Continue reading “Over-Mulched” →
This week, I want to pose a question: do you spend your days thinking about food? I don’t mean thinking about what to cook for the next meal or when you’re hungry. I mean like you’re always on the hunt on food, like a hunter-gatherer, like you’re always on the hunt for free food and food, in general. Do you consider this to be a kind of obsessive behavior?
Continue reading “Thinking About Food” →
Continue reading “Stop Talking, Start Listening” →
I was supposed to do this yesterday but my brain was absolutely fried after a marathon of driving. I feel like long-distance driving is an absolute test of one’s endurance, just like running a marathon.
Anyway, hello September 2025! I am strangely looking forward to this month. Maybe because it’s my birthday month and even though I do not like the thought of knowing I’ll be another year older before the end of the month, I feel it’s something that’s inevitable for not only me but for everyone.
I mentioned in the intro I did a marathon drive over the weekend. Even after fulfilling the crazy idea in early August, my mom is still not giving up on her dream of winning the lottery. In my opinion, if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. I got dragged into driving to Evanston, Wyoming again on Saturday to buy lottery tickets. So round trip was about 140 miles and after running some errands, it was nearly 200 miles.
Then on Sunday, I got dragged again into driving to Crater of the Moon National Monument in southern Idaho with her sisters in the back seat. This time, we hiked the Big Crater. Along the way, as I drove, her sisters slept, missing all the beautiful scenery along the way. When they’re not asleep, one of the sisters would ask, “Are we there yet?” I just about wanted to kick her out of the car for asking such a question. When she’s not asking stupid questions, she’s stuffing her mouth with food.
It was the second time I did the 500-mile round trip in a day. The first time was early August. By the time I got home, I just wanted to get into bed and sleep off the giant headache I got from driving exhaustion. I typically enjoy driving but this was too much.
Anyway, I feel like I’ve spent every weekend in August driving to the border towns in Wyoming and Idaho and I hope this doesn’t repeat in September.
The garden felt very static in August, like not much happened, just watering and fertilizing. I began planting the fall and winter vegetables sporadically because I don’t want everything to come to fruition at once. I am trying to also practice succession planting, waiting for the plants to size up before planting the next batch as well as making sure everything is alive and well. If something needs replacing, then I’ll put a replacement plant in its place.
Here are a couple of my favorite garden photos from August.
As I mentioned, September is my birthday month and for the first time ever, I’m taking two days off for my birthday and not because I’m going somewhere special, but because I want give myself time to rest and recharge. The other thing I’m looking forward to in September would be the work activity I’m going to do with the department.
We are going to take a pottery class and make a cup, a bowl, or a vase. I haven’t played with clay since middle school and even then, I never got to make anything with the pottery wheel. So I’m looking forward to seeing what I’ll make.
I have vertigo.
Continue reading “Vertigo” →
My mom and I spent the last couple of weeks making trips on the weekends to the border towns of Evanston and Woodruff in Wyoming and Idaho, respectively, buying up lottery tickets, hoping to play our luck – adult edition.
Continue reading “Just a Crazy Idea” →
I had to take a break from everything yesterday because after driving almost 500 miles on Saturday, I was exhausted.
Where did I go?
Continue reading “My Road Trip to Idaho’s Craters of the Moon” →
Last week, I found out my aunt (the one who lives in my house) will be going to China in September to visit her dad and my mom wants to go with her. Can you imagine my reaction?
Continue reading “Monday Thoughts – Why I’m skipping a trip to China” →
I don’t know whether you can feel it but July, at least for me, is one of the toughest months to get through next to, of course, December and January. So what the days are long, it’s hot to the point that going outside means getting charred by the sun’s UV rays no matter how thick of a layer of sunscreen I lather on my skin.
Continue reading “Hello August 2025!” →
In my post on Saturday, I posted this picture at the top of the post.
Sadly, tragedy struck that day. I went to Evanston, Wyoming and left the humidity dome on the large seedling tray. I was supposed to put the seedlings under the shade cloth but instead, I left it on the table. 🫣When I returned home that day, it finally crossed my mind that I had forgotten to move the seedling trays, I went out and saw there was nothing left. The seedlings have been fried to a crisp. I imagine that’s how vampires would self-combust when they come in contact with the sun.
Thankfully, the seedlings in the smaller tray did not get fried. Still, I lost 72 seedlings because of my negligence and it sucks. I now have to start all over again and lost 3 weeks of progress.
What makes this worse than a simple mistake on my part is my mom, there was zero sympathy and she kind of told me, “who cares?”
The thing is it wasn’t my idea to go to Evanston. We were supposed to go the weekend before to claim a lottery winning of $4 but my mom changed her mind in the last minute to this weekend. Add on the fact that I haven’t been sleeping well, not to mention being haunted by good dream and uncomfortable bed cover on a night basis, I ought to forget something.
Please note: I am not trying to blame anybody here. I know it’s my fault but should she had reacted this way?
Do you believe in unconsciously punishing yourself?
Continue reading “Monday Thoughts – On Punishing Thyself” →
There goes June. Bye bye June, and hello July!
I am going to miss June just a tiny bit, just because I am now another month toward my first frost date. This means I should start thinking about the fall garden and all the things I need to plant before the colder months come to settle.
