We have another air quality alert for today. It’s because of the level of ozone in the air. It’s not due to wildfires. It is VERY humid out there and it’s going to reach 91 today. So. We’ll have to stay indoors – or at least, I will. Yesterday’s work in high humidity did a number on my allergies/sinus. Note: our crack local forecasters say it IS due to wildfire smoke.
I worked outside yesterday – weed whacking, pulling weeds in the garden beds, and mowing. About halfway through the mowing the front lawn, the lawnmower became difficult to handle and the front wheel drive that makes it easy to propel wasn’t working. I was already dripping with sweat. Don came out and took over and he, too, found it very difficult. So we didn’t finish the lawn. The lawnmower works, it’s just very hard to propel it around our big patch of lawn. We have to mow some more and I thought I’d tackle it slowly this morning – a bit at a time – but then I learned about the Air Quality warning, so I’ll have to wait on that.
Lawnmower not working right. Washing machine is leaking a bit. Just had to replace the air conditioner. The usual ‘everything happening all at once.’
It’s worrisome. So I keep on giving myself chores and activities throughout the day. Thinking can be my worst enemy.
Oh, and the groundhogs. Remember when I said they ‘mostly behave’ yesterday? I was wrong. They were climbing up on top of the bin lids that make a little barrier between them and the big garden bed yesterday, and I discovered one of them on the porch and sure enough, the blooms on the calibrachoa in the planter were GONE. Clearly, they view the porch as an extension of the grass and garden. I was not happy. All planters that were on the porch floor are now on top of the picnic table.
I told Don I miss the time when they were more timid. Big sigh.
The balloon flowers are opening in the memorial garden. I chose it because the name of this particular balloon flower is Sentimental Balloon Flower. You can see the flower in its initial balloon shape at the bottom of the photo and one that has just opened at the top.
More coneflowers are opening up, rain and storms are coming tomorrow.
I’m already sweating, so I’m going to turn the a/c on.
Stay safe.
Happy Thursday.
Oh, those naughty groundhogs! How will you deal with that one? Next they’ll be coming inside for breakfast!
We finally got rain — a big soak — yesterday. So sorely needed. And temps cooling way down. It will be humid but not so bad when it isn’t so hot.
I just said that to Don; “I’m surprised they haven’t come in the house!”
Glad you got rain, Jeanie.
Stay safe.
I’m sorry your air quality is staying in the unsafe territory. That, combined with all the rain your area has apparently had, makes it tough to stay inside where it’s safe. I’m sure your grass is growing like crazy. We have drought conditions so, even if our air is a bit better at the moment, there’s no mowing. Everyone’s lawn died weeks ago.
Those naughty groundhog babies coming up on your porch! Guess we can’t expect them to respect boundaries. Would be nice though. Yesterday I glimpsed the doe and fawn who have lingered in our backyard for the last month and a half. They were moseying along the tree line at the property line and made a pretty picture. I could tell they were heading to the neighborhood pond a block away.
Take care and stay in as much as possible.
Kay
Oh, the sweet doe and fawn! We had that last year, with the little fawn running across our lawn looking for mom. Adorable but worrisome as she was very close to the street!
Stay safe, Kay.
when it rains, it pours … and things don’t work right and it’s then too muggy to go outside anyway … ugh. good luck with the appliances and allergies and the heat. and those spirited groundhog babies! hope you and don enjoy a nice day indoors and can ignore the weather and pressure of outdoor chores being delayed.
beautiful balloon flowers and photo of two in different stages of blooming.
happy thursday to everyone. stay safe!
kathy
I was sluggish all day. Even indoors, the weather gets to me.
Stay safe, Kathy.
I can relate to everything failing at once, Claudia. When we bought our house, we hired an independent home inspector and he proclaimed that he’d buy the house; it was without any major, or minor, deficiencies. Yay! But he did say, as he looked at me (6+ months pregnant) and said things will start needing replacement in 18-20 years…roof, furnace, water heater, exterior paint. He added, “About the time the little one begins college.” He was right…
Yikes Wendy that is a lot
We too have a list of things to fix so I sympathize with you
Oh boy. I know the roof will be an issue at some point, but so far, so good.
Stay safe, Wendy,
dear Claudia/Don — sorry re ghog trouble — sometimes being nice/sympathetic/patient does not work w/rodents. Myma used to say “trouble comes in threes”, of course, when I was small that did not make much sense to me — but she was Irish, very, very superstitious with a saying for everything — to me it did not seem to come in threes but just one continuous trouble after another!! I hate humidity so much, even makes my hair curl — right now we’ve been having t-storms nearly every day BUT in the last week, we have had more than 3 inches of rain, which has been great — pastures, yards turning green again. many areas here have been without electricity since Sun — they have to be totally miserable. stay safe
I don’t think of them as rodents. They’re just part of the animal menagerie around here and, though I get frustrated at times, I love them all.
Glad to hear your getting rain, Linda!
Stay safe.
That little rascal! Guess he now knows where the good stuff is…he might be back. Sorry to hear about the air again. We had rain and storms yesterday finally, so that cleared the air for today at least.
Our Edinburgh son and his wife are here for the wedding…on the 15th…so we are busy little beavers putting on the finishing touches in the yard. With yesterday’s rain…we won’t have to water today. Yay.
You’ve gotten entirely too much rain…too much. The only good thing is that you don’t have to water your gardens. Love the balloon flowers. Enjoy your day! ;)
Yay! The wedding is just around the corner, Donnamae! You must be so excited!
Stay safe.
