Claudia — Page 987

Birds, Flowers, Hi-Tech & Little Z

September 15, 2016 at 9:25 am by Claudia

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This morning I saw four catbirds trying to maneuver around these leaves in order to do their thing in the birdbath. Note to Claudia: Time to scrub the birdbath (something I do a couple of times a week).

The other day, I watched a shimmering green hummingbird sample each and every one of the pink geraniums in the three whisky barrels. You can see one of the barrels in the photo.

It was magical. Wings moving faster than the eye can see, flitting, hovering, heading toward the chicken wire fence, then stopping abruptly to reverse direction. No time to grab the camera and, truthfully, sometimes it’s just nice to be. To simply glory in the wonders of nature.

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Hi-Tech month has come to a close. (I think I’ve been spelling “Hi” as “High,” which might be incorrect in this instance.) Yesterday, we took a little trip to Target to buy…brace yourselves for this exciting news…a new dishpan, drying rack and dish drainer. Yep. We went all out. And we bought a pack of socks for Don. Whoo hoo!

Actually, I did buy something with the money I got back from Apple when I exchanged computers. I bought a Bose wireless speaker for the office. It’s small but mighty. (I’ll show you a photo of it tomorrow). At times, I like to listen to music when I’m working, yet I find I don’t want to be wearing ear buds. Too restricting if I need to get up and move around. So this kind of thing seemed like the perfect solution.

And I can take it with me when I’m working out of town!

I tried it out when I got home and it delivers excellent sound quality. Bose is a favorite of ours.

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It’s much cooler this morning. I’m actually wearing a shawl. And socks! Even though I’m resisting the seasonal change, I must admit I like the cooler weather.

Today, I will put together Little Z’s dollhouse, scrounge through my stash for anything I can pass along to him, and search for more sturdy furniture online.

Speaking of Little Z, the other night he asked us if he could come visit us in “N as in New York” which is how he always says it, and I pray he keeps saying it that way for at least a little bit longer. It’s so charming. Of course, we said yes, and we told him we were going to be coming to Florida to see him next month. He corrected us, saying, “You’re coming down to Florida.” Ummm….yes, you’re right, smart nephew of mine!

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Today we have to write a letter and send it to his school. They always do something for Grandparents Day but Z doesn’t have any living grandparents, so we’re going to stand in for my mom and dad. The school sent us an envelope that was supposed to include a drawing from our ‘grandchild’ and a request for the letter, but what we received was the packet for a student named ‘Delilah’ – nothing from Little Z! Ah, well. We’ll return the stuff from Delilah when we send the letter to Florida.

Apparently, the teachers read each letter aloud to the students and then post them on the bulletin board.

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Side note: Why are pillowcases so expensive nowadays? Two standard pillowcases for $30? Seems a bit pricey to me, so I’m going to search for a better deal. Maybe a trip to HomeGoods is in order.

The winner of a copy of Beulah’s House of Prayer is Martha! Martha, I’m sending you an email. Congratulations!

Oh lordy – I had to add this. My former student Chris Nee (she’s a BU grad) who is a wonderful person and extremely funny, too, is the creator of Doc McStuffins. This is what she tweeted:

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Happy Thursday.

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Hello!

September 14, 2016 at 9:30 am by Claudia

Long time, no see! Well, truthfully, I’ve been here, but I haven’t been able to blog as I usually do. First a book review and then a sponsored post. But, like the proverbial bad penny, I’m back!

About that book review, today is the last day to leave a comment. I pick a winner this evening. Just scroll down two posts – it’s worth it. I really loved this one.

Oh friends, I’m in the middle of morning glory nirvana. Monday: 9 blooms. Tuesday: 16 blooms. Today: 16 blooms. This particular batch of seeds has been stellar – a bumper crop of morning glories. May I share some photos with you?

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I love all the stages of a morning glory.

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This was my view this morning. In the early hours of the day, they’re almost purple. As the day goes on, they morph into that beautiful Heavenly Blue color.

Goodness, it’s a lovely way to start the day.

On the porch, everything is still going strong. All the hanging plants are full and lush. And on the bench, six different pots of impatiens have come together to form this:

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A giant mass of beautiful blooms.

