Sticks and stones will not break my bones
What have I been up to after the hurricanes? I am keeping myself busy in the backyard. When we bought our house, we got an empty backyard. But over time, we have added a storage building and a fence (just enough around the house so that the dog has place to run without being too close to the neighbour's horses - he barks at them when they are near the house). We are now working on re-doing the stone path and putting down a new layer of soil to cover some uneven parts. It can be back-breaking work but oddly enough I am enjoying it.
(These are pictures of the backyard, beyond the spot where I am working on)
Once this is completed, I am thinking of making some flower beds. This will not be anytime in this year. Soon the cold season will be upon us and some plants will not survive the chilly air. Yes, Louisiana can get cold in winter but not as bad as up north. :) I am looking forward to some cooler weather after such a blistering summer. Now, please excuse me, I am going back to the yard to play with some soil and stones (and throw away some old sticks I keep finding around the yard).
In the meantime, here's something worth pondering over (which I am sure you have seen before knowing how fast information is passed on these days):
Balance Sheet of Life
Our Birth is our Opening Balance!
Our Death is our Closing Balance!
Our Prejudiced Views are our Liabilities
Our Creative Ideas are our Assets
Heart is our Current Asset
Soul is our Fixed Asset
Brain is our Fixed Deposit
Thinking is our Current Account
Achievements are our Capital
Character & Morals, our Stock-in-Trade
Friends are our General Reserves
Values & Behaviour are our Goodwill
Patience is our Interest Earned
Love is our Dividend
Children are our Bonus Issues
Education is Brands / Patents
Knowledge is our Investment
Experience is our Premium Account
The Aim is to Tally the Balance Sheet Accurately.
The Goal is to get the Best Presented Accounts Award.
Our Death is our Closing Balance!
Our Prejudiced Views are our Liabilities
Our Creative Ideas are our Assets
Heart is our Current Asset
Soul is our Fixed Asset
Brain is our Fixed Deposit
Thinking is our Current Account
Achievements are our Capital
Character & Morals, our Stock-in-Trade
Friends are our General Reserves
Values & Behaviour are our Goodwill
Patience is our Interest Earned
Love is our Dividend
Children are our Bonus Issues
Education is Brands / Patents
Knowledge is our Investment
Experience is our Premium Account
The Aim is to Tally the Balance Sheet Accurately.
The Goal is to get the Best Presented Accounts Award.
22 comments:
*sigh*
...and then you have the "others" like me whose life doesn't fit in the order of that "chart" there.
I wonder if serai can tahan the weather there?
Eh heard tht there's another hurricane coming? This year seems like its a non-stop thing. :( Hope tht whtever it is, your area will not be affected.
Hi JT,
I like this Balance Sheet of Life. However, the Goal stated at the end, it looks like a very tall order :(
Hey Nicole
Don't sigh ... I don't follow the chart to the T either. And I am very sure many others share the same sentiment. :)
Hi Farina
Gosh, I had the same thought ... I was thinking about having a small spot for vegetables and ingredients like serai and chilli. I think serai will probably survive. How is your chilli padi plant doing? I recall you planted one sometime last year.
The next hurricane (Kyle) I heard is currently at tropical storm strength. Hopefully it stays that way. It is heading to the east coast.
Actually we are at the end (or almost) of the hurricane season. There are hurricanes every year. Just that sometimes we are lucky when they don't head our way. Yeah, but this year sounds like it is never ending. 2005 was not a good year either. I recall Katrina (Louisiana), Rita (Texas) and another one, forgot the name, (Florida) all making landfall within two months or thereabout. A lot of losses that year.
Hi Cakapaje
Yes, a tall order indeed. Truth be told, very few people get to retire at 55 especially when the chart shows that the family starts at 35. My dad had to continue working although he was done with his government service at that age.
That is the time the children are still in school or going for higher education. Also, this chart does not take into account the realities of life.
Oh yeah, and buying a house in your 20s is possible but not in my world. :)
I hardly knew anyone who could afford one at that age (this was back in the 80s and 90s). While I am not dismissing the fact that there were some successful ones, in my little world, the ones that did had help from parents for downpayment or they shared the bill with siblings. In some cases, they got married first and then bought the house. Some people used their 'ampau' from their wedding reception to put a downpayment. :)
JT, is that ocean of green behind your house, your back yard! Oh my, very impressive! Well, lets hope it will look nicer after u are done with it = ) I really like lush green surroundings but unfortunately, i do not hv green fingers.... happy gardening.
PS - surprisingly by some miracle, the pandan plant i bought in June has survived till now!!!! i am in awe! hehehehhe
it's funny that you mentioned cili padi plant - that was supposed to be my project earlier this year, but it never happened.
