Terminal Length

I've been doing a somewhat unofficial hair experiment for the last several years, and for the last 2 years especially. 

How long will my hair grow?

A) To the hip
B) To the bottom of my butt 
C) To mid-thigh

If you guessed any of those, you would be correct!  Different portions of my scalp appear to have different terminal lengths. 

A) The shortest hairs in the middle have been stuck at hip level (hem of the shirt) for the last 2 years, refusing to budge. 
B) The majority of the hairs have stopped just about at the bottom of the butt ("the underbun" as a friend calls it). 
C) On the left and right, it reaches the middle of my thigh if you pull the waves straight... and about 5 of the hairs on the left reach just 3 inches above that crease in the back of the knee! 

Strange hem shape:  upside-down V?

Result:

It looks like my happy long-term length with a thick hem is going to be somewhere in between hip and butt.  It's a little shorter than I was expecting, but I'm okay with it.  I will admit that it's definitely easier to wear down when I don't have to avoid sitting on it, and it's easier to brush when it isn't longer than my hands.

To commemorate the end of a long experiment, I chopped off 10 inches and plan to do a very deep overnight henna treatment.  I've been waiting for this batch of super strong Fall 2016 Red Raj henna (3.22% lawsone content) for about 3 months, and it finally arrived today... it is currently cooking in the yogurt maker!  I will update with the results once the treatment is complete. 

Picky Eater

This is how Torin eats grapes now. 

He leaves behind the yucky attached-to-the-stem parts.

That is all.  Thanks for listening.

Gettin' Dirty

This was the first tomato of the garden, plucked from the plant in the background.

Yum.

After 3 hours of barehanded gardening, I was feeling pretty blissful!  I really need to squeeze more time out of my day to spend puttering about the garden because it's good for my soul.

I ceremonially divided the tomato into three pieces, and my husband and toddler all had a taste of that special first harvest... the adults loved it, but the kid (as expected) spat it out.

First real harvest!

We have had our first ripe tomato!  And then another 10.  <3

The First Harvest, July 30th

I also harvested about 4 packed cups of basil leaves from just one giant plant, only from trimming off all the flowers and then picking random leaves off of the trimmed parts.  There's still a LOT of basil on that lone plant. 

The ratio of basil to tomatoes is a little off for a salad... so I put some on a pizza, in omelets, in taco meat, everywhere.  There are still 3 cups left, so I think I'm going to have to make my first basil-based pesto. 

Even though I've been picking off tons of volunteer flat-leaf parsley all spring/summer, I'm going to count this as the first real harvest.  Yay!  It is awesome that the few surviving tomato plants are starting to be successful. 

TL/DR: This turned into a bit of a rant.

Blogging always seems to be the first thing to go when stress saps my energy, when really I should type out the thoughts here to help process things.


It's been a grim couple of months.

After a period of illness, 3 grandparents died over the course of 5 weeks.

I was lucky enough to be able to spend a good chunk of time with my maternal grandpa for the week he was on hospice at home.  His last fully lucid-seeming moment was seeing his great-grandson, smiling big, and saying, "Hey!  There's my little guy!"  Here's hoping that Torin's presence, seeing his "heir" (his words), brought him some comfort.  I know that his laughter was pretty healing for everyone who helped out that week.

My paternal grandparents had split up for several months after some events involving dementia and police, and I have some guilt for not bringing Torin to see them enough.


There had also been a lot of change in the air.

We were mulling over a change that would mean keeping the family apart for 7 months.  We were considering getting a place far away.  We were trying to figure out when to expand the family and by how much (hey, I'm turning 35 in a few months here, I'm no spring chicken).  We were trying to figure out how I could even handle morning sickness or a baby while running after a toddler, when I can't even keep up with the house and garden as a (half-single)SAHM because of him!  We were trying to figure out why our dog's behavior has been deteriorating, and why I've started to resent her.  We're trying to figure out what to do with 2 of the 4 garden beds... they've been dropping rocks and are a hazard to our toddler (and the company who put them in literally said after the fact that the walls weren't meant to stay up over the years!), so he can't play out there while I work on the garden.  Torin transitioned from the crib to a toddler bed, and then was weaning by himself when I wasn't ready, and then began teething.

Luckily this stuff has mostly straightened out by now, or we at least have a plan.


There's been a lot of disappointment.

I took "before" photos after I felt that my diet/exercise changes were really solidified.  Really brave photos, stomach in a relaxed state, nude, unattractive lighting, hair bunned up.  Underneath all the life changes (did I mention that I don't deal well with lots of change?), seeing the before photos crumpled any motivation I had.  It was TOTALLY DESTROYED.  Lost the recent progress I had made.  Do I have to throw my fish back in the water?  F*ck it, I'm keeping the fish.

If I'd stuck with the diet/fitness plan, I would have hit my goal of 100 pounds lost by June 26th.  I was hugely disappointed with myself when that date passed... but have only myself to blame. 

I stopped religiously attending my mommy group meetings, from about 8-11 times a month to 2-4.  It feels like the faces and names I'd been starting to recognize have evaporated.  I haven't been able to attend the more bonding "girls night out" meetups, because they all happen when my husband isn't here.  I need to find a local babysitter that I trust, but I do not trust people with my kid easily (for good reasons), and I can't see it happening any time soon! 


The garden is very unproductive, if you don't count the purslane weed.  Most of my tomato seedlings, and almost all of everything else, died during a heat wave despite being on an automatic watering system.  I tried 3 times to add store-bought seedlings after that, but my green thumb has turned black!  The whole situation is appalling to the gardener within. 

There were 3 days in there somewhere, amidst grandparent chaos, where I didn't check the garden every day.  The entire crop of Black Beauty plums on the new tree went from unripe on the branches to rotting on the ground in those 3 days!  I managed to save about 4 cups of over-ripe fruit, but it was quite the loss for a garden that isn't doing well.

Aquariums... egads, just one problem after another.  I just want happy fish and shrimp, not a mysteriously cursed tank.

I'm incredibly disappointed with how society doesn't care for the elderly, now that I've seen it up close.  My grandparents were stuck in the financial hard place of making barely too much for assistance, but making waaaaay too freaking little to afford any care (and end-of-life veteran programs take months and months to come through... so of course they're dead before any benefits happen).  Trying to find a nearby place for grandma, which isn't a dirty depressing place to wait to die, which provides some care and is also actually affordable... impossible. 

