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A Good Start
Spring weather has arrived here in Athens. Locals say Good Friday is the safe planting date to avoid late frosts. Given the way Easter moves around, that’s tricky. I go with April 22–the day between the birthdays of Dad and his mother from whom I inherited a green thumb. Little is blooming beyond some store-bought…
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Treating my Spring Fever
Groundhog’s Day has come and gone. Shadow or not, the prospect of an early spring makes me want to garden. Unseasonably mild weather in recent weeks is testing my resolve to avoid planting too early. Digging up day lilies to expand my veggie garden scratched my itch for several days. They came from Dad’s garden…
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Most Prolific?
Keeping live-bearing tropical fish in has been fun and educational. At roughly the same time, I added two females of three different varieties to the tank. The most prolific variety surprised me. I expected red cobra guppies to run away with the competition. They had a head start of several weeks and a reputation for…
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Suddenly Speedy
I’ve logged 3500+ miles in just over 1000 outings on MapMyRun since 2012. After every mile, a female voice announces the number of miles this time out, the average time per mile, and the time for the last mile. The free version saves these details, a map of the route, and tons of other information…
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High Drama in the Tank
All but one of the baby fish have disappeared. I suspect the swordtails, but can’t say for sure. Nonetheless, they were exiled to the outdoor pond. If they’re guilty, the baby population will rebound. If not, I was wrong. Time will tell. Banishment was contingent upon catching the trio without tearing up the well-planted tank.…
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Swordtail or Platy?
Maude has a new boyfriend. His name, of course, is Stanley. I’m happy to report the mismatched pair hit it off right away. It’s a May/September, mixed marriage. Maude, the cougar, comes from the ‘Brick Red’ clan. Stanley is a young green swordtail–like those found in the wild. Maude clearly enjoys a walk on the…
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Guppy Love
When I “surrendered” the goldfish, I asked about special-ordering guppies. He took my name and number for the person responsible for ordering to call me. He still hasn’t called. I wanted three pairs and expected to pay $25 per pair, plush shipping. Special ordering via the pet store would likely reduce or eliminate shipping. Back…
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Cool Running
Weather has long determined if I go for a run or not. Preferred conditions include sunny skies with a temperature from 65- to 7degrees and a light breeze. There’s a little wiggle room, but anything beyond that is a deal breaker. An aversion to sweat is the issue. I don’t mind sweating so much these…
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Time on My Hands
Teaching has kept me busy since before Andy passed last year. I’ve grieved plenty, but drowning in sorrow wasn’t an option. Between teaching, my regular day job duties, and taking care of myself and Toodles, I’ve had too much to do. I’m grateful, and not just for the distraction. Teaching a basic consumer course, while…
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Winter Garden Update
Mild weather has been the norm in Athens this winter. My garden experiment has turned out better than expected. We’ve had a few cold spells with below-freezing temperatures, but the polar vortex stayed well north of here. The coldest weather is behind us. Lows two or three degrees below freezing won’t hurt anything I planted.…