• After a longish wait, the first little bloom on the four o’clocks has appeared. I planted these from seed in the Memorial Garden. But, as you remember, we didn’t get around to creating the Memorial Garden until late May/beginning of June, so everything that was planted from seed is going to bloom late in the summer. That includes the morning glories and moonflowers, so let’s cross our fingers that we don’t have an early frost this year. Pretty please?
• It’s been a busy couple of days. On Monday, in the midst of the euphoria that is the rare day without excess humidity and temperatures in the mid-seventies, I mowed: the corrals, the grass in front of the corral, the section of lawn by the shed, and the entire front yard. I had my iPhone in my pocket to check on my step count/mile total. It was about 2½ miles. I was pretty darned tired when I finished but I was also energized.
Until I crashed.
But it sure looks good out there! Yesterday I ran all sorts of errands and then went on a 1½ mile trail walk with Don. I’m trying to lose weight, which gets increasingly difficult the older I get. I’m not happy with the way my body looks at the moment, though Don assures me I look great. Bless him. Nevertheless, I want to lose weight and I want to get used to trail walks so that they become part of my almost-daily experience with the hope that I will continue them in the fall and winter. Because winter tends to be my sedentary downfall and I want to change that.
• I saw a gorgeous Monarch flitting around the big garden bed the other day, right after I’d seen an Eastern Swallowtail. Fortunately, Don happened to be outside, so he saw it, too. For once, I didn’t run for my camera. I just let him be. So, so beautiful.
• We’re back to watching old episodes of Inspector Morse, after a two week Olympic binge. Morse has a problem with women, doesn’t he? He starts seeing women who are involved in one of his investigations, which surely is a no-no, or he falls for a woman much too quickly, which leaves Don and I saying to the screen, “Stop. Don’t do it. It isn’t appropriate.” We’ve known a couple of guys like Morse and they never seem to learn, do they?
• I can hear a mourning dove calling as I write this. Our lone dove who has lost her mate was sitting on the edge of the birdbath the other day. I always want to go and comfort that dove, though I know I’d just scare her off and she’d fly away. The pair of doves are still hanging around, as well.
• I saw a bunny eating our grass yesterday morning. Not baby bunny, but a bunny. Baby bunny had a white mark on her forehead. I haven’t seen her since the temperatures went sky-high last month.
Missing my critters.
Happy Wednesday.
Not to sound like a commercial, but we’ve been eating beans and greens all summer (per the Eat to Live diet) and have lost significant weight. I highly recommend it. I get limited exercise these days due to some nasty arthritis, so the diet has worked great for us (and helps the creaky joints a bit). We got rid of the satellite dish and went to Netflix, where I fall asleep every night to Poirot … I love those shows! I’ve “favorited” (if that’s a word now) the mystery series, like Miss Fisher, and Midsomer, and Sherlock Holmes, so we have plenty of fun viewing lined up.
I’ve had to minimize the beans in my diet because I don’t digest them well. Believe me, as a former macrobiotic, I’ve eaten lots of beans in my day! But greens? Yes. We eat a lot of them.
I laughed out loud! I say the same thing to Morse!!! “Stop. Don’t do it!” His taste is women is very questionable. I just got streaming Netflix. Absolutely love it. I usually watch it exclusively now. No commercials and I can watch all my favorites. We are now going through “Midsomer Murders”. More murders in the little quaint towns in England than there is here.
We love Netflix. We’re on it more often than we are on cable. There’s just a whole lot more interesting fare on Netflix.
Your gardens are looking lovely. Late summer is sometimes so ugly as the heat scorches our flowers but we’ve had lots of rain lately so there are still the some blooms around. The butterflies, humming birds and goldfinches have entertained me so much. I will have fall mums in a few months so the color outside will continue! Enjoy your walks, it’s the best exercise for me also.
hugs,
Linda
Just saw a goldfinch! A quick flash of bright yellow as he flew through the yard!
Four o’clocks are one of my favorite flowers. I am enjoying your garden. Thank you for sharing. I am planning on planting mums this Fall in front. I used to walk a lot. I need to get back into walking.
Don walks a lot, Trina, and I need to do it too. I used to do it all the time when I lived in the city.
Lovely pictures Claudia. Hope your baby bunny is ok…maybe he/she has grown and the white mark disappeared? No real advice on the losing weight…I have recently lost 20 lbs and want to lose more. Basically I cut way back on what I eat (to the point where I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night starving – oy vey) and I’m drinking a ton of water (90 oz at work yesterday). I need to exercise more and have started back with my weekly yoga class. It’s just difficult to find time for everything in a single day…if only I could retire…..
I don’t know where the Baby Bunny went, and I really miss watching him/her. I’m trying to drink a lot of water and cut down on portions.
Beautiful pictures Claudia. We have a few scraggly crepe myrtles that are blooming. Carl and I are watching Rizolli and Iles and Family Practice. When we get aggravated by something stupid one of the characters is doing we say it out loud to the tv and then proceed to question the wisdom of the shows writers. When we realize what we are doing we have a good laugh.