Politics.  The news.  The Orlando shooting in particular hit rather close to home, and left me a bit shaken.  I'm just really, really disappointed in society in general.  Watching the news has definitely negatively impacted my mood, so I should probably cut it out again. 


The positives... there are some, I swear!

I've been sleeping whenever Torin sleeps, and feel like I've made up for a large chunk of my newborn sleep debt.  It's left me without any refreshing personal time, but hey, sleep is sleep.

Pokemon Go has been getting me out of the house twice a day.

I finally decided to get Invisalign braces.  It was going to happen sooner or later, but the longer I wait, the faster my teeth are moving out of place, to the point that it is affecting my bite, and one tooth looks grey (from shadow).  It sounds like a negative, but I'm actually pretty excited about it because I've been mulling it over for 5+ years.  The aligners arrive in about 2 weeks!

I successfully cut caffeine out of my diet, and feel more energetic for it.

After the double-funeral this weekend, that mysterious diet/fitness motivation which had disappeared is suddenly back.  I'm starting it over, on the same plan, with Trello to help... and I'm keeping my new end date in mind, to remind me that it is completely doable and that I don't want to pass it again. 

And, last week... Torin finally started calling me MOMMY!  It melts my heart every time.


Here's to a new beginning. 
 ... shuddup, I get to have as many new beginnings as I want.  :P

ATD of the day: Ich

Yuck!  I have contracted an aquatically transmitted disease!

3/4ths of an inch long... too small for a single-celled parasite to hide.

I received an order of a dozen chili rasboras 2 days ago, but was lucky and got 15!  I would have stuck them in the quarantine tank if it wasn't already full of other fish... but I figured, hey... practically everything in that tank (plants, fish, shrimp) came from the same store, so it won't be a problem. 

This appears to be ich, which looks like salt or sugar crystals attached to the fish's skin.  Rasboras are so tiny that yes, the white spots on the back are actually salt crystal size.  I saw a few fish that had 1 or 2 spots on them like this yesterday and thought it was weird, and the population of the protozoan just exploded by this afternoon!  I hope that their small size doesn't mean that they are less able to live through the infection, and that I caught it early enough.

I'm treating the whole tank with Seachem's Paragard which anecdotally is the safest treatment for invertebrates, in the hopes that my shrimp and ramshorn snails make it through the medication.  And I'm also hoping that the quarantine tank doesn't come down with anything, since I may have shared equipment between the two aquariums for a water change.  >.<

Wish me luck.  The shrimp and fish and I need it!

Update on the 20-gallon aquarium

I've finally narrowed down the ideal inhabitants for the 20-gal tank.

I played around with AqAdvisor to help figure out the exact stats.  The tank has 40 gallons worth of filtration on it, which is why the fish load could be so high.

• Chili rasboras:  17 (have 5, 12 are coming tomorrow, each one takes up 0.6 gallons)
• Otocinclus vittatus:  4 (if any rasboras don't make it, I'll replace with another oto or two, because 4 is the minimum for a shoal but 6 is better.  Each one takes 1.2 gallons at adulthood, and the general "rule" is 1 per 5 gallons to be able to live off of tank algae)
• Ramshorn snails:  5 (each one takes up 0.12 gallons, and any extras will be put into the turtle tank)
• Sakura fire red cherry shrimp:  ~30... can breed up to 77 total (extras will go to other tanks, and according to AqAdvisor, with my filtration I can have up to 1 shrimp per cup!)

Otos!

Today we picked up the 4 otos... our local mom 'n' pop aquarium store kept trying to order them for a month, but today said that orders for some reason were not shipping to both the east and west coasts, so they didn't have an estimate on when they'd get more.  So, since I had seen some otos at petsmart 2 days before, we went to pick them up there.  They are literally the only fish that is 100% safe with newborn shrimp.

Delicious algae-covered bridge.

One of them looks yellow compared to the others, and is missing a wee bit o' tail fin.  They all look pretty skinny... which is supposedly common because they only eat algae and aufwuchs and get starved of it while they are in transport and then living at the fish store.  I have them in the 10-gal tank right now, as an informal quarantine.  This has the added benefit of letting them glut on 10 gallons worth o' aufwuchs before even starting to work on the 20-gal... I have been letting both tanks mature with algae and diatoms for 6 weeks specifically to rapidly get some good nutrition into some new otos.  The otos are less than an inch long, but will get to about 1.3 inches when mature. 


Rasboras are next.

Tomorrow, the dozen rasboras come, in addition to 3 free shrimp that are replacements from the same company that sent me the sakura fire reds (3 plus the 4 extras died due to an unfortunate burst bag in transport a week ago).  They are technically a batch of chili and strawberry rasboras, heavy on the chili.  They shoal together perfectly, and my tank pH isn't low enough for breeding, so I'm not concerned that the species are mixed. 

I am darn excited!  Once the otos can come out of quarantine, the 20-gallon tank will be complete. 

Fire from the roof

There's been a bit o' drama going on about 1/3rd of a mile from our house. 


Ryan took this photo from the roof:

Just after dropping a load of fire-retardant.

As a former firefighter, he says there is no chance that it'll get to our house.  Keeping fingers crossed, anyway.  There are a heck of a lot of planes, helicopters, and fire engines making a crazy racket in our neighborhood.

Instagram

Since I got a new phone with a pretty good camera on it and lots of space for photos, I have been introduced to the world of Instagram. 

If you'd like to follow my blog-related one, it's... *drum roll*... leavesinmycup. 

It will just contain extra photos that don't make it onto the blog or facebook (plus the ones that do).  For example, this was today's post:

A shrimp and a ramshorn snail bask in the new aquarium light.

That new plant light looks good!

I received a Finnex Stingray aquarium light today, which is good for growing low-medium light plants.  The extra shallow depth of my tank plus the bit of sunlight from the window (most of which is blocked, due to the heat) mean that I should be able to grow medium light plants pretty easily.  I'm not going to get into high-light plants at this time, because I don't want to deal with injecting CO2.

The light has mostly white LEDs, but also a few that are red (for optimal plant growth) and blue (for picking up fish sparkles and magic??).  It definitely gives the tank a more natural feel than the worn-out fluorescent I had been using. 

Trello... the latest list-making adventure

Yes, I realize that my compulsion to make lists gets a little crazy at times... the crazier the times, the crazier the lists.

My husband ran across the Trello website/app, and thought it'd be right up my alley. 

