Rain. Dreary. Dark skies.
For the entire week.
I’m trying to stay upbeat in the face of dreariness. I need to plant my morning glory and zinnia seeds and weed the garden bed so I can put some mulch down. Doesn’t seem like that’s going to be on the agenda this week.
So, all I have to share with you are these photos I took rather hurriedly the other day.
The hostas (and there are many) are really growing. This one, in the sunniest bed, is the furthest along. I never tire of hostas. There are so many varieties and they’re so dependable.
More hostas, along with coneflowers, daylilies, and sedum Autumn Joy. They will eventually fill out the entire bed.
Now I hear thunder.
I’ve been doing a lot of reading – both fiction and nonfiction. I just finished That Darkness by Lisa Black, which I will be reviewing today on Just Let Me Finish This Page. Now I’m reading In the Clearing by Robert Dugoni (I’ve reviewed the other two books in his series and I’m a fan.) I’ve got several eGalleys in the queue on my Kindle, as well as the slew of books in my TBR pile, including the next two books in Jo Nesbø’s Harry Hole Series.
I also just got to download the eGalley for John Connolly’s next book, which doesn’t come out until August. That makes me very happy!
I have to go to Hartford later in the week to watch a run-through of Anastasia.
And of course, ongoing work on the TSP. I tried making a sound board yesterday and I ended up not liking the final result. I haven’t trashed it yet, but it’s definitely been shoved off to the side. As much as I’d like to make one, I well remember Don recording and mixing all his compositions via Garage Band, which is on all Macs. So the computer monitor that is on it’s way from Thailand via the post office just might do the trick.
Okay. Have a good day, despite the rain. And if you’re not getting rain and the skies are sunny, I’m jealous.
And stop by Just Let Me Finish This Page to read my review of That Darkness. It’s awfully good!
Happy Monday.
I’m sorry if this makes you jealous…..but we’ve been promised a sunny week….with only one day of possible rain. We need this…our spring hasn’t been as nice as yours. Your hostas look nice….so do mine actually. Guess they weren’t on the buffet this year for the deer…they must have changed their route. Enjoy your day….at least you have plenty to read! ;)
Yes. We had a loud and very long in duration thunderstorm this morning. And more and more rain to come.
We should trade weather, Claudia. I would welcome a little rain after a week of warm temperatures. However, the veggies we set out are loving the warmth. The tomato plants seem to have doubled in size overnight and are beginning to flower. Strawberries are also fruiting, but the fruit are still green or white. I hope the forecast in your area is on the side of error and you won’t get all week of rain and gray skies….
I hope so too!
As Donnamae said, our forecast for the week calls for SUN and even a few 70’s. We should be jealous of you, though, as I think you have had a nicer spring than have we. We did just endure an entire weekend of cold, rain, and clouds. Everything is quite green, and that is lovely to see for sure.
I am so ready to do some greenhouse gazing! I get so overwhelmed at the first few visits, that I seldom buy anything until it all sinks into my brain so I can process. I am like a 3 year old in a combination toy and candy store, and on the brink of a melt-down!!
Hope the weather provides much reading and TSP time for you. Remember, at least it isn’t snow!! ?
Actually, we didn’t have a very nice spring. There were some days here and there which were warm and sunny, but we had unexpected freezes and ice and cold and rain! I have to get going on my work outside and this weather is really not helping at all!
I hope the rain stops and the sun comes out for you and your garden. We have tons of sun right now and very hot days (28 Celsius today) but no rain and now the wildfires are raging. In April, we had two short bursts of rain and that was it. Hoping the universe hears our wishes and the skies open soon. You’re welcome to send the rain here!!
I’d love to send it there, especially when you have wildfires raging. We just went through that last week, and it’s very scary for all concerned.
Rainy here in Mid-Michigan. Rainy and cold. Nothing to be jealous of here. Love seeing pics of your gardens in all their stages. You seem to know exactly what to do and when to do it. Have you always been into gardening? Do you plan yours out every year or just follow where the garden spirits take you? Give a bit of encouragement to a wannabe gardener with a decidedly not green thumb!
Have a good week!
Cassandra
No, I haven’t always been into gardening. I started to get into it when we were renting in San Diego and I made a little garden outside our back door. Then I made a little garden when we were renting out here. Just small gardens – both of them, but they helped my confidence. Part of the reason I fell for this property was the potential for lots of garden beds. I read online, read gardening books, but mostly I just went for it. Some plants don’t work – there are always mysteries that can’t be solved. But I planned a perennial garden and after 10 years here, it thrives on it’s own (after I’ve weeded and mulched). I don’t plan it out every year because the great thing about perennials is that they come back every year. So now I can relax. Although we’re going to start a memorial garden for our dogs so that will take some planning.
We have sun breaking out of fog right now nearing 10am PST. Wish I could have some of your rain.
I’m a mess. Still not over the bug, and now I’ve done something to wreck my arm. I think I strained a muscle when carrying a heavy bag of birdseed by the bag handle (I feed the wild birds; there are so many and their food is beginning to break the budget…and the bags are breaking my arms!!). Makes me feel old that I can’t do these things without thinking, like I used to! Prescription ibuprofen is helping but, man, without it, I can’t reach or lift (can type, holding arm close to my side!).
