Feb 12, 2007

earthworms, cats, and ocean breezes

I decided to keep the earthworm for a little while, at least, because I read on a bag of potting soil that soil in a pot looses all its nutrients after the plant has been in it for a year. My thought was that the worm might help to keep the soil in better shape...don't earthworms eat dead plant material? I was thinking that the worm poop would benefit everything else in the pot. I hope that when I water or when the worm population increases, that I won't find worms on the floor outside the pot! Eeewww...

I wanted a kitty, but there are surprisingly very few stray cats around. Dogs on the street abound, but cats...well there's one that lives on the military compound just at the end of the block, but other than that, I have not seen any. I would love to have a big fat, friendly cat to sit in my lap or on the back of the couch. The only thing I don't enjoy about cats is that they always seem to begin their time with me by climbing the curtains, which I do not tolerate. And we have to make it clear that the dining room table and the counter tops are not available to kitty feet. After that has been done, the cat spends the next day or two under the couch or the bed, and finally gets over being scared or mad at me. Only when those rules are understood can we be friends. I really do love cats, but we all have boundaries and mine are mostly unbendable in those 2 basic areas. No cats on the curtains and no cats walking around on surfaces where my food might be. I asked Omar about it, and he told me that he prefers dogs. Hopefully soon we can find a puppy.

Heading into fall means that the nights are cooler and the wind changes in the evenings to come from the west...bringing the smell of the ocean with it. I can't say that I enjoy that Pacific aroma too much if I'm not at the beach, or even if I AM at the beach. I enjoy watching the waves come crashing in, and maybe walking along the shore, just getting my feet and legs wet, but to actually go swimming is not my favorite thing, especially if the water is dirty or if there are a lot of people around. Even a full swimming pool isn't where I would spend my hot summer afternoon. Ocean breeze sounds like such a romantic fragrance, but only in an incense stick, a candle, or a room deodorizer. Other than that, I think it smells like fish water. Fish and I are not such great buddies that I want to smell like one.

The foliage doesn't change colors here in the fall. It usually just stays green and things get a little drier. As it gets colder, we get earthquakes every so often. The local theory is that without earthquakes, the season could not change. My thinking is that as the surface of the earth cools, the change in temperature causes expansion or contraction in various parts of the earth's surface, causing movement. Hence, earthquakes. I don't know. I'm probably way off the mark.

Usually the sun is blocked by a cloud layer, too, which is when I tend to become depressed. That is the reason that I am trying to make the apartment a cozy place with a garden-like atmosphere to escape to when things get icky outside. This time I brought some of my favorite music, and a couple of good books (which I have unfortunately already read), just did order a few more from Amazon, and that is also why it became so important to me to get some plants growing in here. I need to beat the depression that comes with little or no sunshine. It also helps that I may have this teaching job to keep my mind occupied through the day and give me a sense of purpose.

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