It's based on a Japanese "Kanban" board style of organization/productivity:
- left column:  To Do List
- middle column:  In Progress
- right column:  Completed

The point is to create a flow of work from left to right, and to minimize what's in the "In Progress" columns. 

Normally my lists are kind of a hybrid calendar/chart form, where I can see all tasks for all days, and everything is divided by priority... I'm going to try using Trello to ONLY see what is relevant for the current day, and to automate all the recurring tasks.  Very simplified, kind of a pinterest-ish feel (you can add photos too). 


Here's how I set up mine: 

The first quick attempt at Trello* (click to enlarge)

- far left column:  the 1-time tasks To Do list
- left column:  Daily (recurring... this is the same list every day)
- middle column:  Weekly (tasks that recur once a week, plus anything that must be done on a specific day)
- right column:  Done (drag and drop finished items here, and the list will be archived at end of month)
- far right column:  Skipped (will be compared to the Done list, then archived at the end of the month.  This is my "list of shame," hahaha.)

Daily and Weekly are basically my "In Progress" columns, and I tried to keep them as minimal as possible... it doesn't necessarily list the things I already do automatically (aka, all Torin-related things), it lists the things that are the most tempting for me to slack on when I'm tired or rushed.  It also spreads the biggest housekeeping tasks throughout the week in an attempt to reduce binge-cleaning. 

And lest you fear that I don't floss at the end of the day, it's just that I end up doing my flossing and such at 1am... my nighttime routine needs to be moved much earlier!

Trello doesn't let you set up recurring lists, but IFTTT (IF This Then That) does!  It seems complicated at first, but it's super instinctual and fast to set up.  You can set it up so that, for example, if it's 4am on a Sunday, it adds "Take trash and recycling out" to your Weekly to-do list.



But wait, there's more!

The photo above is one "board."  Each column is a "list" and each item is a "card."  You can open up the card (or "look at the back" of it) to see any pertinent notes about the task, or drag and drop them.

I'm also using Trello to set up other boards...
- Recipes and meal planning
- Vacation planning
- Garden planting schedule and ideas
- Big house projects
- Life goals (kind of a bucket list)

Anyway... I'd highly recommend checking it out, there's a lot that can be done with the website, and it makes organizing pretty fun once you get used to the layout. 


*If you read the Trello list... yes, my crock pot died.  So sad!!  Send me your best 6+ quart slow cooker recommendation.

The Great Aquarium Escape

Life has given me an awful lot to think about over the past month.  

There is a ton of impending change hanging in the air, and I will be the first to admit that I don't do very well with the ambiguities of change until after said change has occurred. 

As a result, a sudden hyper-focus on aquariums has hit!  One of my biggest interests since childhood has been reptile/amphibian/bug pets (really, any non-traditional-pets) and their habitats.  Aquariums fit that mold perfectly, with the added benefit of the science of perfectly balancing the bio-load of the tank.  This is the first time that I've indulged in a hobby purely for myself ever since Torin came into the picture.

The 20-gallon long shrimp tank.

Wait, what?  I have a hobby now?!


In the last 2 weeks, I've added the following:

• A 55-gallon aquarium with a long-lost turtle pet.  
• The 10-gallon planted shrimp tank has been transferred to a 20-gallon long aquarium, and some chili rasbora have been added, and the temperature has been brought up to encourage shrimp breeding.
• The empty (except for snails) 6.6-gallon has been revamped and is now being used to produce guppy fry for turtle snacks.
• A10-gallon bucket holds a huge clump of java moss as I try an anti-algae experiment.
• A fish bowl is growing 2 types of duckweed which I collected from a pond today.
• Some manzanita driftwood is being water-logged in a trash can.
• A second bucket is soaking some mopani driftwood that's having a serious outbreak of saprolegnia fungus. 
• An infusoria experiment is in progress.  

If I totally focus on aquariums, then I don't have to think about anything else, right? 


So... just a warning...

The blog is going to be very heavy on aquatic life over the next month or two.

Oh, and I have completely fallen off the weight-loss wagon and dropped the 3-month plan.  Should probably get back on that.  :/

The 55-gallon pond turtle habitat is nearing completion.

The thing fits awesomely in the "kitchen window."  

The previous owners of the house added a solarium, which is why there is this weird (or cool?) open window in between  the kitchen sink and sun room.  It's also a big reason why we picked this house, it makes the layout a little unique and is a nice place for a long dining table. 

It's the perfect viewing place!  It gets very bright yet indirect sunlight, so plants should thrive but the water stays cool and won't bake the inhabitants.  It's high enough to be way out of toddler reach, but Torin has discovered that it is great fun to watch when standing on a chair on the other side... this is already a favorite activity, and it doesn't even have a turtle yet. 

It's also a practical spot... since it's right above the kitchen sink, water changes (and handling water that potentially has salmonella in it) will be super easy, since it can go straight down the drain using a siphon.  There's just enough room at the side edges to fit a second filter on the left and scoot the turtle topper over on the right, and keep the cords out of the way.






What does it take to make a turtley paradise? 

Luckily the items in italics are the only ones I had to get, because the rest were leftovers from previous pets or aquariums.


The Essentials:

• 55 gallon tank (the "rule" is 10 gallons per inch of turtle, ours is 5" x 6" with a max growth to 8"), yay for the yearly Petco sale! 
• Turtle topper for a dry area for basking plus a ramp and underwater platform for easy breathing whilst submerged... the goldfish really like the platform.
• Heat lamp for basking
• Thermostat for heat lamp
• Thermometer for accuracy of the thermostat (needs to be ~95 degrees F, so they can regulate their body temp to 82.4F)
• Thermometer for water (adults prefer temps of 50-63F but can go up to 80F)
• UVB lamp (not pictured, since the fixture is still in the mail) above turtle topper
• Filter for 70 gallon tank
• Dechlorinating water treatment
• An inoculation of healthy bacteria from another tank that's about 5 years old 
• Aquarium test kit
• Reptile vitamins/calcium 
• Turtle food:  raw beef, cooked chicken, veggies, fruit, leafy greens (basically stuff from our regular dinners)... and especially bugs I find in the garden.  As an adult, he is supposed to eat 2-4 times per week, in an amount equal to the size of his head plus neck. 

