Time for Planting & Refreshing

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

Late spring is always a busy time of planting both indoors and outdoors. Since my patio is not ready for summer enjoyment (the timeline for completion is end of June though I have my doubts given the pace of progress) I just have the community plot at the park and I'm doing a bit of indoor planting.

All these plants were purchased on clearance so they weren't in the best of health. Usually when I find plants on clearance they are quite root bound and in need of larger pots. So I went in search of plastic pots that would be large enough and also have some drainage trays. I put some stones at the bottom to help with water drainage as well.

These plants were on my mantle when they were in smaller pots now they are too large for that. I really can't buy anymore unless and until I have more shelves because the flat surface space here is extremely limited.

Once the indoor and outdoor renovations are done and more decluttering is done, I may consider getting a plant stand where several plants can be housed together. Time will tell whether these plants will even live long enough because so many have died once winter draughts begin.  I enjoy them while they're alive though and I'm hoping the ones I put in the hanging baskets will last longer because they should be out of the pathway of any draughts that come through the windows.

More hanging baskets

In addition to buying pots and planters, I found a few things I need at the thrift store. I wasn't expecting to find these but these items have been on a wish list for some time. First is a set of bed risers.  These come in handy when you want to store things under the bed. 

The price I paid was $6.99 Canadian

I've been using bed risers for a few years already but these new ones should work much better since they are higher than the ones I have.  They also appear to be unused and came in the original box though the photo on the box looks old fashioned so the items may be older but still new and sturdy.

New risers (L), old risers (R)

I also found these double hook shower curtains for the main bathroom. The current ones are getting quite rusted after many years of use.  The original price was $14.99 and they have not been used.

I still have no word on when the repairs will be done in the master bedroom but it will be lovely to have the walls freshly painted and the carpets freshly cleaned.  Everything has been moved out so it will be much easier for the work to be done. It will be wonderful to have a refresh of the master bedroom and some updates to freshen the bathroom such as new door handles and new faucets. I'm thinking to update the toilet handle and perhaps a new sink. I do need to also plan for converting my bathtub into a shower rather than a combined shower/tub.  It has been too difficult to lift my legs into the bathtub every time I want to shower. We never use a tub anyway. DH and I always shower.  The main bathroom will remain with a tub. I do have a faucet and a new shower head for the main bathroom which need to be installed. The door knob has already been changed & the light fixture has been well cleaned. I'm thinking of adding a towel shelf in the main bathroom. Slowly changes are happening.

Thanks for stopping by! Please come again soon. Leave a comment and let me know you were here and it will help me to go and visit your blog too.

Scenes from the Month

Hello everyone,

I hope you are all doing well.

I thought I'd catch you up to my month of August in photo collages (click on a collage to enlarge it).

The weather has continued to be very hot during the month so I go out for errands and a walk just before dinner when it's cooler.

This first collage shows some street scenes a little farther east of where I usually go to shop. I wanted to stop for Vietnamese food nearby, then make my way to the local library.

These sky photos were taken on my way to check the postal box a few days ago. You can see the sky is cloudy which makes it more interesting than a clear, blue sky. Also, the clouds portended rain which we desperately need. The rains did at last arrive overnight Monday and continued into Tuesday.

I like to keep some kind of record of my decluttering project so I can look back on the progress I've made . This next collage shows a small selection of the items I've decluttered in August.

I meant to include this photo of the Fiddle Leaf Fig in my last post but got busy. The plant only had 2 half dead leaves on it (one of them is pictured in the photo on the left). I finally put it outside in the hot sun and watered it sparingly.  You can see how much it grew in the span of about 5 weeks. If we get any more hot, sunny days before the rainy season arrives, I'll put it outside again. I want to get it as healthy as possible before I bring it indoors for the dark and cold months.  This plant really needs sunshine or good light to survive and thrive.

These flowers are in public planters on the side of the street. They are 2 different varieties of Rose of Sharon, a type of Hibiscus. They always bring a smile to my face whenever I pass by them.

I've done a bit of reading but not a lot. One novel I enjoyed was Sunflower Sisters by Martha Hall Kelly.

Dear hubby has gone for a short visit to Kenya with very little advance preparation. He has just a small window of time before he gets busy again so I suggested he go without me.  There is a lot to do here before winter and someone has to be here to deal with the remediation of the patio.

The special assessment for patio remediation was finally dealt with late last week. Work should begin soon but because of the late start, the scope of the work and also the fact that rainy season will arrive soon the work won't be completed by December's end.  I'm not exactly sure when the work will be completed ir how this will affect the patio garden in 2024, but I'm hopeful work will be done in time to plant something next spring.

