Hello Summer

Isn’t this crab apple tree absolutely beautiful? It is in the backyard of my friend Lynda who invited the coffee girls to her house for a picnic. 

We sat (social distancing ourselves of course) and chatted and then enjoyed great food on her lovely patio. It was only the second time that the girls have seen each other so we had a lot of catching up to do. 

Finally we have our warm weather and Look! My peonies are going to bloom soon. We are way behind this year (remember the snow we had in May?) 

The world is getting green and I am enjoying watching all the plants begin to grow. 

I caught this hummingbird in flight as I was taking a picture of the chives. 

In one corner of the flower bed the lupine are blooming. In this picture you can see some bachelor buttons on the right side and forget me nots on the left. Behind the lupine I think are foxglove but I’m not sure. 

Here is a better picture. I’m sure my garden friends will let me know what it is. I planted it last summer and it didn’t flower but the leaves grew and grew. They did not die down even though the winter snow covered them. I just removed some dead leaves from the bottom this spring and they continued to grow. I have noticed that I gravitate toward blue flowers. 

The thyme I transplanted last year is doing well by the pond. 

This year looks like a good year for the climatis which grow over the gate. I added a white one to the right side where the blue one looked like it wasn’t doing as well last year. 

And the final picture is the Japanese maple which is growing slowly behind the gate. I love its color. In front of it is yarrow. 

Today I purchased the last of my annuals and will be making my three window boxes tomorrow. I have a few herbs to plant in the portager and I got another lavender for that space too. 

How are your flowers growing?

Bloom

The azalea that was transplanted from the other side of the house last year is in full bloom. Even though summer has begun in most parts of the country here in my town we are having spring. The leaves are just coming out on the trees now and the hills are gloriously green. Some perennials are growing in the flower gardens and the chives are starting to flower. 

   Yesterday Don and I went out to get fast food for the first time since our lockdown on March 15. We ventured to the Tastee Freeze for a burger, fries and a milkshake. It was constantly crowded and almost everyone was wearing a mask. It seemed so normal for a minute. 

    The courtyard is almost ready for summer but the pond still needs cleaned out and the bank mulched. I have been enjoying sitting on my porch swing reading. It is my favorite summer activity. 

The rain is bringing out the leaves

It’s raining here again today. These showers are really making things grow fast. The hills are greening up and the grass is such a bright green. It is so welcoming after the gray hills of winter. Every chance I get I go outside and try to spend some time in the sun. I am not a sun worshiper (2 rounds of skin cancer on my head has taught me better) but I like to feel it a little on my face. Yesterday I made a trip out to a nearby town to buy some flowers and some solar fairy lights. Little by little I am getting my outdoor area ready for enjoying those lovely summer nights. 

    Today I am going on a picnic at my coffee friend’s house. It will be so nice to see all the girls again and chat even though the rain will force us indoors. This is a strange Memorial Day weekend. Usually I would spend it with my family but I haven’t seen them in person since the virus started. They are afraid to come here fearing that they may be carrying the virus asymptomatically. I am grateful for Zoom and FaceTime as well as texting. we can keep in touch. 

      This weekend I think I’ll curl up with a book. I picked up two summer reads yesterday.

Plant stand

This Frenchy  looking plant stand has been a fixture in my living room for a number of years. I love African violets (these are faux) so they currently have a home here. 

Yesterday we had a warm but windy day. The chimes that were hanging under the porch of the breezeway were being blown around and were so loud that I had to move them to a different place where they wouldn’t get so much wind. I carried the heavy gravity chair up the basement steps to put on the courtyard....and that wasn’t easy. I think I finally have everything out for the summer. 

My giggle girl friend Sandy and I have been walking in the afternoon. Marilla lake is so close to my house and the walk around is just a mile. It is a lovely walk and it feels good to be out of the house. 

  

So....what have you been doing?

Hello my friends. Our lockdown is letting up as Pennsylvania goes to yellow status which means that some stores can open. But I am rather cautious about the virus so I think shopping is not on my agenda. I have only been leaving the house to get groceries once a week. This is the most time I have spent staying home and I am getting used to it. I find that I am sleeping in more and definitely cooking more.  We do not order take out so every meal is home cooked. I am using up food from my freezer. We have not seen a shortage of food in my hometown but my sister in Virginia has noticed that there are items that can’t be found there. 

     

I have spent some time painting with acrylics and finished this one yesterday. Now I am going back to practicing with watercolors. I was so looking forward to going back to Mayville for classes this summer but I assume that it won’t be happening. 

  It rained most of the day yesterday so I didn’t get to spend time outdoors. It was a good thing that on Saturday we worked so hard. The forecast calls for rain today also. 

   What are you doing to keep yourself busy? Do you have a routine or just play it by ear each day? Are you getting out? How has your life changed?

    

The ants come out of the anthill

In Spring I always say people come out of their homes like ants coming out of an anthill. They scurry around outside and the first part of the Spring is always spent doing outdoor chores for our warm outdoor season is very short. There are many chores to be done to get ready for summer. 

   Yesterday Don and I spend some hours outside after and before the rain pounding down working. The first thing we did is open the garage door and use the power washer to clean off all the debris from the winter. We also power washed the breezeway. I put out a few plants I bought and hosed off the courtyard. We still have lights to put out, the pond to clean and to get the table out. The weather should be nice this next week so we should be able to do some of the things we want. It is difficult now as we are older to do heavy lifting and things that we once did effortlessly. Our boys are not nearby but we have someone who helps us. 

Linda gave me that cute flag and it looks darling in that planter. 