We yell at the TV a lot, too, Janie – and not just during a series. We yell at the news, as well!
Hi Claudia – do you think the bunnies (including your baby bunny) went off in search of a source of water when it got so hot? Is your birdbath low enough that they could drink from it? My sister has a birdbath on the ground and the bunnies drink from it. I really don’t get bunnies, but about 3 of my 10 to 12 birdbaths are on the ground so the squirrels, chips, skunks, possums, etc. have access to water. If you have a Christmas Tree shop near you, they carry large plastic chip bowls for $1.29 each. That’s what I use all over my yard for the critters and birds! The robins love them because they’re big enough and just the right depth for them to really splash around in. My windows are open for the past few days and it is GLORIOUS!
They might have. But here’s the problem, Donna. We don’t have an enclosed yard and the neighbor’s cats roam through our very open yard – I don’t want any birds down on the ground in a vulnerable position. That why I’ve held off. Nor do I want any other animal in harm’s way from those cats.
Hope you continue use to get late summer flowers. I binge watched all the Morse episodes a couple of years ago and can do it again, since I own the entire DVD set. I’m waiting for the Lewis set to be released. I like Lewis as a character much more than Morse, but I like both actors. I saw Kevin Whately as the “bad guy” on a George Gently episode, and I yelled at the TV screen, “No! Lewis?!?!” Tana mentioned Midsomer Murders…love that show too and am currently reading all the Caroline Graham I can get my hands on. I laugh at how PBS has made Troy a more affable character. He wasn’t very nice in the books. But I don’t like how PBS simplified Barnaby in the series, as he was a much more complex character in the books.
I can’t believe that PBS scheduled the last of the Lewis series during the Olympics. It ticked me off! Three Sunday nights during the Olympics and all three were Lewis. We don’t have a DVR, so we missed it.
I was just discussing that with my daughter! I thought it was ridiculous. But, we are diehard Lewis fans and decided to watch Lewis. I’m sure PBS will be re-running them. I believe the episodes still might be on the PBS app? You need the app on your iPad; they aren’t shown on the website, though there are videos of interviews with cast members that are entertaining.
I’ll have to check – I’d prefer to watch it with Don and the iPad might not be the best way to do that!
Spoiler alert – the saddest book I ever read was the one where the author killed off Inspector Morse. I had grown fond of him, and I couldn’t believe the ending of the book.
I think he gets killed off at the end of the Morse series – at least that’s what I’ve been given to understand.
The book, Remorseful Day, is compelling, and the end of that episode is very touching. It almost predicts the dawning of Lewis.
xo
I’ve simply cut down on portion sizes to lose weight…so far so good. But I seem to eat less during the summer normally, so we’ll see if I can maintain that when it finally gets cooler. I find myself yelling at Morse too! Didn’t realize he was on Netflix….I’ll be checking that out! Garden looking lovely….you have great variety which I love! ;)
Thank you, Donna! By the way, I keep telling Don to serve up a smaller portion for me. He tends to serve what he would eat, not me! And then I eat it.
Poor Morse and his women, started with the first case. Interesting item, you might know this. according to Dexter’s estate ( which retains right ) no other actor can play Morse for 70 years. He never wants anyone else to try to be Morse. There is only one and he was perfect. The last Morse ‘ Remorseful Day” I have only watched once, and never again. The humidity is back here in RI, yuk!
The humidity is coming back here, too!
Oh, that first Morse. We couldn’t believe the way he was acting! Completely inappropriate and crazy. John Thaw is brilliant in the role and I can absolutely understand why Dexter wouldn’t want anyone else playing him.
You can try using a smaller plate when you eat; kinda works for me. I’m also writing down everything I eat in a day so that I can track food intake/balance and watch myself (I find logging it so tedious, but it’s necessary). It seems that too many of us women of a certain age are struggling with the weight issue. (But you seem to me to get A LOT of exercise, Claudia!) The last primary care physician I had was not encouraging at all; said the likelihood of a 60-something woman in menopause losing any significant weight is almost nil. Boohoo. Yet I’ve seen the stories on the web about weight loss and they sometimes feature an ‘older’ woman having lost many pounds. My new primary care physician is female and, so far, I just love her; she’s practical and sensible (relatable!) and indeed encouraging; she’s a big fan of Weight Watchers because she says they teach you how to eat real food in the real world. I have a gal whose blog I visit who’s my inspiration…in her mid-to-latter 50s, vegan, does yoga, swimming. There was another woman who formerly lived across the street from me, well into her 60s, who did a lot of Pilates and seemed to walk really well on her feet. You’re lucky you have somewhere near (the trails) which is nice to walk; I don’t have that and have to hunt for a place (drive to it). We have a multi-mile bike/walk path somewhat nearby but it isn’t safe for a lone woman to walk, not even in the daytime…not unless you’re perhaps walking an extra-large, mean-looking dog.
