Rain

Today after my walk I got out in the gardens to dead head. 

We have had 3 solid days of rain and some of it was torrential. 

Sooo, what did I do? Well, I made a couple of potholders.

Started gluing my pages together for my junk journal until I ran out of glue. 

Made a banana cake with a peanut butter glaze.

Yumm

Got out in my garden between rain drops to pick a few things.

My husband made this cute gathering basket. (box with handle?)

Took everything out of our family room and cleaned and polished the floor. Especially where our bar stools are. Shook out all my rugs and reloaded the room all dusted and done! 

And husband well he made this wine bar for our porch. The back lights up. All with recycled wood.  

We are having company Sat night, and they haven't been here in some time, so I am busy planning apps and drinks. It will be so nice to have them here for a lovely evening of catching up. And the weather will be perfect for the porch. 

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Since yesterday I have had a backache. I do get them but not a lot.

today I took one motrin and a little heat it is feeling better. 

I know it is from lifting, bending, and pulling. Not as young as I use to be.  

I also finished my book "The Cliffs" good but I liked her other book "Maine" better. I think I will do an audio book next; I can do other things while listening to them.

I called my sweet aunt this morning we haven't talked in a while. 2 hours later we are all caught up lol. I was blessed with wonderful aunts, and she is all I have left now. She is on the younger side, so I hope to have her many more years. 

I do want to thank you for your wonderful comments. It is like getting mail. Have a wonderful weekend. 

Hand watering vs sprinklers

A tower of cucumbers. This is a trellis I got at our dump many years ago. The cucumbers are so happy to climb it. Not bad for a few seeds.

I prefer to water my gardens by hand. I know the argument for a sprinkler, and I agree with most of it except...

I need to look and see how things are growing.

And pull a few weeds. And see if things are getting ripe!

First time growing these.

They are perfect to pop in your mouth while reading.

They are sweet and warm from the sun need I say more?

Anyway, husband is always offering to hook up the sprinkler. I know he is trying to help and no matter how many times I explain it he still wants to hook up the sprinkler. Years ago, when I first started gardening an older gardener told me to always water by hand then you know what your plants are doing. She was right!

How about you?

Still Hot UGG

This was dinner tonight on the porch. I cooked my home-made meatballs in the air fryer this time voila! Made a quick sauce on the stove. They turned out great!

A tried a new wine and it was a good one. 

I kept seeing this cheese on menus at restaurants.

Since we eat at home mostly, I checked it out and found it in my grocery store. Ohh that is a keeper too serve at room temp. We had it tonight

with roasted onions, tomatoes, and garlic with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar on the top with fresh basil.

And we went to concert on the common tonight. What a wonderful band playing tonight. The young fiddler was amazing. (A few seconds of the Devil Went Down to Georgia) A nice free evening. Even the police dept was cooking and giving away free hot dogs and burgers with drinks and chips. A wonderful family event. 

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I met up with a good friend for dinner and a catch up this week. I also got caught up on some house duties. It has been so humid!

Suppose to be better tomorrow and quick storm came through late afternoon but did not clear it out yet. 

Have a wonderful rest of your week. 

The Dog Days Of Summer

We are in a heat wave and my plants could not be happier

These are the ones I winter over and when I plant them they are just bare sticks! This is the 3rd or 4th year I swear they get more beautiful every year.

I got to spend some really good one on one time with my sweet grand. She never fails to inspire and astound me.

She is a dancer so we decided we both could use some summer toes. 

It was such a sweet luxury. 

Her art project at school was a junk journal. I never thought I would be interested in this craft but she has inspired me!

In Class she had to pick a subject. She loved the process so much she is now doing one on her stitching projects. 

Besides dancing and golf this summer she is volunteering at an adult day care center. Playing games with them, reading to them, talking with them, 6 hours a week. She has wonderful stories she tells and comes out smiling after her time there. 

      

And like I said dog days. Miss Kora was there too.

She hung out on the screened porch with us mostly. 

Yesterday we went to a family BBQ and on the way there these clouds kept billowing. When we got home, we found there must have been lots of rain here but no rain at the BBQ. They are a little less than 2 hrs south of us and they have had little to no rain. We have had plenty.

I also visited a bookstore with Sweet B she chose a couple of books, and I found this one by an author I have read before. I also got a magazine and in it was how to turn a book into a purse so that is our next project. And we are now on the hunt for old used up books.

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I got a walk in the morning so glad I did I haven't walked much, and my body was feeling it. I dead headed some roses and pulled a few weeds it is now much too hot for me. So, I have planted myself on my porch with my book and calling it a day. 

