Still Planting

After three unbearably hot days in which I hid in the house with a small air conditioner in the back bedroom, fans going at high speed to rush some of the cool air into the living room, I sat and slept off and on in my recliner. It was so hard to breathe so I took the easy way out, I dozed off. When awake I read a book. Make that two books.

Today it was beautiful out and tonight the breeze is blowing through the window in the living room and feels delicious on my arms. The patio door is also open to get the cross breeze, but for how long depends on our visiting skunk. He got us good the other night and I've been spraying the house and porch down with the hose, trying to dilute the perfume a bit.

I seem to be the one who deals with the skunks. Hubby won't go near the back door for fear one will be sniffing around and plug him. I can't help it, I get so tickled when he gets upset with me. He swears that it will get through the screen. Now the raccoons, maybe. But the skunk will just leave his calling card and walk smugly away. I can't believe it, the cat just attacked the door and hubby with his trusty flashlight quickly got up and shut the door. There goes my cross breeze.

Today while sitting at the table on the patio, I was considering planting two new flats of bright pink and fushia bordered petunias, when I looked up and saw a young deer, right at the opening of the woods to our yard. He stood and watched me for minutes while I sat quietly and enjoyed every second. Deer are my favorite animals and they come often to visit us with their babies. We feed them through the rough winter months and they are like family. Such gentle creatures.

The weather forecast is for rain tomorrow and the next day and the next. Great for planting in between storms. We have a nice overhang to our house and I can place all the potted plants under it and they will be safe from drowning. At least it will be cool and I'm looking forward to that. It also keeps down the bees and I definitely can appreciate that blessing.

I bought a Crock Pot yesterday and am cooking my first meal in it tonight. I'm doing the six hour menu at a higher temperature and hope my roast of pork and veggies come out okay. I will have to stay up mighty late in order to shut it off when done. I think I had brain fog when I started it but I will learn to time things better the next time. I just thought it would be great to cook and still have a cool kitchen during the hot summer. Silly girl, I'm kind of old to be trying new things so late in the evening. I made my first mistake when I took it out of the box tonight to look at it. I'll learn.

Yum, something is beginning to smell mighty good. It's almost 11 P.M. and it still has two hours to go. Oh what have I done? I think I'd better take a quick nap and wake up in time to put it in the fridge once it has turned off and cooled. I usually wake up at 4:45 A.M. so I think I am safe. It will most likely still be hot so I won't worry. The next time I will know better and plan my time more wisely. Famous last words.

Wasn't this post about planting?

Let's Hope I Actually Post This One

It seems as if my domain has been taken over by an unusually large squirrel population. Not uncommon since I live in the woods, but I now think they outnumber the trees and that's saying somthing.

I wrote in my journal both yesterday and the day before but seemed to get into trouble trying to post them. They just disappeared!?! I became so frustrated because two posts in two days is a bit much. I'm hesitant about writing today but will give it a good try.

We had some excitement in our little hole in the woods. Two nights ago in the middle of the night, an awful sound woke my husband. He was sleeping in the living room recliner and was out like a light. He said it sounded as if a bullet had hid the door and the cat was acting up something fierce. He was not anxious to go see what it was about so shined his flashlight on the door. There was a huge white skunk there trying to claw up the screen. The cat was letting it know he was on her territory and poor hubby was a bit shaken up. Darn, I missed out on all the excitement. I told him it wasn't trying to get in but he insisted it was. Now I'm thinking it might have been rabid because that is definitely unusual behavior for a skunk. Excuse me, I mean HUGE skunk. Eventually it ran off, the cat calmed down and hubby went back to sleep. It's a good thing he keeps that trusty flashlight beside the chair. I would have loved to have seen it all.

We went to Home Depot to get a few things hubby needed and the place was full of birds. I was enchanted and a bit tickled to see them pecking open bags of bird seed. Nothing like a serve yourself and eat restaurant. No waiting in lines, nor paying the bill and tip. You did have to be careful of those flying overhead though. They eat and empty in that order. They were chirping and flying around and some were singing their little hearts out. I was enthralled of course. Inside there were birds in every department but most were in the gardening area. The employees take it in stride but do warn shoppers to be careful they don't leave with droppings. I think we should wear broad brimmed hats in there just to be safe.

We also went to Walmart to buy more plants. Hubby loved the tall purple salvia and I told him he would have to dig up the yard to plant them since they are perennials and we want to place them in front of a stone wall to set it off. I will sit and watch since I did all the planters and I can coach him on how far apart to set them. He feels as long as they are in the ground they are okay. He hasn't learned about symmetry.

