Gardens - My Vegetables and My Garden of the Soul

Good morning and Happy Saturday to each of you. It's the weekend, and even though I have to work today, I'll have tomorrow off to attend Renaissance Festival. It should be a lovely day, even though it will be a short one because we'll want to return home for football. Still, some time outdoors with friends and acquaintances, a bowl of Pho from the Vietnamese stall, and music here and there isn't a bad way to spend a Sunday. 

This photo is a bit more classed up than the Pho we 
purchase at Ren Fest, but it's basically the same 
meal. Rice noodles and a meat (we usually choose 
chicken), in a broth. He adds a lot of spicy sauces 
to his bowl, I add a bunch of Hoisin sauce to mine. 

The leaves are beginning to turn - orange and scarlet blazes across the Cities with greens fading into the background and reserved for evergreen trees. Fall is my favorite time of the year - I adore the colors, I like the cooler temperatures, and I love football season, which started last week. There's just something about that little nip of cool air in the mornings, fresh apple cider, cinnamon snapping in the air, pumpkins turning orange - ready for carving and/or cooking. Squash returns to the menu, along with the more robust foods for the season. It's a grand time of the year. 

The majority of trees around me turn orange and red 
in the Fall. Most of them are maples, and maple trees 
are very colorful. I do miss the golden Aspen trees of 
my youth, but I'm stunned by the orange and scarlet 
trees of Minnesota. 

I have to get my latest dehydrator batch pulled out this morning and put into containers so that I can put the dehydrator away in the cabinet once again until the next batch. I had more than 40 habanero peppers that I harvested yesterday and put in to dry. It was a veritable feast of brilliant orange peppers. I can't wait to add them to soups and stews over the winter months.  I also harvested Serrano peppers and ... hmmm ... I'm not remembering the exact type of my red peppers, but they're lovely as well. And one other pepper plant that has really tiny (but very potent) peppers is just coming in for harvest now. I harvested my first few yesterday and added them to the dehydrator batch. 

Here are my peppers cut and ready for the dehydrator. You 
can see I had  2-1/2 shelves of Habanero peppers, but there 
also were red and green peppers and four little guys all on 
their own that probably will be super hot because they're 
so small - LOL. Just an assumption. I haven't tried them 
yet. But I have to get my dehydrator emptied before I leave 
for the shop today. 

So, hot foods for the cold season to come. I'll be using all of these over the winter to add to my soups and stews. Having a garden can be a wonderful thing! But I also have a garden of the soul which is populated by my friends, both near and far. You're the ones I visit time and time again to give me the strength I need and show me the kindness that often is missing in my life. Thank goodness for every one of you! Know this --- you're treasured! Slava Ukraini. 

It Wasn't a Bad Day Off and Check Out My Ristra Peppers!

I didn't get as much accomplished as I had wanted yesterday, but I'm still considering the day to have been a success. At this time of the year, I rarely get to everything on my "to do" list. I did pick up and assemble the frame for a piece I've been working on, I still have a minor re-do before I can cut the glass and call this one done. I'll try to get to that tomorrow. 

Just look at this gorgeous ristra pepper. It's 
turning gloriously red. I can hardly wait for 
the others to change as well. 

I had a bunch of green and yellow beans that we've harvested just crying out for cooking, so I grabbed a bit of time and got that done. They're FABULOUS! And, I took photos of my Ristra peppers to share. The one monster is turning gloriously red. 

I'm so proud of my ristra pepper. I wasn't sure if 
they would have enough summer up here to turn 
red, but I finally am getting the color I need. 

I didn't get any of the housecleaning done, that's mostly on Friday's agenda. But generally, I consider that yesterday was a good day and I got a lot of things done. I need to keep on track, the month is slipping/rushing by all too quickly and Sharon's visit is approaching. She won't mind a messy house - it's really just horrid in the computer room. Her room is just fine, her bathroom will be fine - I'll move my stuff into the upstairs bathroom for the few days she's visiting us, which will give her a bathroom of her own. I'm always scrubbing the shower, so that's not much of an issue either ... yeah, it's just general cleanup, a good vacuum, and getting my dragons dusted and preening once again. 

