garden — Page 115

A Bit of Green and a Splash of Aqua

March 23, 2018 at 10:52 am by Claudia

A sign of hope and green things emerging from the ground. My early-bird day lilies, always the first to bloom, are edging their way out of the ground. Oh how I long to get out there and clean up the gardens! But I know, after over 16 years of living in the Hudson Valley, that it’s just too darned early. So I must be patient.

And frankly, I’m still too under the weather to actually do anything out there.

I looked for signs of the daffodils that are on the edge of the woods, but there aren’t any at the moment. For now, leaf mulch must be kept in place to protect the ground and the plants from any sudden freezes.

I have some tax work to do today (filing an extension) and I need to get some groceries, but it’s slow going, as I had a cough-filled night. Thankfully, I slept in, so I’m not feeling too ragged.

It’s sunny out there. Birds are singing. Hopeful signs of spring.

Sadly, I’m not in any shape to march tomorrow and I’m disappointed about that. But I’ll cheer the marchers on and watch MSNBC’s coverage.

I played around with some of my McCoy yesterday. Most of these pieces were scattered throughout the den and I suddenly thought they might make a bigger impact if I placed them on the music cabinet. Since my chair faces this cabinet, I’m enjoying this big splash of aqua. Smile-worthy.

Gosh, I love collecting.

Okay. Have to get a move on, and by ‘move’ I really mean ‘crawl.’

Happy Friday.

Stella, Plants, & Morning Glories

November 1, 2017 at 10:48 am by Claudia

I seem to be a little slow in posting lately. Sorry! But I have things to do first thing in the morning, not the least of which is waking up, and now that Don’s away, we tend to FaceTime in the morning. Anyway, better late then never!

Don and some of the cast are going on a tour of NASA today. I’m jealous.

Hard to believe, but there are times now where I take our Stella for granted. I don’t even think how wondrous it is that she is here. I guess that’s because she looks as if she belongs in this kitchen.

But she’s awfully pretty, isn’t she?

I rescued another plant – this time from our local grocery store.

This is a rubber plant, specifically the Black Prince, because the leaves are almost black. Rubber plants are members of the Ficus family. Anyway, it’s not in terrible shape, but it is overcrowded in that pot and needs to be repotted, STAT.

I only have so much space in this house for plants, so I had better cool it, especially since a couple are coming in from the porch for the winter.

I’ve been watching the World Series, off and on, but you can be sure I’ll be watching the entire game tonight. Nothing better or more exciting (to me) than a 7th game in the World Series. I have no favorite this time, so may the best team – at that moment in time – win.

It was supposed to go down to 31 degrees last night, so I covered up the porch plants, but look what I saw right outside the kitchen door this morning:

The temp must have stayed above freezing. We caught another break. The rest of the week should be a bit warmer, though I am fully aware that after I leave next week, all bets are off. In fact, I think we’re supposed to have some snow showers next week. It is November, after all. It’s also my birthday month – and it’s a big one – so I’ll be celebrating it in Chicago with Don.

Happy Wednesday.

Winding Down

October 31, 2017 at 10:33 am by Claudia

After a morning of wind rattling the windows in the den (it’s always louder there) I moved my laptop into the living room. (I felt like I was in the storm scene in King Lear.) Much better. Though it was still unbelievably windy until about 6 pm, I felt much calmer. I guess all this mayhem was due to Tropical Storm Phillippe. I know that many are without power here in the Northeast. I am very grateful that I never lost power. But – if I had – I’d have still been able to cook because we have STELLA! And she runs on propane gas, so we’re prepared for a power outage now. I can still have coffee. I can make dinner. (Coffee being the most essential.)

I arrived home on Saturday to morning glories in bloom. The blooms are limited to this little area right outside the kitchen door. All the other sections where morning glories are planted are either gone because of that freeze or winding down. Today, there are two blooms. Since we are due for a freeze tonight, this may be their swan song. I’m okay about it. If Mother Nature gives me all of October to enjoy my garden, I’m more than grateful. I find I can handle saying goodbye in November. This year, I think the only porch plant I’ll overwinter is my geranium and the potted palm that gets bigger every year and is indestructible, despite having been knocked over by the wind twice this year.

The hollyhock is still blooming as well. I almost didn’t buy this plant because it didn’t look like the previous year’s hollyhock – can you believe it? I’m so glad I changed my mind. This baby has been the gift that keeps on giving. Thank you, sweet hollyhock.

What else? I’ve been reading about houseplants. I bought a book through Amazon – The House Plant Expert by Dr. D. G. Hessayon – that was published many years ago in Great Britain. It’s the “World’s Best-Selling Book on Houseplants” and it’s packed with great information and photos from the seventies. I heard it mentioned on a podcast so I ordered it. Which reminds me: I have to get that list together for you of Instagram accounts centering on houseplants and the few podcasts I have discovered. Now that I’m home, I’ll start working on that.

Yesterday, I was remembering the books I used to have on houseplants. I bought them in that previously referred to period in the seventies. I wish I still had them. They were fun and I learned a lot from them. I wonder if I can remember the titles? Maybe they are available somewhere out there in the vast cyber world? I do remember the books on talking to your plants. Still good advice, I think. I’ve begun talking to mine, just like I talk to the plants in my garden and the trees on the property.

Okay – now I’m determined to find those books. Wish me luck!

I’m debating whether to tackle the fourth and final wall in the kitchen. It’s a bit more problematic as it involves emptying and moving the china cabinet. We’ll see. This would be the perfect time to do it as I have a week and a half before I fly to Chicago.

Happy Birthday to my nephew (Mere’s eldest) who is 24 today. And Happy Birthday to my brother-in-law (Don’s little brother) who is 60 today.

Happy Tuesday.

A Bit of Green and a Splash of Aqua

Stella, Plants, & Morning Glories

Winding Down

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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