Name Three Things - 2021

[Winchester]

C catapault Mmm, I love sour cherries, just to munch on. Happy Birthday!

Busy day yesterday. I cooked for our July 4th dinner. We have enough for leftovers today. I was going to make a cake yesterday for dessert, but decided to get our last apple pie out of the freezer instead. It had to be used. I took it over to my sister’s when we went over to watch fireworks last night. It was good; there is a chunk left for Rick’s mom.

Not much going on today. We are to get into the 90s today, with close to 100 tomorrow. I know I was the one who always said I loved summer, but the humidity is ridiculous. Rick will be doing a bit of garden work. I am going out to the WeShed for awhile.

But first we have to pick up his mom’s Kindle. We’re taking that hunk of apple pie and the last of the cookies to her, too.

And that will be our Monday.

 

[catapault]

Today I should finish pitting sour cherries and package for the freezer.

Need to make an entry for my website. I photographed an emerging banana leaf every day from start to unfurling - it takes just a week in this summer weather.

Starting into growth on June 28


Finished (almost) unfurling on July 4
​

I knew they were quick but had never, in all the years they've been in the garden, actually kept track. And before you ask - yes, they do flower and fruit but very rarely. And the fruit is small and fibrous, basically inedible. I do use pieces of a leaf as a wrap - pulled pork in a slow cooker lined with banana leaves or smaller leaf pieces for shrimp or chicken etc in toaster oven. Just tickles my fancy to grow bananas outdoors, in the ground, in New Jersey.

And my third for Monday is laundry, remake bed, etc.

 

[strider rose]

catch up online awhile
write some letters
go back to my video game

 

[strider rose]

write letters
get caught up online
read while jon is sleeping

 

[Winchester]

Hot and steamy this morning!

I'm sitting back here on the computer, drinking my coffee and listening to my neighbor sneeze. Evidently, he's got something caught! I can't say anything because, when I sneeze? You can hear me on Pluto.

Not too much going on today. We have an issue with the pool, which we think has been caused by the heat. There's a bit of a stain on the bottom, not much, not bad. It's not algae. Rick went to the pool place to see what they thought. They tested the water and that's fine. They gave him some stuff, but, so far, it's not working. We need a new winter cover. Since we have an oval-shaped pool, we have to take our old cover there and they'll measure it for us. We haven't had a new pool cover in about 20 years. The price went up considerably. Oy! (Next time our son visits, we're going to give him a brush and he can go down to the bottom of the pool and try to brush it out. Don't laugh, that guy used to sit at the bottom of our pool and wave to us! It's eight feet at the deep end.)

• Finally made an appt for a hair cut. I go in tomorrow at 3:00. She asked how much length I wanted cut; I told her about five inches. That will take it to right around my shoulders again. And I'm going to drive! First time since I fractured the tibia. Can't drive Clarence because he's stick.
• Must scoop at some point this morning
• Looking around for some new hosta. I'm going to turn the beds by the WeShed into shade gardens because they simply don't get enough sun for perennials to do well. I have four stella d'oro lilies that aren't blooming and I'm going to give them to Rick to plant elsewhere. And specifically look for shade lovers.

 

[catapault]

Winchester For your new shade garden you might want to consider choosing foliage above flowers. Hosta are, after all, chosen mostly for their leaves. Shade tolerant perennials are mostly spring flowering.

Options include
Ferns, for a nice texture contrast to the bold shape of hosta. Japanese painted fern, Athyrium niponicum 'Pictum' is a lovely silver gray. I've used them together with rex begonias that have silver gray leaves - 'Moonlight' is a good choice.

Lungwort, Pulmonaria saccharata, thrives in the shade. Smaller than hosta, silver spotted leaves, will flower in early spring. 'Excaliber' is a cultivar with all silver gray (rather than silver spotted) leaves.

If your hosta are gold edged or gold leaved think about Japanese forest grass, Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola'. Nice linear form to combine with the hosta, clump former, charming - and loves shade.

And if you are relucant to forego flowers, how about Lenten rose, Helleborus orientalis, or Christmas rose, Helleborus niger.

Begonias and impatiens are your best choices for annuals.

Have fun!

 

[Winchester]

C catapault Thank you. Our favorite nursery closes right after the Jul 4th holiday and then re-opens more toward fall. I will check your suggestions out. I think I am looking more at foliage and texture than flowers.

Not much going on today at all. We had t-storms come through last night for several hours. Lost cable for quite a while. Internet was sporadic, going off and coming back. Not as warm, but humidity is still very high. Sticky.

• Did one load of laundry (still scooting down the steps on my butt), stripped the bed and put fresh sheets on. Scooped the boxes, did general straightening in the house.
• Hair appt this afternoon
• Pick up prescription at Target. I made stop somewhere and grab something for dinner on my way home.

