Sleepy Monday

When you're used to drinking decaf tea in the afternoons/evenings, don't switch to Coke on a whim. I'm pretty sure I slept with my eyes open last night. Can we discuss how frustrating it is to be sleeping on a brand-new, quite comfortable pillow and unable to close eyes for said sleep? Even threw on the TV around 4 a.m., which is something I try not to indulge the insomnia in on a "school night". I'm really surprised I'm not in more of a mood today.

Had a decent weekend, which probably accounts for lack of black cloud. Spent a wee bit much probably, but it's nice to be able to catch up on some purchases...to be able to buy something like sunscreen (or finding a new purse at half price ::hides head::) and not feel like it's an extravagance....because shit, at $10 a bottle, it practically is an extravagance regardless of the state of the ole account, but in Florida, it's also a serious necessity. I'm going to be wearing hats a lot more this year, don't want the sun spots on my face to spread...

Planted my herbs and tomatoes! They're sitting in my closet getting spritzed twice a day, because the closet is apparently a serious dry zone, which is a little weird, since we closed the air vent in there. Should probably have wrapped them in plastic...may still do that, since the closet's so dry...less chance of mold or early funk, I figure. I hope to add another vegetable or two later in the season, maybe some greens at the end of the year when it's cooler, but for now, we have:

• Sweet basil
• Marjoram
• Chamomile
• Spearmint
• Cat grass
• Burpee Big Boy Hybrid Tomatoes

Basil and marjoram for cooking...Marjoram is a staple in my kitchen, I use it in almost anything from scrambled eggs to casseroles. The Chamomile is German, which is supposed to produce a daisy-like flower, which is half the reason I'm trying it (cuz they look purty), as I'm new to the concept of something as bold as making my own tea. But if I get that bold, the spearmint will jump in there too, as well as as a flavor in recipes. Cat grass is for Fig...the tomatoes, cross your fingers! I really want these suckers to bear fruit, since last years' didn't.

I'm thinking of a portable mini-hoophouse to protect them from the elements...more on that as it develops. Also thinking of finally setting out the rain barrel, otherwise known as the big-ass Igloo cooler that I ripped off when we cleaned out the house. It's one of those ones that you see sitting on contractors trucks - big, yellow and red, round, with a spigot at the bottom...figure it'd be perfect for my first rainwater barrel, as soon as I rig a filter to the top. Apartment living baby steps...

The porch also has some aloe, some dormant sunflowers, and some chives, which don't taste that great and may get tossed into the spare soil. The sunflowers dried up fast after purchase, so I broke off their heads and am hoping to baby them back into blooming.

Almost done with one sock...oddly, second sock syndrome kicked in right before the toe, so I finished a dishcloth yesterday and did 8 rows on Cozy. I've had that sucker on the needles forever...Knitpicks Merino Style in Nutmeg, it's the color of coffee ice cream. I want to start the Embossed Leaves pattern this week, as well as finish 1st sock and start 2nd of that other pair - can't remember the name, wavy lace or something from Interweave Sock book. But the Embossed Leaves pattern starts with that 1x1 rib cast-on, which Melanie has an initial mental block toward, apparently, as evidenced by the better part of an hour I spent screwing it up with scrap yarn last night while watching old House episodes. So we'll do more patience work and learning this week. Hey, I figured out YO-purl, why not 1x1 rib CO?