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| Lantana Flowers in the Front Garden |
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| Lantana Flowers |
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| Front Garden |
It's a sad excuse of a garden, isn't it? I removed all the spent osteospermum that were growing in that planting bed in the foreground and little seedlings are coming up:
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| Osteospermum Seedlings |
Friday evening, friend M came by to tend to the garden. He weeded the back garden, sprayed the peach tree again because there was evidence of borers damaging the poor tree, and watered the garden for me. Afterwards, I made us some tea and we chatted for a bit while we enjoyed our socially distanced tea and ate the last of the candied yam muffins.
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| Tea Light Lantern |
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| Smoked Sausage Stir Fry |
I cooked a pot of rice to go with the stir fry.
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| Fish Cutlets |
Saturday was a quiet, restful day. I practiced the piano, watered the front garden, watched news and a couple of programs on TV, and knitted.
Today (Sunday), I made more stuffing waffles with the last of the stuffing leftover from Thanksgiving. I ate one for brunch and another one with my afternoon tea. There's one more left for tomorrow's brunch.
On Friday, M planted a few more vegetable seeds in a planter for me. I asked him to leave it on a small table I keep near the back door steps, because I didn't want the garden cats to dig in it. This afternoon, I looked out through the sliding glass door and I saw this (taken through the glass):
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| Kitten! |
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| "What?" |
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| Kitten Defense System |
I picked some dried twigs and stuck them into the soil to try and discourage the planter being used as a cat bed. It's not very effective, however, because, later on, I spied the kitty trying to remove them! It had already managed to knock a couple of them off!
In the meantime, M posted pictures of his pea plants that were eaten by birds and the individual chicken wire enclosures he had to make for each plant! I forgot to ask his permission to publish them here, but, I will ask him, tomorrow, and publish them if he says it's OK to do so!
This weekend, I am grateful for:
- Garden flowers
- Seedlings
- Video chatting with my daughter
- Cute kitties!
- Restful days
It has been a good weekend, although it was bookended with news of my aunt's death on Friday and news of a friend's mother's death, late on Sunday night.
The weekend ended with us going into another 3 week long lockdown, in Los Angeles county, due to high new Covid cases (over 10,500 new cases on Sunday) and our available ICU beds capacity going down to below (12%).
How was your weekend?
You may not have a lush, green garden because of your climate, but you have a rich, varied, and interesting garden from my perspective. And it provides you with a lot of food. With all of that being said, I am so used to green that when I'm in a drier, browner climate, after a few days my eyes long for green.
ReplyDeleteThank you, June; one of these days, I'll have the front yard nicely landscaped with more succulents and so forth. In the meantime, I will rejoice in the fact that the garden produced the majority of my planned Christmas gifts, this year! :)
DeleteYour garden looks very much like mine. Your stir fry looks delicious and I bet your daughter's fish cutlets are really good too. I love the little kitten sleeping in the pot! Stay safe and have a great week :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Martha. Hope you, too, have a good week. :)
DeleteI laughed out loud about your kitten defense system! But oh my that kitten face, I'd be claiming him/her in no time. Pretty Lantana flowers & what a great find is that little white lantern.
ReplyDeleteIt is a cute kitten, isn't it? I'm trying to make friends with it, but, it runs away to hide when it sees me!
DeleteThat's a pretty tea light lantern and very kind of M to think of giving it to you.
ReplyDeleteI do something similar to the fish cutlets except I flatten the balls to make pattie shapes and I bake in the oven rather than fry. I don't really have a name for them but think of them as 'those fish things'!
Oh, I must try flattening and baking the fish cutlets! :)
DeleteHi Bless, That's such a sweet kitty photo. I love your lantana flowers, too. The colors are lovely. I am going to water my garden today, too. I have applied a heavy layer of straw as mulch. I only water mine once a week, but it's doing okay. I hope we get some rain.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Stephenie. I must discuss the straw mulch with M and see what he thinks. I sometimes put down a bark mulch around some of the plants, but didn't do so, this year.