I need to pull out the gloves and the housecleaning supplies 
and tackle the house. I also need to vacuum - I have very few 
bare floors - I prefer carpeting. So, my next week will be 
filled with home maintenance - LOL. 

Reading the above, I guess I have a serious clean ahead of me for tomorrow - LOL. That's fine - it needs doing anyway and I'm pretty experienced at it after all this time. 

Summer Is Coming to an End (Almost)

DH and I are actually on the same page when it comes to Renaissance Festival this year. We want to be there for opening day (this weekend), final weekend, and the week that Sharon is in town (Labor Day weekend). The rest of Fest is optional. I suspect driving there and back will be a bit of a nightmare - every major roadway through the Cities is under construction right now. Driving from anywhere to anywhere else is a challenging obstacle course of detours and changing routes. 

The roadways in the Twin Cities right now are a sea of 
orange signage and barriers. Getting from anywhere to 
anywhere else is almost impossible and takes twice the 
normal time. *sigh*

Does your area also have two seasons? Our seasons equate to Winter and Road Construction Season. The minute the snow or threat of major snow has gone, the orange cones and barriers come up. Right now every major freeway through the Cities from North to South and from East to West has some type of construction going on. I remember when I went to Minneapolis to test with my memory Doctor. A simple 30 minute drive turned into a one hour nightmare. Awful! 

The photo is a stock photo, NOT my own photo, but it's 
serrano peppers on the left, and habanero peppers on 
the right. I use peppers in my cooking often, and both of 
these are bearing well. I also have three other types of 
peppers. I'll be dehydrating them, mincing them, and using 
them in my meals throughout the winter months. 
Pickling them is also a thought, though. 

But as the summer wanes and we get closer to the closing of our outdoor pool (sniff, sniff, weep), I have to be grateful because we've actually had a wonderful summer thus far. My crops are doing great - I have peppers and more peppers coming ripe! I'll have to do a bit of research. I know I can dehydrate my peppers, but I'm wondering about pickling some of them. It's a thought, at any rate. So my peppers are doing great, and my cherry tomatoes are also doing wonderfully. The bean plants are now bearing well, so I'd better get cooking those I've already harvested. That's on tomorrow's agenda. 

My green and waxed bean plants are also coming into 
their pride now. Guess I'll be cooking some beans 
tomorrow because I'm getting a bit out of hand on the 
harvest right now. 

Today, I'm off to the pool. I'm looking forward to my swim. It's already the 12th of August and I only have nine more days of swimming in the outdoor pool until Labor Day. I'd better enjoy all of it because it'll be a long year until the outdoor pool opens once again. Have an excellent Tuesday and I'm out of here. Slava Ukraini. 

It Was Good Sunday - Plants, Framing and Watercolors

I hope all of you had a great weekend. Today it's Monday, the holidays are behind us until Labor Day, so it's time to get back to a normal schedule and work hard at whatever tasks you have planned. We're moving ahead with getting the store closed. It's fits and starts, but it's slowly getting to the point where we'll be able to work with the consultant I've chosen and get this going. I've almost got the mat cutter aligned and set up, ready to cut. I'm actually hoping to get my first pieces cut and framed this week. Just a couple of more details to go. 

I've totally cleaned my horizontal cutter, and lubricated it. I need 
to double-check the alignment of the cutting heads, and if they are 
parallel to the materials stop bar, then I'm ready to go. I should be 
able to finalize the set-up on Wednesday. I replaced both the 
straight and the bevel blades this morning, so I'm ready to cut. 

We have a pair of hawks that have decided to include our house in their territory. I suspect that's one really good reason why I'm not getting hummingbirds to my feeder this year. They're not stupid birds, and if a predator is stalking the area, why go here when there are so many other flowers available nearby? The male hawk is a beauty. He sits in the tree that's just south of our utility shed, up in the very high branches. Although he also roams the territory, he always seems to return to one specific location in that tree. After looking at him through binoculars, we've come to the decision that it's a Broad-Winged Hawk. We know he's part of a mating pair because we hear his mate calling to him now and again. 

