Here it is: April at last. Tene and I have been in California for a full year. The year has been slow, calm, and rejuvenating. It's been renewing, in a lot of ways, for both of us.
We've been in our new nest for a bit over two weeks now, and I'm just getting the final handful of boxes unpacked (where did we get so much stuff?!) and organized. I've also been buying a few new things - mostly organizational stuff so that I can keep my area(s) clear, but I also went to Ikea and picked up a few vases.
Can I just go on for a bit about how much I
love Ikea? It's just
wonderful, and I don't really understand the Ikea-hate I've noticed in random places on the internet. It has, so far, been my experience that - while some of their stuff isn't necessarily the best of the best - it's workable. And I don't feel bad if something breaks or gets a little damaged. After all - it's pretty simple to replace. And most of their stuff
looks good, in a simple sort of way.
Anyway, I bought a couple of vases and immediately put them to use. I've fallen in love with Trader Joe's in the last year - although I don't go there very frequently (I can find produce for a lot cheaper, as well as meat) to purchase things, I often window shop to see their for-sale plants. A year ago I got my very first house plant from Trader Joe's. A pretty flower from South Africa (says the label) that had bright orange blooms.
I managed to kill it within a week.
I couldn't find the plant - Ornithogalum dubium (also known as a Sun Star) - again, and I ended up waiting for April to roll around again, hoping that TJs would offer the plant up for sale again.
And they
did! I went to Trader Joe's for a bouquet for my new vases (which I
also purchased), and I came home with another Sun Star. I hope to keep this one alive - I have a much better handle of the care and keeping of plants (like that the containers stores sell plants in are really crappy and shouldn't be considered permanent homes - regardless of how cute they are).
Of course, this year has its own challenges. Our new nest has windows, of course, but they all face north-west-ish. We get indirect and partial sun most of the day. The plants aren't the happiest with this arrangement - especially since the plants I have (sunflower, succulents, daisies ... )
really like the sun. We're thinking of getting some house plants that thrive on low-light, but I'm also hoping that I can keep some of the plants (the succulents and the
, specifically. Also Cecil Basil II, the second full basil plant I've owned. Cecil Basil I died within a week of my bringing him home, and the seeds I got from Ikea never actually sprouted - so I guess Ikea is less than ideal when it comes to plants) at least happy enough that they don't die until we move again (be that in a year or five), and I can actually give them the sunlight they need.
As it is, I've been trying to put the plants all outside together in the morning before I leave, so that they can get the most out of even the partial sun. It's nice and fun to see them all in their pots lining our balcony, and makes me happy.
I've been writing more. Still nothing real serious, I'm not quite to that point yet, but I've been getting ideas out of my head and on to paper. I've also been reading
a lot more. Finally putting my Kindle into good use. Up until about January, Tene had my Kindle, and I rarely thought about it (even though I had wanted one
so bad - up until finally getting it for my birthday last year. Once I had it, I stopped caring). Now I'm finally realizing how
useful it is. It fits perfectly in my purse, so I take it almost everywhere with me, and if I'm ever waiting in line I can simply pull it out, turn it on, and start reading. It only needs to be charged once a month (maybe twice) - even
with heavy reading. It's great. The only complaint I have so far are the weird prices on Amazon for some books. An e-book should totally not cost more money than a paperback with shipping and handling. That's really dumb. On the other hand, I've been checking out some interesting indie fiction/self published works that have received good reviews and don't cost much.
And finally, after a purchasing mishap on my part (
buying the wrong cage, derp), I got my long-awaited package in the mail! It's here at last! a Critter Nation cage for my girls. I'm
so excited about this - it's hard to explain. On one hand, I'm excited because it will be
so much more space for them; which is good because rats like having a lot of space, and this will hopefully improve their quality of life and make them happier and therefore healthier. On the other hand this cage will also be
so much easier to clean. All I'll have to do is open the doors (which are the entire front of the cage), take out the toys and such (they'll remain the most difficult cleaning task), slide out the trays and change the bedding on them, then put everything back. No more tiny doors to work through! No more lifting off the cage top to get to the litter tray! And, since it should be easier to clean I'll hopefully clean it more often - which again will lead to healthier and happier ratties, and a healthier and happier me, too!
