A presents day yesterday, from others and from me to me/us!
Nancy, who is a longtime reader of this blog, sent me a package full of wonderful treasures. Three more Hardy Boys for Don, a Nancy Drew for me, and two beautiful pieces of miniature pottery. The moon-faced pitcher (Nancy told me to google it for interesting information) looks like it was made by Enesco and was also manufactured in other colors and lustreware finishes. The other piece is a Shawnee miniature. I love everything.
Thank you so much, Nancy! What a generous gift!
I also received a package from Don. I didn’t take a photo of it because it’s a T-shirt, but it’s from the famous Blue Swallow Motel on Route 66 and it has a great logo. Perfect for this bird-loving girl.
The flowers Don sent me for opening night. The roses have opened and the pale pink peony is about to open. Aren’t they gorgeous?
From me to me: another Nancy Drew. This is one of the later editions illustrated by Russell H. Tandy. We’re getting there – only seven more to go but a few of those are extremely hard to find!
We get a pile of sales circulars in the mail every week and I usually throw them in the recycling pile without even looking at them. This week, for some reason, I looked through them and saw one from The Christmas Tree Shops. I decided to quickly take a look at it – thank goodness I did – and what did I see? Adirondack chairs made out of cedar for $49. What????? Not only that, but they fold up, so we can store them in the shed (if we ever clean it out.)
I drove across the river yesterday and came home with them.
If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you know I have always, always wanted a couple of Adirondack chairs! I’m so excited! I could paint them, but I think I’ll leave them natural, with the addition of a clear coat. Cedar ages well, and our porch furniture tends to be weathered wood.
They’ll go on the porch. I’m on the hunt for colorful cushions. I haven’t put them together yet. Maybe today, but I also have to mow so we’ll see what happens.
I mowed the back forty yesterday, as well as the corral. Today, the front yard, because it’s due to rain tomorrow.
It’s finally time to soak my morning glory seeds. I’ll be sowing them on Monday, along with zinnia and moonflower seeds. Huzzah! And, I have yet to buy impatiens for the porch or flowers for the planters, but I did move all the plants I overwintered this year back out to the porch.
Spring is here.
I made a cup of coffee this morning and went outside to sit on the funky patio. It was about 6:15 and the air was full of bird song. Glorious. I’m going to do it more often. At that point in the day, traffic is fairly quiet around here and the songbirds can take center stage. It’s a beautiful way to start the day.
Happy Saturday.
Treasures and gifts and discoveries…oh, my! It must have seemed like Christmas around your cottage yesterday.
That bouquet from Don just gets better as time goes on. I’m looking at the seed pods and wondering if they were poppies? And wondering if they could be planted? Just my latest hobby showing. I’ve been planting kitchen scraps and having a ball with them—two of my pineapple tops now have pineapples on them! I plant green onions when we first get here and almost never have to buy more. Also, my lettuce cores keep me in baby lettuce leaves for salads. It’s pretty fun. But I’m looking forward to getting my morning glory seeds going up North, too. Happy Saturday!
I don’t think they’re poppies – aren’t those seed pods usually fuzzy? I wonder what they are??
Love your latest hobby, Shanna!
I was up early today, too. (Sleepless night.) Was watering the wild birds and letting the dog out at 5:45am; moved my car to a diff location on the street at 6am (long story). Sun was beginning to blaze as if it was afire. We are warm; barely got out of the 70s range, temp-wise, in the night, with mild Santa Anas which are starting to gain momentum about now (about 6:45 am); I planned for this, looking ahead at the weather service, knowing it’s going to be really hot today, planning NOT to go out in it anymore (will be a quiet, indoor day with, hopefully, an afternoon nap if I’m lucky, since I’m quite tired at the moment).
I can’t believe what a find those chairs are, Claudia. I have friends with cedar adirondacks on their ‘terrace’ and they still look great after 21 years but, of course, out here in SoCalif we don’t get your harsh winters. (Theirs are natural, too. I can guarantee they paid much more than $49, even back in the day. You scored one heckuva deal. Right now, a hardwood adirondack at a good-quality seller like LL Bean, is over $200!)