Isn't he lovely? This is a Broad-Winged Hawk. He likes 
sitting in the tree nearest to my storage shed. He gets a 
great view from that location. His mate is in a tree on my 
neighbor's property. They'll call back and forth to each 
other now and again. 

The garden is doing really well. My tomato plants are almost as tall as I am, and I really do need to start harvesting and drying some of my herbs. Anyone got any good recipes out there that use fresh basil? After a rocky start, my basil is growing like crazy! 

I've never had fresh basil before and am not 
exactly sure what I want to use it for. So ... any 
hints or recipes you could send my way would be 
very appreciated. 

I should be able to finish fine tuning the alignment of the horizontal mat cutter on Wednesday, and then I'll try to frame two original water colors by Connie Seaborn. I adore her work, DH isn't as fond of it. She did two small pieces for me. Normally on pieces this small, I'd frame them together in an offset position, but they retail for $125/each, so I'll do each one on their own. It would be great if they sold as a set, but $250+ (framing costs will be additional money) ... well, I think I'll have much better luck selling them individually at the price I'll have to ask. 

This is a larger example of Connie Seaborn's work. She works 
in watercolors on thick, absorbent papers which allows her to 
lay on layers of color to create some wonderful depth. She's 
a very fun lady, also. I always liked her, DH was less fond of her. 

So, I'm wrapping this up and heading for the shop. It's a Monday, so no Chickie until tomorrow. That always makes for a interesting day in terms of times for bathroom breaks and whether I get a lunch break or not before 4:00 pm. *sigh* Have a wonderful day and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

It's Monday and I Need Everything To Mesh Smoothly

Good morning one and all, and happy Monday. I've got my treadmill repair guy scheduled for 8:45-9:00 am this morning. I needed to lube the belt some more after the last time he was here (he only had a small ampule of lube in his equipment bag and I didn't have the small bottle that I had been given when I purchased the treadmill - I have no idea where I stashed the MASSIVE amount of paperwork and booklets I was provided at that time). As soon as Jake was finished with the treadmill I had run over to Dick's Sporting Goods and purchased a bottle of silicone lube. So I now have lube. 

Lubricating the treadmill requires loosening screws at the back 
of the machine on each side. They have to be absolutely even - 
ten turns left side means ten turns right side too. I did that, but 
then things got screwed up and I'm sure I messed that up totally. 
*sigh*

Why have Jake come out again? Well, I was still getting a "LUBE" warning on my treadmill screen, so the small amount he had put on was insufficient. But ... we had worked on that together and I knew how to loosen and tighten the belt. Which I did. My problem came in the application of the lube. The long straw-like extension from the lube bottle didn't work worth a damn, so I just used the bottle which worked great. But I had to life the belt higher for application which pulled it off-center and it needed to be centered again before the treadmill could be used. That was the problem - no matter what I did, or how I adjusted it, that belt was NOT getting aligned properly and wasn't 100% straight. The treadmill was giving me sounds it shouldn't have. I finally gave up, told DH he couldn't use the treadmill for a few days and called Jake to come out again. *sigh* 

I adore Dahlia plants - the flowers are simply spectacular. 
We now have several in the garden to make me happy, so 
that was a good buy. 

So, Jake should be here between 8:45 am and 9:00 am. Normally that wouldn't be any problem at all. I could leave around 9:15 am and still get to the shop on time, DH could oversee things. EXCEPT, DH apparently has a pre-scheduled call with our broker for his monthly analysis of his portfolio, and he doesn't want to be interrupted when he's dealing with finances. So, I'll stick around until 9:30 am, but then I'll HAVE to leave. Hopefully Jake can get things completed within that time frame or I'm screwed. *sigh*

I have my herbs in several hanging baskets that we hang on 
an old wrought iron display we used to have at the shop 
years ago. I have rosemary and oregano and thyme and 
others, all of which will be harvested all summer and dried 
in the dehydrator, then pulverized and stored for use over 
the winter. I love my herbs. (I also dry and chop up my hot 
peppers - which line the edge of the patio. Lots of wonderful 
flavors for our winter months.) 