The rain can make you stir crazy when it’s days on end (I have to work hard to remember what that’s like, being here in little-to-no-rain-Southern California) but at least you have things to keep you busy. It seems you and Don both have quiet pursuits/hobbies and that’s always a good thing. If you can, put on a raincoat, your wellies (don’t slip!) and grab an umbrella…take a walk in it, just to breathe in some fresh air. Mom would do that with us children, back in the days when California would have ‘regular’ rain; she had to do something about all that pent-up , kid-energy from being too-much indoors! I have fond memories of walking the neighborhood with her in the rain.
Take care of yourself, Vicki! I understand the frustrations of pulled muscles and all of that. Both Don and I have wrestled with those annoyances this past year. Don doesn’t have as many hobbies as I do, but he’s working to find things to fill his time. He usually makes a point out of getting out each day and he loves to take long walks. He’s also trying to read more – which I heartily endorse!
Thanks for the chin-up about the arm.
I had a very nice, long conversation on the phone (couldn’t hold the receiver with my bad arm, so thank goodness for a speaker feature) with a former neighbor yesterday (we’re the same age; she’s widowed) and we both coincidentally spoke of how as women we have a zillion projects/interests/hobbies (and not enough time in a day for them) but it’s not the same for a lot of men. She worked five years after her husband retired and he was too idle all day long at home alone without her, even calling her at work frequently. He was bored. The day was too slow for him. He couldn’t find a new niche.
My husband and I speak of this ALL the time because I get quite concerned of how he is going to spend his retirement days. They’re coming. It wasn’t a good time for my hardworking-all-his-life father. He was required by the doctor to cut down the amount of client work (self-employed) due to a heart condition that showed up in his 50s and he got very melancholy to the point of Mom going out to get a new dog sooner than we’d planned (our girl had just passed) so that Dad would have something to fasten his attention onto, and the dog helped but it wasn’t the answer. The man needed useful, productive work (such that by the time he was in his early 60s [he worked til he was 80] he’d nearly built back up the business to its full 100% against doctor’s orders). He got very tired of reading his favorite westerns and he’d just never had time in his life to fully develop other interests besides family and work. Anyway, this is my influence, and I don’t want the same thing to happen to my husband.
Besides one brief period in the 90s (mere months only,,,and I got a lot of my furniture nicely refinished in his time off; busy hands, his…), my husband has never been without a job (since he was age 14…and before that, he at least always had a paper route). He put himself through college working so many jobs, I don’t know how he ever had time to study. He hit the ground running from the moment he got his degree and he’s been running ever since. Even now, he on average works three jobs at one time on a regular basis…and that’s just in the last 15 years (used to be more; he’s cut down the freelance work). Most of that will go away once he’s out of the ‘biz’ he works in and away from the connections. Then what? It’s a big change of pace/momentum. And you’re supposed to dial it down in retirement. But not all at once.
My husband is a physically active (super active) person but he’s going to only be able to build so many sheds for the yard, know what I mean? He is looking into building homes for soldiers and that’s laudable as a volunteer effort in retirement, for as long as you can physically do that but what I worry about is when he can’t be that active, because I could see him spending his entire day on the web/social media. To me, that can only be satisfying to a point. The other part of me needs to just let him be and figure it out for himself but my friend yesterday pointed out too many guys she knew of when her husband died in his early 60s, who just do not have enough to do to keep their minds occupied and/or feel worthwhile. I’ve read enough about it to realize it’s just as important to have a lifestyle retirement plan as a financial one.
So, it’s good to hear you say that Don is exploring new things outside of his career. As husbands and wives, we’re going to have some dissimilar interests; for instance, my husband and I can accompany each other to the garden CENTER but he’s not into a garden TOUR, like I like to do when they have a local benefit for a charitable organization. Each person needs something of their own or else we’re just spousal clones! Ideally, I wish my husband and I could live in that 100% rhythm and do the exact same things together…but it’s never going to happen; we’re too different from one another even though we’ve been together a very long time.
My great-aunt? She wasn’t about to get left behind while my great-uncle golfed every day of the week in retirement…so she learned to play golf and they had many years enjoying that sport together which even morphed into golfing vacations. Something one of my doctors is doing as he prepares himself for retirement (besides daily visits to the gym)? His wife and he attend a language class; they decided to learn French together. He can manage a weekend session, despite being one very busy physician. I’m going to encourage my husband to take cooking classes at a local community college…maybe even go to cooking school if it’s something in retirement we can afford. Build on his strengths! He’s a great cook and I think he could be a great chef! Why not? His uncle got weary of being retired at home and when he was really old, he went to work for McDonald’s so he could see a lot of people and have some do-able tasks. He didn’t eat the food and he didn’t need the money, but he enjoyed it so much! And the young people working there also liked HIM.
Oh, wow, I’m running on too long. Hot topics!