Have a wonderful Saturday. You sound pretty ‘up’ – I’m sure that makes Don feel better, than if you were mopey around him during the phone calls and made him feel a bit desperate, torn between two lovers (his profession and his partner). Just think – it’s nearly May and you’ll be seeing him soon; time, it does indeed FLY.
The chairs are great – I still haven’t put them together (mowed and mowed today) but I will either later in the day today or tomorrow.
I’m fairly up – not always. We take turns being strong for each other. Don is having a particularly hard time right now. Tech rehearsals are many hours long, there is no one in the cast who is his age, and he’s just plain lonely. Even if I was there, he’d be gone for 12 hours a day and I wouldn’t be much help, although knowing your partner is just a few miles away rather than 3000, makes a big difference.
Yes, I can imagine how you’re feeling although these things are different for everybody (it’s like grief; no one can know your particular experience). I was once separated from my husband for 5 months when he took a new job and I had to stay behind to sell the house amid a myriad of other details. Our separation in distance was 1600 miles and I only saw him briefly ( if memory serves me correctly), one time, during those months. Money was really, really tight, too, as we tried to maintain two residences. A very tense period for us; stressful. And I had a monster-hard job at the time as well.
When my husband is gone for work assignments now…for days on end…we’re only in different counties and, if he had to, he could get home in a relatively short period of time; huge difference. Like with you two, this current work situation of ours is temporary…and I’m counting the days til it’s over. My husband is so, so busy on the job that he basically just falls into rented bed at night; yet he too is hit with waves of loneliness, just missing any other life but ‘work’…and his own digs (the much-more comfy bed at home, his pets; his yard; me).
But I think there must be lots of couples and families who cope with these situations a lot. Often, maybe passing ships in the night, as they do shift work in order to always have at least one parent home with the kids and to save money on childcare/daycare, for instance. We’ve discussed it here before. My heart goes out to a young couple who moved into my neighborhood two years ago. He’s career-Navy and is about to be deployed. He’s known for a long while; they’ve obviously had some time to get used to the idea and I guess it’s just a ‘fact of life’ for them and his work. He can’t, of course, tell me anything, but his previous postings have been far-flung locations all over the globe. His wife will be busy with job and school (goes to college) but he said, yes, it’s not easy to leave her behind to fend for herself; be on her own. They’re from the Midwest and I wonder that perhaps they don’t have a lot of family out West here. And, of course, how can she not worry…about him…considering what’s out there in the volatile world and the much uneasy peace between countries. They’re a lovely young couple; I really do have some very nice neighbors (not all are creepy like what I’ve had next door!).
I wish Don had a little corner cafe he could visit frequently; maybe get to know some of the repeat customers. Or if he had a favorite bookstore. Chill at a library. Just somewhere close by; to have a place to go. Something to relieve the frayed loose ends when he’s got a bit of time here and there. The “Cheers’ thing…where everybody knows your name…
He just has no free time at the moment. Techs often go from 12 to 12 and any free time he has is for sleeping!
Lovely morning! I am watching the birds at the feeders. I love those chairs and wish I had a CTS close by. I love love the turquoise Shawnee piece. The flowers from Don are really lovely and lasting a good long time. I’m still coughing but I think I’m finally starting to feel a little better and have a bit more energy. I’ll need it to watch the Grands tonight. Bill’s funeral will be live streamed today(he was the pastor there) and I will be watching and praying for my family. Sending you hugs.
Take it easy today and rest, my friend. Hopefully, the grands will get tired quickly and go to sleep!
Lovely pressies, Claudia. I like the miniatures. I’m up early too, as the house painter will be here at 7:30. I need to have just the front of the house painted. It faces west and gets weather-beaten. I’m making cream puff shells while he’s painting. Attending a “tea” at a friend’s house with five other ladies today. I’m filling the shells with curried faux-chicken salad, which I made last night. I finally found a faux chicken I like. It won’t be an all vegan dish, as the shells have eggs and butter, and the faux chicken salad has mayo. My friends eat meat, but always have vegetarian dishes at our teas for me. Isn’t that nice?! I’m having trouble wi aphids on my rose plant. Any tried and tested methods out there?