We had a nice Sunday, though. We started by going to Home Depot for three Dahlia plants and an assortment of additional herbs for me. We also got chicken wire to help guard my trellis, and other miscellaneous items. DH and I spent most of the afternoon getting things planted, putting up the chicken wire guarding layer on the trellis, and he planted while I put ribs into the slow cooker for dinner (which was very tasty). We needed a relaxing day and we actually got one that wasn't horribly labor intensive, and the weather was PERFECT - not too warm and not too cold. Have a great Monday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

I Had a Great Birthday - Flowers, Cards and a Trip to the Garden Center

Yesterday was a lovely day. We started the day out by going to the large garden center to buy plants. Of course, it being Mother's Day in the USA, everyone was out there as well, but we were plenty early and got a great parking spot. We even had open space for the first half-hour or so. But Mother's Day is their busiest day of the year, and this year was no exception. After filling our cart with multitudes of blooms, we headed for checkout and there were only two people ahead of us. Score! (They did have EVERY checkout station manned - they're not fools). 

This is one very small portion of Gerten's Garden Center. It's 
about a half-hour drive to get here, so we only come out once 
or twice a year. I was here to get a gift card for DH in December 
and was able to walk right in. Mother's Day, however, is a 
completely different story with hundreds of shoppers, all the parking 
lots filled, and the street parking also filled. I was glad we 
were there early. 

Too much money spent later, we had the plants in the back of my car and were heading back home to get everything into the garden. Now ... I've stated before that I am NOT a gardener. I appreciate the flowers and plants, but it's really not my thing. DH, on the other hand, loves to garden. His back, however, has been giving him a lot of trouble. So, instead of having both sides of the garden planted by the end of the day, he only had one side planted. The rest will have to be done tomorrow. The plants will be fine - he'll water everything as he always does every morning. But there's still a LOT of work that needs to be done - the second half of the actual garden and the many separate buckets and hangers for my tomatoes and herbs. 

Lantana flowers are my favorite flowers. I adore 
the colors and tiny blossoms they have, and they 
always brighten my day whenever I see them. 

Yesterday was also my birthday, and I received a beautiful card featuring a photo of lupine flowers from my dear friend Chickie Mama (Claire), and a much more light-hearted card from Chickie along with a Barnes & Noble gift card. They know me well - LOL. I also got a killer long-sleeved t-shirt from Sharon in Denver featuring an image of Titanic with the following words from the "Unsinkable" Molly Brown - "After being brined, salted, and pickled in mid ocean, I am now high and dry .... - Margaret Brown, 1912". I adore it!!! Molly Brown, of course, was a Colorado native and became, eventually, a renowned Denver socialite, but she always made her own rules and didn't tolerate fools. Her house is still standing in Denver and they offer tours. 

The Molly Brown House is still in Denver. It's a museum, and 
it's absolutely splendid. Look it up online to see interior 
photos. I thought about becoming one of their tour guides 
when I was in High School, but decided against it. Still, 
it's a great place and she was a truly strong woman. 

So, I'm off and running today. Mondays are always a bit hectic and I have to drop by the grocery store on my way in - I have NO lettuce! I need my nightly salad - it's an important part of my daily meals. I managed without yesterday (I made crockpot ribs for our dinner - no muss, no fuss), but I have no intention of going without salad two days in a row! LOL

Have an excellent Monday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Slow and Careful Steps Will Be My Mantra For a While

Happy Monday to all. It's the beginning of another work week, and even though most of our calendars have our weeks starting with Sunday, I've always considered Monday the start of my week. So, since I awakened a bit earlier than usual today, I had a relaxing meditation, then had my run (fast walk on the treadmill) for three miles, then had my shower, and now I'm sitting down to my blog. It's 6:00  am. What have you done today? LOL

I'm trying to remain active and healthy - very important. 
Part of that is my exercise regime of three days on the 
treadmill and three days in the swimming pool. I get a 
thorough workout both places, and I'm pretty happy with 
where I'm at. 