I do get a fair amount of exercise and still I’m not losing! We drive to our rail trail, but it only takes three minutes to get there, so I can’t complain!
I think BBC series are an excellent coping mechanism for today’s political climate. I am deep into Inspector George Gently, which takes place in the 60’s, great soundtrack. Then it’s back to Inspector Morse. So hoping for more !
Melissa
Anything that takes me away from this political climate is good. The Olympics did it. And now, Inspector Morse is doing it!
OK, so here’s my weight loss tips. All proven [seriously]. I lost a significant chunk of myself [25%?] about 20 years ago by [1] carefully monitoring my FAT intake and [2] by eating my largest meal in the morning rather than at night. Eating the majority of calories during the day gave me more opportunity to work them off, rather than just sitting or sleeping on them as I had been doing. And being mindful of the fat in things is important because there’s much more than you realize in many foods. I got used to forgoing the butter [which I love] on bread & vegetables, especially when the pounds started disappearing. And I’d never been a big fan of deep-fried foods so it was easy to skip them. And I’d grown up with skim milk, cottage cheese, yogurt so that was easy too. Holding down the fat content can make a HUGE difference. It certainly did for me. You shouldn’t skip fat entirely though. As Julia Child says, you need some fat so your system can process the vitamins you eat. We just need FAR LESS than we usually get daily. And for people who think “Oh, that couldn’t work for me – I’m never hungry in the morning…” that’s just an excuse and a temporary one at that. Because when you eat very lightly in the evening, your body soon becomes quite hungry in the morning. It doesn’t take long for the change to kick in & you’ll wake up ravenous. I made breakfast my biggest meal [yogurt or eggs plus a whole-grain carb of some kind plus fresh fruit or juice] and supper the smallest [often just a bowl of soup, or oatmeal or cereal or a scrambled egg etc]. I also started walking [briskly] the track at my university at lunchtime [8 times around was 2 miles]. Of course it was much more pleasant to walk the outdoor track, especially in sparkling weather, but the indoor track got the job done MANY days as well. In comfort. And bonus – I made some new friends among fellow walkers there too. So good luck. There’s really a million ways to lose weight. The hardest part is getting started and then waiting for those first results. 🍉
I know that it’s best for women of a certain age to have their biggest meal at lunchtime. But it’s not practical for me, as Don cooks dinner for both of us. I always have oatmeal in the am, but that’s about all I can handle. I’m not a real big lunch eater, either. And dinner is sort of a big deal with us. So I’ll just have to cut back on portions, keep walking – which I’ve been doing. I don’t have an indoor track I can take advantage of so walking will have to be in all seasons!
It sounds like you and Don are having some nice days…I think you did the right thing by not running for your camera and just enjoying the sight of that Monarch for once…
Don is a good influence. Everything, he says, does not have to be a ‘blogging moment.’ He’s right.
After a few absolutely lovely days, the humidity slapped us in the head about mid-morning today. Windows closed and AC on. ugh. Hopefully only a couple of days of this again. It was so wonderful with windows open!!
I have been reading like a crazy woman. Helps me keep my mind free of the politics, etc. I am on my 46th book since Jan. 1. My 2nd Louise Penny just came in at the library. I am reading them in order. Good luck on the weight loss. It does get so much harder!!
Yup. It’s some back here, darn it! Reading is a great respite from politics, as was the Olympics. So glad you’re reading Louise Penny in order. Her latest comes out next Tuesday! I cannot wait!
Claudia, I just wanted to thank you and all of your lovely readers for all of the sweet things they said about the Riley and Scout portraits yesterday. It means a lot to me.
I love four o’clocks! I even named my business years ago, Four O’Clock Design. But mine never looked like yours…there must be different kinds. Mine were always striped, trumpet-shaped blooms. Loved the shape of the seeds, too.
I wish you much luck in your “battle of the bulge”. I have never had much success with it, but I understand the struggle, completely.
The four o’clocks I had before were trumpet shaped, too. These aren’t. I wonder if there are different kinds of four o’clocks?
Hi Claudia, Beautiful photos as always. I hope that the bunny you saw was just baby bunny all grown up. It always upsets me to think of the perils that animals face in the wild every day although I do know that it is the cycle of life that has always been.
I sympathize with the weight loss journey. Nothing is working for me right now and I’ve gained this summer. I think some of it may be the new medications but a lot is lace of exercise which has been advised by the cardiologist for at least awhile longer until the tachycardia is under control. Meanwhile, my clothes don’t fit and I refuse to buy more in a bigger size. So frustrating. So I understand and I have high hopes that we both will find something that works for us very soon.
Blessings,
Betsy
I worry about the critters around here endlessly. Then I just have to stop myself and let go because I’ll go crazy otherwise.
Sounds like you had a very busy day and then a day to enjoy each other and the outdoors! We’re back into some high heat so Bella and I aren’t doing much outdoors.
Have a great day!
Judy
Stay indoors, my friend, and stay cool! Love to Bella.