LITTLE RED DAHLIA AND WEEK'S END

        

These are little red dahlias. The bush doesn’t get very tall and it has a lot of blooms. I have to watch closely to make sure I cut off the blooms that are finished. This plant would probably like to be dug up and separated and replanted. We’ll see how that goes next spring.

Well, here we are at Friday again. I must confess I was very good to myself this week. On Wednesday, I had a very lazy morning, did some work in the garden, took a shower and then ordered ribs for dinner from Briley’s. If you haven’t tried this restaurant, they are EXCELLENT!!! They also have a scrumptious pork sandwich and great spicy BBQ sauce if you want lunch. I only order half a rack which comes with two sides and it’s actually enough for two meals for me, so it was ribs again on Thursday. The dogs love the ribs too and I couldn’t believe how fast they ate the one each they got…would swear they swallowed them whole. AJ called to check in on Wednesday and Angie and Haley sent me texts. Thor called me as well late in the day and we had a nice chat…he’s funny, so no crying. They, too, remembered it was the day John died. I did really well, although I wanted to cry so badly when AJ called…managed to pretty much hold it back. I even received a card from a gentleman and his girlfriend that I didn’t even know a year ago…how very nice.

Anyway, it seems like the weeks fly by even though I’m not doing much of anything. I decided to cut a lily and bring it inside the other day and if it’s too smelly, I’ll put it out on the table on the deck…wasn’t overpowering as long as it wasn’t right beside me. In the process of trying to get a vase out of the cupboard, I managed to knock over a smaller vase which landed behind my computer monitor and shattered into a million pieces…okay maybe thousands. Fortunately, it didn’t break my spare pair of glasses, the glass top on the computer table or the monitor. Since Kaizer likes to crawl under the desk when I’m typing, I had to make sure I got all the little pieces of glass so they wouldn’t end up in his paws. I vacuumed with two different vacuums, so I hope that worked.

When I went out to cut the lily, I figured I’d have to watch out for bees. Yes, there were bees and maybe yellow jackets, but they weren’t after the huge lumps of pollen. Instead, they were down on the petal itself, both inside and outside. Sitting here, as I’m typing, I can see them on the lilies that are still standing. I wonder if there’s some kind of sweet sap or something that they are getting off the petals. Maybe I should go out there and poke my finger and see. I did, but I think I’ll need to do it early in the morning since they are in the sun now. Maybe dew or something that evaporates is there until the sun shines.

I also gave up on two of the four plants I moved to the deck to treat for scale and spider mites. One kept losing its leaves and the other one was infested with scale worse than when I started treatment. I still have two out there that I’m hoping to save. So far, they both look good, but if I see any signs of anything when it’s time to come back in, then they’ll join the ones that just went into the yard waste tote. It’s time I cut back on my inside jungle anyway.

It seems as though I’ve also lost my green thumb when it comes to vegetable gardening. This is, so far, the worst year I’ve ever had when it comes to tomatoes. I do not understand what the problem could be unless it’s having the pots sitting on the asphalt out front. Or, maybe I’m overwatering. The same thing goes for the squash. Last year, in the back yard, they just about took over the entire garden with their vines. This year, there’s hardly any vines at all and very few squash. Does anyone have any ideas about the pots on the asphalt? Could it be too hot there? Shouldn’t they need more water if it is? Or, are we just having a crappy summer where tomatoes and squash wouldn’t be happy no matter where they were located??? Please share your opinions.

I’ve decided to apply my do a bit at a time to the inside of my house. So far, I’ve cleaned my stove and microwave and everything that’s located in that area. I’ve also cleaned out the cupboard over the microwave and eliminated stuff that’s been opened for a while. I’m going to have to be more careful when it comes to purchasing things like crackers and cereal, that or eat it for several days until it’s all gone.

My fingernails have finally grown out to the point where I can barely see them over the tips of my fingers. I do so want nice fingernails like I used to have even though they were acrylic. I haven’t been wearing any rings because my hands look so ugly. I think I ‘ll give my own fingernails until October and then go back to acrylic if they are still ugly. And, I’m seriously thinking about getting a pedicure because it’s so hard to do my own toes these days. Did I ever once think it would become difficult to bend my knee and bring my foot up to where I could work on it…nope, but it’s about at that point. I have a friend who is most particular about things like pedicures and she has to have them. I just may ask for a referral because she’s positive this nail salon will not give me a fungus…been there, done that, not fun.

On Thursday, I worked in the garden again and did a bunch of weeding. I also worked on the raspberry patch and removed all this year’s canes. The grape grows along the back of the raspberries, so I’m constantly having to cut the grape back. It also likes to grow into the neighbor’s camelia and I cut those vines out as well. The grape, which came from john’s grandma’s garden is in the process of taking over the greenbelt behind my yard. It’s climbed way up into the trees, as has the Chinese wisteria. I didn’t even realize the wisteria had grown way up there until last spring when I kept seeing these purple petals. I looked up and there they were.

So, not a very exciting week with no guests or social distancing lunches, but as you can tell, I kept myself busy so I wouldn’t mope and feel sorry for myself or grieve too much. Since I managed to almost completely fill the yard waste tote, I’m also feeling good about my accomplishments. Of course, my house is probably the filthiest it’s ever been in my entire life. But, like Angie’s mom told me when she called on Thursday to see how I was doing, “A little dirt never hurt anyone.” And she’s totally right. I’m not sure what I’ll accomplish this weekend since it’s supposed to be so hot, but I’ve several good books on my I-pad, so if it’s too hot to move, I’ll just sit in the shade in my swing hammock and read. Hope y’all have a comfortable and fun weekend.