Happy Earth Day. I hope that the weather is such that you can get outside and enjoy our planet today. In that vein, I wanted to share a magnificent photo by J. Picot via Anthony Sider – @BudgetDude on X – that celebrates our Earth.
Yesterday’s yard project was weeding and pruning the middle 8-foot brick planter in a trio that runs between our front yard and the top of our driveway.
Today I’ll tackle the 3rd of the trio of planters, trying to make it look like ‘someone cares’ instead of ‘the people moved away,’ as it looks now.
Enjoy your day.
Filed under Gardening, holidays, Mother Nature
Thanks to Enez Ozen on X
Filed under Blog Repost - Wonderful Posts, video
“The End”
Filed under Nick Mackman Animal Sculpture, sculpture
When I see a yard, I imagine what it would look like with lots of flowers blooming all around, bringing color, wonderful scents, and joy. When David Zinn sees a sidewalk or a concrete wall, he sees characters telling their stories. I love spending time in his world.
Filed under David Zinn - Street Artist, drawings
This is a line of three 8-foot-brick planters that divide the top of our driveway area from the front yard. There are lot of perennials in there, but they are in a death fight right now with the weeds that have exploded in the last few weeks.
My husband always looks at things, throws up his hands and announces the weeds have won, there is NO way the flowers can have survived, we might as well just burn it all and start over. (This is only ONE of the reasons that HE mows the grass and I handle the flowers.)
Yesterday I weeded the first of the three planters. I cut back the rose bushes, cut out a lot of dead stuff, weeded, and then cut the overgrown greenery from the irises and the Stella de Oro flowers at the opposite end of the planter from the taller rose bush. Things are much better now. In fact, when I insisted my husband come and ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ last night, he was ‘astonished’ (his word) at the difference. :0)
Here’s another view of that planter.
Here is today’s project – the middle 8-foot planter.
A little daunting at the moment, but I’ll tackle this as soon as I finish writing the blog posts for the day.
I hope that your weather is such that you can spend time outside, soaking up a bit of sunshine, breathing in the air, and enjoying life.
Filed under Gardening
So far, things are good. Something was eating my spinach and lettuce, so I mixed and sprayed EIGHT on all the veggie plants earlier this week. I love that stuff because it’s safe for humans and our pets, but kills the pests.
Here you can see the holes in the spinach leaves. Hopefully, I’ve now stopped the pests at least for a while.
I’ll probably do some harvesting of spinach and lettuce later today.
Here are 4 tomato plants along with a few more spinach and lettuce plants. I’m see several yellow blossoms on the tomato plants now.
This is the other tomato planter with another 4 plants. I nipped off suckers and cut off branches that touched the ground earlier. I need to make sure all the branches are supported well. This can change from day to day, and growth can happen quite suddenly, so I want to stay on top of things before I can’t manipulate the branches through the cages anymore.
Filed under Gardening, Square Foot Gardening - Raised Beds
I’m having a small “moan-and-whine” session over our coming weather. I got outside yesterday when the light rain stopped and managed to weed one brick planter. The weather was PERFECT for weeding – cool with a light breeze and cloudy. Today through Tuesday of next week is supposed to be nice, as well, so I’m really happy about that. I need to spend a lot of time in the yard trying to get things weeded and pruned, plus tending our veggie garden.
Wednesday, though, things fall apart big time. Showers and thunderstorms start then and continue through Sunday, May 5th, with only one day showing sunny. ONE!
UGH. Hopefully this rain won’t be non-stop, and I’ll be able to get out there and get things done in-between, but the forecast as a whole is pretty grim.
I’ll try to work around the weather, getting things as under control as possible. I’m going to walk around the yard now and take some pics to share with you.
Happy Sunny Sunday!
Filed under Mother Nature
“Sculptor Warren King has been recreating residents of a small village in China, where his grandparents grew up, for several years now.” – ERICA, author of article at HonestlyWTF.com
He uses only cardboard and glue to make these life-size sculptures. His goal is to re-create and honor 200 people.
Warren King’s Cardboard Sculptures – article by Erica, HonestlyWTF.com
Hahahahahaha! I don’t really feel like this, but I LOVE the artwork and the sentiment. :0)
It’s dark and rainy here in my part of Arkansas this morning, so I’m switching to inside activities. I was planning to weed at least one flower planter, but Mother Nature has decided that we need rain. And the week ahead looks particularly rainy, with chances for rain starting Wednesday and continuing through the following Monday, the 29th. We may need a boat!
I may spend today with a combination of laundry and wood burning, a nice combination of ‘should’ and ‘want to’ for the day. I have ideas for a couple of plaques I would like to make for some good friends. I’m still experimenting with what tip does what with the wood burning tool, so progress is very slow, but it’s fun to be trying to do something completely out of my comfort zone.
