Digging for Diamonds

When I was in 5th grade, I was picked up at 2:00 everyday in the afternoon to go to the middle school for 7th period math. I didn't think much of it at the time, but I had an extra long school day: 7:45 am - 3:30 pm. I had approximately 20-30 minutes of "study hall" in the middle so. I could finish some work, but it made for long days. 

The bus driver who picked me up drove bus number 63. I blogged about this bus and driver specifically in another post. What I wanted to share today has to do with a specific memory from that year. Right before spring break, I was talking to Mr. Bill, the bus driver, and he was telling me about his plans to go to Arkansas and visit a diamond mine. I was intrigued. He told me if he found one, he was going to keep it. If he found two, he was going to give me one. Little did I know as a 5th grader, the odds of actually finding a diamond at the mine are pretty slim. 

After spring break, I returned to school and excitedly waited to be picked up and taken to the middle school. We talked about our spring breaks. I don't remember what I did, but it probably wasn't anything special. He told me unfortunately he didn't get to go to the diamond mine. 

***

This past weekend, I got to go. 

I was talking to a friend and she told me about a trip they were planning to the diamond mine. Jokingly, she asked me if I wanted to go. I seriously did! I talked to my husband about it and we decided to go. We were going to leave Friday and then head home Saturday. I would never have made such an impromptu decision like this if we didn't have friends to prod us. I mean, it's a 4-hour drive away. We could have gone as a DINK couple years ago. But we didn't. Instead, we decided to work on our house and learn how to renovate instead. Not a bad trade, but a different trade. Construction costs have practically doubled now since pre-Covid, so no real regrets there.

Sadly, our friends didn't get to join us because they got Covid during the middle of the week and weren't feeling great. My husband and I ended up taking our two kids on a less than 24 hour long trip to Arkansas and back.

I got to check off a location on my bucket list after 20 years. 

If you actually want to dig for diamonds, taking young children along with you is really difficult for a number of reasons.

- it's hot

- there's quite a bit of walking involved

- they mess up your work

I overheard a father talking to his son at the washing station because his son had dumped the batch of rocks his father wanted to keep. That wasn't fun for either party. 

Needless to say, we didn't dig very much and we didn't find a diamond, but the overall experience was fun and new. My daughter walked around with us, poked around in the dirt, and washed out some buckets of rock with us. My son ate cheerios half the time because he had refused to eat breakfast and played on my cell phone for the other half of the time. He had no interest in poking in the dirt with a bucket and a shovel. I actually enjoyed people watching for a while when we were resting in the shade and commiserating with their parenting struggles. 

It was hot.

Am I sad we didn't find a diamond? Not really. The realist in me was thinking what a terrible idea it was to bring two children ages 4 and 2 to walk around looking at dirt on a hot summer day. The dreamer in me was thinking how surreal it was I was able to fulfill this visit 20 years later.

Kind of Like a Motorcycle

The story behind my daughter's name is not one I would call "special." It's actually kind of amusing now that I think about it. But something about that memory has forever stayed with me, enough for me to name my daughter after that child.

I had just graduated from high school and I was working at an after-school program for the summer. I was in charge of a 2nd or 3rd grade class - my memory fails me on which one it actually was anymore. My shift started around 11 am and I served them lunch. The ones who didn't finish their work from the morning would finish it after lunch and I would help them complete their assignments if they had questions. Then I stayed with the class all afternoon as they rotated their play areas. I'd leave work around 5 or 6 pm. 

One day at work, one of the girls came up to me and asked me a question. I answered it, and she responded, "I get you, I get you" in this squeaky little girl voice. I loved it. Something about the sound and the slight scratchy yet cuteness in her voice. She was also beautiful, not model-worthy, but I never thought that was what made children beautiful. There's something about messy hair, small clothing, and an innocent face that has a radiant beauty no amount of put-together-ness-perfection can match. And I remembered her name.

I remembered her name all these years, and when my daughter was born, I decided to give her the same name. It's not that I wanted her to have a squeaky voice or to be like this little girl from my memories. It was just a positive association I had with this name. 