SO - it's been moved over to next year..and by that, i mean, have my mom plant it for me since she'll be here ;D
i figured it's better to have my own plant instead of buying a bag of cili padi from the asian market, and not being able to use all of it - waste right?
Hey Mush
That picture hides a lot of flaws on the ground but thank you. I am actually happier with the way it looks now (flaws and all) than when we first got it in winter (Jan 2008). It was dreadfully brown and thought that it would never look like a proper green field.
Developing all of it will take years - no vitamin M to splurge now. :P Slowly but surely
I am hoping we can fence in the place first (that alone will cost a bundle) - maybe those ranch looking fence. Then I can start planning some kind of landscaping.
By the way, congratulations on your living pandan plant. hehehe
I know the feeling when something actually does not die on me. I have been having a hard time with indoor plants. My zebra plants don't look impressive anymore. One just died last month. The other one is hanging on to its last few leaves. poor thing. Looks like some wild animal just mauled it. :D
For some reason, I am better with outdoor plants.
Take care and have a good Hari Raya.
Hi Nicole
haha ... you have a lot planned for your mom. I don't blame you. When my mom was alive and whenever I went home for holiday, I would request ahead what I would like to eat. Gosh! I always returned to my home a little heavier. haha
(mum said she did not mind. she was just happy that all of us were together - even for a short time)
Yeah, it is nice to have a cili padi or jalapeno plant around.
My chilis used to be wasted after a while. However, those Debbie Meyer's bags are good. They actually work! My vegetables and fruits could never last long in their normal packaging but when I put them in those green bags, they have a longer life. Try that. :)
JT DEAR
you have got a very large back garden , is ao lovely view too .
you are good always keep busy .yes now lot of hard work to be doing but once done and u sit back relex and you will be very enjoy it .
take it easy my very dear friend xxxxxxxxx
JT,
Your backyard seems like a golf course. Why not hit some balls around?
Hi J.T.,
You have a huge green lot. I wish we have that big of a yard for the young-un to run. And horses, too. Do they ride the horses or are they working horses? Good place to start a vegetable garden. Have you planted any vegetables? I grew some tomatoes but they died, my fault for not watering the plants and some I didn't cover them when we had our first frost (last year).
How chilly does it get in LA or Texas?
Hi Pearly
That is true. Someday after all the work is done, we can sit back and relax. I figure it will be around retirement age. :)
You take care, my dear. Hug your baby for me
Hi Zawi
I guess it is big enough for my swing - it won't go far. :P
However, currently golf is not my game. Thanks for the suggestion, though. Mini golf might just be our retirement activity.
Hi Dawn
I have not seen the neighbour ride any neither have I seen the horses working. Maybe they are for breeding. I have seen two foals in the past few months. I should ask my neighbour. :)
I am considering a vegetable garden next Spring. I have never tried planting any. So it will be a trial and error thing for me. The coldest we had last year/January this year was 32F. So, it is best to wait till the weather is conducive for planting.
Jacqui, I am so jealous at how green your backyard looks!! Mine is brown and dry and whatever green there is, is just weeds just enough to keep the geese happy grazing on it. :-( Eight years living in our house and still no lawn. :-(
I planted some serai in a big pot, and brought it under a shed during the winter. They survived quite well. Damn neighbour cat started pooping in the pot!!
Hi Puteri
Sometimes photos hide flaws. hehe
The yard does look green but believe me there are some parts are not as green as it looks. There are problem spots and rather not spend money on that yet until we get this place fenced in ... someday. However, overall look is good.
If you want to start your lawn, you might want to go to Lowe's (or one of those stores like Lowe's) and browse through the garden section. You can find lawn starters, fertilizers, grass seeds. The easier way (and possibly a little more expensive) is to buy sod or turf (grass and the part of the soil beneath it held together by the roots, or a piece of this material). You will have an instant lawn. :)
So now your serai plant is good for show (if it survived cat pee). Poor thing.
Dear Jacqui
I have had to go backward into your prolific blog to start reading anyhting; contrary to what Linda Goodman says about my sign, I don't actually skip a book bewteen pages. Thanks for the letter from John Cleese to the Americans,it was resonant and its recommendations were wholly agreeable. I don't think though, that I could ever "layer" myself as that would take ample sidereal time. I'll be seeing you in these, your annals, from time to time.
Hey Jeffrey
Welcome to my blog. Gosh! you successfully commented on a few of my postings in one paragraph here. But I should not be surprised. That is the Jeffrey I remember. :)
Do drop by again. Even though I may on a break from time to time, I still respond to comments.
Cheers! Love to Brenda.
Dear jacqui, my blog is enabled for a biblical stoning now. You're welcome to it.
And the Putri who had cats poop in her plants??...She has to be careful, as her plant may go blind due to cat's poop.
Hi Jeffrey
hahaha ...
OK, I will drop by as soon as I can to pelt your blog.
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