C.J. Cherryh's Blog, page 178
July 26, 2010
an apology…
…the software on Cafe Press is tricky. We set a general command to set the price at 20% above cost…and sometimes it took it, and sometimes it didn't, even within the same product list. We have now gone in and made that correction. It will NOT affect anyone who has already made their purchase: what you thought you paid is what you paid, and that's fair: you got a deal. But it does raise the price of some (not all) items from here on, which were listed without our markup. Fortunately we found t...
Got ourselves a present…a bench grinder…
Dad always had one. I learned how to sharpen a hoe to a nice edge when I was 6. Jane's dad had one. We just never got around to getting one, assuming they'd be really pricey.
Well, some are, if you want to lay down 300.00. This one, from Skil, is 69.00, and will save our joints—bigtime. I mean, swinging a big mattock/pickaxe combo and holding on as a blunt 1/4 inch thick/3 inch wide blade hits baked sod from an overhead swing, that's worth your elbows and wrists. I pushed to get this thing...
July 25, 2010
The BAZAAR is now open!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Go in, shop, enjoy. Tell us what you like. Say happy things! We're exhausted. Next week you can tell us about the problems. 
July 24, 2010
Closed Circle Bazaar…
will definitively open tomorrow, on Pacific Time, when we actually get our act together and decide to push the button. Which will probably be after sane contemplation and breakfast.
To get there from here, use the Closed Circle link in the left sidebar
and once you are in Closed Circle, look in the left sidebar navigation of THAT site (or the top: we're highly redundant) and look for the Store. One of the options on the Store menu is the "Cafe Press Annex". THAT, my friends, is your...
The Closed Circle Cafe Press Annex, aka, the Closed Circle Bazaar…
…opens tomorrow!
Jane has the details on her site.
New products will appear fairly often…
We have sooooo many ways to spend your money!
July 23, 2010
heat…I hate heat…we both hate heat…
It's 75 degrees out there (24 C) and I swear I'm dying…we both are. We decided to have lunch on the patio in the shade of the umbrella, looked over at the beloved hinoki cypress—and saw it dying. Depression.
I headed into the house and got on the internet. Is it too much sun? No. They adore sun. The heat? No. Not at 75. The anti wilt stuff? SOmebody else had used it, and no. Too much water? They adore water. Too little water? The thing's planted beside a waterfall, for gosh sakes.
And after a ...
July 22, 2010
the virtues of mulch…
yep, it's virtuous.
Cedar mulch is acidic. It can help convert alkaline water (most city water is) into water much nicer to roses, rhodies, evergreens, and most flowers. I've observed that many of the plants that we call weeds actually thrive in city water, and don't like cedar mulch. Pecan hulls, if you're in the South.
I spent my morning (because it's a rare cool day) helping Jane mulch the side of the yard, near the street. The mulch will discourage weeds, protect roots of the junipers...
July 21, 2010
Saving money in 5 gallon pots…
This thread is about what YOU can do, even in an apartment, to either relieve your budget or green the planet: doing both at the same time…
Tomatos, strawberries, or squash—at about a dollar per yellow squash or zucchini (ridiculous!) you can do nicely with this. Also cucumbers.
A patio planter. You need: a 5 gallon bucket at Lowes or one of those light, cheap large pots—with hole for drainage, and a bottom tray: you can improvise, but these plants cannot sit half-drowned. The excess water...
