The Garden in October

 

Front Garden in October

Nothing much is happening in the front garden this month.  It's recovering from the summer heat.

The Stumpery

I tucked in a couple of the scaredy cat plant cuttings among the stumps; hopefully, they will grow and spill over the stumps.  The rest of the succulents border is doing well.  

The Succulents Border

The other plants are doing as well as can be expected and the pomegranates are ripening:

Pomegranate

The back garden is doing a little bit better than the front:

The Back Garden in October

The back garden gets watered more than the front, since I have the fruit bearing plants in the back.

Blueberry Bushes and Papaya Plant

The papaya plant growing in one of the blueberry pots is making its presence known, but, I doubt if it will survive the winter.

The "Stonery" 

The "stonery" has evolved into another planting bed!  LOL.  M has been having fun planting various plant cuttings, bulbs, and seeds.  It'll be interesting to see what might grow there, come spring.

In the meantime, the oranges are still a long way from turning color:

The Orange Tree

The peach tree is starting to shut down:

Peach Tree

As is the nectarine tree:

The Nectarine Tree

But, the avocado tree is reviving:

The Avocado Tree

The curry leaf trees are fruiting:

Curry Leaf Tree

The fruits turn almost black when they are ripe and are edible (they have a taste that reminds me of licorice), but, they are generally not used, unlike the leaves which are used in our cooking.

And one or two autumn flowers are starting to bloom:

The First Chrysanthemums

The chrysanthemums flowered in the late spring and we cut them all the way back at the end of summer.  They are starting to come back up, pushing past the four-o'clock plants.

And the always welcome roses:

Rose

Thank you for visiting the garden with me.  Hope you enjoyed the tour.

I am grateful for:

- Having a garden

- Being able to grow some fruits and vegetables

- Being able to garden year-round

- Water for the garden

- M's help with the garden

Flu Vaccines and Bookcase Tetris

Autumn Rose

I had my flu vaccine on Friday afternoon.  I didn't get any treats, this time, but, I still got a $5 off $20 purchase coupon.  I'll have to think of something to stock up on to take advantage of that offer!

Friday evening, M was here to tend to the garden.  He brought some nasturtium seeds and planted them in the back garden.  We discussed what to do with the entertainment center.  I am not quite ready to dispose of it yet, but, he will help me to carry it to the curb or to break it up when I am ready.  

In the meantime, I didn't like how the family room bookcase looked in the last picture, so I sorted things out a bit more.  It meant relocating a few items to other shelving units, which led to cleaning those units, and so on and so forth!  As a result, a lot of things got shifted, but, very little got decluttered! 

This weekend, I am grateful for:

- The availability of vaccines for those who want them
- M's help with the garden
- Sunny, warm days
- Emails, texts, and phone calls with family and friends
- Autumn roses

Joyful activities have included reading, chatting with friends, and spending time in the garden.

How is your weekend coming along?

More Progress!

 

Entertainment Center: Before

Remember this picture of the entertainment center from a couple of days ago?  This is how the entertainment looked until this evening.  

I want to declutter the video tapes and the CDs a little more, but, I decided that I have finished decluttering everything else on the shelves for now.  It was time to rehome everything that was left.

Entertainment Center: Now

I was able to find homes for just about everything except the stereo and the CD holder.  I do have a couple of options for them, though.  I could move the tea trolley/cart to where the entertainment center stands now and put the stereo and CD holder on it.  I will have to move the entertainment first, in order to do that.  Or, I could clear the top of the sideboard and place the stereo and CD holder there.  

So where did all the other stuff go?  Well, the majority of them went on the family room bookcase, which now looks just as visually cluttered as it did before!  

Bookcase: Now (Still a Work in Progress)

I spent quite a bit of time trying to get everything to look somewhat reasonable.  I took the shelves out, readjusted the shelf heights, and dusted everything before I put the things back on them.  The scrapbook albums stick out so, after putting them on a higher shelf, I moved them to the bottom most shelf, with the board games.  The next shelf up has the photo albums and a couple of books about scrapbooking that my sister gave me earlier this year.  The third shelf up has the video tapes I haven't decluttered yet.  The two top shelves have books, including some that I have pulled out to declutter (once I look through them one last time).  Some of the books might be moved to the living room bookcase, eventually.

I think I need to find another place for the albums, or, maybe cover them all in matching fabric.

It's still a work in progress, but, watch this space as they say!

October Decluttering Part 3

My decluttering goal for October is 10 items a day for a total of 310 items.  Unfortunately, I am quite behind with my decluttering, as you can see (I seem to be wanting to at least skim through each book that I am decluttering and listen to each CD), but, I am hopeful that I will be able to catch up by doubling up in the next few days.  

Here's the link to October Decluttering Part 1 which covers Days 1-5

Here's the link to October Decluttering Part 2 (Days 6 - 11)

Day 12:  9 additional cookie cutters, 1 plastic tray, and some plastic frosting/icing nozzles and tips thrown in as a bonus!  (The cookie cutters will be donated, the tray was recycled, and the tips were tossed.)

Day 12: Cookie Cutters, Tray, Icing Nozzle Tips

Day 13: 1 knitting magazine given to me by a cousin, in 1974, before I left Hong Kong to come to the USA; 6 books, 2 cookie tins (I had stored items in them but they have been emptied); 1 ceramic cookie jar (received as a gift, one Christmas, filled with biscotti).

