I find this so annoying.

I find this so annoying.

Facebook said they were switching my profile to "Content Creator" so I wouldn't lose any followers and I was like "Yeah, ok. Most of what I share is original, so I guess that label fits." and I didn't really think anymore about it.

I've never really cared about post stats because I write most of what I write for me. It makes me feel connected and happy to share my life, and if I help anyone else in the process, then that's a wonderful bonus. My friends check in. I'm good.

But now FB is always trying to get me to the "Content Creator" dashboard. And the first thing I see when I come on today is that my reach is down.

Facebook needs to calm down. It's really not that serious. 😂

Some flowers from today.

Some flowers from today.

The first cactus is planted in my yard. Everyone else is in the greenhouse, except for the one tiny white flower. That's in the house on a spider plant. This is the first one I've ever had flower.

Nancy, look at Cubba's eyebrow whisker.

Nancy, look at Cubba's eyebrow whisker. He's doing the same thing Colin did! 😂😂😂

Ooh, I went to the city today! By myself!

Ooh, I went to the city today! By myself!

I checked out the Web Development boot camp in person. I spoke with one of the instructors, and then sat in on a class.

We talked one-on-one for about 45 minutes. He answered all of my questions and I really feel like this would be a good move for me.

They start with HTML and CSS, which I've been familiar with since I was on MySpace. Then they move onto JavaScript and focus on that for a while. I have some familiarity with it, but it's not my strong suit and I'd love to improve. Then they move into a project - creating a website from scratch, which I've never done. This is where it gets exciting and really starts to fill in my gaps.

So I sat in the class for a bit and there was 1 group working on their project in week 11 of 12. These guys were communicating so well about the code and trying different approaches and troubleshooting and I was honestly really impressed. They were pushing and pulling from git with detailed notes, etc.

After a while the instructor asked me what I thought and I said that they were doing great and that I was curious about their backgrounds before starting. All of them said they had no previous experience! I was gobsmacked! Like... This seems like exactly the hands-on experience that I need!

Don't get me wrong:  I love and appreciate my education from JSU, but I feel like it was focused on theory, like this is what a for-loop does and how you write it. This is this language, etc. But nothing actually taught me how to put it all together or what programs to use. I feel like I just need help putting the pieces together and I'll be 💯.

So, I'm pretty excited. I wanna be like the guys I saw working on their project today. Wish me luck!

I made -$71 today...

I made -$71 today (booth fee + a couple of purchases), but I met a lot of great people and had fun, so I'm not upset.

I think my stuff would sell better to a younger crowd, and that's ok. I was also tucked in the back, so I don't think we had the traffic that some of the other vendors might have.

But I still had a good time and no regrets. ❤️

Etsy wants new photos, added videos, etc.

Etsy wants new photos, added videos, etc. I will start on that next week. Getting ready for the show tomorrow, then I'll update whatever I bring back home next week before starting on new stuff.

I still need to update my Polish All the Things page. It's linked to Etsy, but currently only has my nail art on there. I have so much to do! 😬

Caitlin took me to the mall today...

Caitlin took me to the mall today so we could get our steps in and these big guys were in one of the stores. I don't think I'll ever get over seeing these sculptures around. They had to be at least 8 feet tall. You can take one home with you for around $20,000. It's out of my price range, but how cool would it be to have one of these guarding your yard?

 

I've been dealing with a headache that won't go away most of the day, so I'm about to take a migraine pill and call it a night. Hopefully, I'll be normal-ish tomorrow.

But I do have one other good news:  I got the scholarship for the Web Dev program I want to take, so I'm super thankful for that. I don't think I would have been able to go if I had to pay out of pocket for it.

Happy weekend, friends! ❤️

It's been one of those...

It's been one of those "tried my best, but accomplished very little" type of days.

I spent too much time trying to integrate my Etsy shop with my Polish All the Things page, and in the end it didn't even work. Apparently, you could do that last year, but not anymore. I also had to get my Square account switched over to my current last name and bank.

I jumped in with both feet and signed up to do a craft show this weekend. Info on that will be on the page linked above ^ here shortly. I know very few people where I live now, but I'm still gonna put up the event. 😂

I also submitted the scholarship application for the program I'm trying to get into.

I watered a few plants. Made a plant Insta.

That's pretty much all I managed to do today.

Etsy says I need more photos and videos of my stuff. I agree. I have new jewelry displays, so maybe I can make things look fancy and get some new media up this weekend. We'll see.

