Month: April 2020

Farm Report: 4.24.20

- Mel

Anyone else equating this current environment to Groundhog Day? (Hopefully not Russian Doll. If you’re looking for something to binge and haven’t seen it, might I kindly recommend you do so? Same for Groundhog Day if, FOR SHAME, you haven’t yet seen that either.)

Things are starting to become greener around central Iowa and once again I awaiting the Take Down by my seasonal allergies. Funny thing about living in a city for so many years, you don’t realize how sensitive your corn pollen allergy is. Or that corn pollen allergies exist.

growing season

Speaking of corn and the color green, the fun John Deere farm equipment has been spotted out on the roads and fields, so I guess planting season is underway. One of my Iowa Goals is to get to ride in/on one of those giant pieces of machinery, and I think I’ve already made a contact to do so.

A few years ago, I received small seedlings for tomato plants, which were lovingly tended to by a former coworker. Because I no longer have that contact, I need to acquire some tomato seedlings! When we moved into our current house it came pre-planted with two tomato plants that produced tiny fruit for us for a few months. I positively loved going out to my deck and picking my own fruit. In any event, I received a porch drop of seeds for tomatoes and peppers, so fingers crossed that this urban farmer has green thumbs.

when life gives you lemons

How are yinz holding up? Need lemons? Need tequila?

Can I grow a lemon tree in Iowa?

midwest shitfest

Look, I will not sugarcoat this rim. All of these social distancing mandates and event cancellations SUCK (I was to have gone to Europe on April 30 and WAS training to run the Prague Marathon that would have taken place on May 3). I lost my job. I also cannot complete my masters program because all of sports shut down. ALAS. I am NOT ready to leave the security of my crawlspace couch. So, yes, while some parts of Iowa will open and allow for more Things/Fun, please remember this:

JOMO over here in this house.

what’s bringing me joy this week

- Mel

(yes, I love the podcast Pop Culture Happy Hour)

Also, I love this article: Our Very Correct Food Opinions {via Serious Eats}

Having Unpopular Opinions is very popular right now (yes, The Beatles are a shitty band). Remember when I posted about how the internet was flooded with this “DO EVERYTHING THE END OF THE DECADE COMETH” as we approached 2020? This exact thing is happening again with the “YOU MUST HAVE CREATED THE NEXT BIG THING” during the quarantined-isolated nature of this pandemic era. I am firmly on Team Fuck That.

But seriously, FUCK THAT.

In other more joyous news: Our other house is finally sold! I can now run free in the land of one mortgage. Hahahahaha just kidding. I can’t pay for anything because I am still a broke graduate student with over $100k in loans trying to finish the last of her thesis and contact hours amidst a FUCKING PANDEMIC and who has been indefinitely furloughed from even the very meager earnings of her part-time job.

Goals for 2020 (lol)

- Mel

**Note — In light of this current pandemic and extended period of physical isolation (and, well, being furloughed from work), I decided to push out some of my previously-unfinished and not-bothering-to-finish drafts in my WordPress. Most of this doesn’t make sense and makes perfect sense at once given the climate, but… meh, one less draft on my dashboard. The initial draft of this post was saved on December 14, 2019. I added the “lol” to the title of this post in its current review.**

I’m not buying into that “IT’S THE END OF THE DECADE DO SOMETHING WITH YOUR LIFE!” world-ending bullshit. But I am considering the ways in which my habits make an impact on the world.

I’m looking at you, Amazon.

Yes, this has a LOT to do with my purchasing habits. It may sound like a lot of RULES but I have been really conscious of late (particularly with downsizing to our new house) about the number of items that I own in regard to the amount of space that I have.

Starting fresh for 2020, I do not plan to purchase a book from Amazon unless ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY (see: school or professional book requirements). My Des Moines Library card is ready for duty. While I am disappointed at the lack of small bookstores in the Des Moines area (search IndieBound for yours!), there is the cutest Beaverdale Books nearby and a Half-Priced Books in Clive. One caveat, I really do adore my Book of the Month membership [affiliate link!] and its recommendations, so I will probably keep that going. Any other “new” books that I receive will be direct from the publisher and the like because of ARCs or contest giveaways.

Search etsy before making Amazon purchases (or AllModern, or Wayfair). This, for when I’m in my online buy-binge modes (it happens, I am a human with faults). I know that etsy is not without its problems, but I will actively seek out small store owners/makers for what I want in home decor. Tbh though I am Not a Fan of in-store shopping much. In concert with that decision, I will seek out home decorating items with the fun local vintage shops in town (like CKD Vintage or Funky Finds) before buying online (window shopping online for ideas is fine, obvs).

One of the difficult decisions for me is my wardrobe. I’ve tried selling new/used clothing on Poshmark and it just sits there in my laundry room waiting for sale. I have had close to zero success there. Dropping off my no-longer-worn items at Goodwill is super convenient, but I was really horrified to learn that only a small percentage of their donated items go to the sales floor. THE REST GOES TO THE LANDFILL. I can do better. For one, to not purchase what I don’t need (learning the difference between “want” and “need” is super hard and I effectively interchanged and edited those instances even in this post). For two, return what I haven’t worn. And finally, find organizations that will actually use/need the items to be donated. A strategy for shopping that has worked to help me curb my impulse behaviors is to put items in my cart… and then close the page. Or save to Pinterest to contemplate the purchase further.