Saturday, December 04, 2004

Robbie's Ramblings

One heck of a busy weekend ahead for me here in Robbieville! Yikes! It's probably a good thing though. Last weekend I spent most of it lounging in my bed working on my laptop. I fixed whatever bug was causing my computer to shut down whenever I try to view videos. However, all of my videos are saving as .MOV extensions and can only be viewed using QuickTime which is ticking me off because I can't use my Movie Maker software to do any editing. I still have to work that glitch out before I'll be posting the long awaited video from my confluence in September. I also learned some new tricks for using Photoshop Elements. However, all that time kicking back in bed has left me with lower back pain that will not go away. I've tried a hot bath in epsom salts. I've tried stretching it out and I've been popping Excedrin like candy, but it won't go away. I think I'm going to pick up some BenGay today and see if that helps. But, staying busy and off my computer is probably the best thing to help it right now.

The pain has made playing on my computer and journaling quite painful.  But, it didn't stop me this morning from hitting Steven's journal and playing catch-up. That's where I found the link to make that cute little Robbie Icon for this entry. Kind of looks like me. No? On to the point of my ramblings:

What Would Martha Do? (WWMD?) - Part 3

Sadly, I have a brown thumb. I kill everything. Because of that, I tend to buy Ivy type plants because they seem to be a bit hardier than other plants. Unfortunately, the one I bought when I first moved into my apartment didn't fair so well. It was dead in about three months as witnessed in the top pictures. I thought long and hard about what I should do. I kept pondering what Martha would do? And, you know, I really don't recall any of her shows covering house plants. That's when it dawned on me what the solution was. I needed to think like the multi-millionaire (no longer a billionaire due to her 40K snaffu - very costly mistake indeed) that she is. What Martha would do is to simply keep buying more. For fifteen bucks, it's cheaper than buying fresh flowers on a weekly basis. Although, I splurge on those from time to time too! I also added a pretty curtain to my kitchen window to block some of the bright sun that window gets in the morning. This plant is lasting a bit longer. However, every time I take it down to water, I pull off more dead leaves. And, that curtain isn't quite working for me. I love the BLUE flower print pattern but it's just not right. I need to pull out my sewing machine and recreate it into something more manageable. Not as inventive as my last WWMD? entry but domestic engineering isn't all fun and games, ya know.

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

"WWMD".. I love it!  lol  ~Sie

Anonymous said...

martha would have one of her minions water her ivy before it dried up, robbie.  that's just my thought......  

:)   phinney

Anonymous said...

Ah,  a fellow brown-thumb kindred spirit. But, thanks to your entry, I am going to go and water my poor neglected potted plants.  Funny how they seem to do better when I occasionally water them. ;)

Anonymous said...

    All they ask for is a little water now and then but if that's not really an option then yes ... they are more affordable than fresh flowers to keep replacing. I like the way you think.
    Feel better Robbie, back pain is not a lot of fun.
                       
                          *** Coy ***

Anonymous said...

That icon totally looks like you!!  I'm headed to Steven's J right after this.  I love the photo layout you did.  I'm curious...why didn't you try a BLUE dropshadow?  :P  If you're creating movies using Windows Movie Maker, I might be able to help you troubleshoot the quicktime issue.  Not sure, but it's worth a try.  YAY on the sewing machine.  I need to spend a whole week at your place so we can do some creating (and organizing).  That would be so much fun!!  Enjoy your time away from the computer.  I have the name of a great - inexpensive - massage therapist if you're interested.  Love the ivy!  Consider getting one of those watering cans with the long thin spout (technical terms, you know) instead of taking it down every time to water it.  ...just a thought.  xo

Anonymous said...

Love the icon :)
My indoors plants always suffer but I do really good outdoors plants. lol not sure why!

Gretchen
http://livinginsavannah.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

I have a green thumb too- except for african violets.  Don't know how or why.  I feel your back pain!  I have been having back issues too- I think from overdoing it at the gym.  Been soaking and Aleve-ing it.  Hope it starts to feeling better soon.  -Kari

Anonymous said...