This is how my plants are looking today.

This is how my plants are looking today. Some teensy flowers and a large one.

Also, I just love fresh cactus spikes! 💚

I feel like I'm amassing too many social media accounts, but if you're interested, I now have a plant Insta:

https://www.instagram.com/blus_botanicals

Fresh spines are so pretty!

Just a few months ago this poor thing had mealy bugs all in its grooves. I painstakingly removed as many as I could, then put a pesticide on it as well as dusted it with diatomaceous earth. It's looking much better now!

I love this big ol' crazy-spines thing!

This is a Madagascar Ocotillo. The large piece in the back needs to be tossed; I think it froze in the sunroom and I don't think it's coming back. I had another piece in the pot that was doing well, but I believe a creature stole it.

My first one of these to ever try to flower!

Little speckled flowers

Bright blooms

Currently working on reopening Polish All the Things...

Currently working on reopening Polish All the Things on Etsy.  I need to get some fresher pics, as well as some videos to show the sparkle (not to mention I need to get creating!), but I gotta start somewhere.

Almost a year in!

Almost a year in! This is one of my favorite parts of the day.

Sweetest girl. We love her so! ❤️

Sweetest girl. We love her so! ❤️

I still don't have a job.

I still don't have a job. I was laid off in April. The market has been terrible. I put in applications every week, and I'm getting rejection letters and no call-backs.

When I started college in 2015, my plan was to go for something well-paying and in-demand. I really took to Math and Computer Science, and I have no regrets about choosing those paths, although I never imagined that due to the economy and AI it would be so hard to find work. It definitely wasn't like this a few years ago.

Anyway, I've been looking around for a path forward and I think I have a plan. There's a program under one of the local colleges that offers a certificate for Web Design. I have some years of experience, but I also have some gaps in my knowledge since I am self-taught. I would feel much better applying for jobs doing that if I took this boot camp, so I'm about to apply.

I also didn't really think through the whole "moving to a new place where I knew no one and then working remotely so that I have no local network," but that's exactly what I did. I just didn't realize it until it bit me in the ass after my layoff. 😬 So going through this program would help me start the process of building a network here on top of honing my skills.

I'm still also really interested in learning Spanish, so I'm considering (perhaps next year, hopefully after I'm working) taking Spanish here. Living in New Mexico, it would be super useful to have more under my belt than what I can get from Duolingo. And if I have a major in it, I would feel confident in my competency.

I don't know. Spanish is more of a long-term goal than immediate, but what is clear to me is that I'm probably not finding a job soon, so I need to be improving myself. I will continue to apply for jobs, but I need to make myself more marketable while doing that. So I'm going to do my best.

Also, in the meantime, I will probably re-open my Etsy shop and list all of the jewelry I've made. I might also start making press-on nails since I have so many nail art supplies. I don't know how popular press-ons are, but I know you can buy unique and even custom sets on Etsy, so I might as well throw my designs in the ring, too.

I hope y'all are doing well. Aside from not having a job, I'm actually doing pretty ok. I've been doing a lot of self-care, which I needed.

Local friends, if y'all have time to hang out, please let me know! ❤️

Some of my plants are making babies!

Some of my plants are making babies. I got a couple more flowers today, too.

This Aloe is so tiny, but it's got a baby sprouting, anyway!

So many little ones!

Another bunch of littles.

An Echeveria flower.

This plant blooms several times a year, and I'm always taken with its weird flower.

This is my first time having one of these flower!

I think this was a cutting that was gifted to me in one of my succulent orders. It's really grown a lot. It's getting bark! That's like, plant puberty, right? 😂

This is what I'm looking like these days.

This is what I'm looking like these days. Freshly showered, longer hair than I've had in ages, new glasses. Nice gray streak going in the front; it reminds me of my MaMaw. Down 15 lbs. Forty-two is feeling pretty good!

Cactus flowers from yesterday and today.

Cactus flowers from yesterday and today. They are so pretty!

Echinopsis hybrid "Pooka"

Echinopsis "Salmon Queen"

Gymnocalycium Baldianum

I took this cute picture of Bear...

I took this cute picture of Bear the same day he needed help out of the pool.

He's getting brave. He almost jumped right in on Shaun today. 😂

I hope my Ponytail Palm was thirsty...

I hope my Ponytail Palm was thirsty, because it just rained for a few hours straight. 😬

I woke up stupid early...