The little chipmunks are playing catch up and I see a squirrel sneaking under the patio chair looking for goodies. They know I don't put the peanuts out there any longer because they made the worst messes with the shells. You'd think they would carry them off the patio and ditch them but no, they are smash and grab critters.

I have been up all night and am getting tired. I don't dare go to bed now or I won't sleep again tonight. I seem to have my days and nights mixed up for some reason. Most likely because working outside in the fresh air made me tired and when I came inside to sit a bit, I fell asleep and slept for hours at a time. It's no wonder I'm all discombobulated.

I wish I could remember what I wrote about the past two days because there seems to be a lack of something to this post. Perhaps because I feel like a zombie and nothing is quite clicking in my brain.

Oh, big news! I planted my Morning Glories Sunday evening after soaking the seeds overnight. The very next morning I was out checking on them to see if something magically popped up overnight. No way so I kept checking them and on the 4th day, there they were, three little shoots with two leaves each. Yesterday there were 12 and I can't wait to see what today holds in store. I know, exciting and heady stuff isn't it? Oh well, simple things amuse and delight me.

My kitchen table is a mess and I have company coming today so I must put on my cape and speed clean the kitchen. Hubby said he would vacuum since I trip over the hose so much so that will be a big help. The table top will be carried off to different parts of the house and quickly wiped down. Then I can go through all the boxes and bags at my leisure. LOL, those who know me know I speak the truth. I have been going through mail, shredding and filing. It just doesn't end but I do.

I hope we are in for a good day even without sun. It will be a cool day and I can accomplish more after company leaves. Yes, and I know I will promptly fall asleep as soon as the back of my legs hit my recliner.

I had no intention of writing today because of all the planting I did yesterday. The back and legs scream out "NO!", but this lovely saying above convinced me otherwise.

The sun is out and it is beautiful. I have been lazily watching a little chipmunk as he goes willy-nilly from one rock to another. I am all out of peanuts but he continues to look for those I usually hide for him and his brothers. I bought marshmallows instead to satisfy a need in me. My body must need sugar, at least that's how I see it. Marshmallows aren't something that comes to mind when shopping. I think last summer is the last time I bought them, to make s'mores of course. Now I must make a trip after my work is done to pick up peanuts.

I was so tired last night and didn't know which hurt to attend to so I did the smart thing and went to bed early. I think I was out as soon as my head hit the pillow. Now I must go outside and finish up the planters. They look so nice and perky this morning whereas they were pretty sad looking last night with all the dirt and water on them. Try as I might, I couldn't keep the water from settling on the blooms and they dragged under the weight. But I knew that the morning sun would perk them up and it didn't fail me.

So now, before it gets too late, I must take an allergy pill and go fight the battle again. But this is one battle I am winning and all the gorgeous colors give joy to my soul. I am not a woman who craves much, but I must have my flowers in the warmer months to sooth me each morning when I awake and wobble sleepily to the patio door to gaze upon the day. I can't wait for the hummingbirds and butterflies to spy this bounty and my camera will be ever ready on the kitchen table, right next to the patio door.

And now I must end today's journal and get myself going. Once the heat becomes intense, I am useless. I wish a great day to one and all, a day filled with flowers. They truly are a delight to the eye and bring joy and inspiration to my days.

Making Precious Memories

Holding the Setting Sun

'Every day you must arise and say to your heart, I have suffered enough and now I must live because the light of the sun must not be wasted, it must not be lost without an eye to appreciate it.' - Simone Schwartzbart

It's So Dark Out

I just happened to pop up from bed this morning thinking I had an appointment today and had over slept. It was 4 A.M. and still dark out. Talk about confused! No, I didn't have an appointment but in the back of my mind I thought of the car's trunk just crammed with my load of newly purchased plants for my flower boxes. I knew I had to get up and get them out of there so they could breath. And yes, I did go overboard but such a pretty case of 'overboard'. I said to the lady helping me fit them into the car, "I wish I could just drive home with the lid open. All these flowers are glorious and should be seen, not closed up in the trunk." She laughed at me and said, "I'll see you tomorrow." Hmmm, I don't think so. However, there were a few new specimens I'd never seen before and I'm sure they would add height to the box gardens. Yep, she knows me!

Since it's dark I certainly can't describe the day but I can say that with hubby sleeping and the AC turned off to give it a break, it's mighty quiet in here. Of course I hear the droning of my fridge as it chugs along. That sound certainly isn't new. The fans are gently whirring, waiting to be turned on high as soon as it starts to get warm without the AC on. I just get so tired of all the noise, my mind needed a break also. Did I mention I'm not that much in love with noise?