The Fun Stuff:  

• 50 pounds of Aqua Quartz HTH pool filter sand, which was about 2 inches on the bottom...  I'm VERY happy with how it looks (so much better and more natural-looking than play sand or aquarium gravel!), but did have to wash this well before putting it in. 
• Baby malasian trumpet snails, to dig in the sand and mix it up for the health of the good bacteria
• 1 ramshorn snail... will he be eaten, or just be part of the clean-up crew?
• 2 feeder goldfish, to see whether the turtle will be friendly with fish or eat them
• Bubbler and small air pump, for interest and extra oxygen for the fish
• Broken pottery for fish to hide in, so they have a chance to not be eaten
• 2 fake plants... not sure where they came from or why I have them
• A tiny sprig of anacharis, the only one that didn't have a significant amount of algae growing on it from the other tank.
• A small pane of glass on top (a custom one that had been on the hermit crab tank to keep humidity in) to keep water in from the bubbler
• A small potted plant on top of the glass pane since I am sad that I don't have aquatic plants yet

Things to come

• The mopani wood, once I am done boiling out the tannins
• Red cherry shrimp, if the turtle won't eat them and if the water gets stable enough
• Water hyacinths and other aquatic plants if I can find them
• Water heater for winter, if necessary... though probably not!
• Food dish
• Basking rock or some cover for the turtle topper
• Branches, rocks, shells, etc for decoration
• Moss or some sort of substrate for in the turtle topper, if I can find something that he doesn't drag into the water
• Another filter for a 45 gallon tank (a second 70-gal wouldn't fit), since turtles are dirty and it's recommended to have at least twice the filtering that a regular tank would need

Mopani Tea

I have this lovely piece of mopani wood, all knotted and twisty, tan striped with near-black.  It used to be the geckos' climbing branch, but I hear that it works well in aquariums.  It's a super hard, dense wood, so it doesn't need the months of soaking to get it to sink that many woods require.


Let the tannin leaching begin!

The problem with wood in an aquarium is that it leaches tannins, which change the pH and darken the water.  This isn't actually a problem if you want a black water tank that looks like a real pond full of leaf litter, and lots of people do this intentionally. 

Since our turtle tank is going to be in a very prominent spot and lit from behind, the tannins will just make the water look dirty.  And I want the pH to stay as close to our tap water's pH as possible so that I can do large water changes when needed without shocking the inhabitants.  So the tannins need to go!

I stuck the wood in my largest stock pot (actually the pressure cooker, with its metal plate to keep the wood from touching the bottom) and started boiling on Tuesday. 

Mmmm, wood soup.

How exactly do you get the tannins out?  

Some say to boil the wood for a few hours, and it'll be done.  Some say to leave it outside in a bucket of water for 1-6 months.  Some say it takes a full year or two for it to stop releasing tannins in the tank even after boiling, and you just have to do lots of water changes to keep the water clear.  Some say it is impossible to get all the tannins out of mopani wood, and you are doomed.

So it appears that I have my work cut out for me.  I really want this specific piece of wood, because it is thick enough to be a good resting spot for a 6-inch turtle.  I boiled for about an hour, then put on the lid and let it sit until the water was cool enough that it was safe to move... this took 6 hours.

The photo above is actually from the 2nd boiling, which was left to cool overnight.  The water was completely opaque the first time, but this time it just looks like a very strong tea. 

By the 4th boiling it looked like regular black tea, and I just started the 5th boil.  Here's hoping that there are enough tannins leached out by the weekend, 'cause that turtle is going to need at least something in his tank to add some interest.


And now, I sit back and wait.

I must wait for the tannins to boil out, for the tank accessories to arrive in the mail (the filter comes today!), for the turtle to arrive.

In the meantime, Torin can now easily point out turtles in his animal and first-words books.  I am 99% sure that he understands what is happening. 

Torin makes a new friend.

This weekend my parents came to visit, and they had a surprise...

'Sup.

Grandpa used to bring me random reptiles (and a few amphibians) that he found in the wild to keep as pets.  This is one of the 2 turtles that were lost about 20 years ago after hibernation outdoors!

It was either mine or my sister's (my brother's... well, it was a different species and we found those bones under the shed the next year).  My sister's turtle was named Hickory Dickory Dock (so she could call it hickie Dickie), but I don't remember the name of mine.  I'm considering letting Torin name it. 

Hesitantly checking each other out.

It was just hanging out in the leaf litter, not too far from the house.  After a little research, it is a (male?) western pond turtle, probably at least 28 years old.  Hey, maybe we're the same age. 


Wait, a POND turtle?! 

There aren't any ponds on my parents' property... there's a pool (how did it never end up in the pool?), plus a tiny stream that only exists for a short part of the year.  I am currently in the process of putting together a pond turtle paradise in the form of a 55-gallon aquarium, since he will come live with us this weekend.

All the Ladies

A wave of ladybugs has marched into my garden.

I can see why, 'cause the aphids have been here in huge numbers for a month at least.  I didn't do anything about them, and there is evidence that wasps have already begun to inject them with eggs.  Ladybugs have also been laying eggs, because I've seen all sizes of their larvae crawling around with full bellies.

Ladybug on some random brassica (I thought it was a radish, but it was not).

My method of organic gardening has been to just sit in the corner, hugging my knees, rocking and ignoring everything.  Stick around ladies, there is an infinite buffet set out for you.

Open for business

It opened, it opened!!

Peek-a-boo

Last year this area had a rather small white poppy (which I didn't plant), and it was the only one that I left to go to seed.  It would be awesome if this was a descendant... I haven't noticed poppies like this before, yellow on the outside with an orange square in the middle. 

Even though it's taking up precious space in front of the trellis, I will keep the seeds and intentionally sow them next year to see if any white or yellow ones pop up.

Closed for the night

I guess I'll have to check this in the morning.

There is a short story behind this flower!  Stay tuned... 

First Dinosaur Kale Harvest

I put two large leaves like this on my half of the Boboli pizza the other night... Ryan opted to eat his raw.

What a leaf!

The kale was WAY more bitter than other kale I've had, but the bitterness went away after cooking.  Wet and chopped, it looked even darker than seaweed. We're having a hard time with aphids on all the garden greens right now, but this kale was pretty easy to clean due to the lack of nooks and crannies. 

I wish the other dinosaur kales had survived winter!  My kaley mission is to plant more... a LOT more.

Sunflower Bud

This sunflower stalk has seen better days.  It's a little upset about being chewed half to death, so it has decided to unleash its spawn upon the world.

I'm pretty sure it's hiding fangs.

Sunflower buds can look a little creepy.

The plum tree's haircut is complete.

