How is it September? Some of you are looking forward to Fall, but I'm still not quite ready for the change of season. At the beginning of summer I shared my outside patio project. It’s still doing well, so that's why there's hope for a bit more warm (not oppressively hot though) weather. I move things around as new plants are added, repot, cut back flowers that die off, etc.
We have a praying mantis that was on the canna plant for a while, then it moved to a marigold, then to a hosta. I enjoy looking at it. One day I noticed something dangling from the hosta stem and found it's exoskeleton. So cool!
Years ago, when squirrels took residence in our attic it was no fun and they had to go! In the yard though, it’s actually been fun to watch them play. I threw some nuts out into the grass a couple times, then wondered if they would get a little closer. Sure enough, snacks will draw them right in and now my furry friends visit me on the patio. One is extra friendly and comes within inches of my chair. Another will get close but then run off to do it's nibbling. They makes me smile. I have many pictures now! You want to see a lot of them, right!?? LOL
I don’t get out a lot these days, can you tell? haha Grocery shopping, the home centers for plants, and a couple other places as needed if they aren’t very crowded is what I’m comfortable with for now. We do distance visiting with the kids/grands. Those grand darlings of ours are growing so fast! I haven't worked since our schools went on remote learning back in March. Our district decided to continue with a remote schedule until at least mid-October. I’m really okay with being home though. Reading out back is nice. Listening and watching wildlife is a joy. And in the evening, we watch good movies/series on Netflix, AcornTv, Amazon Prime, and other channels. Dinner is on tray tables in the living room as we're not ready for restaurants, either for outdoor dining or limited indoor seating now that that has started.
Since I mentioned sweet Cleo in the last post…. here she is. She's our GrandPup. It doesn’t take long for a puppy to start growing! We've puppy sat her a few times, whew... energy!!
Unfortunately, it’s not all been petals and puppies around here. Sadly, two people in our family died from Covid-19. One was a very dear and close relation of Ron’s and it hit us really hard. When Ron talked to the doctor at the hospital a little while after treatment began, it seemed there was some hope he’d recover. Some days later, that turned out to not be the case and he was released because he wanted to spend his last couple days with family. He wasn’t able to talk, but Ron, me, and the kids were able to each call and let him hear our voices. We were not able to attend his service and burial because of travel issues and just the virus in general so we had to watch online. It was such a strange experience. And sad, very sad. :(
Once again, there is much catching up to do in Blogland. There are a couple blogs I can read, but not comment on unless I’m on my cellphone. And that broke a couple weeks ago and am still in the process of getting the new one set up. So if you don’t get a comment for a while, at least know I’m reading and thinking of you all. Have a wonderful rest of summer!
First, I’m so sorry for your loss, Mary. That is just awful and it’s compounded by not being able to grieve together with other loved ones.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your photos so much. Your patio is an oasis and I love that you surrounded it with so many plants. What is that gorgeous purple cactus next to the owl? I need one! Squirrels can be destructive, but oh so cute!
So sorry to hear about your family members.
ReplyDeleteYour plants and flowers look wonderful
Mary, I am so sorry to hear about the passing of your relatives. And not being able to be there physically to mourn makes it even harder. We are living is such strange times right now, aren't we? What we used to experience in person, has now all shifted to "distancing."
ReplyDeleteBut on happier note, I LOVED your photographs! And your patio looks absolutely faaaaaaaaaaaaabulous! Being a squirrel lover (and I mean a HUGE squirrel lover) I so enjoyed the photographs of their cute little faces. All throughout the spring and summer, I created a weekly ritual of feeding them peanuts in the park. The squirrels here in the city are very people-friendly and will eat peanuts right out of my hand.
Cleo is ADORABLE! Yes, isn't it something how FAST they go from a pup to an adult? It seems like only weeks.
Please enjoy the rest of the summer out by your patio! Can you believe how quickly the summer flew by? I felt like it just started.
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Bijoux, thank you!! Maybe eventually, we'll be able to travel so Ron can visit the gravesite.
ReplyDeleteThe plants have kept me busy and the patio is a place to relax in these unsettling times. The purple one I got at Home Depot, it's called a Kosmik Kactus. The color isn't natural. While some succulents certainly do grow with various colors/shades, this one had a non-toxic paint applied, so as it grows, the leaves just go back to their dark green color. I don't really like the idea of paint on plants, but it was purple so I just got one.
Ann, thank you! Now as it's getting towards Fall, the flowering ones are withering, but soon I'll bring in all the house plants that are out there and hopefully they'll like our enclosed front porch.
Ron, thanks! Yes, strange times indeed! I really don't mind the distancing so much (some people have become much less enjoyable for different reasons), except in situations like this where we couldn't be with family in person. His wife had the virus too, but she recovered.
Oh I do remember how you love the squirrels. Being in the park with the sweet and funny little creatures must be a real joy.
Summer has gone by so quickly, but I'll get as much time out there as I can before the furniture has to be covered for winter. Some of the plants are house plants and will come in and go on the porch so will still get to enjoy them.
Hello Mary, condolences on the recent deaths in your family. It's always sad when a family member passes, and even sadder not to be able to pay your respects. We have had 2 family passings since April, neither virus related, and like in your family, both were out of state.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the patio update and from all the photos it looks like an inviting respite and someplace to happily spend time. The praying mantis exoskeleton was really "way cool." Nice that you have some friendly squirrels who hopefully won't take residence in the attic again. My late mother had similar issues. And, of course, I enjoyed seeing the photos of the little beggars.
Cute grand pup and they grow fast, just like children.
Thanks for the recent comment on my post about shortages. It was so interesting to read what people are finding in stock and not. I plan an update next week.
Your patio project looks great. I also really enjoyed the praying mantis photos. I think squirrels are so cute but we had to stop feeding them because they got really aggressive and destroyed some outdoor pillows. Darn squirrels. I am very sorry to hear about your loss. My deepest condolences. Take care.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry for your loses, this virus has taken so many loved ones way too soon. Here in the UK the number of cases are soaring again, so it looks like we will be going into another lockdown.
ReplyDeleteI can see your patio is bringing you so much joy. I hope the weather stays warm so you can enjoy it before autumn and winter sets in, and the central heating goes on!
Beatrice P. Boyd, thank you! And I'm sorry to hear of your family members passing too.
ReplyDeleteThe mantis (or another one) has a tummy full of babies! Haven't seen her in a little while, so she might have found a safer, more private plant to put the egg sac on.
Mr. Shife, thank you! We discovered our mantis is a momma (or maybe there was another one out there). That happened to us too, they were burying nuts in the chair cushions. I got a funny picture of it. Well, it wasn't funny at the time. I think I can talk to them now, and give them rules. haha
LL Cool Joe, thank you! I'm sorry to hear your numbers are up again. :( We've had a few warm days still, so it's giving me time to repot and move some of the house plants inside. Front porch is filling up!