Actually, I think Martha would take the dead ivy leaves, use her Xacto-knife to cut them into exact quarter-inch squares and then create collages with those squares that she would then mount on acid-free paper to give as festive Holiday gifts.  Get cracking now, time's a'wasting!  ;-) Albert

Anonymous said...

Oh I feel so bad about your back pain. I know that feeling all too well. Try meditating. I had terrible back pain for sixteen years in the lower back.....two months of meditating and I rarely got it again.
Don't expect it to take two months. Just picture it EXPANDING (the muscles) while relaxing. Get a muscle relaxer too if you can.
Angela

Anonymous said...

Good icon! That thing is fun. I was bummed when I saw that a camera was not one of the hand items. I mean they had swords, but no camera! Thanks for the whoosh of comments!

With your Ivy. From the photos I think maybe watering. Hanging plants lose moisture fast. You might need to immerse whole pot to ensure that it gets enough water. The soil needs to be moist. Might try some type of nutrient, but the pot looks small and too much would burn up the plant.

Try a fern as they get bushy and hang well and do alright indoors.

Anonymous said...

As per your back pain maybe you should try a heating pad. My lower back acts screwy every now and then but I find that laying on a flat fllor with a heating pad usually works.

For your brown thumb, try the Selaginella Lepidophylla aka the Resurrection plant. If it dries up you just immerse it in water and it turns backs into a lush green fern overnight.

If you like the plants you have, they make self waterers. You fill it up a certain amount and it detects when to release water into the soil.

Email me if you need links!

Kris.

Anonymous said...

Baaad Robbie. You made me waste way too much time on that illustration-maker! hehehe Sorry about your brown thumb. I should take a picture of all the pots of dead plants on my back porch...

Anonymous said...

I saw the photo of the dead ivy first and started cracking up immediately! Looks like the "plants" in my kitchen. I, too, am afflicted with the brown thumb. LOL The bottom plant looks like a philadendron(sp?). I did quite well with my Phil. He lasted a really long time. ;-)

Anonymous said...

Hope you have someone to help you with that bengay.It sure is hard to do yourself. Seriously I hope your back is better soon. Paula

Anonymous said...

That's a philodendron, Robbie.  They're extrememly hardy.  I don't think a nuclear blast would kill it.  I still have a philodendron that I got for my 24th birthday.  I think the only thing you could do to kill it would be to overwater it.  I water all my houseplants, faithfully, once a month, whether they need it or not.  LOL!  Lisa  :-]  

Anonymous said...

Dear Robbie:   Go plastic! Plants everywhere will thank you for sparing their lives, and it will brighten your home environment. For those special sadistic moments, you can buy the occasional live one to torment (LOL!!!).

Your back is another matter. It sounds like you need an osteopathic adjustment and perhaps some massage. If I was there I would volunteer, but maybe you can find someone qualified in your area.

Take Care,
David

PS: I like the icon ... very nice touch!

Anonymous said...

I have no idea what Martha would do but I guarantee...it's probably MUCH more complicated than anything I'd be interested in taking on.

Anonymous said...

My next sewing project will be a drum case:):) judi

Anonymous said...

i HAVE A BROWN THUMB TOO. LOL THEY DON'T LOOK DEAD THOUGH. NO PAIN FOR ROBBIE..I DON'T LIKE TO HEAR THAT. FEEL BETTER.

Anonymous said...

Ivy is pretty!   don't worry about it.   get the plants that best suit you, that's what I do.  hearty plants are great!
have you tried just deleting quicktime?
and lol!  
I am a wife and mother of two, and I still suck at domestic engineering. :p

Anonymous said...

When I'm working at the computer a lot, I get a weird pain [almost a burning sensation] in my upper left shoulder.  I had an injury there once, so I figure it has something to do with that, but the only way to fix it is to get up and stay away from the computer for a while.  Love the icon!  Too cute!  Sepintx is always finding the neatest stuff on the net - probably because he spends more time on the net and less time in journals, which is probably wise.  And just so you don't feel so bad - remember the pretty orchid I bought last year?  I killed it.   :(

Anonymous said...

My husband has had a chronic bad back for 40 years.  He's found that if he walks at least five days a week, even though it hurts at first if he hasn't been doing it lately, he has very little back trouble.