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Life Secrets of the Late Bloomers - I'd be tempted to categorize myself as a late bloomer, especially based on the descriptions of their early childhoods, which seem a lot like mine. I got saddled with a "gifted child" label, which made adults confused and angry because I tended to graze among subjects, and would give up a prior interest fairly quickly to move on to another thing, never exactly excelling at any of them, and worse still, not showing any remorse about my lack of academic achievement. Sure, being gifted gets you some opportunities denied other kids, but it's also a weapon that can be turned against you. "I thought you were supposed to be gifted, how are you so stupid?"

Helen Fielding on Bridget Jones and the Subtle Art of Diary-Keeping - I've never read this book, nor do I think I have seen the movie. Mainly because it seemed like the sort of story I don't care about. Keeping diaries and journals, though, I do care about.

Don't Pin the Birth Rate Problem on Birth Givers - I have zero kids, and zero desire to produce any. Happily no one has ever given me much grief on this point. To my mind, having children is one of those decisions that is important enough to be a "hell yes." If your answer isn't hell yes, then it's a firm no. Anyway, it's good to read an article in a major publication that says the quiet part out loud. Having more babies isn't about "saving humanity" or anything, it's about the economy. Ha ha, magic numbers go brrrrr.

I can grow tea here. - I'm sorely tempted to get a few plants and try it out. I know this climate isn't right for coffee, but it would be interesting to grow and roast my own tea.

The Pepper Project

I needed a couple of peppers for taco night, so I figured this is as good a time as any to get started. In Florida, you can start peppers during the summer and continue harvesting all the way into winter.




With bonus kitty nose :3

You can see the nice stripes on these peppers - as I said, if I get this trait I'll be happy. But I'll be particularly picking for "Florida tolerance" and prolific pepper production. So this is Plant Zero. I saved the seeds from both peppers and I'm drying them now.

I don't know what kinds of peppers go into this hybrid. Candy Cane was developed by PanAmerican Seed, which of course owns the rights. They came out in 2017. The F1 hybrids tend to be small, around two feet high max, so I assume (you see me using the 'a word' there, right?) the plants I get will also be more compact. This means I ought to be able to grow most of them in pots, which will make my life easier. I'll still want to create some more beds for these guys, but as peppers are almost always deer-resistant, I won't need to fence them.

So I've got seed starting mix, a ton of little pots, and a notebook. Let's do this!

TIFU - Pierogi Edition

I promised pierogies for dinner, but neglected to check the freezer and now I have to make them from scratch.

This is not necessarily the worst thing ever, but I feel like an idiot.