Symphonies, Poison Ivy, and My Garden Grew!

YEY! A crazy blog that covers lots of ground and is really annoyingly underlined and blue in places

So I'm tucking into a huge bowl of leaves. I'm hungry, and I want to eat meat and cheese and ice-cream however, on my current high dosage of Prednisone it might be a damn silly thing to eat without my conscious. Those damn steroids will make me blow up just in time for the wedding in May, and I can't be having that.

PS. Folks, i'm having serious trouble with the underline button. I can't turn it off sometimes....

I'm on the drug because I went camping a few weeks ago. It was imperative that I test my new MSR Hubba Hubba 2 man tent and I had just the extreme weather I needed at the time, plus a crazy side-kick willing enough to try spending the night out in a thunder storm.

My MSR HUBBA HUBBA. It's the best tent ever! It stayed dry on QUITE a STORMY NIGHT
MSR TENT LOVER FOR LIFE! Look at the cosy roomy refuge!

The Type of day it was: The ceiling was low but the clouds rushed by without raining on us.

The Weather Channel Touted severe storms all day, but the sky was merely awash with gray clouds scurrying. I think they amped up the weather coverage for ratings, because the radar showed very isolated storms that wouldn't (and didn't) arrive til dusk. In fact, we had everything set up. My MSR Hubba Hubba was battened down and full of blankets and down pillows which we HOPED wouldn't get wet! Otter and I erected a tarp and built a low fire and watched the colors of the day congeal upon the dramatically foreboding clouds that sat low and high on the horizon. We even had a little sunshine: here's out little home away from home.

At dusk, the sky gets wild looking

Just as the sky was darkening so that the colors around us were fading fast a monstrous black cloud with a flashing belly came rumbling over us. This is the monstrous cloud with lightening in its belly!

We got what we asked for. It rained heavily. our tarp was set to high up, but it was too late now to fix it. we moved all our kitchen gear as far from the edges as possible yet when the hail fell, a few pieces ricocheted off the ground and hit us. It was thilling! Several micro-bursts came through over the course of the evening, and we manage to catch a fish during a break (try being out on a lake when the sky looks like THAT!), and cook it over our indian fire. Then just as we were readying for bed, the tarp snapped and the fire instantaneously ceased to exist and we pulled the tarp down around us and squatted in the pitch dark as the rain pounded us with only a tarp separating us.

We were camped pretty close to....THAT thing....

During flashes of lightening we could see each others faces: we were both a little elated and scared. This isn't the funnest thing ever, we were thinking. But then again, it is kinda fun. We agreed to make a break for the tent during the next lull in the weather. We prayed it would be dry.
We didn't have long to wait-these micro bursts were short lived. We peeled off our wet outter layers in the vestibule of my Hubba Hubba and were pleased as punch to see that our feather bed was bone dry and warm! Soon the pattering of the rain subsided and the moon came out and back lit the leaves of the dogwood aboves us like a shining head lamp. Then I went hiking the next day. And then I got Poison Ivy at somepoint. I kinda ignored it for a while, but I realized i was losing the battle. It was evil and spreading dispite the gallons of calamine I was using on it. I looked like a leper at work. I finally went to the minute clinic and got prednisone pills. Now I'm afraid I'm going to turn into a man.

The rash. It's lots better now, thank you!

Which hasn't happened yet. (me turning into a man, that is) In fact, I've had some amazing and classy Croft adventures!! Firstly Look at my GARDEN! Check out before and after photos! My basil has grown like 4oo%!! My Cilantro is kicking Mint's ass...why is that, I wonder! ? I think i need bigger containers soon!
Before: Note little basel 2nd to left and nothing in the cilantro/mint on the right

After: These were the 2 empty pots of mint/cilantro! Why is my mint so wee?


After: Look at my Basel!!!! It needs a new pot!

Went hiking twice since camping in the storm.... I can't seem to get enough of goofing about in the woods. And I wonder why and how I get poison Ivy.....

Me cavorting on a rock during a hike

Had a very social week. A friend from work had his birthday last week. For like four days in a row! This is us out at a new pizza restaurent.

Nom Nom Nom! oops, i mean glug glug glug

Been out with THIS crazy cracker and recording his jazzy stuff. See my Youtube for his awesome vids I posted there.

Went to the symphony last night. Was dressed to the 9s and LOVED IT! T'was Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 6 in A minor. It was really sweet and sad and cataclysmic and epic.

My shoes are very happy to be here

at the symphony hall....

And here's some photos of the AMAZING BUDGE!!!!

So thats where I'm at. Just a quick update, no great insight into life. I am apparently not that good at doing that these days. I am thinking of putting together a youtube vlog tonight. We shall see. Cheers to those that follow.
Croftee