“Warm Autumn Colors” – Paul Militaru Photography
Filed under Paul Militaru Photography
Rachealgrace Adams – “The Thrill of it All” – LinkedIn
Filed under Rachealgrace Adams Photography
Pont Alexandre III, Paris – Joe Ganech – Artgalleys – https://linkd.ind.in/dxBCAyc – via Graham Colthorpe
Filed under Creativity, Oil Paintings I Love
happified.tumblr.com via sayingimages.com
Filed under Attitude, Challenges, Encouragement, Family
I’m sad that all our flowers and most everything else died overnight due to the cold snap and sudden hard freeze.
Deciding to try to ‘make lemonade’ from the carnage, I just finished cleaning out the tomato plants in the two brick planters close to the house that we converted into ‘square foot garden’ planters, taking out all the soil and replacing it with Mel’s Mix. (combo of peat moss, vermiculite, and three kinds of compost: mushroom, barnyard, and cotton seed).
As you can see, we had several tomatoes that hadn’t had a chance to ripen.
I’m going to wrap them in newspaper and put them in the pantry, hoping that they might still ripen. I was successful with this one year, and a dismal failure another year, but I love to try. :0)
The sun is shining brightly, but it’s cold out there, with a good breeze, so I’m doing short sessions outside and then coming in to warm up in-between. I don’t know how much I can get cleaned out today, but hopefully I can get two or three sessions in.
“Bess” – Niki Firmin – Pet Portrait Artist LinkedIn
Filed under Niki Firmin - Pet Portraits
It’s a good thing that I took pics of the remaining flowers and shared them with you because we had a cold snap last night and all is gone now. These were the black elephant ear and impatiens.
Not sure yet about the roses. We may have Indian Summer here and may still get some blooms, but the impatiens are definitely gone.
The tomato plants are also gone.
I lucked out, mostly, in the greenhouse. I lost all the tomato sucker plants, but the lettuce and celery plants are still with us. My husband agreed that we could bring whatever was still alive in the greenhouse inside. I set up a card table in the dining area and used the wheelbarrow to bring all the plants in. I cleaned up the greenhouse and it will be quiet out there until I start thinking about starting seeds and plants out there to hopefully get a jump on my spring square foot garden.
Yesterday I received my new month’s worth of Nutrisystem AND my 30-pounds-off-bear-reward!
I’ve already admitted to you that I’m immature and respond really well to childish forms of pats-on-the-head, and it’s really the truth. I give myself a gold star on my desk calendar each day when I do either my yoga and exercises or my elliptical trainer. I look at my sweet lineup of bears and smile, feeling a definite pat on the head for my lardage loss thus far. It also motivates me to go for the next one!
My husband and I decided that we would split the cash-back reward on our credit card. He immediately ordered a pistol he’s been drooling over for a LONG time. I told him that I would spend my share slowly, indulging in some new clothes – one size down from what I’m currently wearing – as further motivation to continue losing the lard.
Since one of the parts of me that won’t change is my FEET, I ordered some really colorful “happy” shoes from China from a place called, “Yes, We Vibe.”
Iahsen Haddou – Lofoten Islands Norway – LinkedIn
Filed under Awe-Inspiring Photography
Great Performers Academy
I seem to have a brief window where I can actually communicate a bit!
I hope all of you are doing well. We’re doing fine, except for me tearing my hair out that I can’t do my normal stuff on my computer. I have to admit I’m getting more cleaning done, since I can’t access the Internet most of the time.
My husband ordered a card that we HOPE will solve my problem. Otherwise, you may be able to hear me complaining from here!
Filed under Uncategorized
Only have flashes of intermittent Internet. Part coming that we HOPE will fix me tomorrow. Until then, I’m having withdrawal about not being able to write on my blog. Hope everyone is well.
Filed under Uncategorized
Pets World
The short answer is 30.6 pounds down, and 28.3 inches off.
The longer answer is that we are feeling more ‘at home’ with our new eating style. My husband and I are both on Nutrisystem, but they encourage flex meals – meals where you cook, or eat out, or branch out in some way from the Nutrisystem meals – one breakfast, one lunch, one dinner, and one snack per week.
