Time seems to go by so fast. Seasons come and go like the wind. This summer was no exception.
I've noticed a difference in the air over the past week. The heat of summer isn't as intense and I've needed a covering once or twice. Normally I don't feel a distinct change in the air until September 1st.
Here are a few photos at the community garden. I always enjoy the plants in spring and summer. I'm already missing them though autumn hasn't arrived yet.
I started the day with clear blue skies as in the first photo.
Before night fell, I went to the community garden and was there for a short after doing this and that around the home. Most of the people in the park were dog owners; taking Fido out for their evening business. Other patrons were clearly reluctant to leave and lingered on to talk or play the guitar and sing. I enjoyed a mini conference while relaxing nearby to the songstress.
I'd gone to the garden for a bit of weeding and came home with a nice amount of strawberries. Unbeknownst to me my DH had already weeded so I was relieved of my responsibility. The strawberries were definitely a lot tastier than most purchased at the stores but they were also a lot dirtier. You know you can't really wash berries because they spoil more quickly once moisture gets on them.. I washed and used about half of them right away in a smoothie right away and froze the other half.
Earlier in the day I was doing a whole lot of small jobs that just never seem to get done when there are a mountain of daily, larger chores to do. I always feel accomplished when I manage to clear away some of the smaller tasks.
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| I wound all the large skeins of yarn into balls |
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| I also got rid of a lot of packaging materials. |
Hello friends,
It's been a very busy few weeks. I've been in the process of renewing and refreshing my home and garden. This has involved researching various large household items for purchase and going to brick and mortar stores where possible.
One thing I wanted was a storage bed. But once I got to the brick & mortar store to check out mattresses, for a storage bed I got sidetracked. Instead of finding a mattress, I found an adjustable base and have made a tentative decision to buy it if I can organize a new mattress. Earlier, I spent an enormous amount of time looking for a storage bed and an appropriate mattress before I switched tracks. I've got a few weeks to find a suitable mattress. My DH was not sold on the idea of a storage bed. But he does like the idea of an adjustable bed. So when I was at the store trying out mattresses and bed bases, I came to see the health and comfort benefits of a bed we can adjust for comfort.
As you likely already know there are just so many mattress options available at a variety of price points. But it's not that easy to find one you (and your partner) like and at the right price point. Now that I found an adjustable bed base (and DH approves), I have to find a compatible mattress. A lot of mattresses these days are just not that deep. Combined with an adjustable bed base that isn't very high because it doesn't require a box spring, it's a bit more challenging to get the bed height one would like. I don't like sitting on chairs, or sleeping on beds, that are too low to the ground. I'm actually surprised that most of the mattresses I've looked at aren't even 10 inches deep. The last time I went mattress shopping which was many, many years ago, I recall that mattresses were very deep and pillow top mattresses were all the rage. Do you remember when 14 inch sheets were all the rage because the mattresses were so deep? I wonder when all that went out of fashion?
If I find the right mattress in the next week or two, I'll know for sure about the bed base. I've paid a refundable deposit and the store is holding the bed base for me. After searching and searching for a mattress with no luck as of yet, I thought maybe we should just keep what we have. But DH and I would both be more comfortable in a larger bed, which by the way brings up another purchase need. A larger bed requires larger sheets. Thankfully the bed spreads and comforters I have will still work. I'll have to donate several sets of sheets but will keep 1 or 2 to use on the sofa bed.
Another thing that's taking time is the new garden and patio set up. The entire patio was rebuilt in 2024 and the garden has had to be planted from scratch. I really wasn't up to figuring out what to plant and doing the work of planting in time for it to be patio ready by warmer weather. So for now, I've planted a variety of colourful flowers, mostly annuals, all from seed. I've also planted 3 bushes. Over time, I hope to have a better idea of what I'd like in the garden and more time to work in the garden as well. I had hoped to have the community garden planted by now too but there has been so much rain. I'm hoping to be able to finish the planting there by the end of Easter weekend. So far, I've done a little garden planning and purchased the seeds. I'll also have to buy some nursery plants.
We already have a patio table and chairs. I think we'll be spending more time relaxing outdoors this summer so DH and I agreed to purchase an outdoor sofa and armchairs. They'll be delivered on Wednesday. We haven't actually seen these items in person but they look to be gray in colour or greige (greyish beige). Once we see them we'll know how they go with the current patio umbrella (beige) and patio chair cushions (red) purchased just last summer.
Unfortunately, there seems to be little choice in colours and patterns when it comes to outdoor furniture. They are either dark and gloomy looking, wild with patterns or wild with colour. Our primary concerns are comfort in the cushions and comfort in the height of the seats. I have sat on similar cushions at the store to the ones I've purchased and they are very comfortable. The seats are also 30 inches from the ground. Other options I saw on line were mostly 22 inches off the ground. Thirty inches should be quite comfortable for most guests and for us as well.