The miniature rose plant that Don gave me on Mother’s Day is still blooming:

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All in all, a very satisfying scenario here at the cottage, even though many plants in the garden beds are now fading. We’ve had gorgeous weather, although today is supposed to be humid and very warm. But it’s only for a day. The light is turning into that golden light that Fall seems to do so well.

I’m back to trail walking, after some rain and hot temps and computer issues (and three round trips to Danbury, CT) kept me off the trail for a few days. Yesterday, I mowed, which was the equivalent in miles of a trail walk. In effort? A whole lot more.

And the new computer? Lighter-weight than my older one. The retina display is incredible. Everything is so crystal clear, it’s really amazing. It’s also much faster. I guess you can say it’s been a high tech month here at the Hill/Sparks house. Don got an upgraded iPhone, I got an iPad (though I find I don’t use it all that much) and we both got new computers. Let me assure you, this is it for a long time! We’re grateful and all of it – except maybe the iPad – was desperately needed.

What else? I’m reading Martha’s Vineyard – Isle of Dreams by Susan Branch and am thoroughly enjoying it. I’m about to put Little Z’s dollhouse from IKEA together and I’m searching for some sturdy, basic furniture for it. (He’s only five, after all.) Hopefully, we are going to head back down to Florida next month for a visit, because, as of December I am booked through May. We need to spend some time with family and walk on the beach and watch Little Z in the pool and hug my furry nephew Max. My other nephews will be away at school.

The morning glories gave us an unexpected extra:

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Incredibly intricate.

Oh, and birds! I saw a robin – just one – about a week ago. A catbird was taking a bath the other day. The doves are all still here, as are the finches. This morning I could see that a bird had recently been in the birdbath, getting a good splash of water. So, many of them are still around. That makes me happy.

Happy Wednesday.

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Adding Essential Nutrients for Essential Growth

September 13, 2016 at 8:48 am by Claudia

I’m a gardener. This summer, I once again came to a realization I’ve come to before: in order for plants and flowers to grow and be strong and healthy, the soil needs to be amended. Nutrients are essential. One of my little garden patches had been neglected in recent years and when I sowed some seeds in the spring, it took a long time for them to sprout. When the plants finally started growing, they were a pale green, not the deep and healthy green of the plants throughout the rest of my gardens. They weren’t as strong and healthy as they should have been.

Oh, right! said I as I thumped myself on the head, I need to amend the soil next year. I need to add nutrients.

We plants of the human variety also need vitamins and nutrients to grow into healthy children and adults. Moms-to-be and moms of young ones want their children to be the best they can be and good nutrition is essential for healthy growth and development.

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One of the essential nutrients we need is DHA, or Docosahexaenoic Acid – “a polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acid found throughout the body. It’s a major structural fat in the brain and retina, accounting for up to 97% of the omega-3 fats in the brain and up to 93% of the omega-3 fats in the retina. It’s also a key component of the heart.” Studies show it is essential for brain health and development, eye health and heart health. (Quote from here.)

I’ve known about omega-3s for quite a while and also know that fish are a rich source of DHA. DHA comes from algae and fish eat algae.

But I’ve been a vegetarian for more than 30 years, so fish oil is a not a possibility for me. I recently learned about life’sDHA® , which is a vegetarian, sustainable source of DHA, grown from controlled microalgae sources. It delivers DHA omega-3s in a vegetarian capsule. You can read more on this site.

It’s a supplement that gives vegetarians, but not just vegetarians, all the benefits of fish oil – but from algae, not fish.

Since research shows that DHA supports brain and eye health throughout life, it seems like a (forgive the pun) no-brainer to me. And I love that it’s a vegetarian source of an essential nutrient.

life’sDHA® is an ingredient in foods, beverages and supplements throughout the world. Look for the life’sDHA® logo on product packaging to know you’re getting a vegetarian source of DHA omega-3.

This post sponsor – life’sDHA® – educated me on the importance of nutrients – including DHA omega-3 – for all stages of life.

Happy Tuesday.

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Birds, Flowers, Hi-Tech & Little Z

Hello!

Adding Essential Nutrients for Essential Growth

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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