DH has set up the patio, so we did a final sweep and clean-up, and then settled down to Tequila sunrise drinks under the umbrella. Even though we're missing a LOT of our trees after last year's "take down the trees and clear out the water pathway" efforts by the County, my patio is still my "go to" place for enjoying the outdoors in the summertime. Mother's Day (and my birthday) come on Sunday, and we'll be at the large garden center south of our city to buy plants. DH has been online a lot, trying to figure out what he wants to try this year. It's never a guarantee that they'll actually have what's on the website either, but it's certainly worth a try. I know I'll get my Lantana plants again - those are mandatory - LOL. 

This is part of what we purchased at the garden center last 
year. DH has already been looking at plants at the local 
hardware stores, but our annual big buy is at Gerten's. 
That's where we'll get my lantana plants, as well as 
dahlias and other more esoteric flowers. 

My thoughts are whirling around this and that with the family trust that I'm planning to set up. I'll try and find some time today to jot down notes - probably on my laptop, but maybe on my phone. I want to make sure all of the I's have dots and the T's have crosses and that I haven't forgotten any important loopholes. I think this could be a real game changer for a lot of people if I can get this set up properly. 

I wish I could be a bit more "laid back" about the structure 
of this family trust I want to establish, but when it comes 
to legal entities, I am a beast for the details. I can't be as 
laid back as I wish I could be. I have to foresee eventualities 
and possibilities, arrange for funding and legal formalities, 
and also consider how it ends, because eventually it will. 

So I have lots of things going on - lots of future planning for the immediate future (gardening and setting up the trust fund), and the future farther out (making sure that the Trust will be something that will achieve my goals for family members for (ideally) several generations). We'll see. It's not a massive amount of money that I have to establish the Trust, and I'll have fees for my "staff" and "advisors" coming out of that off the top as well. Slow and careful steps is going to be the key to success. 

Have an excellent Monday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

It's Time for the Big Pool - It's a Swimming and Gardening Summer

I hope all of my friends in the USA had a good Memorial Day weekend, and those who aren't living with our schedule of holidays had a lovely Sunday/Monday. Today I'm heading off to the outdoor pool - a different experience completely from my small indoor water. The outdoor pool is wider - more lanes - and longer - Olympic length instead of MUCH shorter. It's a totally different experience and I'm looking forward to it with my usual love/hate conflict. 

I have a total love/hate relationship with the outdoor 
pool. I love SO many things about it, but the sheer 
length is intimidating, even though I'm usually 
swimming a mile+ on a daily basis on my swimming 
days. 

Why love/hate for the outdoor pool? Love because I can wear my longer flippers and get some real speed going up and down the laps. Hate because it's much more crowded, even at 5:00 am. I know I'll see a lot of swimmers whom I only see when the outdoor pool is open, and it's a guarantee that I'll have to share a lane with at least one other person. Even with my longer flippers, I'm still a slower swimmer. I'm no racehorse, I'm more like the tortoise - I'll win the race with my own pace. 

I'm much more of a tortoise-style swimmer - 
not the fastest, but constant. I get the job 
done. I'm not winning the race, but I have 
the endurance needed for the length and pace. 

DH and I had a lovely long holiday weekend, although it was raining throughout, so we didn't get a chance to do much in the outdoors. Then again, we don't have a fence (LOL) so sitting on the patio under the umbrella with drinks wouldn't be as cozy as it usually is. I'd feel more like an animal in the zoo. 

Without our fence up, just sitting on the patio for drinks 
makes us feel like animals on exhibit at a zoo. I can hardly 
wait until the panels are installed and we're finished 
with the fence replacement project. 

So, we spent a quiet day playing LOTRO on our computers. I made a quick run to the store for some lettuce, and he did go out to the garden once between rain storms to check on the plants. He pulled the pole beans seeds out - what he could find of them. Apparently they migrated or were eaten, because they hadn't sprouted at all. So, he's now planted some bush beans, and a new batch of pole beans, as well as some zucchini for me. If everything grows well, I should have a lot of fresh veggies this fall. 

