OMG! I am so totally bored.
Winter is more like spring every day now. The temps have been hovering around 80 and I want to get out there, but there is not much to do except for picking up leaves. I want to plow some dirt and plant rows of something, anything. I want to see the green of willow trees along the creek bank. I want to hear the sound of frogs croaking in the pond. I want to see birds coming to the birdbath and fighting for their turn to delight in a bath or keeping watch while their mate takes a much needed respite. I would love to see crocus, daffs, grape hyacinths, and tulips by the hundreds and catch that heady scent on the breeze. I want to smell the smoke of people burning off their gardens and getting ready to work the earth for another growing season. I am missing home.
We have new neighbors and the lady said she can't believe how quiet it is. I've heard others say the same thing.
My very sweet neighbor lady who bought us the Keurig told me she had something for me yesterday evening. It's the little pods and filters for the Keurig so you can use your own brand of coffee. She is a Saint. We are kind of addicted to Maxwell House or Folgers and DH bought up a bunch of the MH when Save A Lot closed in November. That was so precious of her. I'm going to organize and clean her garage for her kindness.
Well, it's like summer here almost. I'm still bored, but I'm going to have a new walking partner starting next week. Yep, the new neighbor is game. I look forward to having someone to chat with on my morning walks.
Peace & Plenty.
Well, the Farmer's Almanac did say we would have a mix of weather. Now it feels like spring. We are supposed to get rain tomorrow.
I went next door and trimmed the palm trees for my neighbor. We are going to a new trash and yard waste system in January and I want to have everything cleaned up before it starts. I need to vigorously trim our Live Oak as well. I compost our grass clippings and our leaves always so that won't be an issue. They tell us not to put loose leaves in the yard waste receptacle, but to buy biodegradable bags to put them in. Seriously? I would never buy those bags even if I did throw away leaves, but try telling these 70's, 80's, & 90's folks to start spending their hard-earned money on such things and you are going to get some negative feed-back.
I cannot believe how many plants reseeded in the garden. I counted 30 Four O' Clocks in one area. The Nigella Damascena is coming up all over too. Even the Sweet Alyssum! By far the Red Fountain Grass and the Kalanchoe has it beat.
I spied one little Morning Glory in bloom today. Precious!
Peace & Plenty.
The weather has been just gorgeous here and I am seeing signs of growth everywhere. My bougainvillea is still blooming and had dropped it's leaves, but now it has all new leaves. Huh! I have so many Red Fountain Grass coming up all over. I will def be giving away more plants this year.
I gave away the excess furniture on the Lanai and it's so much better. Less is more to me. We still have 2 Wicker chairs, a Wicker coffee table, 2 fold up chairs, and 2 plastic chairs that are lightweight and can be taken in and out easily. Sometimes I just like to sit out back and get the breeze. I even gave away the big workbench with all the cubbies, but he hasn't gotten it yet. He is busy remodeling their home and will turn it into a computer desk. I'm so glad to give all that stuff away. It was getting really crowded out there. I gave them 2 tables, 4 chairs, a lamp, and a Christmas tree besides the workbench.
It's dry and I've had to turn the irrigation back on. Our last water bill was only $43. Phenomenal!
I took all of my seeds, gloves, tools, cannisters of garden related things and all the stuff that was in the cubbies to our garage and organized it. My plan is to get some kind of bureau to put on the Lanai to hold it all, but it's not prime that I get it immediately. I want to scrub the floor and restain the concrete.
My neighbor called me in a panic this morning for help. A rabbit had gotten into her dog lot and she needed me to get it out so she could let her dogs out. That bunny must have been pregnant because I had a difficult time shooing her away and she was carrying straw in her mouth. She was getting through the gate because there was a big gap where it closes. I put some pvc pipe in the ground and made it so she couldn't get in again.
Peace & Plenty.
Yesterday our home was full of friends and neighbors all day long. What a great Christmas Eve it was! Along about noon I went up to one of the neighbors houses to invite them down for some goodies and good cheer, but they were gone at the time so on my way past the hedge row I spied a Podocarpus about 2 ft high growing in amongst the hedges. They already told me I could have any of the plants around the house that I wanted. Well, in a heartbeat I pulled that little gem out of there and let it soak in a bucket of water while I entertained all the peeps who came by, including them. Isn't that the limit. Merry Christmas to me. I planted it at sundown at the top of the bank.
I made Applesauce cookies on Friday and there were 2 and a half dozen. I made Cream Cheese Frosting for them and put them in the freezer. They were a hit and we actually have some left today, but I didn't think we would. They are so good and moist. That was my first time for that recipe, but it won't be the last. So easy!
Santa brought me pruning shears, a magnifying glass, an arthritis knee compression sleeve, and a dish towel from a friend that says "Blessed" because she says she is blessed to have me for a friend. How sweet is that? DH and I together got a Keurig Coffee machine and 100 K cups for it and 2 beautiful puzzles. We both love puzzles. How blessed are we?
Do you remember when you were a kid and on Christmas morning when you rushed out of bed and came into the living room and saw all the sparkle and glitter and all the gifts wrapped up and stacked around that beautiful tree? Oh, those were certainly magical times. They seemed to last you way into January when you had to return to school and the everyday living. Those were good times and I cherish those memories.
Now that I've aged I am liking the old carols much better and they have a different meaning to me. When we are young we really don't pay too much attention to such things, but when you're older you reflect back on how much those songs must really have made a difference in the spirit of the season. Yes, I was in the church choir, but still you don't get it. It was hard times and people needed all the spirit there was to be had. It was more than just celebrating back then, it was a time of closeness for family, spiritual for the different religions, giving for those who had time and money, and it was a time of sharing and caring. Whole communities came together to do their share to make sure those that were in need had something to warm their home and hearts.
Christmas is still in my heart and I love all the lore and magic and sparkle and shine that it brings. This year has made me so appreciative of my life, my loved ones, and the people in our lives. I hope you are still feeling the magic of the holidays and my wish to you this season is to just pause for a moment and catch some of that kismet. Life is short!