Lady bugs?
Yes, that’s what I’ve heard as well.
We’ve been battling aphids on our rosebushes and on a creeping vine we planted intentionally to cover a fence. Aphids as well as mold.
Found this, from The Old Farmers Almanac:
Try spraying cold water on the leaves; sometimes all aphids need is a cool blast to dislodge them.
If you have an aphid invasion, dust plants with flour. It constipates the pests.
Use commercially available biological aphid controls or by spraying with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil.
You can often get rid of aphids by wiping or spraying the leaves of the plant with a mild solution of water and a few drops of dishwashing detergent.
Stir together 1 quart of water, 1 tsp of liquid dish soap, and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Do not dilute before spraying on plants.
Organic controls include soapy emulsion, horticultural oil (read the directions), and pyrethrum spray. Soapy water should be reapplied every 2-3 days for 2 weeks.
Use homemade garlic or tomato-leaf sprays.
HOW TO PREVENT APHIDS
For fruit or shade trees, spray dormant oil to kill overwintering eggs.
You can purchase beneficial insects, such as lady beetles, lacewings, and parasitic wasps, which will feed on aphids. These are usually ordered via mail—check the Internet for labs. They should keep the aphid populations controlled in the first place.
You can also plant flowering ground-covers in home orchards to attract predators.
Companion planting can be very helpful to keep aphids away from your plants in the first place. For example:
Aphids are repelled by catnip.
Aphids are especially attracted to mustard and nasturtium. You can plant these near more valuable plants as traps for the aphids.
Nasturtiums spoil the taste of fruit tree sap for aphids and will help keep aphids off broccoli.
Garlic and chives repel aphids when planted near lettuce, peas, or rose bushes.
USING ALCOHOL TO CONTROL APHIDS
Isopropanol (rubbing alcohol) works fine and is easy to find, but be sure it doesn’t have additives. Ethanol (grain alcohol) seems to work best. Alcohol usually comes in 70 percent strength in stores (or 95 percent strength purchased commercially). To make an insecticidal spray, mix equal parts 70 percent alcohol and water (or, if using 95 percent alcohol, mix 1 part alcohol to 1 ½ parts water).
You can also add alcohol to a soapy emulsion to make it more effective. For example, in a spray bottle, combine 5 cups water, 2 cups alcohol, and 1 tablespoon liquid soap.
Caution: When applying an alcohol or soap spray, or a combination, always test a small area first, and apply in morning or evening, when the sun is not beating down. Watch the plant for a few days for any adverse reactions before applying more. Plants can be sensitive to alcohol and soap. Also, some soaps have additives that can damage plants—select the purest form.
Claudia, my husband is using a lite oil…I have in my mind that it’s tea tree oil (an essential oil) but I’m not exactly sure; it’s nighttime now and I don’t want to go looking for the bottle of it, out in the garden shed, as it’s buggy out there and I’m getting a lot of itchy bug bites lately. But he’s calling it an ‘organic fungicide’. He mixes it with water and adds a teaspoon (per quart) of dishwashing liquid (like when you’re washing dishes by hand in the sink). Put this in a sprayer or spray bottle (shake lightly to keep the oil & water mixed, as it will want to separate). I was reading about tea tree oil and it seems to have anti-fungal properties (topical treatment).
The tea sounds lovely! And you’re making me hungry! I love that your friends support you with vegetarian dishes.
If I would have sat outside this morning with my coffee at 6:15….it would have been 36 degrees and there would have been a wind chill…lol! I saw the long range forecast for May….ours looks to be cooler than normal, yours….quite warm. Lucky you! I succumbed to the flowers at Costco…bought a dahlia yesterday…oh so pretty. Don’s flowers look remarkable…such a thoughtful guy. Great adirondack chairs…I love their looks, but can’t sit in them for long. I think keeping them natural with a clear stain, would be fantastic! Enjoy your day! ;)
I can’t believe how cold it is there, Donnamae! It’s warm here today and it was yesterday, but the temps are going to go back down into the sixties the rest of the week.