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| Chairs |
I posted here about buying a new storage sofa and I'm loving it so far. DH was quite happy with the leather sofa we're recycling. I told him the sofa is not doing its job when we need so many cushions to prop us up. His main issue is the quality and durability of the furniture. The old sofa set was quite durable. I could have refilled and stuffed it, but it would not solve the storage issue. The set had more than paid for itself in terms of use, so it was time to let it go.
The new sofa is firm and comfortable and the storage option has really made a huge difference in my daily life. To date, I've been storing things to get them out of the way. When I have a little time here and there, I sort and recycle the stored items. The leather armchair we had has been taken apart and the frame recycled. I saved all the leather pieces which I'll either use or giveaway. The leather sofa is still sitting in the living area. We'll be renting a truck this week and moving it and 2 other pieces of furniture to the city dump.
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| Sofa, wooden bench & Pilates chair |
In preparation for new furniture deliveries, the different corners of the house have to be cleaned. Bags have been filled with clothes, books and other odds and ends which will eventually be donated to the Salvation Army. Ideally, I'd like to have as many things as possible gathered for donation before they are delivered to cut down on the back and forth trips. On the other hand, I don't like storing them for too long because visual clutter is overly stimulating and not in a good way.
Spring is here and with it I feel a sense of renewal and progress. My theme word for 2025 is 'renew'. So far the word is working for me. In 2024, the master bedroom and the patio were completely rebuilt. It's appropriate that those spaces are being refreshed and renewed in 2025.
What about you dear reader? Did you choose a theme word for the year 2025. If so, what is it and how is it working out so far?
Take care until next time.
Hello friends and fellow bloggers,
I hope you are all doing well and enjoying the last of the current season wherever you may be in the world.
We've had a long run of beautiful skies and warm, sometimes very hot temperatures but we are now going into a cooling period and some rain is expected within the next few days.
I wanted to share the beautiful sunflowers growing in our community garden and the beautiful, blue sky as the back drop.
We also have a few ears of corn ready for harvest.
Joining in with Skywatch Friday today.
Wishing you and your loved ones a wonderful and relaxing weekend.
Hello friends and fellow bloggers,
I finally made it to the community garden plot to do some weeding and some harvesting. But I only made it there very late in the day and it was cloudy, a bit cold and threatening rain so I didn't stay long.
Sadly, I didn't get any photos at the park. I'd forgotten my phone when I left the house. It's the second time I've done that in as many weeks. I always feel a bit lost when I've forgotten the phone because I rely on it for all kinds of things like checking store hours and locations, testing my blood glucose, checking the transit schedules and taking photos of my outings to name a few tasks.
At the garden I plucked out quite a lot of weeds and harvested a bit of purple Kale and Swiss Chard. I hope to make juice later on and add it to some ginger and lemons. I'm hoping to get back to the garden soon to finish the weeding and harvest more Kale and Swiss Chard since that is mostly what I'm growing. Last time I picked some strawberries, chives and sweet peas but the chives are well past their best and the sweet pea plants withered and died. I'm not sure why. DH is in charge of the watering and I think the soil seems a bit too sandy. The compost we were provided at the beginning of the season seemed like it was mostly sand.
Anyway, I'm glad I made it to the garden because I've been trying to get there all week. I only did about half of the weeding that needs to be done. Hopefully I can make it to the garden again before Tuesday to continue the work.
I need to be home on Tuesday for various reasons, mainly because I'm expecting an Amazon delivery of a replacement bathroom fan. I think mine stopped working when we had the water leak a few weeks ago. So much water came down and I heard that moisture can affect the fan. It only makes sense. I can see all the rust in different areas of the fan and box from the different leaks coming from upstairs over the years.
It might have been cheaper to go to Home Depot and get a fan but then I need to expend the energy to get there and back, find the time to actually go there and then find someone to help me once there. I've got too many things to do this week. I've saved myself some time if it fits. If it doesn't I'll send it back and go to Home Depot next weekend.
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| Bathroom exhaust needs replacing. |
I also have a parcel to pick up at the post office. If the Amazon delivery gets here early, I'd like to pick up my parcel. I'm hoping that something I ordered fits and is comfortable enough to wear to the Rolling Stones concert on Friday. Otherwise I'll have to dig in my suitcases and see what I have. I'm still camped out in the living room and most of my clothing is not accessible as it's in storage.
The decluttering continues this weekend. I've got most of one big box from the master bedroom cleared out and I have one more to sort. In the meantime, I decluttered a few more items from the bathroom counter. Every little bit helps.
Hello friends and fellow bloggers,
I hope you're well. I don't know about you but I feel as if the month of may went by in a flash. I've been kept on my toes so that usually makes the time fly by.