Day 13: Books, a Magazine, and Containers

Day 14:  5 more books, 4 CDs, 1 candy tin 

Day 14: 5 books, 4 CDs, 1 Candy Tin

Day 15:  5 books, 1 booklet, and 4 CDs.  The booklet about the British Museum was picked up in 1986 when I visited London and visited the British Museum.  I also bought a book, titled The Treasures of the British Museum, on that visit, so I decided to keep the book and declutter the booklet.  

Day 15: 5 books, 1 booklet, 4 CDs

As you can see, I am making progress.  I've now cleared two shelves in the family room bookcase and have made a start on the bookcase in the living room.  

How are you coming along with your decluttering?

The Entertainment Center

 

The Entertainment Center

This is the entertainment center that is in the family room.  It is something I assembled many years ago.  It included a door for one of the lower cubbies (which now houses the games), and a horizontal shelf for the longer cubby at the bottom, but, I didn't install them.  I needed the full height of that bottom shelf where I store my scrapbooks and old photo albums.

One of the decluttering books I read recently had asked if there were out dated furniture and items in the house, such as an entertainment center, DVDs and CDs (never mind VHS tapes!) and I remember thinking, yes, yes, and yes!  LOL.  

I like my entertainment center and it provides adequate storage for me, but, since it is all open to view, it adds to the visual clutter in the room.  Besides, once we removed the pothos plant that was on the very top of the unit, we could see the water damage.

Here's a close up of the water damage at the very top and the front of the top shelf:

Close Up of the Water Damage

My daughter suggested getting rid of the entertainment center and replacing it with some sort of closed storage.  I am thinking that if I can declutter the contents of the entertainment center and the bookcases, then, there might be enough storage space in the bookcases to accommodate what might be left of the items in the entertainment center.  I might have to relocate my little stereo (radio/CD player, turntable, cassette tape player, all in one) and the CDs to another spot and a few of the decorative items might be moved around.  But, if I can clear the entertainment center, then, I can get rid of it and there will be one less piece of furniture in the room.  At least, that's the plan; how it will work out is yet to be seen.

I have begun decluttering the entertainment center, putting aside some of the videos and CDs to donate.  I have managed to clear almost two shelves in the bookcase, too, so there's room for the board games and scrapbooks there. It is definitely a work in progress.

I will post an update on the decluttering, soon.

Any thoughts on my plans for the entertainment center?

Sunny Sunday

 

Smoke from a Fire in the Distance

Sunday was sunny and warm, with an afternoon high of 82F.  I went outside for a short walk (still walking up and down my driveway and in front of the house, as I feel I can do that without a mask; I'd need to wear a mask if I walked around the block). 

That's when I noticed the grey smoke from a fire in the distance.  I couldn't see quite where it was coming from, but, the smoke was obvious.  Later in the evening, when I watched the local news, they mentioned a fire in the neighborhood which involved hazardous materials.  They were telling people to stay inside if they could smell the smoke.  Well, the fire had been put out by then and although I had been outside, walking, while it was still burning, fortunately, I couldn't smell the smoke!

I had a fairly productive day on Sunday.  I tidied the kitchen counters, ran the dishwasher, scrubbed the kitchen sink, and did a load of laundry.  I also took the bags of recently decluttered items out to the garage, where I am keeping them until I schedule a pick up.  Then, I checked on the garden and picked the last ripe persimmon and a couple of lemons.

On Sunday, I was grateful for:

- The sunny and warm day
- Working appliances
- Not being able to smell the smoke from the fire
- Phone calls and emails from family and friends
- The garden is showing signs of recovering from the summer scorching

Sunday's joyful activity was being in the garden.

The Lantana Bushes are Flowering Again

Plans for Monday include doing the vacuuming I didn't do on Sunday, a bit of general pick up and tidying, cleaning out the fridge, watering the garden, and taking the trash cans to the curb.

How was your Sunday?  What are your plans for Monday?

Saturday

 

Living Room Bookcase

This is the "before" picture of the bookcase in the living room.  It and the one in the family room are a pair, bought at the same time. in 1982.  I worked for an office space design company and employees could buy furniture through them for cost plus 10% and pay in installments deducted from the paycheck.  I have plans to declutter the books in this bookcase, too, over the next couple of weeks.

But, not on Saturday.  On Saturday, I took a package to my friend R and we had a brief curbside visit.  When I got back home, two big bags of cat food had been delivered and I managed to get them inside the house.  I also wrestled the two 30 lb. boxes of kitty litter that had been delivered earlier, which the very obliging delivery driver had left just inside the front door for me, from the living room to the bathroom.  

Then, I dusted and vacuumed the living room and dining area, vacuumed my bedroom and daughter's bedroom, and the hallway.  I had meant to do some kitchen cleaning, too, but, I ran out of energy.  I cleaned Dancer's litter box, but, the rest of the evening, I relaxed and watched some programs on TV.  Later, I video chatted with my daughter.

On Saturday, I was grateful for:

- Being able to help friend R by taking her packages to her
- A safe drive there and back
- Being able to order things online and have them delivered
- Working appliances
- What I was able to accomplish during my "productive" period

Saturday's joyful activity was the curbside visit with friend R.

Plans for Sunday include cleaning the kitchen a bit more, vacuuming the family room, and decluttering, of course.

How was your Saturday?  What are your plans for Sunday?