I hope that you have a happy Saturday in store.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
Filed under Favorite Things
ML is always up even before the crack of dawn. If sunrise came at around 8am, I would be up to greet the day, too… :0)
She combines love of sunrises with a good walk, a really good thing I would like to emulate, as well, because I know my body would thank me – eventually.
We have received beautiful sunrises and have gotten to watch some sandpipers skittering around on the sand. Life just couldn’t be much better.
A beautiful gift from a very nice lady. I hope it was relaxing to HER, as it was to ME. Thanks, ML.
SALE!!!!!!!!! Prices for everything on the site have been lowered until after Mother’s Day, May 12th. Hurry to get the best selection!!!!!
The cold front came through last night. It’s 58 outside and quite overcast right now. I can’t see that we got any rain, though, and the dreaded ‘large hail’ did not materialize, for which I’m very grateful. I’ll be washing sheets today so they’ll be ready if they’re needed again.
I woke this morning to find my husband was up and dressed, but sleeping in his recliner. That means he didn’t sleep well last night, so I’m trying to be as quiet as I can to let him rest as much as he can.
Getting older is the pits – although the alternative is pretty grim. I have two small ouchies from yesterday: one, where I nipped my finger when I was trying to close and over-center glass container, giving me an impressive blood blister and bruise, and two, when a rose bush bit me while I was weeding the planter. We get to the point around here where we have so many ouchies we can have a contest as to who has the “largest,” “most impressive,” or “most numerous,” kind of like the awards given for floats in a parade.
The ‘getting-bitten-by-the-rose-bush’ was in a good cause. I got the weeds out of two of our rose bush planters yesterday, plus pruned the dead stuff off the bushes.
I have several brick planters in serious need of attention around the yard. I’ll try to get at least one under better control today.
I told you I gained two pounds when I ate some potato chips recently. You would have thought I swallowed bricks. I didn’t even eat a LOT of chips, but the damage was done. I got one of the pounds off this morning, and hope to get rid of the 2nd one tomorrow.
I wish you a wonderful day and a great weekend to come.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
I saw this this morning, loving it. I couldn’t find an artist’s name or other credit – not at all unusual on Pinterest – but there WAS a discussion going on as to whether this was actually created by a person or if it were AI.
I’m kind of ambivalent about the whole question of artificial intelligence. I don’t like that it is being used evil-ly to gain money by duping the ‘audience,’ stealing credit for an artist’s work, being used to manipulate public opinion for nefarious reasons, versus something like this, where I equate it – if it IS, indeed, AI – with the same creativity I give people credit for when they create something on the computer, rather than actually painting on canvas. It’s still very creative, and I still love it for the creativity and skill.
It will be a challenge, increasingly, to determine what is real and what is not – and checking sources will become paramount before we take any action.
I told you a while back that we discovered, after taking our sweet Abby to the vet, that she has a large, inoperable tumor on one kidney, plus numerous other problems due to being 13. Some people have asked how she is.
I’m happy to say she is holding her own. The tumor and the problems resulting from that will only get worse, but so far, she seems to be doing amazingly well. I bring her in daily when I can make time to sit and hold her. This is our ‘cat-loving-time’ and we both enjoy every minute.
It’s amazing that, as much time and love we have shared over the years, Abby has never been a cat who PURRED. She looks very happy when she is petted, but she is silent. Since our new-normal, she has suddenly decided to be a more normal cat. I can FEEL her purring, and sometimes I can even HEAR her. It’s wonderful for both of us. She is still eating fine and doesn’t seem to be in any pain.
My SIL is driving home today from a few well-deserved days at the beach. She’s been kind enough to share some pics of sandpipers and gorgeous sunrises so we can share in her vacation vicariously. I’ll have more to share tomorrow. Safe trip, ML.
Enjoy your day.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
Things are looking good so far in our garden this year. Yesterday I harvested, cleaned, and packaged spinach and lettuce. I fertilized, then mixed and sprayed EIGHT bug killer to hopefully get rid of whatever is eating the leaves. Finally, I watered.
By the time I came in, even though I hadn’t been out there too long, I was wringing wet – I guess due to the humidity. I took a shower, got a big glass of ice water and did some serious relaxing.
The forecast is for possible severe storms this afternoon and evening – with the threat of large hail – so I’ll cover up the three planters mid afternoon.
Before that today, though, I’ll try to get outside to tend our tomato plants. I’ve read that pinching off – or clipping off – the ‘suckers’ (the little branches that sprout in the middle of the “Y” of two branches) will increase the tomato yield and keep the plant healthier. Also, snipping off any branches or leaves touching the ground, plus any below 12 inches as the plants continue to grow. The plants really grow fast when the temperature, sun, and watering are right, so I’ll need to pay attention to keep up with the 8 plants.
I hope that you’re enjoying some nice weather where you are.
