I like a month that starts on a weekend!
On Saturday, it being the first of the month, I made milkrice for brunch, as usual, but I made it softer than usual so my daughter could have some, too, without much difficulty. Later in the day, I made stock from chicken bones I had kept in the freezer for the purpose and made a chicken and vegetable soup for dinner, blending it to make it easier for daughter to have it. For dessert, I mashed up a ripe mango and served it with vanilla ice cream.
In between cooking (and doing a mountain of dishes), I spent some time weeding in the back garden. The third flower bed which used to look like this:
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| Flower Bed: Before |
Looked like this at the end of Saturday:
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| On Saturday |
I did a little more weeding, today, after I watered the garden, but, there's a little bit more left to do, tomorrow.
I took this picture, on Saturday, of one of the grass stems and roots I pulled out while weeding. It was longer, but, it broke off at one end when I was tugging at it. You can see the one blade of grass that was showing up above the soil; everything else was about four inches under the surface.
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| Runner Grass Stem & Roots |
So, how long was it, Bless?
Well, I took this picture, today, with the yardstick for comparison:
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| Longer than the yardstick! |
Today, Sunday, I woke up to a phone call from cousin P and we chatted for a long time. A little later, neighbor T called and we chatted a bit. Later in the afternoon, T called again, because she wasn't sure if she had called me in the morning or not; I told her that she had called me, but, I was happy to chat with her again, so we did! Later in the evening, I called friend R to check on her and I texted with M (he sent me pictures of his beet harvest and flowers in his garden; I sent him a picture of the yard-long grass root and the first ripening blueberry).
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| First ripening blueberry! |
Today, I did four loads of laundry, including the sofa dust sheets and my bed sheets. Made macaroni and cheese for lunch (from a boxed mix) and daughter had it for dinner, too. I had leftover milkrice and chicken curry for dinner.
On Friday night (well, actually, very early Saturday morning), I made myself a list of projects I wanted to work on during this month. It was a bit of a brain dump and I've no idea how much of it I can accomplish, but, the list of projects include cleaning and organizing various rooms in the house (focus is on the family room and the spare room), some sewing and crafting, decluttering, and, of course, gardening! If I can get at least half of it done, I'd be happy!
This first weekend in May, I am grateful for:
- Daughter is recovering from her teeth extractions
- Phone calls with family, friends, and neighbors
- Working appliances (blender, washer/dryer, fridge, etc.)
- Having a garden in which to play
- Water for the garden
This weekend's joyful activities included time spent gardening.
Monday's To Do List:
- Dust living room & dining area
- Clean the fridge
- Tidy the family room
- Take trash cans to the curb for Tuesday trash pick up
- Weeding
How was your weekend? What are your plans for Monday and the coming week?
What a great job you have done on the weeding front! That grass looks really pervasive and insidious with it. Mango and ice cream sounds delicious. Here's to a good crop of blueberries.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lady Ella. If that grass grows where it is supposed to grow (in the lawn area) instead of my flower beds, I'd be very happy! But, the flower beds are what gets priority when I water, so, all the grass migrates over there! Fresh mango with ice cream was a treat! This is my first year trying to grow blueberries, so, even a couple of fruits will be exciting! :)
DeleteI find it very satisfying when I can get a long runner out while weeding because they break off easily. I am impressed that you got one a yard long. That definitely beats my record.
ReplyDeleteI think I set a new record for myself, too! :D
DeleteAll that work you are doing in your garden reaps great rewards. That was one very long grass root! Glad to read that your daughter is recovering from wisdom teeth removal; she's had a lot to contend with this last few weeks. Excited about those blueberries - lucky you.
ReplyDeleteRight now, all I am reaping are achy joints from the weeding (even with sitting on a stool while I weed), but, I think the plants will benefit.
DeleteMy daughter is feeling much better, today, thank you; she still has one more extraction to look forward to!
It's my first time growing blueberries and I am thrilled to see the fruit starting to ripen! The plants are in the large containers the fruit trees came in and M says they can continue to grow in them for another couple of years. After that, they'll need to go in the ground.
I was supposed to make a start on the downstairs spring cleaning but I've done everything else but that! Procrastination rules today!