After four years, it finally happened. We were going about out evening and my daughter was telling me about her evening. My husband had taken the kids out while I was teaching, and after they returned, we were all getting ready for bed. I asked her what she did with Daddy and she was telling me. I was asking questions to clarify what she was telling me. At once point, she was trying to explain to me sitting on a four wheeler.

Mommy: Was it a jeep?

S: No, it wasn't a jeep. It was kind of like a motorcycle, but not a motorcycle, but it kind of looked like a motorcycle but it wasn't a motorcycle. 

"kind of like a motorcycle, but not a motorcycle"

And then that moment hit me, just like it had when I'd heard that little girl say to me, "I get you, I get you." The sound of my daughter's voice and what she was saying had this cuteness to it: the cute repetivive phrasing of her sentence and her perfectly enunciated English at four. 

I can't really explain why certain words and phrases and how they are said can sound so special when what's being said has no special meaning at all. But this was one of them. 

The Great Outdoors

We've done a lot to our house over the years, but the one part of the house we were afraid to mess with was the outdoors. We do our weekly mows and annual tree and bush trimmings, but besides that, we've left it alone. 

When we moved in there was a deck out back. It was not in good shape, it was painted a color we didn't like, and it was raised about a foot off the ground. There was one spot under the roofline where the total height was only about five and a half feet. So most of us (with the exception of myself) would have to duck to get on and off the deck. Not convenient.

After our first round of renovations, I made a photo book, and as a joke, included a picture of our deck on the back with the caption "...to be continued..."

That summer, my husband and I tore down the deck and he pulled up every single post set in concrete with the help of our neighbor and his farm jack. Very useful, too, if you ever want to rip out your own bushes, some small trees, or in our case, concrete pieces. 

And so that's how it has been for all the years up to the present. Just an empty patch of grass past the existing patio that came with the house. 

Photo courtesy of my two-year-old. Excuse his finger.

Last month, we finally continued what was to be continued from seven years ago. We got quotes, found a company, and had our patio extended with concrete pavers. The work took two days and we can't be more pleased with the result. 

Our backyard actually feels bigger because we have more usable space where the kids can now play on a flat surface, we can place chairs further out in our yard and enjoy more of the night sky in the evenings. My potted plant babies can also serve as patio decor now that they sit atop a neatly paved flat surface. 

Our backyard won't be model home worthy, and that isn't my goal, but being able to see this space done and usable for us and our kids to enjoy has been well worth the money. I joking told a friend after it was done, "The money didn't even hurt!" 

I've stepped outside on the patio multiple times everyday since it was completed, mostly out of obligation to water my plants. But I think simply the fact that it is done and such a nicer space to be in makes me want to spend more time out there. Another satisfying house project (that wasn't DIY!) in the books. 😊

Unsettled

I was never a Johnny Depp fan. I've seen a few of the POTC movies, I played the orchestral arrangement of the soundtrack in orchestra. Besides that, he was just another famous person to me. I've never heard of Amber Heard's name until this case began. 

When it first started, the only thing I knew was that his character doesn't have the best reputation, so if it bled into his actual life at all, then of course he's liable. Actors are not necessarily who they seem to be in the roles they play, but the associations we place on them are real. Just think of Friends. We will forever remember Jennifer Aniston as Rachel, Matt LeBlanc as Joey, David Schwimmer as Ross, Courtney Cox as Monica, Matthew Perry as Chandler, and Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe. Have they played other roles in other films and shows? Yes. Can anyone name them as easily? Probably not.

I didn't watch every second of court footage from this case. I did read up on some of the summaries and I've read various articles on the verdict. I wasn't sure how to feel after reading this verdict. I feel unsettled honestly. There are so many questions left unanswered, and probably will never have concrete answers to. Is Amber Heard lying? Did Johnny Depp win mainly because of his reputation and fame? How much of the information stated in the trial from either side was twisted? Was the jury bias?