It’s all so familiar. My dad had problems with retirement. The one thing Don has going for him is that, as an actor, he’s used to chunks of downtime. Most actors are. So you have to start thinking of other things you’re interested in long before retirement or you’ll go nuts. But he still gets bored easily. We don’t watch television during the day. He’s not that into his guitar at the moment. When he was more actively writing music, that took up a lot of his time, but it ended up taking up TOO much of his time – because when he’s into something, he’s really into it. Don’s a great cook, too. I should encourage him to take a class sometime in the future. Mostly, right now, he just needs to work as an actor and it’s been very slow. He has 3 episodes of Mr. Robot to film next month. Originally one of them was supposed to be filming now, but because of location problems, they moved all three of them up to June. An actor’s life is hard. Most of them are unemployed at any given point in time. I suggested that he get a camera and start taking photos, because he has a really good eye, and he loves to go on walks. He could blog them or instagram them or make a journal. He’s also a wonderful writer but just as he’s constantly pushing me to start writing my novel – and I don’t – I know he’s in the same boat, so I don’t push him. Ahhh well.
I don’t know about an actor’s life, so that’s interesting…the spaces in between. Almost a pre-retirement…when you don’t want it to be yet. Which is kinda what happened to my father. He still wanted to make money!
As he’d also on certain things say, “I guess we’ll figure it out at the time.” Maybe I’m too much of a planner. I echo your ‘ahhh well’…
We often say – because we both freelance – that we’re in semi-retirement and have been for several years!
My last comment after too many today: Actually, I think that’s healthy; if you can be in a semi-retirement or feel like it…it will be an easier transition for you once you’re totally retired. You’ve had time to get accustomed to the slower pace (maybe less money!) than if it just all, bang, stopped on retirement day, like for my husband, who will go from sometimes a 16-hour day if you count commute time…at least 3X/week with those hours, but always an 11-hour one for him otherwise, and some Saturdays…it’s just how some people live; it’s how he’s always worked and lived (his father was the same way), not that I consider it a ‘great’ way to live…certainly not healthy, for anybody, and not ever enough time for the body and mind to rest…)…
I’ve been tearing my hair out with our rains and cloudy weather. The sun is shining and its only 50 but I have to go for a good long walk. The flowers are blooming here. Spring must stay some day soon. Bye april showers
I just went outside to look at the lilacs – they look droopy from the very intense rain we had this morning.
The sun is shinning…the shy is blue with white puffy clouds…it 68 degrees and heading for the 70’s…not what I was expecting today at all…I had better get out and enjoy it before the rain comes back again…My hostas are growing like weeds..also my weeds are growing like weeds….lol..
Enjoy it while you can, Nancy! I’m jealous. I must admit, most likely because of everything that’s happened in the past few months, this kind of day can leave me feeling very down.
Yep, it was a grey and rainy weekend…today is cloudy and damp and rain is in the forecast for all week. I just want to nap. I was able to cut a few lilac sprigs on Saturday morning and the scent filled the entire downstairs of our little house. But, by Sunday morning they had all wilted (still plenty of water in the vase). I had to pitch them this morning:( Hope your weather clears soon Claudia!
Mine have only a few blossoms on them – the rest have yet to open. And this weather isn’t helping things!
We have blue skies and warm temperatures promised all week except a possible storm on Thursday. I finally got my flowers in yesterday and planted green beans last week. And harvested the first of the rhubarb! That always says “spring” to me, when I pull the first rhubarb stalk. I hope the weather improves some for you soon Claudia.
Blessings,
Betsy
Oh, rhubarb! So many memories of my mother and grandmother and their delicious rhubarb pies!
Oh, that’s so true. Hostas ARE the most reliable plant and bonus, there doesn’t seem to be any end to their variety. I must have 20-30 saved photos of hostas in my “landscaping” file [when I win the lottery, I want to hit the ground running so I’ve been saving ideas and photos for years – LOL]. However, my new thing right at the moment – ORNAMENTAL GRASSES. Just love them, and wondering how I never really noticed them until I was 40 or so [20 years ago]. Drive your car into any bank or take-out food line in the country right now and I can practically GUARANTEE you’ll meet some stunning ornamental grasses. They’re I love how they spill and flow and move in the breeze, and look virtually effortless for a gardener too. In my apartment complex, we have them all around the flagpole near our office/clubhouse building, and they’re just stunning, especially in mid-Summer. Still dreary, gray and gloomy here too, but MAYBE just a teeny bit brighter in the last hour or so. It can’t last FOREVER… ☔️
I love ornamental grasses too. They are like sculptures. I have one variety in my garden and it comes up like clockwork every year, spreading throughout the upper part of the big garden bed. I’ll have to take a photo of the grass when it’s at its peak. We need some sun, Janet!
We’ve had sun and then rain and back to sun in just a few hours today. Crazy May! Glad you have done some reading, I’ve got so many books on my TBR but that makes me happy!! Hate to be without a book.
hugs,
Linda
That’s a nightmare scenario, Linda. Have to have a book on hand!
Our weather has been up and down for the last couple of weeks intertwined with tornado alerts and hail the size of baseballs. It’s really cool here now but warming up this week. But that warm up will only bring on more storms. YUCK!
Have a good week and enjoy the sunshine (if and when it comes).
Judy
You’ve had some crazy weather, Judy! I hope the storms stop soon!