I actually sowed some Swiss Chard last night. The package said it’ll take 14-21 days to germinate, so I’m guessing by the time it matures, we should be nearing autumn. I’ve never grown Swiss Chard before nor have I tasted it but I’ve been told these are pretty hardy plants. Hopefully, I can grow it during the winter months. I’ve also begun harvesting my cherry tomatoes these last few days. I’m only getting 1-2 tomatoes off of a single plant but that’s a good start of what’s to come.
How to describe June 2025?
There are so many words I want to use to describe the month of June. One of them would be adventurous because I got to go on a road trip and visit some of the most remote places in the US. I still cannot believe I got to drive one of the most beautiful roads I’ve ever been on again. It was the second time I’ve driven on Highway 95 – a scenic byway in Utah that showcases some of the most majestic scenery in the state. I would do it again in a heartbeat.
New Mexico also had some pretty scenery but nothing compared to Utah. The only thing I didn’t enjoy about New Mexico was the need to pass through the city of Albuquerque. Even Santa Fe wasn’t as bad and I do not recommend following Google Maps into the city. The city streets were so narrow that even in my rental compact SUV, I felt claustrophobic navigating the tight streets.
The other word I would use to describe the month of June would be chaotic. My emotions have been very chaotic for the past month, to the point where I was having an existential dilemma, as you’ve witnessed in yesterday’s post. Being with my mom is not easy, especially when I’m in a car all day and then in a motel room all night with her.
Even though she won’t admit it, she likes ordering people around. “Turn left, turn right, change lane, why are you changing lanes, I didn’t tell you to change lane.” At times during the road trip, when I got stuck behind a slow truck, part of me just want to zoom past the truck but wasn’t in the mood to be lectured. Sometimes, I do wonder if she cares about anyone’s emotions but her own.
Anyway, what to look forward to in July?
There’s a long-weekend this week as we celebrate America’s 249th birthday on Friday. I’m wanting to do a solo road trip soon, just somewhere close by. I’ve been researching some of Utah’s scenic backways, which I find it’s more beautiful than byways. So hopefully I get to do that.
I have been putting off on broadcasting this thought on my blog but this has been screaming on repeat in my brain that I can’t take it anymore. I don’t know why I would have this thought but I suppose anyone would probably have this thought at some point of their life.
Anyway, this can classified as somewhat of an existential crisis so be prepared…
Continue reading “Monday Thoughts – They don’t know me” →
Continue reading “That Vicious Wind!” →
Why, what do you know? June’s here or I should say, the start of the dog days of summer.
Continue reading “Hello June 2025!” →
Continue reading “Monday Thoughts – A Couple of Thoughts” →
Another month has come and gone, 2025 is now one-third through and two-thirds to go. Welcome May 2025!
As I’m writing this post, I have just returned from a 30-minute rabbit-hole called Amazon after my 6-year-old computer mouse had decided to quit on the last day of April but to be honest, I feel like it was on its way out. Something like a computer mouse can only survive so many drops and falls.
Anyway, what did you think of April? Was it too fast? Too slow? Boring?
There were days where I wish May would get here while there were days I wished April would stay just a tad longer. April has generally been a busy month at work and in the garden. This year, though, because I planted out most of the cool-weather crops in late March and early April, April had been a daily check-in and basic maintenance like watering as well as frequent admiration of the blooming flowers.
I spent a lot of April in the garden pulling weeds. Each time it rained, the weeds would grow 10-fold. The biggest offenders in my yard are bind weed, dandelion, and dropped seeds from last year’s flowers. I have calendula, poppies, and sunflowers pop up everywhere, especially between the cracks of the patio pavers. “Not here,” I would often say to it.
I’ve already mowed the lawn twice so far, which is a record as I don’t usually start mowing until the start of May. My junk of a lawn mower had such a hard time starting that I so wanted to throw it away and replace with one that doesn’t have an engine and doesn’t drink expensive premium gas like it’s water, except my mom wouldn’t let me get rid of this thing.
The biggest thing in April was probably the Tulips Festival. I was there days after it opened and though a lot of the flowers were not blooming yet, I still had a great time.
There were plenty of walks around the park in April. Headphones or earbuds would usually be in my ears with a podcast or audiobook playing. I’ve found it helpful to help me practice mindfulness as I walked, which allowed me to observe my surrounding like these dandelions.
April also saw a lot of harvests of 2024 and 2025 vegetables. I remember someone once said, “seeds know when to germinate,” the spinach seeds I sowed late last year germinated, the lettuce that stopped growing last November resumed growing, and the single snow-pea plant that survived the winter are beginning to flower. Let’s just say I’m having an abundance of vegetables in the garden at the moment.
In April, I participated in the A-Z challenge with my theme of Places, which is a collection of all the places I’ve been. It was surprising that I managed to come up with a place for each letter. I’ll do a reflection in a different post.
Now, as to what I’m looking forward in May, not much, except a road trip during Memorial Day weekend. My mom, aunt, and I are heading to Goblin Valley State Park in southern Utah. I wish I can go without the other two but let’s face it, my mom would’ve never let me go alone.
Let’s hope May is a better month.
Continue reading “Monday Thoughts – Loading…” →
Continue reading “Monday Thoughts – Luck of the Draw” →
It feels like Mother Nature has decided to bring winter back as a April Fools joke. Haha, very funny!
Continue reading “Hello April 2025!” →
Continue reading “Monday Thoughts – Argentina???” →
Continue reading “Day 13: Taipei, Taiwan” →
This is Another Story