We are actually doing more flex meals than that -opting for a heartier dinner salad some nights, or similar things. An example, even though we’re only supposed to eat one flex dinner per week, we had a cold snap and the idea of homemade beef stew with some bread sounded really good. We ended up eating this combo for three nights straight, and then my husband was sad we didn’t have more :0) The best news was that we not only kept our weight, but actually lost some. So, we’re feeling more in control of our eating, our program, our goals.
We’re both exercising now. My husband spent four years in the Marine Corps, doing 50 sit-ups at the drop of a hat, or at a superior’s whim, with ease. Then, 55 years past. He tried to do a sit up about 6 weeks ago, while I was visiting a much beloved relative in Thibodaux, and was shocked that he couldn’t do ANY. (I was also amazed that he actually told me about his trial and shock, but told him that I was proud of him for trying, and that I knew if he kept at it, he would get stronger.) He now is doing 5 strongly, and 2 or 3 more with great effort. I can’t tell you how pleased I am that he’s giving it his best shot every day. The doc told him to do cardio, but I’m not pushing it yet.
I have a stupid motivator in my own efforts to exercise daily – gold stars – like we used to get a million years ago for good work in school. My attitude is, “It it works, RUN IT!” I feel a bit silly, but it really works for me. I’m trying to do 35 minutes on my elliptical trainer one day, and about half an hour of yoga stretches and regular exercises the next. Yesterday was really busy, and it was late afternoon before I knew it. I thought, “oh, well, I’ll just do the elliptical tomorrow. One day won’t hurt.” Then, as I sat there, I thought about not getting my gold star for the day. At 6:00 in the evening, I got up, went out to the garage, and put in my time. :0)
My husband often ‘isn’t hungry.” I NEVER have that problem. I have an appetite that would kill a horse. I get HUNGRY and if I don’t eat something, I get SNIPPY, CRANKY, and “MEAN AS A SNAKE,” according to my husband. The other silly motivator is the Nutrisystem bears you can get for each 10 pounds you lose. (My 30 pound bear is on its way!) I line them up on a shelf beside my computer chair in the office. When I’m tempted to go in and stuff my face at the wrong time, I think about getting the next bear…
Halfway to my goal now on lardage!
Tikhonovsskiy Yuriy – yura_t@ukr.net via vk.com
Filed under Creativity, When Wood Comes Alive
“The Curve of the Lake” – Paul Militaru Photography
Filed under Paul Militaru Photography
Our weather forecast is for cold waves and lower temperatures, some down near, or to, freezing starting Friday, so I went around the yard taking pics of what will probably be our last blooms of the season. I’m sad because the rose buds I took pics of yesterday may not have time to bloom.
I love impatiens, and they really seem to like it on the north side of our house. I’m especially pleased that they like sun, too, so we can plant them in several places around the yard.
My friend, Kay, gave me this black elephant ear plant for my birthday this year. I just love it, and it seems to like it beside the front door. It’s also a bit protected from the wind we get up here on top of our ridge line.
I made my husband come outside to see his clematis. He thought they were finished for the year several weeks ago. He was really happy to see this!
A last bloom on a second clematis plant.
Wave petunias
And more wave petunias. By Friday or so, all of these will probably be gone. We sure enjoyed the nice display.
Filed under Favorite Things, Gardening, Mother Nature
Sun Sentinel
Actually, although I DO sandblasting on glassware and tools in the shop, and water blasting on the deck, concrete, and more, I am using the kitchen sink and cleaners for today’s project of scrubbing out all our trash containers, putting in trashcan liners (as I SHOULD have long ago) and putting things back together.
I’m getting several messages from this project –
I have SIX remaining to scrub, line, and put back.
If I still have energy, I’m planning to clean out the double cabinet area under the kitchen sink. (Can you imagine – things tend to fall out of there whenever I try to get something!) :0(
With these two projects for the day and my 35 minutes on my elliptical trainer, I can feel good about my activity level today.
amazon.com
Filed under exercise, Housekeeping - Maintenance, I'm a slob, Lewis projects
Our growing season has been weird this year – wetter than normal, then hot, then wet, then cold….. I was really pleased to see that the roses, which have not been very showy this season, have NOW put on buds and are ready to bloom.
