Back in April, I ordered a few vegetables from Burpee.com with the intention of building a big garden.  The “big” in my mind was larger than what my yard and time would allow, so we only ended up planting four tomato plants in pots, and then a 4′x6′ plot of soil with several sweet potato plants.

It’s a good thing I didn’t try to plant more than the potatoes because they rather took over the small garden.  The largest vines were 10′-12′ long and snaked into a nearby shed, across the air conditioner, and up a neighboring crape myrtle tree.  But, at least we knew they weren’t dead.

My wife and I weren’t really sure what to expect from the harvest or when to expect to sample a few.  But, two weeks ago she almost literally stumbled across the biggest sweet potato I’ve seen.  And, in light of the first potential freeze of the year, I harvested the rest of them yesterday.

Two big ole mamma-jammas and several smaller normal sized potatoes came out of the ground.  I’m not sure if this is a good yield or not (since I didn’t save the planting instructions), but it will feed us for a few meals along side a good cut of beef.

That’s just a readers digest version of the description…you can read more about it at their website, evernote.com.

I’ve been using Evernote since April, and have found it very useful for storing webpages as I’m surfing, particularly when I’m shopping for something and want to be able to compare items.  In my opinion, it’s easier than creating bookmarks to different pages, because Evernote’s search function is so powerful.

Today, however, I realized one of the best ways I can use Evernote.  In church, of all places.

The sermon today was particularly intense.  Perhaps because it was my first time back at church in a while due to traveling for work, but it was probably due more to the fact that Craig, our pastor, got off the manuscript a bit and as he puts it, he “preaches from the heart”.  As he was telling his story, I found myself wanting to make sure I could recall some of the scripture verses he was preaching about.

Hope Pres passes out sermon notes each week pertaining to the topic of the day.  I’ve kept some of these notes over the years, but when I clean up the “clutter” around my desk occasionally, these notes often get tossed out.  The referenced Bible verses may get highlighted in my Bible, but the significance and related sermons are sometimes lost since I’m not too good at remembering everything.

That’s when it hit me…Evernote can provide the method of storing and retrieving these sermon notes and passages.  It only takes a few seconds to scan the bulletin to a pdf file, and then clip it to my Evernote app.  After it’s in Evernote, I’m able to type in a specific word and it pulls up the sermon note(s) that contain that word.  Also, tagging helps if searching for a specific topic.

I’ve also set up a new shared Evernote folder, which has it’s own link so I can share it with friends.

• It requires your child to think.  It’s a problem solving series where the reader is trying to figure out the secrets behind one (or maybe THE) most power families in the world.  Clues are revealed in the books along with the other media (see below).
• Each book is accompanied by a set of cards that offer hints to the 39 clues.  I also think you purchase additional cards separate from the books.
• Your child can register and “play” online.  Card management, user interfaces, and a personalized profile offer your child the chance to work on the computer in a constructive manner.
• New books are released every three months.  Probably more of a marketing scheme to keep the interest up, but it sounds a little better than the frequency at which Harry Potter, Star Wars, and some of the other popular series of books and movies are released.  Your child won’t run out of reading material for quite a while (September, 2010).

Personally, my child is a little too young to enjoy these, but it certainly looks interesting for a young one with an active imagination and a desire to read.

I enjoy trains.  My father started me off with a model railroad when I was small.  It was fun building it, but the interest didn’t last long as I grew up and my time was spent elsewhere.  About two months before my son was born, I decided to start building a layout for him.  Anticipating it would be several years before he’s able to fully enjoy it, I work on it occasionally, and usually when it’s too cold to go outside and/or when I need a little quiet time with a beer and some country music.

My son and my nephew both enjoy Thomas the Tank (and Friends).  We can spend hours playing on the floor building different routes, tunnels, mountains, etc.  I suppose most dads and kids do this.  Nothing special there, I suppose.

But, the real subject behind this post is a conversation I had with two coworkers last week while sitting at dinner.  Both are a bit older than I, and they both work as a “pasttime” rather than out of need (or so they say).  They each have another hobby that they could fall back on if they wanted to quit or ever lost their job.

One of them has a plan that especially caught my interest.  His “backup plan” is a rather rare collection that could fetch some cash if sold, but he really wants to travel the country/continent as a train engineer.  That, to me, sounds like an awesome idea.

I’m sure, depending on where the particular route traveled, you would be able to see some spectacular countryside that is normally not seen by most people.  Untouched and beautiful.  A perfect opportunity to practice ( a lot) my photography, make some cash, and travel all at the same time.

In doing a bit of research, I found this recent article, which was published as a result of the recent train crash in California.  Rather basic, but it’s a good start.  Considering I’ve got a few more years until retirement, there’s plenty of time for more detailed research.

So, add “Train Engineer” to my list of Retirement Careers.

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