I woke up stupid early with my neck hurting because these two were hogging my pillow.

Scar is such a brat. Always looking so sassy. 😂

The wind is ridiculous right now. 🙃

Edited to add:

The plants are all still standing.

-----

The wind is ridiculous right now. 🙃

I'm concerned that the large rocks I put on my Ponytail Palm won't be able to hold it in the pot. I guess we'll see if it's still standing in the morning. 😬

I rearranged my succulent shelf that's outside.

I rearranged my succulent shelf that's outside.

I had some softer plants (sedums, etc.) out there, but we've got bunnies or squirrels or someone mashing them down. The soft plants look awful, so I'm going to repot the parts that have survived and pamper them in the greenhouse.

Since I know my Agaves can do well in the full summer sun out here, I decided to put them on the shelf instead, as well as my Ponytail Palm (because they're related) and my barrel cactus. They'll all be fine out there; maybe even happier.

That pot of Prickly Pear on the left will get repotted soon. That's just where we were tossing pads that broke off, so it wasn't intentional that they are sitting so low in the pot.

About the Ponytail Palm, I still haven't watered it, but I did clean the brown leaves off. I also put rocks around the base TEMPORARILY because we not only have loads of sunshine, but wind, too. I tried leaving it out in full sun without the rocks, but it blew out of the pot. 😂 It's gotta get rooted and settled before I can remove them.

That weird, long, fuzzy cactus on the top left was a Wal-Mart special around 7 or 8 years back. It was one sad, etiolated piece in a damp pot. It has been super resilient through living indoors with grow lights, 3 moves, and all kinds of me learning the best way to care for it. I hope it's enjoying life now. 💚

We bought this cover for the bench in our bedroom...

We bought this cover for the bench in our bedroom so the cats wouldn't scratch it up.

Adrian decided it has a better use. 😂

Sometimes Bear likes to play Fetch.

Sometimes Bear likes to play Fetch.

And other times... Bear do what he do. 😂🤦🏻🤷🏻

They've got me surrounded and pinned down. 😂

They've got me surrounded and pinned down. 😂

I also had to get these Ephiphyllum's out of the greenhouse.

I also had to get these Epiphyllum's out of the greenhouse. They were burning up!

I read that they often grow in trees, so they like bright light, but also dappled shade. They also enjoy humidity, so that's why they're in my bathroom. It's bright in there; it's a little after 7 pm and this is the light level, unadjusted by my camera. It's also a southeast-facing window, so they'll get a lot of morning light.

I can hang the pot a bit higher if I need to, or cut down our glass film. We put the film up so we could leave the blinds open, but still have privacy. Everything is adjustable, so it's whatever.

The smaller plant seems to be doing ok, but the larger one has some broken leaves from repotting, as well as yellowing from what I'm guessing is too much heat/sun. I'm optimistic that it'll be ok, though.

Tell me you have cats without saying you have cats. 😂

Tell me you have cats without saying you have cats. 😂  I've had to cage this shelf in to secure my plants.

I've had some of my less sun-loving plants in this window, and I've recently had to move my tropical succulents inside because they were getting REALLY sad inside the greenhouse. You can see that the Thanksgiving Cactus (left) and Christmas Cactus (right) both look pretty stressed right now, the Christmas Cactus being worse off.

Hopefully, I moved them in time and a more consistent temperature and moderate amount of sunlight will help them recover. It's a southeast-facing window, so hopefully that will be enough light. If not, I still have grow lights from when I had my whole collection indoors. I don't really want to have to rig lights up, but I'll do what I have to.

I also have my driftwood caged up because Bear is part beaver. I don't know what his fascination with wood is, but he loves to chew it so we have to keep it out of reach.

Y'all, please help me not kill this Ponytail Palm.

Edited:  I posted in a Ponytail Palm group and the concensus there is to not water it yet. I've been told to trim the brown, acclimate it to full sun, and give it a few more weeks before watering since it was in damp soil for who even knows how long. So I guess the plan is to wait. Maybe I'll water on August 1st and just do it monthly from there, since overwatering is my biggest concern.

*****

Y'all, please help me not kill this Ponytail Palm. I've had it for 6 days now, and I haven't watered it. The leaves look (to me) like they could use a drink, though. They're more pointy at the top instead of round, which makes me think they're limp. Also, there is some browning, but I think that's just due to it being shuffled around at the store. There were quite a few torn leaves when I bought it and I didn't prune them off.

Water it, or nah?