Filed under Gardening, Square Foot Gardening - Raised Beds
“A well trained dog will make no attempt to share your lunch. He will just make you feel so guilty that you cannot enjoy it.” – Helen Thomson
“You can trust your dog to guard your house but never trust your dog to guard your sandwich.” – Unknown
“No home decor is complete without dog hair.” – Unknown
“The best therapist has fur and four legs.” – Unknown
“Every snack you make, every meal you bake, every bite you take…I’ll be watching you.” – Unknown
Rio Samba Roses, various iris, and Mama and Baby Snails we made.
More Rio Samba roses, and the pretty purple perennial I don’t know the name of.
Azaleas and iris
Some of our flowers are blooming nicely now. It makes me happy to walk around the yard and see a lot of blooms, plus buds. Everything needs weeding, pruning, hacking down, etc., all around the yard, so that makes me feel a bit guilty, as well.
I’ll start with my veggie planters this morning, then move to the roses planters, seeing how far I can get before I poop out or it gets too warm.
Filed under Gardening
Our veggies are still doing well. I took a gallon bag of lettuce to my hairdresser, Michael, yesterday and he seemed very happy.
I’m going to tend the veggie planters today, weeding, doing any pruning needed, fertilizing, and harvesting some lettuce and spinach.
I’ll get out there this morning because it’s a bit overcast and just almost 70. It’s supposed to get to 88 this afternoon. That may be a record. I hope that it’s not enough fuel for the weather that the rain we’re supposed to get tomorrow afternoon and evening will be severe.
I’ll try to post pics of the harvest later.
Filed under Gardening, Square Foot Gardening - Raised Beds
I just read that he has died at 88. For those of you NOT older than dirt, he and Eydie Gorme were very popular singers for a long time. Their “I Just Want to Stay Here and Love You” is my husband’s and my song, and we played it at our wedding a hundred years or so ago.
“I don’t want to go to the party with you. I don’t want to go to the dance. I don’t want to go anywhere with you. I just want to stay here and love you.”
Filed under When Wood Comes Alive
“Sunrise at Topsail” – MaryLou Lewis
My sister-in-law is at the beach as I type this, finally getting a much-needed-and-deserved vacation. This was the way the day greeted her this morning.
One of my very favorite things is a memory I cherish from years ago when my husband and I drove up Highway 101 in California. He was in the Marines and trained the the Marine Corp base in San Diego, so he wanted to show me all the Marines exercising in the hot sun and the plaque erected in his honor proclaiming that he trained there. We didn’t see either of those, but I enjoyed a glimpse of the base anyway. :0)
While on the trip we passed the sight of beach after beach area. I made him stop every so often so that I could drink in the feel of the beach, watch the awe-inspiring ocean and people body surfing, etc. I had never seen the sweet little birds on the long long legs that skittered across the sand. I found they were called Sandpipers. They made me laugh as I watched them. It’s a sight I’ll never forget.
MaryLou is nice enough to try to get a picture of one each time she goes, and I truly treasure each one.
I love to share her vacation vicariously, and I hope you enjoy it, too. Right now it’s almost completely dark outside my window – a cold front coming through, whipping the tree branches around. We may or may not get rain with all the drama. Time will tell. I’ll be thinking of a nice beach on the edge of North Carolina and sandpipers and gorgeous sunrises…
Filed under vicarious enjoyment
Filed under String Art
I hope that you, also, cannot be down after looking at another of Karin de Haas’ pieces. I love the absolute surrender to laughter and love of life shown in her work. I would love to BE the lady here.
I’m leaving soon to meet my miracle-worker-hair-dresser, Michael Remillard, Tangles, Greenwood AR, who will hopefully, once again, be able to bring order out of chaos. :0) I’m taking him a gallon bag of lettuce from our garden, since he’s a salad lover, like me.
I was a good girl yesterday, doing half an hour or so of yoga stretching plus a 10-minute video on general movement, plus another 10-minute video on exercises with weights. That’s pretty good for an old broad like me. I’ll try to do that again today.
When I get home from my haircut, I’ll stop and get the mail and then go up and gather trash to take back down to the bottom of the driveway to put in the trash can I’ll drag down. I’m trying to be proactive about this because I don’t want to even THINK about my husband skidding and falling on the gravel in the driveway.
Not sure what the rest of the day will hold. We’re forecast to get rain late tonight into tomorrow morning. I’m hoping my veggie plants will get a nice soaking rain from it. There is always the possibility of hail, but they are not emphasizing it now, so I’m not planning to cover my planters.
I’m still angry at myself. My husband and I had finished eating dinner in front of the TV and we were still watching a program with Amber on her bed in front of the TV. All of a sudden I heard noise in the kitchen. Amber had oozed her way off her bed and sneaked into the kitchen while I was distracted. She ate half of the roast beef and sauce from the skillet on the stove. She has done this a couple of times before. I KNOW better than to leave the gate to the kitchen open. It’s really hard to take when your dog is smarter and more sneaky than you.
Have a wonderful day.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
creativeartworksblog 