You might read this and you want to respond in saying Amber Heard was a liar and can't be trusted in what she says. You may think her testifying was dramatized. You might read this and you might want to respond in saying just because you abuse alcohol and drugs does not mean you are also abusive. You may also want to respond in saying Johnny Depp has power and influence as a famous male. You may simply put it as his fanbase is bias. 

Here's what I know. Since the Me Too movement began, lots of women have started coming out in telling their stories and sharing their truths. Since the Me Too movement began, lots of women have also been lying for their own gain. I personally know people who have been victims of abuse and unable to do anything about it. I personally know people who have lied and have caused innocent people to become victims. I know at least one innocent person in jail right now, and I'm sure there are others I'm not personally acquainted with. I've received phone calls from prison. I've made phone calls to prisons to ask questions. I've driven to and visited someone in prison. I've written letters to someone in prison. I've received letters from someone in prison. 

I wish I could say this is a stock photo. It's not.
Each one of these appears in letters I receive. 

Amber Heard doesn't have to go to prison. Johnny Depp wouldn't either if he were liable. If you're going to tell me Amber Heard got screwed over by this case, I'm not going to say I disagree with you. But I'm going to tell you, women lie. Girls have abused their privileges from Me Too. and I know as close to first hand without it being myself what it's like to suffer. 

The law doesn't care about the truth. The law doesn't care about innocence. I've seen it with my own eyes with my friend. Maybe now you believe you've seen it through Johnny Depp and Amber Heard.

Innocent until proven guilty is a lie. 

For Them

I remember the first time stepping into the showroom and playing on their pianos. I was shy. I didn't know what "trying out pianos" really meant. I just walked from one instrument to the next and played a little tidbit of a piece I could remember at the time. My teacher didn't give me any guidelines to go off. We just played and arbitrarily said if we liked or didn't like it. 

We didn't end up buying a Steinway. A new baby grand 20 years ago was already $40,000+. The fact that my parents were even considering it is a little absurd for me to wrap my head around as an adult, but they prioritized our music education. That they did. I remember making a deal with my mother: if we didn't buy a Steinway, I wanted it to be a mahogany grand piano with a glossy finish. She said okay, but we didn't end up getting one with those aesthetic specifications either. We ended up buying one with a glossy black finish instead. 

That was the first time I stepped foot in their store. Since then, I've been to a different location multiple times but never to purchase an instrument. This year on Mother's Day, I came back again to this location. I drove myself and somehow miraculously found a parking spot in their tiny lot behind the store. I walked into the crowded showroom and found my student's parents. We sat together and excitedly waited.

They'd told me the night before already, but I was still slightly dumbfounded. Was my student really receiving the 1st prize in her division for her performance of a college-level piece? Going into this competition, we had prepared and worked hard, but the expectation was to have fun and enjoy performing a very challenging piece. I couldn't believe it when I heard she had placed, and not only had she placed, but she had been awarded 1st place within her division. 

I thought back to all the times when I had won my own piano competitions years ago as a student. Looking back as an adult now, it's very bittersweet because these memories are all tainted. I remember my teacher being proud when I won. I remember him being excited when I won. But I don't remember him being proud of me. I don't remember him being excited for me. He was proud of himself as a teacher and he was excited for his own reputation.

As a teacher, I don't focus on the competition. My students participate in festivals and take theory tests for their own personal growth. I've had lots of students do very well in these areas for many years. 

It makes me happy to be able to hand these out every time a festival concludes.
This year I handed out  24 total!

Theory medals!

It both surprises me and doesn't surprise me that my student won an award for her performance in a highly competitive competition. She's talented. I've known from the first day I met her five years ago. But more than that, I see her enthusiasm for music. I see her personality blossom in her music. These are things I can grow, but I cannot create. This credit goes to her.

It's bittersweet ending another school year of teaching. But I love getting to applaud their accomplishments and hand out awards. I know I play an important role in imparting knowledge, encouraging, and fostering their musical ability. But I also know I only see my students for no more than an hour a week. The other 167 hours in a week, they spend the way they wish. And it's their own dedication, motivation, and determination that fuels the rest of their learning.