I’m going to get cushions for the chairs. Hard wood for a long time = sore back!
Try Home Goods. Great selection.
Yes, I know – I’ll stop by there this week. Thanks, Linda!
That sounds like a “comforting” idea! ;)
xo!
what a serendipitous discovery of the cedar adirondack chairs! and they fold too??? be still my fluttering heart :-) Oh how I dearly miss that wonderful chain of stores!!! In our adventures all around New England, I never failed to miss the opportunity to run in and see what goody they had waiting for me to rescue! Many of those beloved items made the trek back to the good Ole Lone Star state with me. Alas, the one and only Christmas Tree Store in Texas packed up and moved away right before I moved back. Apparently the team in charge of checking out the demographic in the area where they put the store did not do their homework…it was a hoity toity section of Dallas and as we all who adore that store know, you have to be open minded and enjoy a certain degree of “funk” to appreciate some of their offerings. While you sit in your great wooden adirondack chair think of me in my lowly plastic number! I’m quite certain the birdsong sounds sweeter while reclining in the wooden ones :-)
Yes, you have to be prepared for some tacky there, but there are gems, as well! I found a great planter, and I’m going to go back and get two more. I’ll show you in a future post!
Hi Claudia, Help, why am I being bombarded with ads on your blog. They’ve never been there before. Have you been hacked? Blessings and Peace. Love your chairs!
It’s coming from your end Lesley – maybe from your browser or you’ve been infected with adware. All is well on this end. Just the usual ads. I haven’t been hacked.
No ads showing up on my feed!! The chairs look wonderful. I have never been to one of those stores. As far as I know, there aren’t any around here at all. And, as Donnamae said, we would have needed winter coats, hats and mittens to sit outside this morning. Might actually hit 47* today!! It will be a couple of weeks before I even think of putting anything in our ground. sigh.
Snow in Denver!
Have a wonderful Saturday!
Thanks for that, Chris. It’s normal on this end, as well. I think it’s coming from her browser.
I think Christmas Tree Shops are an East Coast thing. I never knew of them before we moved out here.
I’m sorry it’s so cold there! Goodness – you guys need some Spring!
You guys are killing me. I’m so hot that I’m not even sleeping with a sheet at night. The central A/C is too noisy for the wee hours, so we leave it off but I’m thinking tomorrow to set out the standing fans for the nights. We peaked at 93 degrees today in SoCalif. Was still 80 degrees a half hour ago (9:30pm). Very hazy, NOT clear weather for us (even with the winds, Claudia!) here, in the coastal plains. It’s been too hot for too many days already! I want to move to Door County, Wisconsin. Fish Creek! Have read about it for years. I LIKE COOL WEATHER.
No problems with the ads. Everything is as usual on my end.
Thanks, Vicki.
I love that little moon face pitcher. You have the best collectibles of anyone!
The flowers from Don are absolutely beautiful and holding up amazingly well.
I love, love, white roses. Love them.
You two will enjoy the chairs for years to come. Great buy.
I hope you are relaxing & enjoying this evening.
Take care,
Monica
Sore from putting the chair together and mowing, but all is well!
I am so happy that you like the books and minis too…It is nice to see them sitting safe and loved in your sweet little cottage that I love!..I thought the swan might be Shawnee because of the color..I’m glad you researched it to find out…Sounds like a wonderful day to open the mailbox..and who can believe the price of those chairs?..I believe there is a Christmas Tree Shop in Harrisburg about 60 miles from here..there are not many stores or restaurants that they don’t have in that area of PA..lol…I am anxious to see them put together!
The price of the chairs is ridiculous! In a good way! I’m thrilled to finally have them.
Thank you again for the lovely presents, Nancy!
Sounds like you scored on the chairs. It will be fun to see what you find for cushions. I’m about to put out our winter-overed plants also. May first is our date. Now if only the sun would show its face!
Today (Sunday) started out sunny but now cloud cover has taken over! Ah well.