I finally, FINALLY finished trimming that plum tree.

My mission was to cut the top off so it was flat, which is how other people in the neighborhood do their trees.  I did most of it at the end of February while there weren't any leaves on the tree, hurt my shoulder, and then picked at the tree for the next month. 

I used my dad's chainsaw-on-a-stick, a manual trimmer on a pole, and a hedge trimmer on a pole to get the whole job done.  Now that the older thicker branches have been lopped off, the plan is to get up there on a ladder every February with the hedge trimmer and just mow it straight across the top before taking care of inner branches.  This was a huge trim, so next year I will go easy on the poor tree.

Apple on the left, plum in the middle, japanese maple on the right.

Well, it's mostly done... the last 2 tufts on the top there are for my husband who is taller with longer arms, 'cause I can't reach them without doing really precarious things on a ladder.

The best news at all is that this year we have PLUMS again!!  Lots of 'em.  Might even be able to make some preserves!

Oink oink, little lemon.

Will I ever get a full-size, ripe yellow meyer lemon off this ancient tree? 

Sure, when pigs fly.  

It's been 3 years without fruit since we moved into the house... and now this happens!!

Just a little apple flower

This was my moment of zen from the day.
 

90% Sunflower

We have a sunflower!

Well, part of a sunflower...

The 18-month regression strikes!

Wow, today was a long day.

It was the first time that Torin couldn't handle being in the library group (it's 15 minutes long, he lasted all of 5) and that I had to remove him from the room for crying and disrupting the group... I wasn't the only one though, 'cause a minute later two other moms followed me out with their kids too.

So we waited outside for the group to be over so that we could do the play time that always follows.  He couldn't handle the play time either... he was nonchalantly yoinking toys from other kids' hands (that's a new behavior!), grabbing toys and running out of the room to stash them in library shelves, and finally attempting to just run up and down the aisles.  We had to leave. 

So I drove him to the playground... let's get him out into the fresh air and let him run amok!  He was only interested in being on the big-kid equipment, but there were about 20 much older kids who were literally screaming from excitement and running/stepping over him, so we had to leave. 

I immediately take him to the park.  Big, empty park... no dangers, just grass.  Torin decided that his new mission in life was to attempt to run into traffic, over and over and over.  So we had to leave.

We got home, and he wanted a nap, but would not take one.  He wanted to snuggle, but would not hold still.  He wanted food, but hated anything I gave him.  This led to 3 hours of crying and clinging, plus random biting and pinching.  We had to leave the house. 

I decided to try out the new weed spray on the cracks in the driveway pavement, so I let Torin loose in the gated area in front of the house where he could watch me... he loves it there!  Torin almost immediately discovered that his whole body fits through the bars of the gate, besides the top of his head.  I saw what he was doing when he put his first foot through, but dang, he is FAST.  It was a little difficult to get him back through.  I went back to the spraying, but I didn't even spray 10 feet's worth of crack because he had already become stuck in the gate 3 times and I gave up.  We had to go back inside.

He wouldn't go to sleep until 9pm.


WHAT IS GOING ON WITH MY BABY?? 

Is there some weird behavioral upset that happens now?  I looked it up right after I typed this, and yes, there is a wonder week and a sleep regression due to hit exactly right now, since midnight marks the moment that he turned 18 months.  I always think that I don't believe in those things, but then I do while they are happening.  

Wish me luck. 


Just to end on a positive note, here's a picture of Torin's favorite flower to pick.

3 Month Plan - Week 1

The first week is complete!  Here's the chart:

Color code:

• Grey = planned to do it this day, but it moved to another day or didn't happen
• Orange = inadequate result
• Yellow = mediocre/acceptable result
• Green = practically perfect

These colors aren't truly quantifiable... more about how I felt about the quality at the time. 


Yeah, so.  Not the best.

Obviously, I want to see a LOT of green on that chart.  I produced 2 green days, so next week I'll go for 3+!  Wednesday was the actual day that I started putting in some effort on filling in the chart, and just committing to it did produce a noticeable improvement.


Notable positives about the Week 1:

• I found a new park that is only about 1.5 miles from my house, with the dog park on the walk in between.  This is a GORGEOUS, huge, ridiculously clean/maintained park... also has restrooms, which solves my "out on a hike to the dog park for too long" problem, haha.  
• I met a potential mom friend that clicked, for the first time in my year of hanging out in parks.  
• I scheduled 2 meetings with 2 different meetup.com groups for weeks 2 and 3, and it also turns out that the mom I met this week also moderates a large meetup.com group and is happy for me to join.  So this sets me up pretty well for getting in that 3x/week socializing!
• I did a great job of catching up on garden stuff.  I filled the geobin, the garbage bin, and a large garbage bag with just weeds.  Also pretty much finished getting the beds prepped for planting.

Things to improve upon for Week 2:

• Torin was hella grumpy from teething and even had a light fever from it all week.  His grumpiness translates into my tiredness.  My mood was pretty low, and next week has to be better.
• My hunger was crazy this week, and I gave in to many many snacks.  I'm assuming it was from nursing a baby that wasn't feeling well, who had decided that he was going to get 95% of his calories from milk.  I'm kinda shocked that I didn't gain weight! 
• I only went for 1 hike and weightlifted once, and only meditated and slept well twice.  This is all on me, and not prioritizing time for getting my needs fulfilled.
• Most of my solid work was done during Torin's sleep, and this next week needs to focus more on getting stuff done when he is awake.
• I MUST get those tomato seedlings repotted, and get the last of the seeds in the ground.  Tomatoes go in the ground in week 3 or 4.

Here's to an improved Week 2!

Edit:  missed the last line in the chart:  Torin went to the park Tues & Fri.

Henna in the sun

The "Before"

I decided to do a few "before" photos of my hair color, to see how it changes as I try to get it as red as possible with henna over the next 3 months.

This was definitely my favorite, because it cracks me up!  It looks like I'm pretending that the paparazzi got me while I was sunbathing, but really the sun was just extremely painful on my eyes.

The sun... it burns!

Henna oxidizes from orange to red the most in the first 3-4 days, and finishes by day 10 or so.  I hennaed the whole length 7 days ago, so this is a pretty accurate color.  Well, it's accurate for being in the sun and having that Henna Glow I love so much... indoors, it is much more brown and less sparkly. 

What's interesting to me is that the hair by the roots has not oxidized much at all, and I'm wondering if that's because I've been oiling my scalp too much.  I'll have to quit the monoi oil for a few days and see if this reddens up, or if the hair there just did not absorb as much.


