Monday, May 27, 2013

It's a New Week

A visit is like rainwater; you pray for it when it stays away and its a problem when it rains too much. ~ -Hebrew Proverb


It's a new week and wow what do we have? More rain!

This was the picture weather-wise this morning. The sky looked ominous.

Rain  means I don't have to manually water the garden which has only recently been planted. I haven't even completed all my container gardening but the geraniums are looking water logged. They should do fine when the sun comes back.

You could no longer see the mountains by afternoon.
The hostas in the garden and in the containers are growing very quickly.  This is the first year I am growing them. I heard they grow easily and they didn't disappoint.


The tomatoe plants are in their cages. I am growing both regular tomatoes and a variety of smaller tomatoes.

The crows have been up to mischief. They pulled the plastic liner out of my planter box. The crows have also been using the bird bath as their personal spa every day.  They have damaged the bird bath and destroyed the finial though I am not sure exactly how.  Perhaps it was actually cold weather that damaged the finial more than the crows.  But the crows are annoying me.  When they are around the little birds do not stay to play and enjoy themselves.

My garden went in very late so it is no where near the mature gardens I am already seeing on line across the nation. The rain will help establish it. I hope it will grow well this year and I'm looking forward to harvesting tomatoes and peppers for salsa, salads and other meals.

Despite the rains I've got a busy week ahead. I've been contemplating lasik surgery and have had several appointments with different laser surgeons as well as my Dr. of Opthamology.  Based on everything I've learned, I don't think I'll be moving forward on laser surgery given my advancing age. The cost involved at a later stage in life when one may soon have to deal with cataract surgery just doesn't make it practical. My Opthamologist suggested early permanent lenses (to avoid cataract surgery later) and though initially appealing, I really don't like the thought of getting my eyes cut until I have to. The laser surgery option would have been what they call "no touch" and somehow I thought that would be better though I realize there are great risks in that approach also.  Not everyone who goes through laser surgery has a good experience and some people come away with lasting damage.  So for now, I put the decision on hold and have gone ahead with getting my year's supply of contacts and a new pair of glasses. My word, I could not believe the cost of glasses since the last time I ordered a pair a few years ago. Unfortunately my prescription has also gone up which increases the cost also.

Some of you may remember my short experiment with vegan eating some time ago. I did enjoy the food but didn't enjoy all the preparation involved. It seemed like all I ever did was buy veggies, wash veggies and chop veggies.  But now it is summer again and in summer I love to eat salads and fruits. I've ordered a book on vegan eating from my local used bookstore.  I only ordered in on Saturday evening and they already called today to say it is in so I hope to pick it up tomorrow.  I can't wait to read and learn  more about vegan eating and to see what recipes I might learn to enjoy.

I've also been busy with a lot of business concerning an upcoming move for my mother. She will be moving into a brand new facility in the not too distant future so there is a lot involved with that. She is excited and I am excited for her.  Though she has only been in her current home for just over 3 years, it really is time for her to move on to hopefully greener pastures. I think that the new place is going to be very different for so many reasons not the least of which is the style and material of the building.  The building where she lives now is quite old and is a sprawling one level building.  The design of the new residence is a multi-story building and has been designed with the landscape in mind.  The design has a lot of natural elements like wood, stone, natural rocks and natural colours. I don't have a photo yet but I've included an architectural drawing.



Besides having a different and brand new, pleasant space, there will also be some nice changes to her services.  Mom will continue to have the usual benefits of a doctor, podiatrist, hair dresser, launderer, meals etc. but she will also have access to a dentist and dry cleaning service which she currently does not have. I only wish that the developer would have incorporated a guest suite or two for visiting family members.  It costs a lot of money to visit on a regular basis and stay in a hotel.  (A day after posting this artist's sketch, I got some photos of the new facility.  The photo below is the front of the building and it looks a lot like the artist's sketch.  However it doesn't have stones on all the exterior walls, only in the center where the entrance is. I have now seen a number of photos from various angles of the building and the structure looks quite enormous. It isn't quite completed but should be soon and most of the parking areas are paved and some of the landscaping and planting of flowers is now complete).