 

[miss eveliina]

Not whole lot going on today besides:
Helping out the hubby with some things for his company.
Organizing both garages. They’re a bit unorganized since moving in. I like the fact we have his and hers garages though.
Getting on top of some laundry.
& later on, I will take Augustus (pup) for his walk.

 

[Tobermory]

My car alerted me that I need to check the pressure in the tires. It nags until I actually do something about it. Fortunately, we have one of those little portable mini air compressors (so incredibly handy), so I filled the tires…and stopped the car from harassing me about it.

We then took off for our every-two-week Costco visit. Gosh, it was crowded. Usually on Thursday mornings it’s not bad, but we were a little closer to midday than usual.

I’ve been remiss in not weighing the cats, so everyone got weighed this morning. Iris and Mocha still need to lose about a quarter of a pound each, so I’ll gradually reduce their meals by just a bit and that should do it. Lily was okay.

 

[catapault]

This morning Himself split a cart's worth of firewood, which I helped stack. The end of processing firewood is in sight.

I then went to the IGA before lunch.

Then just after lunch I went to the small family owned orchard and got the first peaches of the season. Cling stone, need a day or two to fully ripen but woo hoo! summertime and local peaches. Doesn't get any better, does it.

Rain, lightening and thunder in the afternoon. Moved the pots of white rain lilies outdoors. This should kick them over into flowering.

And so went my day.

 

[strider rose]

1. pour some more arbor mist wine to sip on
2. play my game and burn some incense for mood affect
3. maybe work on my story some more

 

[artiemom]

Yesterday:
*Regular morning stuff
*Gym---walked 1.25 miles
*Shower
*Errands
*Picked up a box of food from Chewy

Today:
* regular morning stuff
*Gym for weight strengthening-- lowest level of exercises
*Shower
** some things around the apartment
** Decide what to have for supper... perhaps tuna, again.. or PB&J... or popcorn.. or cereal...or salad...
I am not planning on cooking today due to possibility of loosing electricity.

Elsa is beginning to hit Massachusetts. I am not sure if Comcast will go down. Too late but have to check emergency stuff. Tropical Storm is hitting around late morning, so I will have light.
I hope the electricity stays on. The cable and internet going out is actually ok; but not the electricity.

 

[Winchester]

artiemom I hope your power stays on. Stay safe!

Love my hair! She took almost 7 inches. I feel so much better. She trimmed the layers, too, so my waves are back. I like! The very bottom inch or two is still that lighter strawberry blonde. Everything else is white and silver. Another six months or so and the grow-out will be complete. Should have done it years ago.

• I have a blueberry buckle in the oven
• Must load Rick’s mom’s Kindle with 5 audiobooks from the library
• We are visiting with Rick’s mom this afternoon (that’s why I made the buckle; she said she hasn’t had anything blueberry-y in a while. )

 

[artiemom]

Winchester , From what I can see at 11:45 AM, it is a torrential rainstorm. Yes, it is windy, but we have had worst. The Rain is torrential. I take it there is a ton of flooding, all over. As I am writing this, the rain is increasing in strength, along with the wind.

 

[strider rose]

wake up some more while catching up online
write some letters
maybe do some other stuff

 

[strider rose]

get caught up online a little while
write some letters
get things ready to go for laundry day tomorrow morning

 

[MonaLyssa33]

Today I worked on my thesis paper, then to take a break I went to weed my garden and realized it would be easier if I mowed the lawn, so I did that. I then weeded my garden a little bit. Because I was all sweaty and gross from being outside, I decided to stay sweaty and gross and work on finishing up painting my basement. I did first coats for two walls and a second coat for another wall. I have maybe 4 walls left to paint and then the stairwell too. I'm doing three different colors, so I haven't completely decided which of the colors I'm going with for the remaining walls.

 

[catapault]

It's not that hot but very humid and unpleasant outside. None the less, Himself went out and split the last of the firewood from the big dead ash we had taken down. I helped stack it. So that's done. At least for now.

Stripped our bed and sheets are in the washer, about to be transferred to the dryer. At least two more loads of laundry to do today.

Thinking of making lemonade concentrate today. Good stuff!

 

[Winchester]

We had a bad t-storm last night. Fortunately we didn’t lose any trees, but neighbors did. There was a huge, white flash, followed by a crack of thunder that could wake the dead. Shook the house and echoed across the valley. Scared the poor girls; Tabby must have jumped in the air about six inches and then started walking around in circles. Thankfully, that was the only really bad strike. It was nasty. The wind did knock some of the corn down, but Rick was able to fix it.

Doctor appt this afternoon. I am so hoping that I can say “Good-bye crutches!” We have already made plans for tomorrow, to hit a farmers’ market in southern PA. First time we’ve been to this one. I’ve heard a lot of good things about it….one thing everybody says is that it is packed all day long.

Nothing else going on today, other than the appt with the ortho-weenie.

 

[strider rose]

got starz canceled on the hubbys account and also deleted his account upon his request
write some letters
play my game