The climbing hydrangea is leafing out and the peonies underneath are getting taller. 

I planted some bulbs in the picket fence area and hope that I will see color there in the summer. It is one of my favorite garden areas. Today I will put the lights around the pond and on the breezeway. I can’t wait to sit out on my swing and enjoy the weather. 

Slowing down

How are you doing my friends? Is it just me or has life slowed down to a turtle’s pace? These days seem like they creep by. Isolation has had a toll on all of us as we have given up our “normal” routines and stayed in our homes. 

  I did get out yesterday for a doctor’s appointment in Erie, which is one and a half hours away. I was seeing an endocrinologist for a thyroid check to see why I am so cold all the time and in the summer can’t regulate my body temperature so I get way too hot. I have been on thyroid medication forever. With a change in dose and a new med maybe I can get some relief. 

   While I was there I went into two stores. Western Pennsylvania opened up under yellow conditions last Friday. Donning my mask I visited Hobby Lobby and Boscov’s. It seemed almost normal to go into a store. Who would have thought that something I did all the time would now seem strange to me? 

   Meanwhile at home I am spending a lot of time binge watching shows. My new obsession is a show on Prime called Cold Feet. It is a British comedy about friends and the perfect way to lose myself for hours. And last night we watched the finale of Survivor.

   Since the libraries aren’t open I’ve also read some books on my ipad. I just finished a Lisa Scottolini Book and am into something new today. I’ve also been spending a lot of time playing the piano and the practice has improved my skill. I purchased some new piano books last summer with great arrangements of standard classics. 

  I apologize for this slowdown of blogging. I am trying to do other things to keep me busy. I’m currently making last year’s blog into a book. I have been doing this for several years. My fear is that one day Blogger will go out of business and my whole blog since 2006 will be lost. So I’ve transferred most years into a printed form. 

   How are you managing friends? Have you experienced anxiety? I find that I can’t get to sleep at night. And all I want to do is eat. How about you?

     

Again!

It is snowing again...hard. What is it with this crazy weather. It is more like December than May. I am so envious of my southern sisters who have planted flowers already. 

Guess what? It snowed..again.

Spring is coming

It has been so cold and rainy here that I haven’t even thought it was spring. But today it should be in the high sixties.  I go outside every chance I get so yesterday I took all my metal summer decorations out of the shed and distributed them around the gardens. The daffodils are still blooming along with the grape hyacinths and it is so nice to see color. I even bought a selection of bulbs to plant when I was at Aldi’s this week. I also bought a climatis to add to the gate on the right side where the old one doesn’t seem to be flourishing. I will try to keep things simpler this year but I know as soon as I get to the nursery I will go crazy seeing all the colorful flowers. Today I am planning on putting out my small patio table and chairs and planting the bulbs and climatis. 

I called my coffee friends and we are meeting this afternoon in the high school parking lot to social distance and chat. I have missed them so much. We talk on the phone but haven’t seen each other in over two months. 

Corona virus. So we don’t forget

So we don’t forget.... 🦠😷🧤😥

Today is Sunday April 26th 2020

- We are at 41 days of social isolation.

- The President of the United States is Donald Trump

- The dollar is worth $ 5.32(say what??) 😂😂 the euro $ 5.77 and the pound $ 6.54.

- gas is around $1.50/gallon at most places and $1.25/gallon at Sam's however nobody needs gas because there's no place to go.

- Schools have been closed since mid March and are teaching remotely on-line. This will continue for the rest of the school year.

- There are lines / tapes inside the stores to keep people 6 feet apart.

- Bars and restaurants only for home delivery & pick-up.

- Parks, beaches and walk-in places are not accessible to the public.

- Gyms are all closed. You cannot find a weight, weight bench or basically anything workout related in any store.

- All sports competitions have been cancelled.

- All festivals and entertainment events have been banned.

- Weddings, family celebrations and birthdays have been cancelled. Funerals limited to 10-20 people.

- People are doing drive-by parades to celebrate birthdays!

- Young kids can’t understand why they can only see grandparents & other extended family and friends on a screen or thru a window if someone visits in person.

- Hugs and kisses are not given.

- The churches are closed or online.

- We have to stay away from each other 6 ft or more

- Shortage of masks and gloves in hospitals.

- There are fewer ventilators than there should be.

- People are wearing masks, some places even REQUIRE that you wear them to enter! People are even making their own masks for sale or donation to medical facilities!

- Toilet paper, hand sanitizer, antibacterial wipes and anything Lysol or Clorox is in short supply and limited per person.... IF you can even find them!

- Stores are closing early to disinfect everything. (24 hour stores are even closing by 9pm)

- Store check outs, pharmacies and even fast food drive thru windows have added plexiglass between employee and customer. Have to reach around or under to pay!

- Stores have added 🚫 and ⬆️ on the floors to keep foot traffic going only one way down an aisle. Unfortunately no one is following it and it is not being enforced.

- You can't find isopropyl alcohol easily. .. supply per person is limited to one.

- Australia, USA and Europe have closed their borders.

- Western Australia has been divided into 9 territories & an instant $1,500 fine issued for crossing the border without a valid reason. (Transport workers, Essential services etc)

- No one is travelling for leisure. Airports empty. Tourism has the worst crisis in history.

I am posting this because next year & then every year after, this status will appear in my Facebook memories feed. And it will be an annual reminder that life is precious & that nothing should be taken for granted. We are where we are with what we have. Let's be grateful.

This text is anonymous, it's not mine, but I copied because I want to remember it too.