… oh dear, the summer weather; sounds awful, Claudia; best indeed to stay inside …
(equally-awful feeling to have the nag on the brain of everything that needs done or fixing and how on a tight budget; people in more ‘monied’ circumstances have no idea what that feels like, to have that instant dread-fear of something that needs attention and trying to determine how to patch/bandaid something, try to get by, whereas they just pick up the phone and get somebody to come fix it or replace it, the money part of it/cost being only a secondary consideration [lucky them!] … like, I have a friend right now who has a gorgeous home, they’re older people who live ‘gently’ and everything in the home is beautiful, yet she has decided she’s ‘tired’ of bathroom counters and flooring, so somebody is currently in there remodeling the bathrooms which clearly didn’t need it [they were already perfect, which makes me wonder, is it just boredom, whereas in my situation we have a completely unusable/non-working bathroom sink and tub at the moment and a shower stall that’s probably going to fall thru the floor soon yet I’m saving for a very-necessary roof {I ‘get’ that it’s so much added stress for people like you and me; and I absolutely-totally understand how you’re worrying about lawn mower, washing machine and all the rest, Claudia; truly, I so-so-so ‘get it’; I’m sorry you have to have it on your mind; just realize you’re not alone in the retirement years when finances are stretched to the limit}])
It is very stressful. And no work for either of us, not helped by the Writer’s strike and the potential SAG strike.
We’re basically just getting by. Just.
Stay safe, Vicki.
Yep, just trying to get by, income check to income check (i.e. Social Security and one very modest pension benefit; also my husband’s part-time [not enough hours] maintenance-janitorial job in his 70s); hear ya. Whittling wherever we can. Glad for the roof over my head. (Even if it’s an old roof that needs replacing.) Some have it much worse.
I need new eyeglasses; was at the ‘eye doc’s’ last week and I had to tell him, ‘no, I can’t; the eyeglasses from three years ago have to last another year’ (banged up as my only-one, but vision prescription enough unchanged that they can still work, if they just don’t break from so much use; 70-lb dog sat on them yesterday but I was able to bend around on them, get them back into some kind of shape and pop the lens back in the frame; phew; that was a close one; a bit crooked now on my face).
We need that xtra storage shed to get out of the rented shed; even used ones are expensive. So, my husband has NOW decided that we’re taking down a 6-ft, LONG wood fence that spans our ‘middle’ yard out back and he’ll use/recycle that lumber to make his own shed. (At the time, going back ten years, we’d divided the yard to separate our dogs from the feral cats [it worked, the cats stayed protected in their own area], but the kitties are all gone now.)
Have to get creative, use what we have for today’s greater need. Paid a lot of money at the time to have that wood fence constructed by a professional crew; oh well. We can do without it now. We’ll have to do some other mitigations to keep the dog out of places we don’t want him once there’s no divider, but it’s a do-able thing. At least the fence materials will all be right here and my husband doesn’t have to haul stuff from another location. Three months out from abdominal surgery, he still has to be careful with lifting.
We gotta just hang in there, Claudia!
That’s a smart way to build a shed, Vicki!
Yes, hang in there Vicki!
Stay safe.
I know I need to on with the newer post, but guess what I just did! I pulled a ‘Claudia’; cut my long hair. Not done yet, doing it in increments; but six inches off a lot of the length; was ridiculously to past my middle back but it’s not pretty hair anymore because it’s white-gray and too thin with age/menopause; was getting too tangled all the time and I was breaking it with brushing and ponytail holders.
When money is tight, we do homemade haircuts, just like our parents in The Great Depression of the 1930s, right?!! I feel more ready for summer; my hair was ‘getting to me’ in a bad way.
I spoke too soon. Today (Friday’s cool weather) will be replaced with much warmer weather next week in Southern Calif, not like I didn’t know it was still coming!
Hope you’re having a pleasant Friday afternoon INDOORS and out of that heat-humidity. Gosh, I was watching the noon national news and the temps across the Midwest, Northeast and Florida are horrendous. And Phoenix, every day over 110 degrees!
Good for you! We do our own haircuts, yes! In fact, I told Don yesterday that it was time for another haircut. I’m going to have him trim it next week.
xo
This heat and humidity is awful. Someone likened it to opening your dishwasher mid cycle and climbing in. Very good analogy. We’re hoping it will be cooler tomorrow forus and for you and Don. Meanwhile I made a crisp, cool 🥒 Salad and cleaned some 🍓. Yum! How are the girl’s faring in this heat? I’m waiting for bathing suits to be delived for my kidlets. Stay calm, stay cool. Hugs, Elaine
The girls are basically staying on the shelf!
Stay safe, Elaine.
Dealing with a grumpy spouse….not sure if it is the weather or what. In any case going to go to an outdoor concert in an hour or so. Need a change of scenery. We all do I suppose. What I really want to do is put on a movie and eat watermelon. I don’t buy Lottery tickets….but sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be fabulously wealthy. So….I gave up having any flowers to speak of. Between the rabbits and the deer and the drought ….I am lucky to have a lawn. Summer is just beginning but it will wiz by and we will be longing for this in the dead of winter. Live in the moment….Wish I could remember the phrase the character that Sally field played in Spoiler Alert said…..Do you know the one I am referring to? Keep safe, sane and cool everyone.
I think the weather has an effect on my grumpy level, for sure.
I’m sorry, I don’t remember that line from Sally. But I haven’t watched the movie recently.
Stay safe, Maria.
Maybe you could dress up your dress form lady and let her stand guard on the porch!
Not a bad idea, Rose!
Stay safe.
I am used to heat and humidity but you do have to be careful. We are done with outside work before noon. Luckily we have good ac and afternoon rains cool it off a bit. Just chill when you can.
Thanks, Kay.
Stay safe.