Pepsi Taste Test

Richard and I saw a couple of confusing commercials about a "limited time only" version of Pepsi: Pepsi Throwback. If you pay attention to the commercial (and who does this any more? Can you ever really tell what commercials are selling these days?) you will discover that the big difference between Pespi and Pepsi Throwback is sugar. Real Sugar. Not all of that corn syrup.

So tonight when Richard was picking up pizza for dinner he saw an opportunity in the display:

So before we started in on the pizza we had an old-fashioned taste test.

The verdict?

"Mmmmnnn.... Real Sugar!"

They actually taste different. And we both really liked the Pepsi Throwback. (Isn't that a nice picture of Richard? No, he didn't drink the whole glass.)

I thought the Throwback was much more drinkable and more thirst-quenching. The regular Pepsi has a kind-of sticky corn-syrupy after taste. (Note: I'm not a fan of Pepsi. I'm not a fan of pop in general...) Richard thought the Throwback version tasted how he remembered "soda" from his childhood. (Yes, I call it "pop" and he calls it "soda.") Note: Richard has a very distinct memory of how his childhood tasted. I'm not kidding :-)

So, it's pretty high praise for the Throwback Pepsi. It probably won't be here long, so try it if you see it.

More Funny Cat Videos

Now that most of our shows are in reruns, Richard and I have gone back to one of our favorite hobbies: Watching funny YouTube videos on my laptop.

My last post was about the cat yodeling video. Tonight Richard and I spent an hour watching other videos by the same filmmaker. Check out his YouTube channel at:

http://www.youtube.com/user/klusmanp

2 Engineers + 3 cats = Funny

And of course, don't forget the video that started all the funny cat videos: Mean Kitty.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qit3ALTelOo

Funny Cat Video

Okay, I found this on the http://icanhascheezburger.com/ website today while eating lunch. I hope I didn't disturb anyone in the library...




I'm pretty sure we won't be having any cat yodeling in our house any time soon. Certainly not with Monkey!

What's Happening in Our Yard Today?

Amazingly, the asparagus have gotten really tall and are turning into ferns. I couldn't have anticipated how weird this vegetable is...

Our neighbor up the hill looks like he's trying to trap a critter. He has complained about groundhogs, so we think our little raccoon friends are not the target of this trap. We've seen a very large groundhog hanging around the big rock for a couple of years, so I think he's winning this battle...

This is a lovely bunny I saw hanging out on the hill (thankfully, far away from the trap) right before both of me feet flew out from underneath me and I landed flat on my back. The bunny took off and I'm fine, but will not go running around the back yard in my dress flats ever again.

Monkey's Fluff...

....Runneth Over

Cozy Ducklings

It was a rainy morning in Wayne County today and Momma Duck tried to keep her babies dry and warm. Will she get all 13 ducklings under her warm feathers? Watch to find out!

Duck Babies

This is the second year that we a duck family in the courtyard at Wayne College. At any point in the day you'll find a bunch of Wayne College staff hanging out in the hallway watching the family walk around. We're all pretty enchanted...

Portrait of Princess Buttercup

It's the amazing Buttercup!

Happy 10th Birthday, Wilson Duda!

On Sunday the Duda clan gathered to wish Wil a happy 10th birthday.

C.S.A. Salad

Okay, most folks who know me know that one of my new passions is for supporting locally grown produce and community supported agriculture (CSA). If you weren't believers before, take a look at my salad below:

I challenge anyone to walk into a grocery store and find such lovely produce. Basically, you need to either grow it yourself, or know someone who will grow it for you. Thankfully, Working Gardens is right down the street on Hankins Road. Mixed greens, herbs, radishes in a rainbow of colors, and edible flowers... Priceless!

Spring Landscaping Project

I have a few ongoing gardening / landscaping projects and it seems like they evolve every year. The slope in front of the house is still a work in progress as the phlox and other ground covers start to fill in, and we're adding some of the larger rocks that were found when the deck was being built.

Earlier this year I added a couple of hardy dedicuous azaleas and moved the more tender azaleas behind the deck where they seem much happier. Below is the slope in the front of the house:

Here are the azaleas I moved earlier this year. This picture doesn't do them justice. The color is really striking in real life:

In the front of the deck the plants I transferred in the fall seem to be making themselves at home. The hostas I planted here were all split from two very large plants where the deck extension now is:

I'm also replacing the plants that were trampled during the deck project and adding some shade-loving plants. Today we stopped by the Sandbrink's plant sale and picked up a few very nice plants. I know this spot looks fairly sunny, but once the oak tree's leaves fill in it's a nice shady spot.
One of my bleeding hearts made it through the trampling of the deck construction, so I added another bleeding heart, black cohosh (hey, aren't you supposed to use that for hot flashes?), and a very pretty little Solomon's seal plant. I also couldn't resist picking up a small peony plant, but I planted that one in full sun out front.

Back in the front of the house the little island garden seems to be settled in nicely. If I only knew a few years ago that lamb's ear spread this well I never would have bought so much!

Next project... Mulch. Hey isn't the gift for the 5 year anniversary decomposing tree bark? Very romantic.

Spring veggies

The onions I planted a while back are coming in nicely...

And the potatoes are also sprouting.

Looks like the season is off to a good start! My radishes are also starting to break the surface, but still have a while to go.

I also got an early first installment from my CSA this season. This week I received a nice bunch of radishes, salad greens, cilantro, and some lovely edible flowers. Scott still has three shares left over for this year's CSA as of this morning if anyone is interested.

A couple of finches have made a nice cozy home of the birdhouse in the back yard.

I can't imagine why any bird would think this was a good place to live...

While I was exploring the nest, mom and dad were keeping a watchful eye on me...

I didn't see any babies, but there's quite a substantial nest started. I'm sure babies will be in there soon...

So Very Proud...

It's so hard to believe... I actually have asparagus growing!!! I can't believe those alien-looking crowns are actually turning into asparagus.

Below is our little patch, which doesn't look like much is going on:

Until you look really closely:

(Yeah, it's really hard to see, but it's there!)

Okay, it's not much. And I can't harvest any of them until next year... But it really made my day today!

So proud…

I don’t know what it is about growing something from seed, but it really makes me happy. Probably because it just seems so impossible...

This year I invested in some new seed starting materials from Gardeners Supply Company. I purchased eight APS-12 seed starting kits along with germinating mix. Last year I purchased a tabletop grow light system, but unfortunately only one of the bulbs works now. (Yes, we tried putting in a new bulb, it’s really dead.) Thankfully, the one bulb seems to be doing the trick.

Here’s what the kits look like before they are filled with the soil:

And here they are after I’ve planted my seeds:

And here they are today:

I now have seedlings started for several tomato varieties, cucumbers, red sweet peppers, Brussels sprouts, and herbs. I started them a bit late this year, but they seem to be coming along fine. A few couple more weeks inside then I will be starting the hardening off process. I’m pretty sure we’ll have at least one more freeze, so I’ll wait until the middle of May to plant these guys out.