, and played a little Wii Play (I have a gold medal on the shooting game, of which I am quite proud). While making lunch, a couple from church stopped by with a two-tub washing machine they're loaning us until we're able to shop around for our own. Jesse arrived home for lunch, we received some instruction on the operation of said washer, and were left to our lunch. After lunch, with Jesse back at the office, and after a brief phone call with my parents (who are coming to visit in May/June! Yay!), I decided to tackle the washer.

Mom said I would feel a bit like a Pioneer woman with this washer. And she is right. Mistake #1, perhaps, was that my first two-tub load attempt was made with towels. In my defense, I wanted to wash my new towels, as they fuzz all over everything and it's nice to use clean towels. However, the wringer makes a terrible screeching sound and I couldn't bring myself to let it run. So there is right now a pile of formerly soapy towels in the bathtub (awaiting rinse), and a load of half towels/half dark clothes that has just been rinsed in the washing tub. We'll see if I can find a way to appease the wringer and not have to squeeze each towel myself. Thankfully, there is a clothesline all set up in the backyard, and plenty of clothespins, so once I get past the wringing stage, there is hope for obtaining clean towels at some point.

Between loads of laundry, I've been washing dishes. I think Jesse and I are always washing dishes. We have a rather small sink, a rather ominous small-ant problem, and no robot to wash the dishes for us. So far, in my experience as a stay-at-home spouse of a whopping one day, I can see where it gets exhausting. I haven't even gotten to cleaning out the armoire and putting clothes away yet.

Tonight is Jesse's soccer night, so I'll get to go cheer him on there, and look into the volleyball leagues at the gym. I would love to start playing again. For now, it's back to the washer.