I think we caught the fact that our original bean seeds weren't 
sprouting properly quickly enough that we'll still get a 
decent harvest from the 2nd planting. At least I hope so. 
Last year's beans were tasty, but they were the string 
variety - ICK! This year we've planted stringless, and 
I'll be much happier with the harvest. 

So, I'm off to the pool for the first swim in the Olympic length pool this year. I'll be swimming in that pool three days a week until Labor Day, with cancellations and a shift to the smaller indoor pool in cases of poor weather. Today is not one of those days, so I'll be outdoors. It'll be a cold run in and out, but the water will be glorious. Have an excellent Tuesday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

It Was a Day of Plants and Planting - Look at Our New Blooms!

DH and I skipped our usual Sunday morning routine and were on the road to be at Gerten's by their opening time of 8:00 am. It was time to buy plants for the garden, and our day was totally mapped out for us. (1) Buy plants. (2) Plant plants. (3) Collapse with a drink (4) Call it an early night. And that's pretty much exactly what we did. We were going to split a Chipotle Burrito Bowl for dinner, but decided to just eat whatever we already had in the fridge or freezer. No energy to spare. 

Here's some of what we chose for our cart. Lots of 
wonderful flowers to make the garden bright and 
happy. While we were planting, I already saw bees 
taking an interest. Whoot! 

We were afraid there wouldn't be any Dahlia plants 
available - they weren't on the website. But we were 
pleasantly surprised. They had a LOT of Dahlias, and we got 
several for the garden, including this lovely one. 

We bought a LOT of plants. DH had his list, and knew what he wanted. I don't really have any say in what goes into the yard, it's DH's playground and interest, not mine. His is to plant, mine is to enjoy - LOL. So, he had his list and we dove into that as soon as the gates were open and we had our two-level cart. By the time we finished, an hour or 90 minutes later, the cart was totally filled on both levels. He had a mental budget of no more than $250, and we ended up slightly below that, so SCORE! LOL. 

He also got my Lantanas (four different kinds) and some 
Begonias in a bright and happy orange shade. So pretty! 

And here they are - our varied purchases all tucked 
into Minion's back hatch. We spent all afternoon getting 
these into the ground, and still have a few odds 
and ends that DH will get planted over the next few 
days when he's figured out exactly where he wants them. 

All in all, it was a very successful trip. And because of the EXCELLENT map that Chickie  drew for me, I didn't miss my turnoff on the return trip, and all occurred without any excess drama. Getting all of these beautiful flowers more than made up for skipping breakfast and getting totally exhausted in the hot weather we had yesterday while getting all of these beauties into their new, permanent homes. I hope you had a productive weekend, as well as one filled with beauty. I'm already looking forward to a summer of color and vibrancy. The garden is planted ... now it's time to enjoy it! Slava Ukraini and 

חיים למען ישראל. 

It's a VERY Busy Day for a Monday - Going Here and There Before Work

Good morning, all. Today starts out with a bang for me. In fact, although I usually allow myself to sleep in until 4:00 am, I set my alarm for 3:00 am instead, knowing that I would be too rushes without that extra hour. I'm glad I did, because I'm already feeling time deadlines staring me in the face. Monday is going to have a rough start. 

It's going to be a bit of a rough start to a very 
busy week. But ... that's how things go sometimes. 

We have an appointment at the Toyota dealership for DH's truck to get his semi-annual checkover. Although we don't have an appointment, I did talk with the service department and they will plug it into the schedule when an opening arises. So I'm hoping it will be ready for us to pick up tonight. We always leave it for the day, so that's not an issue. 

We have an extended warranty on the truck, but it 
requires that we take it in for a checkover every six 
months. Today is the day for the Autumn checkup. 

What is an issue is DH's tooth. On Saturday night, he broke a piece off one of his crowns, so he needs to get into the dentist today, ideally. If not today then ASAP. (I'm really hoping it's tomorrow, so that I don't have to deal with any of this.) They have the ability to make a computer-fitted "porcelain" crown there in the office, that can be fitted in that appointment. No more "tin cans" or weeks-long wait until a metal crown comes in from the lab. Sometimes modern technology is wonderful. 