Grilled chicken on a salad for dinner tonight and making a list for grocery shopping tomorrow. 

Have a wonderful week!

Hot Days Cooler Evenings

We have been in the humid heat the past few days way hotter than we usually have. But the nights have cooled off enough to sleep.

No air conditioning. 

Wild Astilbe 

Today I got a walk in early, I was hot on the way back. It did feel so good to walk and move because when it is hot I sit!

The road that I walk is always pretty shaded, but it has been very buggy with the humid weather. 

Perfect weather to grow mushrooms.

I am not quite sure what this is I just know it is not queen ann's lace.

There are large patches of it along the dirt road.

Milkweed is in bloom at least I think it is milkweed.

Ferns everywhere. 

Not sure what the next two are but they are pretty. 

I am going to get some really nice time with my grand this week. I am excited and looking forward to being with her. She is growing up so quickly I will grab every minute I can. 

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I finished binding a small rug I hooked this spring and finished stitching a dish towel I started. when you sit and melt with the fan on you, you try to keep your hands busy. I did pull a few weeds before sundown this evening but with this weather they are getting ahead of me. 

Have a wonderful week. 

Happy 5th

Sorry I missed the 4th but happy 5th!

To our beautiful country. 

We spend part of the 4th digging out and cleaning our kayaks they have not been used in 2 to 3 years! We took a short trip this time to get our arms in shape again. It was good to see a little boy fishing.

He yells "There's a snake!" I look and there was a frog on a rock and I said, "Oh no he will eat the frog." and what did the kid say? "Cool I want to see that." Lol kids! But the frog remained safe for now. 

This is a small pond no motors allowed so it is always relevantly quiet. And it is so pretty no houses around this pond most if not all in conservation. 

We saw both loons swimming, so I think their eggs hatched but I was not close enough to see. Their eggs usually hatch around the 4th. They are lucky to get one or two babies. So, they are very protected here. I love their calls. 

Husband is paddling along and said, "Why did we wait so long to get out again??" He kept saying "I almost forgot how relaxing and beautiful it is."

We took the long way home and came to bump bridge. This is not the original bridge about 35 years ago someone was going around burning our covered bridges. (How sick is that?) The ones that were burnt were all replace like the original. We have a family of very famous wooden bridge builders here in our town. They have built covered bridges all over the country. And it is a generational business in that family. 

 

Today for lunch I had left over salad. My friend gave me a wand you fill with salt and pepper or whatever you want for seasonings. Somehow a wave of my wand made my leftovers just a little bit magical lol. 

 

We had sleep over company, and we sat and watched the fireflies in the evening. 

It was nice to share our porch with them.

Have a wonderful week. 

Family Celebrations and Summer Joys

I thought since I had some peaches why not try a bellini. while it was ok not my favorite. 

I made a very quick trip into the thrift store this week. There were crying babies and people everywhere. Yikes!!! But for 3.00 I got what I have been holding out for, for several years. A pasta machine! I figure if I try it and hate it 3.00 is not a bad try and I can donate it back. I will wait for a time when we are not so busy. 

A walk around the garden today. Fairy roses are just heavy with blooms.

My Astilbes are in bloom. I love the feathery blooms when they sway in the breeze.

I am not sure what this is, but I do think it is a type of succulent. It is in full bright yellow right now. 

Speaking of succulents my hens and chicks are happy in the rock walls.

And my Hosta is happy. I know some people do not like the flowers they produce but I like them and so do the bees. My poor daughter she had a deer find her Hosta for the first time; they do a number on them pretty quickly.

My patch of walking onions had gotten a bit out of hand. I passed some off to my friends and then I thinned it out a bit. It is a perennial, and you can eat the whole plant. It has the taste of shallots. I am drying them a bit in an old onion bag.  Walking onions info here if you want to know more. 

I got this plant last year when I retired. I tried to winter it over in the house but trust me it was near death this spring. I threw it out in the garden in the pot it was in and said you have one chance, or you go on the compost heap. Lol it listened it is getting new leaves and blooming who knew???

The pond is not clearing up like I would like but I don't dare add any more chemicals to it because we have a new resident, and I don't want it to croak. 

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It is humid and awful today but there are storms brewing to clear it out. Not a fan of humid weather makes me very lazy. 

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Yesterday we celebrated my brother and sister-in-law's 50th Anniversary. It was nice to gather and honor them. This is my husband's brother who donated his bone Marrow to him. So, to say they are special is an understatement. We also saw friends there that asked if I ever got bored being retired? NEVER! They are still working.

I will end here thank you for all the new visits and comments every comment means so much to me. 

Have a great week!