Lightening up

My normally dark brown hair is lighter at the tips from years of unintentional sun-bleaching, and dark brown toward the roots.  Henna acts as a sunscreen, so I actually used to have these sun-bleached highlights (sometimes all the way to blonde!) all over and especially around my face.  I'd like to lighten it up a bit around my face again so that the red can show through, so I might do a few test patches of a honey treatment.  Mixed with the right amount of water, honey makes a very weak peroxide, and I've heard of a few success stories in lightening up dark brown under henna without damage.

Have any of you tried the lemon juice + sun method?  I may do a test patch of this as well, and it'd be great to do while I'm hiking and out in the sun anyway, but I hear that it causes damage.  When your hair is old, the damage builds up fast.  :/


Records

Ok, just for the record, here is the tentative plan:

1. March 31:  12 hours, watery consistency (this was an accident, normally it is as thick as yogurt)
2. April 7:  8 hours, strong henna gloss (50% henna, 50% conditioner)
3. April 14:  8 hours, medium henna gloss (25% henna, 75% conditioner)
4. Weekly:  repeat step 3, but full-strength on roots monthly, until a good red is achieved.
5. Monthly, to maintain:  5-6 hours, full-strength on roots and weak gloss (10%) on length.   

The reason I'm taking so long to build up the color is because... I dunno, it's fun.  Why not draw out a science experiment and enjoy every step along the way?  Plus, my hair releases some dye in the shower for about a week after a major henna, so I feel like I should just let it do its thing for a week before adding more. 

The 3-month Plan

Well, it's more of a 90-day experiment.

It's full of goals, has zero judgement, and is trying to see improvement over time rather than perfection every day.

For some reason this is super embarrassing to post, but I've had a little interest, so here it is anyway:

Just a few things about the chart...

• I'll be putting in new dates and printing the chart out every Sunday. Chart is subject to change.
• I'll be highlighting the days that stuff does happen, and writing in any details.
• The shaded cells are the days I expect to be doing each activity, as a reminder, and to better space out rest days.  
• Rows without any shaded cells just signify that I want to see what days these things happen.  I do hope to fall into an actual schedule by the end of the 3 months.
• If I have a specific goal or min/max in mind, it's in the far left column.  If a total or average is more important to me, that's in the far right column.
• Hikes and the dog park are combined on Mon/Thurs, but we'll drive to the dog park Saturdays because it'll be a long visit and there are no bathrooms nearby.
• The skin routine and henna are included in "Social" because they are only related to outward appearance, hahaha.

I planned to start 2 days ago, but am actually starting today.  Of course life tried to get in the way, in the form of a baby's fever. 


Well, here's to the building of new habits! 

I am finding it very amusing to just throw everything at these 3 months to see what sticks.  I've felt pretty stagnant for a while, and I think it mostly boils down to not having a schedule to make sure everything gets done... there's been a habit of tiredness and of completely ignoring my own needs.  As an aspie, my brain demands more structure! 


Do you guys have any interest in seeing these filled-in charts at the end of each week?  

3-month plan: The skin experiment

With potentially only 3 months until I hit my goal of 100 pounds lost (assuming there are no snags, but I'm SURE there will be), I've started thinking about other habits I could set up in 3 months.  Why not throw a bunch of new positive habits at my life and see what sticks?


Finding a Sun Damage Remedy

I was definitely the happiest with my skin clarity/smoothness when I was using a retinoid.  Of course, I haven't done this for 5+ years as I was trying to conceive, then pregnant, then breastfeeding.  I won't go back to it again until I am finished nursing the last child, so that could be potentially another 5+ years in the future.  And I'm 35, wrinkles on my forehead are starting to show permanently, and sun damage on my face/chest/forearms is becoming pretty apparent.

A long while back I bought a vitamin C serum to try, and 3-6 months of it is supposed to show a noticeable improvement because it's an alpha hydroxy acid to act as a chemical exfoliant, and also because vitamin C in specific amounts/pH builds collagen.  For collagen-building benefits though, it absolutely must be done daily.  I DID actually notice a significant improvement in 3 months, but then got relaxed about it and stopped.

I've created a homemade version, and will take some before and after pictures... for science!  But I will only show close-ups of my face if there's a difference, so you'll have to be patient.  Since it's homemade, and hella cheap, I'm just going to use it all over... after pregnancy and weight loss, my skin might thank me.

Wait... don't actually put it in the sun like this.

I mostly got my information off of reddit, and backed it up through research in random corners of the internet.  These are the products I will be using:

For practically a lifetime supply of serum, $23

• L-Ascorbic Acid Powder 
• "LAA" is the only form of Vit C that will work for this purpose
• pH test strips: 0.0-6.0 Ph Range
• Baking soda
• (optional) Amber glass spray bottles 
• to store/dispense Vit C because it must be protected from light
• (optional) Glycerine

Other

• 10% Glycolic acid lotion 
• this is a more potent AHA than Vit C, but without collagen-building benefits
• CeraVe Moisturizing Cream with Pump 
• this is a very hydrating lotion because of ceramides and hyaluronic acid
• Witch hazel (for use as a toner)
• Round cotton face pads (for applying witch hazel) 
• Strong sunscreen (haven't decided on my favorite yet)

The Recipe

20% Vitamin C Serum

• 2tsp LAA (Vit C)
• 7tsp water (distilled is best, but I'm using filtered)
• Dissolve fully
• Add 1 tsp glycerine and dissolve by shaking (this is only used to thicken... if you don't want it, use 8tsp water in the 2nd step instead)
• Check pH, add baking soda if needed to bring up to at least 3.  A pH of 3-3.5 works.

Anything in the range of 10-20% will work to enhance collagen production.  It is recommended to start at 5% for a week, then 10% for another week, then 15% for a week, before getting up to 20%.  Anything over 20% is not more effective and also tends to cause irritation.  At least use it in the morning, because it helps very slightly to protect against sun damage, but always use sunblock otherwise you are undoing what the serum is trying to accomplish.  Wait at least 15 minutes after applying for it to absorb before using any other products over it.  Vit C oxidizes quickly, so store in dark bottle and make a new batch every 5-10 days (if it starts to get a brown tint, it has really gone bad).

