Writing and such

This time last year I had my novel completely outlined, eager to start my epic tale of revenge. This year, well, I'm trying! I'm taking a little different approach listing things that I like and attempting to make a story out of it. So expect a story involving Bigfoot and time travel. Actually I think I'm going to do a light-hearted story that could read like an 80s kids movie (yknow, back when they could swear and shoot guns).

Now I was going to put a picture of the garden now, but I can't seem to find it!
It is overrun with greens! The cosmos are past their prime but managed two tiny pink buds. I can see the carrot top greens sticking out! Not sure if an actual carrot will appear though. But in terms of weeds, there are plenty of red and blue mini flowers accenting the chaos.
My indoor basil is doing OK though! I put in a little Halloween accent to help them stand up strong.



I am going home in a few days. The tentative plan is to come back to Japan after the New Years some time. It's sad to leave all my new friends!

It's that time again

It's the end of September (and Happy Birthday to ME!). Which means I have one whole month to outline and prepare for the impending madness of NANOWRIMOOOOOOOOOO (read it in an echo-y voice).



www.nanowrimo.org

NaNoWriMo, if you forget, means "National Novel Writing Month" despite it being an international sensation. The goal is to write at least 50,000 words in the month of November- a noble feat!
Last year, I successfully accomplished this with my novel called Shadow of the Vultures.

As for this year, well, I don't know! Do I want to try a comedy? Something light and fun? Or do I need that intense driving force of a strong storyline to keep me going? I have a month to figure it out!

NEW garden

*I have also put this up in my Japanese blog, but I will chronicle it here! Garden <3!*

I was sad to leave behind my first garden at home, which was blooming readily and giving us many goodies to eat.
So I took it upon myself to have another one! We have a rare and lovely little plot instead of a plain balcony behind our apartment.



So I bought a little shovel and rake and put all my energy into making a nice little area.



I know it is a little late to plant things, but since weather is a little milder here, I'm hoping for the best. In the meantime, I have also planted some of them indoors to keep them growing.



In the garden I have: Cosmos, Marigolds, Morning Glories, Mini tomatoes, Mini carrots and one potato.
The indoor pots are: Cosmos, Marigolds, Mini tomatoes, Mini carrots, and basil.

It's been 3 days, and the Cosmos have 4 sprouts indoors and one in the garden. It's very exciting!

Also in the garden, there is a little brown lizard that hangs around, comes and goes. I see him about every two days and then he scurries off. I've named him Willy.

Japan

I have moved back to Japan for awhile! I will still be updating this with interesting things and personal projects (curtains, bags, and napkins to come!).
To read about my strictly Japanese adventures & pictures, please go here:
http://jhenninjapan.blogspot.com/

Garden chaos

One day you have a gorgeous garden:


And then you go away for two weeks and this happens!



The lettuce grew about 4 feet high so they were ruined, the spinach all died, the top part of he basil and all the yellow marigolds were infested with Japanese beetles. But NOT the orange marigolds! They were untouched! So make sure you have normal orange marigolds to not have Japanese beetles!

However our green beans were all long and yummy, the eggplants were growing, nice big fragrant red onions, the potatoes were ready to dig up (as noted by them flowering and then dying), and our summer squash must have been some giant contest-type because These suckers were between 3 -4 lbs! Thankfully I was able to give away a few!
We also have many Roma tomatoes (some red, most green), 3 red peppers (still green), and a few clusters of light pink blackberries.



Oh how they grow! 2 weeks difference:






Mom has informed me that we have one blackberry ready to eat! I am jealous! And I miss my garden just as it's giving us so many goodies!

Garden, week 5

The garden is really doing great with all the rain we've been getting every night.
We have been eating a lot of the fresh herbs and leaf lettuce, and mom got her first red tomato on her plant. My Roma tomatoes continue to grow, but no color yet.
We have also introduced Grammie's big plastic owl to hopefully keep away whatever is eating the strawberries!



There is even a little eggplant starting!




Also:
more blackberry flowers
there are 5 tiny little rods of summer squash
ANOTHER potato plant has appeared from the compost pile. We will replant it somewhere less disruptive.

Christine

Christine is our dog. She's from the humane society and has been part of our family for 12 years. She is (probably) a German Shepherd/Greyhound mix. But I think she is secretly a dingo!


Christine


Dingo

You decide!

Garden

I haven't forgotten about my garden or you! I have been at the Outer Banks!


Ok! Garden!

June 9:


June 23:


Look at it go! You can really see all the lettuces big and scrumptious and the potatoes at the back left really shot up!


In the passed three weeks:
Something ate all the riping strawberries!
All the beans are up
Both potato plants are sprouting
Eggplant has a few little blooms
Thinned summer squash. 2 have flowers
Thinned spinach. It's trying hard to be sumptuous again
Onions going strong
1 head of lettuce died. the other 2 are flourishing
all 6 leaf lettuces are gorgeous and giant
herbs are amazing. made sage & thyme biscuits today
Blackberry bush had one flower. The branch was broken off! Rabbits?
Blackberry bush has many new little flower sprouts
Pepper plant JUST revealed its tiny little flower bulbs
Roma tomato plant growing a bunch! none red

BONUS: A mystery plant started growing by the strawberries. It looked an awful lot like the potato plants next to it, despite only planting two potatoes. Realization: The strawberry plant is on top of the former compost hole. I guess a potato escaped and is now growing!! wow!

I ate my first strawberry and found a rock shaped like Ohio. I also found a hunk of quartz that looks like a potato (not pictured).

Garden

Hey remember this guy from April?



Well it was time to put it to use. Here is the layout plan:



So last Monday we started planting!



Every Monday I will take a picture to watch its progress.




Week 1 Progress:
2 strawberries turning red
3 roma tomatoes started
4 green beans started to come out of the ground


You can't really tell from the photos so far but they are certainly getting stronger and growing!

Travelin'

I returned last week from a long tour of vacation!

I first drove to Cincinnati to see some friends.


We ate at Shanghai Mama's twice.

Then I flew to Orlando to meet up with Nick & Aileen (from study abroad), her fiance Rich, and Ed flew out from Japan to come play too! Aside from Nick and I, everyone else is English and we had fun showing them the joys of American life such as:

IHOP


and

GUNS!






(Video of me having a whale of a time with an AK 47)


and also car the games Padiddle and Slug Bug (not shown).

We went to Universal Studios thanks to Nick



I turned into a Raptor





I went with Ed to visit my aunt and uncle


We passed the Florida Natural plant. Smelled like fresh oranges and blacktop.


We went to my friend Buster's house for some Rock Band and pizza.


The next day, Buster took us to Epcot.








We also drove to Cocoa Beach and went out for Cinco De Mayo. We also went to Wet N Wild, did a lot of putt putt and watched too much Cash Cab. There were also drug dogs and room lock downs for some group of touring teenagers that stayed in the same hotel.





After Florida fun time 9000, I flew over to Memphis (where my plane hit a little bit more than "bumpy" weather, gulp) to spend a few days with my Tennessee pals.

We hung out, had a pizza party and wore Batman masks. We also went to the Chattanooga Aquarium & IMAX.










So, it was a very good time!