Gee, I'm also questioning new sounds I haven't heard before, like some banging from outside. Perhaps an early wood pecker breaking in on the soothing quiet. I love it but can now hear the ice maker kicking in and depositing ice cubes for my ice water. The ice cube container has to be shared with hubby's pop sickles so I have put a divider in it. LOL, sometimes it's quite a sight when he overloads his side with his bounty and all my ice cubes go over the top and down into the fridge. Then I must turn off the ice maker until there's room for the ice! It's a good thing I can drink cold water from the faucet.

I don't hear the birds at all. I guess it must be too early for them. For me too to be truthful. I tried to go back to bed and get some extra Zzzzzzzzzz, but my mind wouldn't calm down and let me. At least I can write in my blog without any disturbances and finish before too late in the day. And I can also unload my bounty being held prisoner in the dark car trunk. I just have to wait a little longer for the day light to catch up to me.

This is about it for now. I have to rescue my prisoners and get dressed, in that order. It is getting light out and I can make my way to the car. I forget what the weather is for today so must find a safe place for them. If it's sunny and hot, they will wilt, if it rains they will be beaten down. For sure, it's time I move my carcass and get it done. with a car short, my son has to borrow mine. I don't think he'd appreciate a trunk full of flowers and neither would I after spending so much time choosing just the right ones. Yesterday I had a trunk full of lawn chairs I had forgotten about so had no room for the flowers. Oh well, back home again to unload only to go to the nursery and reload. What a waste of gas. I certainly didn't "go green" and I hope I wasn't spotted by the "green police."


Have a happy day! I intend to.

Another Sunny Day, Joy!

Joy oh Joy, the birds are back and singing. It didn't take them long to find the fully loaded feeders after their being empty for long. I think they must have been waiting in the trees, just bursting to pounce on the feeders and fill their greedy little bellies.

Yesterday we took a drive to find flowers for the planters and it was mighty windy and the car was bombarded with all the tree droppings and those little dry things that look like tiny airplanes which dive bombed us the whole trip. No wonder people are having problems with allergies and respiratory conditions. Clinics and doctors are pretty busy keeping up with it all.

With the wind and the closed in area at Home Depot, it was like a wind tunnel and cold. Snapping leaves of the larger plants smacked me in the face a few times and when one tree like specimen slashed me in the ear, I settled for garden shopping outside at Stop and Shop. So brave am I. (Smile).

We bought lots of good stuff at Agway. Huge bags of bird seed and larger bags of something or other for dusting our lawn to get rid of grub worms (eek, you can see their teeth close up). Not really but they sure are ugly looking buggers. Also something in a long cone shaped thingy with the word Peanut on the label to stick in the holes made by the moles or voles. They eat it and die. Slaughter, slaughter the darn devils! They have made our yard, both front and back a literal obstacle course. One looks like a drunken sailor when trying to transverse one end to the other.

Bird feeders have been moved closer to the house and the long Shepard like posts will be used for hanging pots of colorful flowers. On the bad side though, on windy days those baskets are heavy and will be like an arsenal to anyone close by. Usually we take them down when it is fierce out. Saves on broken windshields and such.

Hubby just made a charity run with son to the auto dealership's service department. Car won't start and our expert is in Florida now. Things just seem to go to pot all at once with our cars. Two in the garage this week and now this one that is our DIL's. Of course it must be worked on by certified mechanics. Our son is just a shade tree mechanic but he has changed transmissions, welded in new steel paneling, etc. for years now. Our garage is always full of trucks belonging to friends and we must wait our turn for our vehicles to be looked at. I'm losing patience at this point. Number two son is out of range and we miss his expertise. Oh, enough about vehicles not operating. That seems to be our whole life here in the boonies. Bird song and the aroma of oil and gasoline.

I just had to stop my complaining to put a warm pair of socks on. Cold feet, warm heart. That's true if you believe it. I say cold feet, miserable mood and yet sometimes I'm just too lazy to get thy butt up from the seat to find a pair set aside for winter mornings in Connecticut's Spring. We certainly have had some cold nights and real cool mornings. I think we will go from winter to summer and spring will just be a memory from now on. It seems to follow that way the past few years or else I have some memory loss.

My burgundy clematis are wide open this morning and showing their bright yellow centers. They look like beautiful stars and I need to take pictures before they are no longer. A beating rain would just do them in.

I did plant my morning glories last night before dark. I was already out this A.M. checking on them to see if they were somehow peeking above the soil. When I see Jack from the Beanstalk I will know they are okay and need staking. I did that last year and ended up with so many vines I had to tie some together and string them up to a post. Just beautiful until we left for a week and they didn't get any water. The hot sun just baked them. Needless to say, my heart was broken.

