Tuesday, August 14, 2007

A Month Passes Quickly

I have had great joy in allowing a month to pass without a single post here on The Minorcan Factor (NOT!) I have been fairly busy during this last month of my freedom (i.e. summer) School starts a week from this coming Friday, and believe it or not, I am actually looking forward to it. Yes, a high schooler that actually enjoys learning! Ha ha, we're not as rare as many people think we are. Here's just an update on the happenings in the life of HurricaneTeen in the past month:

Work at the local Publix Supermarket. Where shopping is a pleasure!!
Datil peppers produce nicely.
Datil peppers catch sick.
Datil peppers stop producing.
Volunteering at a camp for people with disabilities.
Sons of Confederate Veterans...Meetings...Cleaning up the Kirby-Smith House
Home-grown okra fried in corn oil.
Pilau.
Minorcan Clam Chowder.
Datil Pepper sauce.
Datil Pepper vinegar.

Any questions as to what culture I come from? No? I guess there never really were.

Right now, though, I am in Hurricane Mode, as I am tracking a Tropical Storm Dean that could threaten Florida as early as next Tuesday...but that is mostly speculation. This time of the year, much of my free time is devoted to tracking tropical sytems...If I began listing all of the websites I use to derive my "homegrown forecasts," it would take you quite some time to go through them. However, Dr. Jeff Masters' (not Minorcan!) blog is a great source for somebody who wants more in-depth scientific information about storms than The Weather Channel or even the NHC Public Advisories provide.

This past month, my family also gave up all hope of selling our house and moving somewhere quieter. I am fine with this, because I was tiring of all the people kicking me out of my house so they could look at it for a few minutes...This is especially undesirable when you are in the middle of cooking a pot of greens.

My parents have taken to my little Datil Pepper enterprise very well, and have agreed to allow me to place a greenhouse in our back yard. This will be very helpful when it comes time to plant this coming November. It will help to keep my seedlings nice and warm till it comes time to sell them in March...My days of lamps and plastic bags are over! Also, I will be able to load that greenhouse up with full-grown plants when I go off to college, keeping them nice and warm on those cold nights when I am not there to baby them.

A new discussion should be coming out from NHC about TS Dean any minute now. It looks weaker than it did this morning, which can be attributed to 15 to 20-knot wind shear, and probably the diurnal minimum. We should see him strengthen overnight tonight and through tomorrow as he moves out of the wind shear and into even warmer waters. This means it is tome for me to depart. Have a good day!

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Cold nights??? Ha. I'll believe it when I see it.

MinorcanMeteorolgist said...

Down in the 20's! Definitely cold enough for Datil Peppers...and definitely cold enough for me.

Anonymous said...

Well I am looking forward to them...this heat is about killing me;-)

Are you excited about your trip on Saturday???

MinorcanMeteorolgist said...

Heat should be gone by the end of september.
Warmth should be gone by the end of November.
Trip on Saturday will be awesome. I hope to get some pictures and post about it on here.

SophieMae said...

How exciting to be setting up a greeenhouse for your datils! If we end up not selling, I'd like to have one for all those tropicalesque plants I've been missing.

How do you like your Publix job? I've heard it's a really good place to work.

Much as we need the rain, I'm hoping the 'canes don't come our way. My Tampa trip is all set for the first week of Septenmber. I need this vacation! 8-}

R.Powers said...

HT,
If you start your datil enterprise, don't forget the feed stores in the spring. Roberts Feed used to buy all my dad's extra plants and even contracted with him for some.
$$Kaching, kaching$$.

Paintsmh said...

WOW...He is alive. Amazing.

MinorcanMeteorolgist said...

sophie - That greenhouse will make your pockets lighter, that's for sure...But make sure it's a good one, or it won't even be worth using....Publix is a fine place to work, but after two and a half years, I am ready to move on to something bigger and better.

FC - Oh, I won't forget, ha ha! I was in Harry's Curb Mart the other day, and bought some fresh Datils from them to send to a lady up in Oregon. I was going to ask them whether they wanted another supplier, but it was kind of busy...I'll catch em another time.

paint - I know...But I have had literally nothing interesting happen to me recently. I did just take a trip on the Suwannee river, though, and I'll write that up for you! I also need to go on through my blogroll and catch up on them.

Sharon said...

Publix? You mean you could have been helping me with my groceries all this time and I didn't know it? :) School starts tomorrow, hope you have a great year.

MinorcanMeteorolgist said...

sharon - I probably have helped you out at some point...I associate with so many people in one day (thousands!) that it's hard to remember...Look for the minorcan-looking one :-0