ReplyDeleteI didn't realise that you were growing blueberries or more likely, I did read it but it didn't go in! I have two baby bushes planted in pots but I don't know how long I have to wait for my first crop.
The weeding looks like hard work if you have to remove all the runner grass roots. I don't envy you having to do that. The area's you've cleared look good though, so worth the effort. Have you decided what you're going to plant yet?
Ha, ha, you aren't supposed to spring clean on a bank holiday! :D It's not a holiday, here, though, so I need to clean!
DeleteYes, I bought 3 blueberry plants at the same time as the fruit trees and we planted them in the containers the fruit trees came in. M chose plants that were already in flower to give them a head start! One gardening article I read suggested removing all the flowers during the first year to give the plants more energy to grow and establish itself, but, M didn't think it was necessary (he grows blueberries, himself, so, I figured he'd know). Hope your plants flower this year and give you some blueberries later in the summer. :)
The weeding is coming along nicely. I am trying to remove the runners, although I know some are hiding even further down! I will just have to weed more regularly! I already have three rose bushes and a buddleia plant growing in that flower bed. Not sure what else I'd want to plant there - maybe more zucchini transplants?
That sounds like a nice weekend to me! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Martha. Yes, it was a good weekend. :)
DeleteI'm glad your daughter is feeling better now.
ReplyDeleteYou've done a great job with the weeding. The flower bed looks very tidy now. X
Thank you, Jules. Yes, daughter is feeling better and the flower bed is looking better! :D
DeleteI thought of you on Saturday as I knew you would be making milk rice! You have had a busy and productive weekend.
ReplyDeleteDon't you just hate sneaky weeds and grasses that spread underground, especially when the roots break off before you have got the whole lot? We have plenty like that to contend with. Some other weeds are so easy to pull that I almost feel guilty yanking them out of the ground, but it is satisfying, too!
Ha, ha, you know me too well, Bushlady! :D Yes, I made milk rice on Saturday! :)
DeleteThe runner grass is the worst, but, there are other weeds with long tap roots that are hard to pull, too. I didn't do any weeding, today, but, I put down some cardboard to cover the areas where I weeded.
I'm impressed that you can grow blueberries. I want to try them up at the cabin. All sorts of berries seem to do well there. Your meals sound delicious, and your phone calls are wonderful. Keeping in touch with friends is so important.
ReplyDeleteThis is my first year growing blueberries. I've no idea how they'll do when the summer heat arrives! Your cabin might be a better place for growing them!
DeleteWe can clearly see now why weeding takes such patience, to get that all out intact like that. And I know what you mean about the "brain dump" of making a list - it lightens the load just to get in down on paper and not have to remember it. I hope you make good progress on the list as well.
ReplyDeleteI find weeding to be therapeutic! But, a bit hard on the spine, even when seated on a stool! Having everything written down is a bit of a relief - I can see it and cross it off when I get each item done! I've made a bit of a start on it and will keep at it. :)
DeleteI'm glad your daughter is recovering. That is one long root on that weed! It looks like some I pull out here sometimes. There is one kind that seems to dance across the top of the grass and I end up pulling one end and it goes on and on lol.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sharon; yes, she's recovering well. I am usually not that successful in pulling up long lengths of the runner grass, but, this one didn't break until I'd pulled out the first 4 feet!
DeleteLast year when the pandemic started I figured it would be a good time to de-clutter and organize all our closets. Fast forward one year and would you believe I just finished the last one? LOL But every one is de-cluttered and organized, so that job is done. I'm sure yours won't take as long as mine did. Glad your daughter is recovering. Denise
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that you've finished decluttering and organizing all your closets, Denise. :) My decluttering seems to be unending! I find it very hard to declutter because I tend to hold onto a lot of sentimental stuff and "might come in useful some day" stuff! But, I'm keeping at it!
DeleteThank you, my daughter is feeling a lot better, today. :)
Wow! That is a long root. What a pain removing all of that must be.
ReplyDeleteBit by bit you are doing it though - good for you.
It was and now, I'm paying for it, with sciatic nerve pain in my left leg.
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