Let's hope the month of June is a good one for all of us and that it doesn't get too hot or too cold where you live. In Canada, wildfires started a few weeks ago in the far north of British Columbia and northern Alberta. Several communities in both provinces had to be evacuated. Fortunately, they got the green light to return to their homes just a few short days ago. Sadly some people did lose their homes but I think the damage might have been less than originally expected. Thank God for small mercies. It's never fun having to move out of your home unexpectedly and especially not knowing what you might be returning to at the end of the ordeal.
Where I live the weather has been beautiful for much of the month of May but in the last week it turned quite cold.
The small community plot that I planted is doing 'so so'. It was very cold in April and the garden rules are that the gardens must be fully planted by May 1st. In April, there weren't a lot of starter or nursery plants available in my neighbourhood but I bought what I could and also sowed sunflower seeds directly into the soil.
They are green items growing in the foreground. I probably planted too many because they didn't do so well when I tried to start them indoors so I wasn't sure how they would do being sown as seeds into the garden plot. I've been to the garden plot a few times to check on them. They seem to be growing a bit slowly but perhaps that is normal since they have a longer growing season than many vegetables.
Various invasive plants have planted themselves in the garden plot as well. I just let them grow. It doesn't bother me but it does bother other gardeners. I plucked out most of the mint but I left the strawberries and some poppy plants. The cherry tomatoes haven't grown very much since planted but this seems to be normal.
We are growing kale, swiss chard, lettuce and tomatoes, sweet peas and corn. The other plants have sown themselves or they come back yearly. Soon I have to return to do some weeding and also harvest some chives. They grow so well no matter what the weather and it seems like they don't really need any maintenance.
I picked a few strawberries and ate them after washing. It was a nice little treat.
Hello dear friends and fellow bloggers,
Time passed too quickly this month and before you know it May will be here. With it's return the deadline imposed by the Community Garden Committee to fully plant the small community garden plot or lose it, rears it's head.
It should be relatively simple and straightforward to plant, but it never is for one reason or another.
Firstly, I think the timeline is too early. Good starter plants aren't really available here until May begins. That means you'll pay a premium if you want to get starter plants from the nursery. The 'real' gardeners always seem to get their gardens growing in April! I don't know how they do it but there are many who are just as behind as I am, if not more so.
To be honest, I'm not even sure you can buy a variety of vegetables and flowers until some time in May because that is when the garden season gets underway in the city. Maybe you can if you travel a distance by car.
If you can't buy starter plants or nursery plants, the other option is to start your own starter plants from seeds. If you want to start your own plants to beat the deadline, you'll need to start early and have all the soil, seeds, trays and pots at hand. There is a method to planting this way which includes transitioning starter plants to the weather so you need to factor that process into your timeline. I believe this is called 'hardening" or 'hardening off'.
Secondly, the weather doesn't always cooperate. It's been very wet and very cold in the months of March and April though we have had a few good days here and there. This is what the weather was like on Saturday.
I was actually organized enough to start seeds early this year but they sprouted way too quickly and were unusable. I thought I'd try again but ran out of time and now it's too late to start my own seeds and still plant the garden on time. So I had to try and find some nursery plants.
Saturday I called around to a few places might have what I was looking for and one of them did. The other store said sometime next week and that would be too late.
I went today to buy what I could. The variety was somewhat limited but it will do. Last year I didn't buy start plants or start my own. Instead I sowed seeds directly into the soil and most of the plants did sprout and do reasonably well except the sunflowers didn't look that healthy. The exceptional heat we had was not conducive for good growing conditions though the kale did very well.
On the food front, I made a lovely lentil dish of lentils, carrots, eggplants, onion and various spices. I'll be making it again or variations of it. We had it with some air fried chicken which was also good.
The Weekly Home Blessing (part of Fly Lady's cleaning system) was done over the weekend and so now the house is clean ad relatively tidy and ready for the busy week ahead.
Wishing you all a fabulous week.
Hello friends and fellow bloggers,
I hope you've all had a great week and are looking forward to the weekend. Where I live we've had some beautiful, sunny days and some not so spectacular days. After a glorious sunny day yesterday it was back to rain today and actually quite chilly. It should turn back to sunshine soon. I can't wait until it warms up a touch. I don't like it too warm just enough to keep my bones from getting a chill.
The first photo is taken in my patio garden. I haven't done any work to prepare it this year and I won't be doing any. Everything will be ripped up and out by June or July as the patio gardens in the entire building need redoing. It's a job and a half and very expensive.
I've been preparing the community plot but some darn dog went and walked all over it damaging things in the process. I love dogs but not when they run rampant. I don't know why but they only ran over mine. I guess my plot is too close to the main pathways. Good thing I caught it. I will be keeping a close eye on things as I want the garden to grow a bit by May.
Thanks for stopping by and have a lovely weekend.
Joining in with Skywatch Friday this week.
The end of August and the lazy days of summer are fast approaching. Where does the time go? Writing those words brought this beautiful song...