5%:  0.5tsp LAA, 8.5tsp water, 1tsp glycerine
10%:  1tsp LAA, 8tsp water, 1tsp glycerine
15%:  1.5tsp LAA, 7.5tsp water, 1tsp glycerine


The Actual Regimen

Morning

• Witch hazel, as toner (wait briefly to dry)
• Vit C serum (wait 15 minutes until lotion)
• 1 drop lotion on face (I'm mostly oily, so I only need a tiny bit if using sunscreen)
• Sunscreen all over exposed areas (wait 15+ min before going outside)

Night

• Witch hazel toner (wait briefly to dry)
• Vit C serum on body only
• Glycolic acid lotion on face, neck, back of hands and forearms (let dry) (use only at night because it can cause sun sensitivity, or just use the Vit C serum instead)
• Lotion on face, neck, hands, forearms... almond oil on body's dry spots.

Weekly

• Make fresh Vitamin C Serum 

Notes

• I will also wear a hat with a wide brim out on hikes and whilst gardening, even though it looks silly.  I hate wearing hats, but I still burn after a couple of hours (even after re-application) through any sunscreen I have ever tried.  If you know of a great one, send me your sunscreen recommendations!
• If it works out well, then after 3 months I will consider adding hyaluronic acid.  That is the only important ingredient from the store-bought serum which is missing from my homemade one, but there's a little in the lotion. 

A Special Thank You

I'd like to send thanks to Laurren, who requested that I post the recipe on the blog... I hadn't thought anyone would be interested in it.  She just started a natural beauty blog, In the Pursuit of Beauty.  Check it out!

The kids... they think I'm crazy.

I looked up when the HOA's pool opens... April 11th!  Whoa, that's only 2.5 weeks away. 

We have a solar heater for the pool, which just means that some of the water gets pumped up to the roof and goes through pipes and these thin black flat bags to absorb some sun heat.  It is generally recommended to start this a month before you want to go swimming, and it extends the swim season at least a month in each direction (seems to be about May-Sept, instead of June-Aug).  Combined with those plastic bubble covers, it can raise the pool temperature up to 10 degrees, which REALLY matters to me in spring and at night.

So I'm a week and a half late to catch the start of swim season, I guess.  I turned the heater on and went on the roof (my first time up there) to check the contraption for leaks.  No leaks, but the kids down the street saw me up there and looked at me like I was a crazy person.  I'm not crazy, exactly... just enthusiastic about mermaidhood. 

Summertime, HERE I COME!!! 

The lupine is out

This is another photo of the holiday hike... it gives me all sorts of feels to see him exploring and enjoying nature.

Picking flowers.

There was a yellow flower in his pocket at the knee, and he held the purple one for the whole walk.  I pressed those flowers when we got home.

Blueberry Pi Day

I always make a pie for Pi Day, because I love excuses to make and eat pie.

Ryan's parents were over and his dad was craving blueberries, so I decided to try my hand at my first berry pie!  I also half-assed my first lattice by using bits from a previously-broken pie shell.

I figure that a late pie is better than none... especially since this year was "Rounded Pi Day" as 3/14/16, so it doesn't have to be exact.  Happy belated Pi Day!

A St. Patrick's Day Hike.

We took Torin on a hike for the day, and once we reached the top of the hill he wanted to do some walking!  It was the first time he's done a serious amount of walking out in nature, so I'd consider this his first real hike.

A wee leprechaun leading us to his gold.

Normally he doesn't want to hold my hand, but that hill is far more steep than it looks.  :)

From now on, St. Patrick's Day will have to be a family hiking day... not just a shamrock-shaped meatloaf and green mashed potatoes day.

Another Fishie... the Motivational Bass

Well, it's been nearly a month since the Motivational Catfish.

I have a new little fishie to share... he weighs 5.2 pounds, and is a largemouth bass.

Caught in the Potomac River

In addition to the largemouth bass, I lost 2.5 inches on my waist, and various inches or half inches all over.  It doesn't look like that much of a difference, but my body fat percentage says that I didn't lose any muscle, so... that's about 11.25 cups of fat lost?! 

I utilized a few new tools to keep me on track.


Figuring out my TDEE

This is the most important part!

First, I figured out my TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) using this calculator and the body fat % from my scale.  I put my exercise levels as sedentary and zero workouts, because let's face it, I'm coming off of being ill for several months and my endurance is crap.  This gave me 1650 calories.

Then I added 400 calories for breastfeeding.  This put me at about 2050 per day... what I would need to eat to maintain my weight. 

I set my food goal as 1650, and set a hard rule to not go over 1800.  This isn't a huge deficit... it'd let me lose a half a pound per week... or more if I exercise.  In reality, I have ended up eating around 1500 most days. 


Figuring out my Macros

This is how I have kept myself from getting too hungry.  Insane hunger is always the death of my diet plans, and in the past I haven't been able to be under 1800 whilst nursing without going crazy.

You can set macro goals in My Fitness Pal, which makes the counting darn easy.

The trick to not losing muscle on a diet is supposed to be to eat 0.7-1 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass, in addition to using those muscles.  The trick to not being kill-me-now ravenous is supposed to be to eat at least 0.4 grams of fat per pound as well.  The leftovers can be carbs, or extra fats/protein.

My macro goals in MFP ended up being: 

• 50% calories carbohydrate
• 30% calories fat (~50g)
• 20% calories protein (~100g)
• 100% calcium (not including prescribed supplement), because, well, calcium deficiency
• 25g fiber, which is also supposed to help with hunger

This has been working VERY well for me, to the point that I have only had 3 days out of the last 5 weeks where I slightly exceeded my calorie budget.  I've been hungry, but not starving as usual.


Intermittent Fasting

Most people do a 16-8, meaning fasting for 16 hours and eating for 8, such as only eating from noon to 8. 

I'm doing a fasting window of bedtime to noon, which is more like a 14-10 and basically means I just have coffee/tea/water in the morning and don't eat anything until noon.  This keeps me from being hungry until I start eating for the day, and also lets me have bigger and more satisfying meals later in the day when my willpower is weakest and I want to cook hearty things for the family.

I started it cautiously, delaying my first meal by 1 hour each day until I decided noon was a good time.  I haven't experienced a reduction in milk production at all, which surprised me... so I'm just gonna go with it! 


Fitness Buddies

Uh, I could use some more!

If you're on My Fitness Pal or have a Fitbit and want a buddy, let me know!