I am proud of them. I am excited for them. 

Plant Babies

I don't have a green thumb. It's pretty black. I've had a lot of failed outdoor "experiments" over the years.

Astilbe: I thought we had a shady spot in our landscaping so I bought astilbe to plant. Little did I know that although this location received shade in the winter time, it received lots of afternoon sun in the summer time. Tricky huh? Blame the angle of the sun and the changing seasons...Unfortunately, the astilbe didn't make it because it was too hot. 

Gardenia: We bought a clearance pot of gardenia from the store and I took it home. I revived it and actually saw some new greenery starting to grow from the existing branches. Unfortunately, we had another frost that spring and I did not protect the plant properly so despite trying, it didn't make it. 

The nice part about experiments is that you just start over and try again whether it be the same or something different. So this spring, we tried again, and we tried something different.

1. Nasturtiums

Last Christmas, we visited our arboretum for their special winter displays. They also had a Santa's village set up for the children to explore. At the Santa's village, they were handing out packets of seeds in one of the houses. These seeds were nasturtiums. I kept them in a shelf, and then this spring, we planted them. I wasn't expecting much, but I figured you can't go wrong with good soil, water, and sunlight. Sure enough, they sprouted and started growing really well. 

Now I did start to notice that the leaves were getting eaten. I picked off the caterpillars for a day or two, but then I did some research online and read that gardeners will actually purposely plant nasturtiums next to edibles as to lure them away from the true vegetables they want to eat. After that, I figured I'd let the caterpillars nibble those all they wanted.

The flowers haven't bloomed yet but we had all seven seeds germinate. 100% success! I call that a win. Later in the summer I'll have to do an update once the flowers come out.

2. Bell Peppers

Last fall, I'd started saving seeds from bell peppers. I dried them out and then saved them in a ziplock bag in our refrigerator to keep them cool and dormant until it was planting time. This March, I pulled them out and started a little tray of them inside. I watered them for a few weeks and waited.

Nothing happened. After a few weeks of watering what looked like just a tray of dirt, I gave up on them. 

A few weeks after that, we received some green onion plants from a friend and I decided to take them home and plant them. While getting them set up in a pot, I decided to take the tray of dirt and bell pepper seeds from inside and add them to the pot. After all, if the seeds weren't germinating, I didn't want to waste the soil either. So in everything went into my pot.

Well, the green onions didn't transplant well. I'm pretty sure they're alive but they weren't growing. The roots are probably spreading underneath and forming new plants which will eventually grow, but right now they just look like an ugly mess.

However, the pepper seeds that I thought were duds were actually sprouting...rapidly....almost every single seed germinated. I didn't count but when you see an entire colony of little seed sprouts popping up, you start to get really excited and panicky.

I'll probably get criticized by a bunch of gardeners out there as to how I started my peppers from seed, but remember, I thought this was a tray of dirt with dead seeds. I was not expecting them all to grow...hence the not seeding them in their little trays correctly. 

So now I have about 50 pepper plants growing in one pot which is way too many, but they're also too delicate to transplant right now. I've been thinning them out periodically and hope to get them down to the strongest 10-20 plants. 

Thinning them out has been super counterintuitive for me because I feel bad plucking a perfectly good sprout out of the pot simply because I don't have room to grow it. However, I have to keep reminding myself that this is part of the growing process. I'd rather have 5 really great, strong plants than 50 mediocre ones. Peppers also don't play nice with each other and they want their own space and nutrients. So thinning it is. 

3. Thai Basil

I've always wanted to grow Thai basil. It seems to be a decently easy herb to grow and we use it by the handful in specific recipes. When I buy it in the store, it costs me about $3 per recipe. Friends have given me their surplus from their garden in previous years as well, but I've wanted to try growing my own. 