Well, I better get dressed and go to another nursery to find a few more plants in colors that please me most. Mauve, purples and bright fuchsia. I also have to find some white trailing things (I used to know the names of all these plants but somehow I have lost them) that look beautiful as they fill out the boxes. I'll remember the name after I get off the computer. Vinca Minor is also a graceful trailing plant that looks lovely in the planter boxes. It just adds so much to the effort.

I will take pictures when I am done with all this planning and add it to a post. It is a shame they are all annuals, but they are instant color and I need instant gratification. Plus with some in bloom I can move them all around until I get just the effect I want and then I plant them with high hopes for a beautiful color display. Made especially for the hummingbirds and butterflies, and for my delight also.

Happy day!

Where Have I Been?

Well, I guess I have fallen back into my bad habit of never completing what I have started. I really thought this would be a cinch for me but it has turned out to be a chore. I guess it must be spring fever even though our weather is more like winter.

Allergies have taken up most of my time and energies. All the beautiful trees now have leaves of varying shades of green, but the pollen is still bad and I find I must stay inside most of the time. Even with allergy medication, I had to go to the eye doctor who put me on eye drops because the allergy med doesn't have enough antihistamine in it. This is a new thing for me! What is happening to our world?

I have noticed the birds have stopped coming to visit and wondered what the problem was. The problem was and is, my hubby hasn't filled the feeders in two weeks. His morning ritual has fallen by the wayside as the feeders are hard to get to with all the walled levels and the ground is full of holes where the moles, voles or whatever have set up house keeping. One fall and it could mean a hip or worse. Time to move the feeders in closer to the house.

Since I've been cooped in the house I have decided to go through all the boxes of pictures we have stuffed away all these years. Some of the babies defeat my memory. Why or why didn't I put names and dates on the back of the pictures?! Of course I never meant to get older and now notice my memory is slipping away little by little. With so very many pictures, whichever I have forgotten I have others that replace them and are much easier to recognize. Of course the old cameras didn't help any with the black and white film and the fading. Many I just need to toss because my children and grand children won't have any idea who they are or even care long after I'm gone. I just wish I had asked more questions of my parents so I could pass on information that the children might need or want to know someday.

I think I need a flower boost. That's what's ailing me. Cold nights and cool days and not a flower planted yet. I did soak my Morning Glory seeds last night so as soon as it warms up some I will get out and plant those. I will enjoy checking on them each day to watch their progress. I think I will do up long planters with cascading petunias in fuchsia, deep purple, white and pink to brighten up the walls and my spirit. I am always happy around flowers and petunias are safe because I am not allergic to them. I will also plant some Heliotrope for their light and lovely scent of baby powder, and its changing shades of pale hyacinth blue to the deeper variations of purple.

At present my Clematis is in full bloom and had so many buds I was anxious to see them open. So much so that I asked my hubby to cut a little 8 inch sprig of leaves from the tree brushing against it in order to save the buds from being knocked off. Hubby did better than that, he cut off a large branch of tree and needless to say, it came down with a crash and landed on my beautiful vine full of buds and knocked some completely off. I can't believe how upset it made me. I could have done it myself and should have but couldn't handle the lopping shears. Oh well, I'm learning.

He is the same beau who continually mowed down my mom's lilacs every year while trying to be helpful. She warned me about his not knowing a weed from a flower. Now we have all kinds of little oaks sprouting up which have ROOTS that go on forever. I have and will continue to have a tug of war with them for some time to come. The plants were pulled out since he didn't realize they would eventually flower. The tiny tree starts looked important to him. At least we got rid of all the spearmint that was overtaking our yard. Now I know you plant the mint family in pots.

I think I will buy some nice silk flowers and spray them with a preservative to hold their color and sneak them in any empty looking spots. As soon as I plant a beautiful fully blooming addition, I step back and admire it for the day. The next morning the plant is gone, pulled down through a hole in the ground. Others get chewed off at the very bottom of the stem. The only thing that has lasted through the winter and is now filling out is my Mother's Day Butterfly Bush which for some reason, nothing out there seems to find it tasty.

Sssh, the sun is now out and it is supposed to be cool, a nice day for planting. Now I have to get my butt in gear and go to the nursery to buy my flowers. I'm excited and leery about that part. I always tend to over buy and my back suffers for days as I try to get everything planted before they die. I will reign myself in though, I promise. Like I did last year and all the years before them. The only thing I really have going for me now is I have learned to plant flowers in pots and decorated planters. My stone walls will look beautiful but the rest of the yard I can no longer get to. Oh well, it really doesn't matter in the overall scheme of things.