DeleteAw, that kitten is so adorable! The stir fry looks yummy.💖
ReplyDeleteThank you, Susan. Hope all is well with you and yours.
DeleteI know it's hard to keep up with gardens and yards when we have many other things to do. You need something really hardy for dry places. Maybe some "hens n chicks" succulents. Your cat plant is adorable. :):) Looks hardy too. I love the stir-fry. That is something Ted and I would eat here. I may try it. Blessings, xoxo, Susie
ReplyDeleteThank you, Susie. I do have succulents growing in the front garden - all along the side wall, under the window, and in a circle in the middle. They do well, but, in the summer, the sun is so strong that even the succulents get scorched!
DeleteOh those critters! That kitten was just the right size to curl up in the planter. I was amused yesterday when two squirrels, one already with peanut in its mouth, got into a good scrap and while they were turning somersaults, a blue jay flew down and calmly took the peanut that I had left for the second squirrel! When the fight ended I produced another peanut for the frustrated little rodent.
ReplyDeleteYou are so kind to those squirrels and birds, Bushlady. You'd think that they'd know by now that you make sure they all get a treat!
DeleteOh the kitten is so cute. Are you taking care of it? Stay safe during this scary time. Celie
ReplyDeleteI feed the kitten, Celie. Its mother is one of the semi-feral strays that I feed. They live in the garden, for the most part, but, don't allow me to touch them. The mother cat will allow me to come within a couple of feet, but will run away if I get any closer. The kitten runs away almost as soon as it sees me.
DeleteI love the term terra catta pots!
ReplyDeleteYour daughter's fish cutlets look really good. I am going to have to try that. Would canned mackerel work?
Yes, canned mackerel (in brine) is what we normally use. Drain most of the brine, but, reserve just a little in case the mixture needs additional moisture to hold the shape (alternately, one can add a beaten egg to the mixture).
DeleteAny garden with flowers still is a success - just consider the rest of it in transition. Love your furry little friend.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Susanne. Today, the garden rewarded me with a yellow rose! :)
DeleteThat is so funny about the kitten. And M's response was great. Very clever.
ReplyDeleteI hope he lets you post the pictures of his homemade defense against the birds.
I am always rigging things up against our squirrels and neighbor's dogs who like to visit. I am always looking for new ways to work around the invaders lol
Thanks for mentioning the pineapples in your stir fry. I forget to add them and it's something I would enjoy.
I love getting gifts from someone else's cast off - your lantern is very nice.
Your garden is a garden that lives in your slice of the world.
And your slice of the world is dry and hot.
You do a nice job with it and there are many moments in the year when it is lovely with lush colors and a variety of plants that many people would want for themselves. Plus you produce food.
I think it's perfect :)
Yes, M has given me the OK to post his pictures. I'll be posting them, today.
DeleteI like to add pineapple when I make a stir fry with smoked sausage.
The lantern is pretty, isn't it? I want to get a "flameless candle" for it, so I can make a centerpiece with some greenery and flowers, without worrying about setting anything on fire!
Thank you for your kind comments about the garden. I plan to grow a few more edible plants, next year.
I thought of you when the news weather report said there was a winter storm headed your way. I was glad that you had got those big trees removed when you did. I hope the storm didn't damage anything.
Yes, we've had high winds a couple of times since the trees came down and I am so glad that got taken care of before anything dangerous happened.
DeleteIt's gotten pretty cold here over the last few days. Today I put up some window insulating plastic on the windows on the north side of the house and hung an old quilt over the mudroom door to the garage.
Those things make such a difference and keep our house nice and cozy.
Stay warm and safe, Debra!
DeleteThat is one cute kitty and one 'plant' that doesn't want watering. X
ReplyDeleteHa, ha, that is true!
DeleteLantana! I have often seen that flower in Japan but never knew its name. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThe kitten is dead cute, and clearly knows it!
You are welcome. :)
DeleteKitty is very cute and we are engaged in a battle of wills! :D