I'm also setting up a Nerd Fitness profile, in an attempt to set up some fitness/life goals QUESTS and rewards SWEET LOOT in a way that will speak to my inner gamer.  The social aspects here seem lacking (it is still being expanded), but it shows potential.  This is partly where I got my inspiration for becoming a mermaid.


The Results

The HappyScale app has been AWESOME for motivation through tiny plateaus, accurately predicting my weight loss and smoothing over the ups and downs of water retention.  It says I have been losing at a super steady rate of 1.5 pounds per week since Jan 30th, which is pleasantly higher than expected.  This means that I have probably underestimated how many calories I burn chasing Torin around and going on the odd hike.

If I stay on track, I am due to hit my first out of the 2 weight loss goals in just a month.

My energy has increased a bit, my endurance has increased a lot, and I haven't felt too deprived.  It's been all good, so I shall continue along this path and cast a line for another fish. 

How to Become a Mermaid

This sounds like a silly post... but I am completely serious here.

I've been experimenting with "gamefying" my life through identifying goals (quests) and rewards (loot).  I'd like some of your input!


Pick the right loot

In a video game, the reward for the low-level quest typically helps you out with your future quests... this is hard to translate into real life.  

Most people get their loot first, and then attempt their quest... for example, getting lots of running gear before they start a couch-to-5k plan, then running out of motivation.

In order to gamefy it, it should be the other way around.  Using the running example, you would set ever-increasing goals with ever-better rewards, such as getting a pedometer once you can jog half the 5k, and getting running shoes for competing in a 5k event.  You'd look forward to each harder step being a little easier due to the rewards.


Pick the right goals

The trick here is to break up your main goals into lots of little ones.

Using the running example again, you could set goals of running distances, or faster paces, or consistency, or volume, or socialization/competition. 


The Mermaid Plan

I'm having a hard time breaking it up into appropriate goals or coming up with more loot that helps further my swimming goals, so I am definitely open to suggestions.  I will probably have 1-2 hours 3x/week to practice in our slightly solar-heated backyard saltwater pool, and would like to complete it within 1 summer.

140 lengths of the pool is 1650 yards, or 1 swimming mile (1760 yards or 150 laps is a real mile, but we'll go with an official swimming mile).  My brother was a professional swimmer in college, and he says a good final summer goal for me would be to do 1 mile in a day, broken up into bits.  Let's just go crazy and make it 2 miles in a day and see what happens!

Here are my tentative mini-quests and rewards:

1. Be freakin' brave about the cold and start swimming May 1st.  Reward:  get some more henna for my hair, and see how red I can go (hey, hair care is important when chlorine is involved).
2. Swim 1/2 mile (70 laps) in 1 day.  Reward:  get a swim lap counter (currently use pennies and cups, it's a pain because it prevents me from entering the zen of a constant flow).
3. Swim 1/2 mile (70 laps) without stopping.  Reward:  get out the monofin for a few minutes during each future swim, for fun!
4. Swim 1 mile (140 laps) in a day.  Reward:  plan a trip to a lake.
5. Swim in a lake.  Reward:  plan a trip to the ocean, somewhere low-danger.
6. Swim in the ocean for the first time ever!*  Reward:  get new flattering bathing suit.
7. Swim 1.5 miles (210 laps) in a day, and become comfy in bathing suit in public.  Reward:  go snorkeling.*  (already have snorkel supplies, never really used 'em!)
8. Swim 2 miles (280 laps) in a day, in addition to all previous quests.  Reward:  make or buy a functional mermaid tail.  
9. Swim 1/2 mile (70 laps) in mermaid tail in one day, to become fully comfortable in tail.  Reward:  plan another trip to the same lake from quest #5.
10. Swim in lake in mermaid tail,* don't get eaten by shark.  Reward:  Congratulations, you have become a mermaid!

Ryan photoshopped my face onto the Waterhouse mermaid years ago, but hey, now I actually have the same hair.

I suppose I could change the goals from distance to speed, or to time.  I'm not sure what is really possible as a noob.  Any suggestions?


But wait, there's more!!

May is a long time to wait to start my quest for gills, and there are other quests currently in development.

Jedi Training:  Feats of yoga, flexibility, and bodyweight fitness.  I have already begun this questline and am following a routine, but I have a freaking long way to go.  The epic loot will be making a Jedi robe for myself* (to match Ryan's) and reworking my Jedi historian costume, and probably expanding the lightsaber collection.  The ultimate reward could POSSIBLY be to get flesh-colored lekku (the head-tails for a Twi'lek) if I can find/make some that look good but don't involve touching latex. 

Centaur Training:  Travel by foot (hiking, milestones based on steps per month, etc).  Because if you have 4 feet, you go twice as many steps... get it??  Hahaha, I crack myself up.  But I mostly just want a bow and arrows (centaur-related via mythology) to be my final reward, plus my hiking boots need to be replaced before winter because of a hole on the side.  I am really looking forward to teaching Torin archery* one day. 


*These 5 things are on my bucket list.  <3

Don't worry, bee happy

A photo taken by my dad... but it was on my camera, so I'm gonna use it!  ;)

Bee on plum flowers

Chainsaw On A Stick

I spent a total of 3 hours today trimming fruit trees with long heavy tools.  Let's all have a moment of silence for my arms.

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Last year we took out a bunch of branches that were crossing each other inappropriately, and took out a lot of the width and thinned the inside.  This year's goal is to chop off the top completely (ugh, so many non-fruiting watersprouts!) to mostly achieve the final shape.  It's been a long process because you're not supposed to remove more than 1/3rd of the tree's mass at once.

The neighbors did their plum tree last week, so I measured its height (11ft) and am making our plum tree the same.  Hey, their tree always looks fantastic and their fruit is within reach.

BEFORE:

Star added for point of reference.  The nude tree on the left is an apple... it'll be next.

AFTER:

Red star is on the same branch tip.

11 feet high is just about at the bottom of the dish there, where the red line is.  The goal is to cut off everything above that line!  My dad and I packed the green waste bin full of branches, and there's still a pile big enough to fill another bin.  

Yeah, so, I still have like 1/3rd of the work to do.  My dad helped too, and I may need to ask my husband to do some later, since my arms may actually fall off.

Here is a bonus pic, since you made it this far.

Me, using my dad's badass battery-operated chainsaw-on-a-stick.  The geobin watches in disapproving silence.

I usually feel vaguely guilty whenever I trim trees... but this time it was just kind of peaceful under the snow of plum petals.  There's hope for fruit this year, since the best branches will have access to much more sunlight after the trim.