Things continue to keep me busy but I've also been taking things more slowly than usual.  Since my discharge from hospital I want to be sure to heal well before pushing myself too hard. I think I'm now fully recovered but have been feeling tired these past few days.

My thoughts and prayers are focused on all those dealing with natural disasters and whose lives have been upended in Canada (due to wildfires), in USA (due to wildfires and hurricanes), and all around the world with so many different issues. May you and your loved ones stay safe and May God hold you in the palm of His mighty hand.

A Little Behind But Forging Ahead

Thank you to everyone who left such wonderful comments on my last post. If you missed it you can find it here.

I hope to continue my travel posts in a few days but for now just wanted to pop in here for a moment.

In not so fun news, I finally had the first dental for my bridge work.  As always there were unanticipated costs because there was a deep cavity under there and it required work. My dentist had to remodel my gum to properly get at the tooth. That wasn't anticipated and meant I had to get prescription antibacterial mouthwash and some kind of ointment. It also means 3 dental appointments rather than 2 so the dentist can see how things are going before the new mold is made for the laboratory to make the new bridge. I'll be glad when it's all finished.

I've been busy busy with cleaning, decorating & shopping. The shopping wasn't just for Christmas though I did some of that too.  I was returning some items previously purchased and looking for a new coffee pot. My coffee pot is perfectly fine but very basic.  For some time I've been wanting a coffee maker with a thermal carafe to keep the coffee nice and hot. Well imagine my surprise to find all the coffee pots are well over $100 Canadian. In fact most of them are double and triple that cost and I find that to be too much money.

The best deal I found on line was for a Cuisanart coffee maker with a thermal carafe. Cuisanart is a good brand for kitchen appliances. But then I decided I had better use a gift card that a dear friend gave me for Christmas last year.  The gift card was for a store called Canadian Tire.

Canadian Tire had several pots and I settled on this coffee pot by Hamilton Beach. It doesn't use a carafe because the coffee is kept in a holding container inside the coffee maker.  You can set the timer for how long you want to keep the coffee warm. I've made coffee in it twice already: one very small pot and one larger pot just to test it out. It seems to work just fine.  Best of all I got it for 'free' with the gift card because it was 55 % off and most of the reviews for the pot are very good.  I'll wash and box up my old coffee pot and store it just in case I need it later.

Other than that I bought a pre-lit cedar bough for the top of my bookshelves since I can no longer reach the socket now that I moved the bookshelves around. The prelit lights use triple A batteries and suit me just fine though I may actually return it for a wider bough made of artificial pine needles and berries. When I went to the store the garlands were very picked over so there may not be anything left by the time I return.

My decorating is never over the top but it is a lot for me since I am not a big fan of decorating for the holidays. I love to see the end result but I do not enjoy the process. I have everything up where it should be but now need to work on fluffing up the leaves and garlands and putting the small bulbs on my small tree. I hope to finish on the weekend because I'll be too busy this week to spend time on decorating.  Once I finish decorating I do really enjoy sitting in the evenings with the main lights off and the Christmas lights on. They cast a cosy glow and make me feel very contented and joyful.

I also continue to be busy with the missions in Kenya. I don't have a lot more to report to what I mentioned in this post but I do have some very good news. The doctor has said that my friend Eunice could be going home in about 2 months as she has been slowly but steadily improving so the family and I are cautiously optimistic. It has been a long, hard road for Eunice and the family and for me so this news was very welcome. If you'd like to make a contribution to her recovery, please see the link on the right side bar or contact me.

Sunday I'll be going to a luncheon with two family friends and it will be a nice time to visit before the Christmas season is fully upon us. One of my friends just had a baby on November 11, 2019, Remembrance Day and  it will be my first change to see the baby girl. I have been busy shopping for little Christmas gifts for those I will see and making it a  priority to wrap them so they are ready to go. I also popped a few extra Christmas cards in the mail though most went in the mail late last week.   Before the week is over I hope to finish wrapping gifts for the family but I still didn't find the time to alter clothing for niece. Once I confirm the measurements it won't take that long.

Do any of you grow ficus lyrata or ficus bambino?  I've been wanting a larger ficus lyrata for some time now but the ones that are a good price at IKEA are sold out whenever I've tried to purchase one.  On Friday night I managed to find a store that was selling some small plants.  Their larger ficus lyrata sell for over $400 Canadian. I was very happy to get two smaller ones for $16 and tax.  Living in a north facing, coldish condo doesn't really help with growing tropical plants which can be quite finicky in our climate.   Even with the heat on,  the drafts that find their way indoors are not good for the plants. That's another reason I don't want to spend too much money on any plant.