I’ll try to get pics when the roses are blooming, but I wanted to share the promise of them.
Filed under Favorite Things, Gardening
It’s the 6th of November and I gathered the first harvest of lettuce from my fall plantings. We’ll enjoy some of it in our salad for dinner tonight! This is Iceberg Head Lettuce. Left in the garden in the early spring, it eventually forms a head in the center of the plant, but I love eating the loose outer leaves until the head forms. I have no idea if these plants will form a head in the greenhouse or not.
Here’s another view of the harvest for today.
Since we’re having wave after wave of cold fronts moving through, with rain and significantly cooler weather each time, I coiled up the long extension cord that runs from the back of the house out to the greenhouse to power the exhaust fan that is on automatic to turn on when the temperature reaches 80 inside the greenhouse, and the second fan I usually keep running. We can also run lights out there, but usually don’t. The cord is now inside the greenhouse until early spring.
Besides the lettuce, I still have some celery that isn’t making stalks yet, but is still looking good (more on the window sill that will either come out to the greenhouse or stay in the house, depending on whether it’s starting to freeze on a regular basis or not, plus tomato suckers I planted. I still have several that are alive. I’m hoping to bring the healthiest looking ones inside for the winter.
I have no clue what I’m doing, but I’m having a blast with this experiment. :0)
Filed under Gardening, greenhouse, Starting - Growing in a Greenhouse
Jeff Samudosky – JMS Wood Sculpture
Filed under Creativity, When Wood Comes Alive
Linn Kirknes Kausland via Iahsen Haddou – LinkedIn
Filed under Awe-Inspiring Photography
Rachealgrace Adams – LinkedIn
Filed under Rachealgrace Adams Photography
Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
Filed under Jeff Jett Photography
I am always reading several books simultaneously.
For example, I’m pouring over a really good one about what I’m supposed to be doing in my greenhouse. Though he is obviously in a place where heating is the primary issue, I’m learning a bunch about how to attack my goal of eating fresh lettuce as we go into winter, growing my own celery, starting new tomato plants from suckers and then keeping them alive over the winter. I’m also looking forward to starting seeds in March or so, getting a jump on the spring garden. It’s wonderful to be able to learn from someone who knows what they’re talking about. :0)
I’m re-reading a series of four books by one of my favorite authors, Nora Roberts. There is a quartet of books I’m reading now, and then a trio of books that I read once a year when I would like to feel better about people.
Then there is the new series by Robert Bryndza about Detective Erika Foster that my husband shared with me recently. Since that’s on my Kindle, I’ll take it to my husband’s doctor appointment today.
Another one I’m reading and trying to absorb a bit at a time is The Real Simple Method to Organizing Every Room and How to Keep it That Way. If you’ve read my blog, you know what a slob I am. You also know that I continually try to HEAL my home by going through things, donating the things I think others might enjoy or make use of, throwing out a bunch of ‘stuff,’ and then cleaning and organizing the rest. (Today it’s the double cabinet under the kitchen sink.)
Though this book stresses getting EVERYONE in the house involved, our pets are of little help, and my husband, thankfully, is oblivious to the chaos, dirt, dog hair, etc – or would have probably dumped me years ago. He does do things like empty the dishwasher, and lately he’s taken on the job of vacuuming out our truck before we pick up our friends to take them bowling, but basically, I’m on my own on this effort.
The book also assumes that we have the money we would LIKE to have, and could concentrate on buying furniture, rugs, paintings, and pricey knick-knacks, putting more of them on the bookshelves than books. I AM picking up some general good rules, though, from reading this, and I AM enjoying the beautiful pictures.
Reading is a big part of my life. I love learning new things. I love diving into a book and forgetting everything around me. Reading is a quality-of-life thing for me.
Filed under Hobbies, quality of life, Reading is FUNdamental
Richard Green – LinkedIn
I don’t know where this place is, but it looks like a heavenly place to spend a bunch of time, doesn’t it?
Filed under Awe-Inspiring Photography
creativeartworksblog 