My mini e-reader that I mentioned here, arrived last week and I've set it up to sync with my computer and also put some e-books on hold at the library. It looks like I'll have a wait for the e-books I want but that is okay. Once they are available it will be a simple process of downloading them rather than making a trip to the library to pick them up. Fantastic service!  I was so excited about this that I finally made some efforts to read e-books that I'd previously downloaded once I synced them to my mini-reader. So far I'm reading Tess of the D'ubervilles which I enjoy a lot but haven't made enough time to finish reading it.  I'm also enjoying The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. I'm amazed at the genius and creative mind of Mark Twain. I read this book way back in grade 7 but appreciate it in a different way now. If I have time and energy when I'm finished I may have a comment or two about the book, or I may just want to keep reading.  Now that I've got several books on my mini-reader, I'm finding it easier to read a few pages here and there.  When I am on a roll with my reading, I don't like to stop. Is anyone else like that?

Many other things are happening in my world.  Most of it good but just too busy these days.  Too much to get into but just wanted to touch bases with you all. I wish all of you a very wonderful week ahead!

I'm linking up with Our World Tuesday today.



17 comments:

Kay L. Davies said...

Here's a deal. I'll send you some sunshine if you'll send me some rain.
Not sure how we'll package them for Canada Post, but maybe they have a special on. They might let us use up all our old pennies.
LOL
Luv, K

Joyful said...

You've got a deal Kay, LOL. Now that we've had enough rain, I can use some sunshine and I'd really like to put my beloved pennies to good use ;-)

Anonymous said...

The flowers like the rain though. Nice shots.

Joyful said...

Thanks for visiting LadyFi. I'm hoping the rain helps my flowers grow quickly ;-)

Joanne Noragon said...

Your garden looks off to a good start and all the rain will help. We had a rain overnight and I have a new round of weeds to tackle this afternoon.

Jo said...

Hi Penny, your patio pots look so neat and clean. I need to spiv mine up after seeing yours! Geraniums don't like too much water (here in Africa) but your tomatoes and all your plants look healthy and strong. I pray for you as you prepare your mom's move. Blessings Jo

Jan said...

Love your photos and the border of leaves and vines. Oh dear the naughty crows. Your Mum's new place sounds great, but sorry there is nowhere for you to stay - that will be a big cost for you. Good to hear your mini ereader has arrived. I am trying out my ereader again now as I am currently out of real books that have grabbed me. Have a wonderful week too Penny. xx

Joyful said...

Thank you Jo. My pots are actually quite dirty but I was too tired/lazy/rushed to clean them. I usually leave them out in the rain and snow all winter as I don't have a storage shed. I may move my geraniums to sit under an awning for a day or two as we are getting a lot of rain today and more tomorrow. Enjoy your week!

Joyful said...

Hi Jan, the new place does look and sound very nice. Unfortunately where mom stays now there is no guest suite so I don't visit as often as I'd like. I was hoping there would be a suite where she was moving but they haven't made those kinds of plans. I am really enjoying my mini e-reader. It is just the right size to hold, read and carry in my bag or pocket. Enjoy your week and your reading ;-)

Joyful said...

Hi Joanne, I only have a small garden but each year end up taking bags and bags of garden debris like leaves and twigs...and weeds. Hope you don't get too many weeds this year. Enjoy the rest of your week :-)

Billy Blue Eyes said...

No worry every thing is late over here as well.

Joyful said...

Thanks Bill! The weather around the world does seem to be a bit "off". I know it was cold and raining in the UK but suddenly all the UK bloggers I know have beautiful gardens. Enjoy the rest of your week!

Cindy said...

You have had a busy week, Hopefully it will quit raining soon so the sun can shine and your tomatoes can begin to grow. That looks like a beautiful facility that your mother is moving into, good for her to have found such a beautiful one. I hope she enjoys living there. Have a wonderful week.
Hugs, cindy

Rajesh said...

This will be a good garden. Gardening is wonderful experience.

Hazel said...

Love the new sprouts. Guess I should read Mark Twain again.

Hazel

Rosemary said...

You have so much variety going on in your garden. Things have been delayed because of the cold weather mixed with the rain, but I'm sure the sun will fix this delay. I also love this season of fresh fruit and veggies!

Denise said...

Enjoyed the pictures, have a nice week.

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