Here is a photo of the baby plants. If you know about this kind of plant let me know what you think it is because  I may have actually purchased a ficus bambino and not the ficus lyrata.  In any case I will enjoy trying to make these little plants grow.

I asked why the top leaves were so big and the under leaves were so small. The salesperson said because the growth comes from the bottom. That doesn't make any sense to me since the new shoots are coming out at the top of the plant not the bottom.  I remember days long ago when I lived in other homes. My plants did well in those days and I hope and pray they will do well again.  I find plants are wonderful addition to a home.

I haven't had time to do any reading or movie watching so I'm still making my way through the book on Coco Chanel. I was surprised to learn things about her which cause me to admire her less. I won't say more in case you want to read the book yourself.  I will say that she made a lasting impact on the world of women's fashion and it is good to know more about her.  For that reason alone I am happy to read this very well researched book.

Last, but not least, I picked up this movie from the library called She Walks Ahead.  It's based on a true story about Catherine Weldon, a painter, (played by Jessica Chastain) who leaves New York and travels to the plains to paint Chief Sitting Bull. Chief Sitting Bull is played by Canadian actor, Michael Greyeyes. Of course movies don't always stick to reality so if you are interested in knowing more, read here.  This story was all new to me and a very interesting bit of history.

That's all for now. Have a wonderful week.

Greening My Air - My World Tuesday

I haven't had any plants now for some time so I bought a small aloe vera plant last summer. It needed repotting then but I still haven't repotted it! Something I know I need to do so it can really spread out and grow.

The aloe plant is well known as a medicinal plant. I've mostly known of this plant for its gel. When one gets a cut or scrape you can break a stem from this plant and squeeze the gel from the shoot onto your cut. It has many other uses besides applying to cuts and scrapes.  You can read more about it here.

The aloe vera plant originates in northern Africa. When I was in Kenya, East Africa,  I saw these huge aloe plants like these ones in the photos below. I was on my way to Marigat, Kenya.

You can see just how dry the climate is by looking at the plants and the ground.  These aloe plants are outside the aloe farm.

Look at how large some of these aloe plants are!

This is the company that is growing aloe plants and seedlings for sale.  I didn't have time to stop and have a closer look at the business operations.

Another plant I purchased in November (see photo below)  is not doing so well. It is of the Dracaena family. I believe it's path to illness was due to an episode of over watering.  I've cut off all the brown and dead leaves but now the plant has leaves on one side only and is looking rather bare.  I have fertilized it.  I hope it can recover and become more balanced looking over time. Perhaps I need to cut all the leaves back, I'm just not sure. I will have to do some research.

The Draecena plants make up an important group of plants used to decorate the home, keep the air clean and "green" private and public spaces.   Apparently there are approximately 40 or so assorted species of this plant and it comes in various shapes and sizes.


The plant above is one of the popular Dracaena fragrans ‘Massangeana’ is more commonly known as the Corn Plant. It is supposed to do  well in low light conditions and its wide leaves are long and arc gracefully from the stalk.

You can't tell from my little plant above, but years ago I did have a beautiful and healthy Corn Plant. I don't remember what happened to it but I believe the movers packed it up and put it in storage when we had the fire. They literally put it in a box and didn't water it. Needless to say it was not thriving when I got it back and it didn't take long before it expired completely. Though it doesn't need a lot of water, it does need some.

I love the leaves on a larger Corn Plant so I had to buy it when I saw it on the weekend.  I think it is good for cleaning the air in my small apartment. Especially during the winter when the windows are seldom kept open.

Hopefully this plant will be with me for years to come and clean the air that I breathe.

For more insight into what others around the world are doing this Tuesday, click here.

Flowers, Greens & Water

As I wandered to town on a short errand, I captured these refreshing snaps along the way. The first thing that was a surprise to me was the new community garden built right on the corner of two very busy downtown streets.

Entry to the garden Vegetables grow here
And so do flowers The growing season hasn't been under way that long here as the weather has been rather chilly all spring. We are just now getting good temperatures. At last. How nice it was to feel the warmth of the sun without a jacket today.

I always love to see the trees in the city. They soften the edges of the concrete jungle.
These flowers are in front of the city hospital which is just around the corner from the city garden.
And these lovely, refreshing fountains are across the street from the hospital at one of the city's newer and popular hotels, The Sheraton Wall Centre.
These flowers are planted where there would otherwise only be concrete at the Sheraton Wall Centre.
The concrete cobblestones make an interesting backdrop for the flowers, don't you think?