If DH is lucky, he can get into the Dentist 
today or tomorrow for a ceramic crown, and 
leave their office totally back on track. We'll 
see if there is any room in Dr Phan's schedule. 

But, I'll need to phone the dental office when they open at 7:30 am, OR, I'll drop by there on my way to the shop and on my way to the shop from the car dealership. It's possible that Dr Phan can take a really quick look or that he can get scheduled for later in the week. It doesn't seem to be causing any real pain, but eating crunchy food (like a salad) is difficult for him. 

He's gone through almost 100 of these white plant tags 
over the past few years, and needs a new box, so I added 
it to my Amazon cart and ordered everything last night. 

We spent almost an hour in the garden yesterday while he pointed out where he is going to plan what. He's got it peppered with white plastic flat plan identifiers designating where he wants what plant. We reviewed the two large planting beds that surround the umbrella table and chairs, and the side garden against the house where we planted my Lantana plants this year, as well as the new garden in the upper yard that he made within the past month. Grass is starting to come up in the soil around the new garden, so things are progressing. Now if our bulbs would only arrive. I'll check on where they are at when I get to the shop and power up the laptop. 

The new garden feature he made a few weeks ago is 
progressing well. He has several things already planted, 
the grass is starting to come up around it, and he's 
busy planning what he wants to plant in it. We have a 
LOT of bulbs coming, so he'll be quite busy before the 
snow starts falling and the ground freezes. 

So, there's a lot going on in my life today. I'd probably better get this wrapped up, rescue my Tabasco peppers from the dehydrator, and start my day. I have every intention of being back here again tomorrow. Slava Ukraini and חיים לישראל.

A New Building Project and Argh - Just Argh!

DH started working on a new garden feature for the upper back yard yesterday. First item on the agenda (after he had cleared the area last week) was to buy pavers. He went for the less expensive ones rather than the top quality he had used in the castle walls of our patio area, since this is just a semi-circle of only three high - just to contain plants, not a major planting. 

We have walls similar to this in our main garden area - our 
castle walls. We have them tiered more because we have 
plantings for our flowers and plants to make the patio much 
prettier. But the concept is the same, and the total height 
is probably pretty close too. What he's building now is much 
lower - only three tiers total. Just enough to make a nice 
area for sunnier plants and flowers. 

He loaded the truck to within a pound or two of load maximum - maybe even slightly over. Lots of paver stones and foundation stuff and soil - lots and lots of soil. The area, against our South fence, will get a bit more light than our main garden. It's closer to the southwestern corner of the house, and grading will be important because any major rains, with poor grading, might actually affect the house and the computer room, which is in that corner. 

I think our retaining wall that he's currently building will 
end up being closer to this - relatively short, and really 
just to hold plantings within a specific area. Of course it 
will go along with the larger castle walls. 

I'd love to show photos, but he covered everything up after almost getting the first tier laid. Apparently he stopped at that point to reconsider a couple of fine points. The area slopes from South to North, but also, apparently, from West to East, and he hadn't considered the secondary slope in his initial plans. So, since he was wiped out from hauling multiple pounds of stone here and there all day, he covered everything up and will contemplate things a bit today while he's at work. 

Ax-Man Surplus is one of those stores you love to wander 
through. There's always something that you'll find here, 
but you never know what or where. The founder of Ax-Man 
was an acquaintance of DH's Dad (like the rest of the world, 
it sometimes seems - LOL). The guy who runs the main store 
will be by this morning to take a look at what DH has to 
offer to him. 

He has a 10:30 am meeting with a guy from the local salvage shop. He's hoping to sell his shrink-wrap tubing and some other things to them. That would clear out A LOT in the basement, and bring in some needed funds - although I'm quite sure the amount of $ will be minimal. Still, if we could dump the stuff, it would be fabulous. I'm busy working on the website and trying to determine how to upload the website onto our domain. That's turning into the real hassle. 

