It's An Annual Thing

Jared gave me this hollow section of a tree that he retrieved when he was cutting wood with my brother, Bob.  I love it.  I'm using it as a planter for my potted petunia.  

Here's another awesome piece of hollow tree from Jared.  I love the rustic look. 

I found this wheelbarrow and its contents tipped over yesterday.  I was able to gather the buried flowers from the potting mixture and to replant them.  I don't know how it tipped.  The wind?  A dog?  Hopefully, it won't happen again.

Marigolds are hardy so I'm hoping they'll do well in this spot which gets a lot of sun.

We have barrels of fun flowers in our backyard.

I really, really do like the rustic look.  Lon and I came up with this planter last year, a rectangular box set on three pieces of wood. 

Here we have another barrel surrounded by Lilies of the Valley that I took from my dad's yard many years ago.

I find holes dug in the soil in my barrels but fortunately the plants aren't bothered.  I suspect it's our resident chipmunk's doings.

How do you like this color?  Lon picked these plants.  They're nice for a change.

These are on the north side of our screen porch.  We bought the green plant without flowers at the Bird Fest.  It's a wildflower.  I was told they don't need much water at all so I try to be careful when I water the impatiens.

Here's a look at my vegetable garden from above (in the fort).  We had frost a few nights last week so we had to relocate my tomatoes, cucumber and sweet pepper plants to the screen porch for the night.

We copied what Jared did last year and planted Sun Patiens in our tree surround planters.

Yes, it's an annual thing.

Popping Pills. Vitamin Pills, That Is.





 

Don't ask me what all of these supplements are good for but, trust me, they're good for something.  At least, that's what I've read.  Over the years, I've made them part of my daily routine.  I take two calcium, two multiple vitamins and one each of the other supplements per day. 

 

 I'm rarely sick so I'll keep pill popping.

 

 

Oh, I mustn't forget.  I have a small glass of red wine with dinner for medicinal purposes.   

Is This Healthy Eating?



If this isn't a healthy salad, then I give up.

I know, I know, I go a bit overboard.  Lon would be happy with a smaller salad but even when I try, I can't bring myself to eliminate any of the ingredients.  

All I can do is apologize and say, "It's good for you.  Eat up."  And he does.  He knows my intentions are good.

P.S.  Lon uses Western dressing.  No Newman's Own for him.  He won't budge on certain things.     

My Experimental Platform Garden



In March, I planted tomato, green pepper and cucumber seeds.  I shared photos here when I started them and again when they grew into seedlings. Remember? 

As outdoor planting time approached, I was concerned as to where I should transplant them.  I finally came up with an idea.  I bought 8 plastic planters and a couple bags of Miracle Grow Moisture Control Potting Mix.  For about 3 weeks, my anxious plants, planters and potting mix have been on the screen porch waiting for me to take action.

Today, I transplanted the youngsters into the planters.  Now we're getting to the good part.  I placed the planters on these parallel bars on our old swing set, a perfect platform out of the reach of rabbits and chipmunks.   

I have an idea for staking the plants as they grow taller.  Time will tell how my platform garden works out.  I have other concerns besides the rabbits and chipmunks, but I won't bore you with them right now.

I'll keep you posted, that is, if all goes well.  If not, I'll probably be too frustrated for words. 

   



A Lady, A Dog, An Umbrella, A Stroller and, Oh Yes, A Bouquet of Flowers

 

The dental office where I work is in a very busy area.  Next door to us is Waggin Tails Dog Grooming.  I work near a large window and I can watch a parade of small dogs coming and going throughout the day. 

 

Most people bring their dogs in their cars.  One day last week, Angela (my coworker and friend) and I observed this woman.  We'd noticed her earlier in the day pushing an empty stroller.  At that time, Angela thought it appeared she was picking up discarded pop cans and putting them in the stroller.  She was an unusual sight in her straw hat, pushing a stroller and carrying an umbrella.       

I had my camera with me that afternoon so I snapped these pictures.  Seeing her now with a dog, we realized that when we saw her with the empty stroller in the morning, she had dropped her dog off at Waggin Tails.  Now (a few hours later), she had retrieved her pet after its grooming.

How thoughtful!  She brought water in case her dog had worked up a thirst during its spa day.

She proceeded to settle her dog in the stroller and to zip up the enclosing sides.  Is this dog spoiled or what!  The bright pink bundle protruding from the shopping bag is tissue paper wrapped around a bouquet of flowers which I assume she purchased at the floral shop next door. 

Once everything and everyone was in order, they moved off the grass, onto the blacktop driveway and were on their way.

Have you ever seen anything like this before?  I imagine this spanking clean and freshly trimmed pup saw us watching and exclaimed as he rolled out of sight, "Ta, ta, and have a nice day, now."   

We continued to watch as she approached the busy road, now with her umbrella open perchance to block the sun or perhaps to add another dimension to her "take my dog to the spa" look. 

I'd venture to say that Angela and I weren't the only ones to take a second look at this rather unusual sight crossing Cranston Road that day last week.

Now, was that fun or what!  Believe me.  I'm taking my camera to work with me everyday from now on.

Reading By a Grill Light

I finally found a light for reading in bed.  I've been looking for a light that's not too obnoxious in appearance and yet shines brightly enough to light up words on a page.

While walking in Menard's, I spotted this light on a shelf with the grilling supplies.  I bought it and attached it easily to the headboard.  I didn't even need Lon's help!  It's battery operated, another plus.

I know it isn't advisable to read in bed.  Beds should be used exclusively for sleeping and such.  Regardless, I do like to take my book with me from my reading chair to bed for my last half hour before calling it a day.  That way, when I can't keep my eyes open any longer, I can easily slide my book onto the nightstand, click the light off and soon go to sleep.

Another option that just occurred to me:  If I find I can't get to sleep, I could take my light, my book and a hamburger patty to our grill on the screen porch.  What could be cozier than reading and grilling by the light of this handy gadget in the middle of an otherwise sleepless, summer night?

FYI:  Any food eaten while reading between midnight and 3 a.m. has zero calories. 

Eat It. It's Good For You.

I've gotten back into eating healthy again.  I squeeze as many nutritious foods into my breakfast bowl as I possibly can.  The first thing in my bowl is this yogurt which has 18 grams of protein in a 6 ounce serving.  That's mighty fine, right? 

To the yogurt, I add fresh blueberries.  They are presently my favorite fruit because "they" say these little critters may be memory enhancers.  Heck, I'll eat rocks if they'll help me remember what I went to the refrigerator for!



This brand of fiber is a good choice.  It keeps me moving and I feel patriotic while I'm at it.

Would a sane person buy and eat germs?  Probably not. 

So I'm insane.  And obsessive.  Yogurt, blueberries, Uncle Sam's cereal and wheat germ aren't enough.  I reckon I might as well add some more flaxseed.   

I shake in some walnuts; they're a good food.

I read something, somewhere that praised cinnamon so I sprinkle lots of it on as I eat my way to the bottom of the bowl. 

I love it because I know I'm making healthy choices.  Trust me, if I didn't care, I'd have a bacon cheeseburger smothered with ketchup for breakfast.