Sometimes you can start them from cuttings. I've never been successful with this method. I think it has something to do with my cuttings having bloomed already. This spring, I finally decided to buy some seeds and plant them. We were already planting nasturtiums and bell peppers. I figured, why not add a third plant to the mix? (Not the same logic with having a third child....) So the seeds arrived and I planted them. This time I was smart enough not to sprinkle all 100 seeds into the pot because I'd seen what had happened with my bell peppers. Instead, I carefully placed 4 holes of 2 seeds each into my pot. That way, if at least one of each group sprouted, I could easily divide 4 plants later. 

The seed packet said sprouts would emerge within 6-10 days. I saw sprouts after 5 days! They're the tiniest little bitty sprouts, but they're there! 

I spy 2 tiny sprouts.

We joke these are my plant babies. My husband has caught me outside staring at my pots of plants on multiple occasions. And my morning routine now includes bringing out a jug of water to hydrate them. Gardening is no joke, seriously. 

On a different note, we finally decided on doing our patio. We've never been this excited to spend thousands of dollars before. 😂

Insights into Induction

We've been using our induction stove for about 10 days. I've already discovered things I like and dislike about it. Do keep in mind that all of my observations and thoughts are going from a 15+ year old electric stove to a brand new induction stove. 

Things I like:

1. The entire surface is flat. The controls on our new stove are touch controls so there are no knobs. I like being able to wipe across the entire surface to clean it. Although the knobs were removable on the old ones, you were still left with little metal rods, and it was an extra piece that needed to not only be wiped under but cleaned itself.

2. It's fast. The first time we used it to make ramen for our second dinner, it took 5 minutes from start to finish boiling cold tap water and cooking the noodles. I've noticed a significant increase in cooking speed because when I'm cooking, I can tell I need to think faster in order to keep up with the cooking. Generally speaking, I already think pretty quickly, so the fact that I felt a need to think faster meant the cooking speed was actually faster than I was used to. 

Things I'm Indifferent About:

1. One of the selling points about induction that's advertised mentions the surface not heating up because it's heating up your cookware. One of the first things I did after cooking was removing the pot and putting my hand to the surface to touch it to see how hot it was. Yes, I did it with caution, not like a 5 year old child would, and yes, it was still very very warm. It wasn't hot enough to the point where I'd be getting at least a second degree burn instantly, but it was hotter than I expected. On the flip side, it is not hot enough to "cook" any spilled food. Cleanup on the stove is relatively clean and in the week and a half I've used it, I've not once needed to really scrub any burnt on food...because it's not burnt on.

2. There is noise. I've read other users describe the sound from an induction cooktop as a buzzing or subtle ringing sound, especially if the stove is turned up to the higher power levels. There is indeed a buzzing sound coming from the stove. I don't necessarily like it, but it doesn't bother me. It helps that our vent hood is on when I cook and that sound is quite loud already so the sound of the induction cooktop gets muffled rather easily. 

Things I Don't Like:

1. Because the controls are touch, you cannot set anything on the front panel where they're located regardless of whether you are using the stove or not. One morning I was making a big batch of waffles as I do once every few weeks and I had set my baking trays on the stove like I normally do so I can place waffles on them as they cook to prepare for the freezer. After about five seconds of placing down the trays, the stove started beeping at me to alert me that the buttons were being "pressed." I removed the trays and locked the controls to see if this would stop the beeping while the stove was off. Nope. Still beeped. At that point I gave up and rearranged my trays so they were not touching the control panel in the front. I will probably get used to this later as we have this stove longer, but for now, this feature makes me think too much in ways I don't really want to. 

***

Overall, I'm very happy with our upgrade. I probably won't pore over the electric bill to see if it's actually more energy efficient, but it's probably hard to actually compare because there are so many other variables that change from month to month. It makes me happy that my cooking time can be shortened, even by the slightest minutes. For now, I'm gingerly lifting pots and pans to move them around the stove top as to not scratch the pristine glass surface. In 10 years, if we're still in this house, I'll probably be sliding everything all over that cooktop.

Or maybe one year. Who knows. 😏