I've actually liked developing the website, and 
I like the way it looks. It's really only a quick 
two-page splash page - we'll have hidden 
pages behind the splash that are customer 
specific. That's the next headache - getting 
those pages set up - but that'll go quickly, 
once I know how to upload everything onto 
our website address. 

I've developed the website on Network Solutions, but our website host is Google Workspace which is now hosted by SquareSpace, and I'm not getting any real answers on how to upload into our new space. I've spent hours on the two sites without success and I need to get this uploaded so that I can start the private pages for the customer we're hoping might be interested in the electronics. Any ideas from those of you more knowledgeable than  I would be very appreciated. ARGH! 

Yeah - that just about sums it up. 

So, I'm off to swim off my frustrations in the pool. I pick up my final set of eyeglasses this morning - new lenses in my very oldest and favorite pair. Then that particular project will be complete and my eyes will be finished for the year (except for a regular checkup later). It will have been quite the year for my eyes, but I've come a LONG way since scheduling my cataract surgery early in the year when we were still getting snow. I'm heading for the pool. Have an excellent day and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Day 10 of Le Tour de France and Deer Problems in the Garden

Today is Day 10 of Le Tour de France. It's hard to believe, but we're almost at the middle of this year's race, and what a race it's been so far! With Cavendish out of it, I really don't have a specific rider I'm following. The standard leaders, of course, but nobody that I'm really cheering on. That allows me to enjoy the strategy, the scenery, and the general race itself because there's always something to watch on Le Tour. 

We get lots of mountains today. If I remember correctly, 
we're crossing the Massif Central in the midsection of 
France right now, on our way towards the Alps, where we 
should be for the weekend. They're calling this stage 
"Hilly", not "Mountain", so these peaks aren't as 
tall as the ones over the weekend. I suspect they'll 
still be quite the challenge, however. The race goes for 
another week-and-a-half, though, so we have a lot of 
racing still to come. 

Today is a swimming day, so that's something I'm looking forward to. There's just something about being in the water and getting a good workout. It's one of the best ways to start my day, so that's one good thing today. On the other hand, I awakened at 2:00 am and couldn't get back to sleep, so I'll be a Zombie by the end of the day. That's totally NOT one of the better things for my Tuesday, but it is what it is. 

I'm not sure when I first found and started using 
LensesRX for getting new lenses for favorite 
eyeglass frames. I suspect it was when my 
prescription changed and I had two favorite 
sets of eyeglasses that had been quite expensive, 
and were very unique. I didn't want to trash the 
frames, so sought out an alternative. I've used 
this firm ever since, and they do an excellent job. 

My two glasses frames have been received by LensesRX and they've contacted me to double-check exactly what I wanted done with the lenses. It's usually a pretty fast turnaround with them - they're doing their own work, not shipping things out to a lab/factory for grinding. I've used them for more than two decades now, and they've always done outstanding work. When I get these two back, I'll be sending another 2-3 frames to them. 

Deer are beautiful, and I'm glad we live in an area where the 
wildlife feels comfortable, but I really wish they would leave 
my plants alone. Maybe next year I'll have to string an 
"invisible fence" of fishing line to help keep them out. Or not. 
They might be frustrating, but the damage isn't major 
(so far). 

We were supposed to get some rain yesterday, so DH didn't do a serious watering of the plants. Unfortunately, the rain went both North and South of us, and missed our area of the Cities completely. He'll have to do a more serious water today. The deer attacked the bush beans and some of the lillys yesterday while we were at work. It was quite disappointing to come home and see the patches of devastation. Damned deer! Although we possibly could fence them out, it would be a VERY expensive proposition to do. It's a lot of distance along the east side of the property following the creek. We just shrug our shoulders, and know there's not much we really can do about the wildlife. Most of the wildlife is great, but the gophers and the deer drive me crazy. 

So, I'm heading out of here. I hope you have a great Tuesday and I have every intention of being back tomorrow. In the meanwhile, be kind, be healthy, and Slava Ukraini.