Friday, March 18, 2022

Productive Days

 

Pink Rose

Did you celebrate St. Patrick's Day, yesterday?  I'm afraid I didn't, although a very dear friend sent me a lovely e-card which was much appreciated!  I spent a quiet day, responding to blog comments (thank you, again, everyone who take the time to not only read my posts, but, comment on them, too), reading and commenting on a few other blogs, and watching some online videos (cooking, gardening, reuse/recycling, and decluttering) with my headphones on since my daughter had back-to-back online  meetings, all day.

Later in the afternoon, however, I spent a little time in the garage, cleaning.  I focused on the counter top on the old kitchen cabinet I have in the garage.  It was filthy!  An accumulation of dust, some potting soil that has spilled, a collection of some bits and pieces including some old sprinkler heads, rusty nails, and an ugly brown patch where rainwater had leaked from the roof and dried up!  I scrubbed it and rinsed it off and ended up tossing the old wash cloth I used to clean it!  I wiped down the cabinet doors and the drawer fronts, but, by then, I was too tired to go through the cabinet and sort it.  I also decluttered a few more things and swept the floor, again; it was rather windy and the garage door kept coming down for the wind!  

Afterwards, I did a load of laundry, cooked kufta from the freezer for dinner (had it with a salad), chatted with friend R, and watched another video ("Hello Dolly") with daughter.

Today, Friday, I dropped my daughter off at her friend A's apartment, to meet up with A and a few of their friends (the rest of A's bridesmaids); they have planned a bachelorette party for A, in the afternoon (couldn't have it earlier as two of the bridesmaids live out of state and were flying over only for the wedding).  Afterwards, they will attend the wedding rehearsal that is scheduled for this evening.  Daughter will get a ride home with a friend, afterwards.

After I came home, I did a little more clearing and cleaning in the garage.  I have filled a box and a bag with stuff for donating; the recycling bin is half full and the trash can is pretty full, too!  There is a lot more to do, but, I am making progress. 

I did another load of laundry afterwards, made some fried rice for my lunch (daughter ate some leftover kufta for her brunch), and put some chicken bones to simmer to make a broth for some soup for  later.

I am watching the evening news as I type this and am expecting M to arrive in a bit to tend to the garden.  

I am grateful for:

- Sunny warm days
- Working appliances and electricity/gas to operate them
- Garden flowers and vegetables
- M's help with the garden
- What I've been able to accomplish

Recent joyful activities have included watching videos with my daughter.

Plans for tomorrow include some housework and mending. Daughter will be attending her friend's wedding.

How is your Friday coming along?  What are your plans for the weekend?


20 comments:

  1. We didn't celebrate St. Patrick's Day either, but he is a rather special saint. Headphones are very useful when you want to listen to videos without disturbing anyone else. I sometimes just listen to very quiet sound with closed captions but it is surprising the strange transcripts that appear at times!
    The wedding events are exciting and a great time for the friends to catch up on each others lives, too. I hope the wedding will be blessed.

    The dog next door came over again today while I was sorting syrup bottles. DH rang the doorbell for him. Far be it that "doggins" should be disappointed, so I had to come up from the basement and open the door!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I had read a book (borrowed from the library) about the different saints, but, I don't remember too much about the individual saints; I know that St. Patrick is credited with having driven snakes out of Ireland and he used a shamrock leaf to depict the Trinity.
      The transcripts on some of the videos are very interesting, aren't they? :D
      Oh, that "doggins" is too much! :D I love the fact that DH rings the doorbell for him! :D

      Delete
  2. Sounds like a really productive day! I love the photo of the rose. Mum always had roses growing. I remember them in our garden when I was growing up and even at her flat in a tiny space outside her door she had one growing. I remember later asking how the roses at our house grew so well - apparently she always buried our pet rabbits poo around the roses!

    Hope you have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was a very productive day. I did a load of dishes after I posted, and will do the litter box in a minute or two. :)
      My mother, too, loved her roses. Your mother was a very resourceful lady! Rabbit fertilizer!
      Thank you, Sharon. Hope you, too, have a great weekend. :)

      Delete
  3. By celebrating do you mean eating corned beef and cabbage, because that is the only thing even mildly St Patrick's Day related that we did.
    You got a lot done. I need to finish the laundry room and move on to the basement but I just don't want to.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Eating corned beef and cabbage would be celebrating! Did you wear something green, too? :)

      I am pleased with what I was able to do, today. I need more productive days like that. Do you have a lot more to do in your laundry room?

      Delete
  4. We don't celebrate St. Patrick's Day. That's a beautiful rose, gorgeous colour. You are working hard cleaning and clearing your garage. Sounds like the wedding preparations are going to be a lovely time for your daughter and her friends. We have some nice sunshine and warmer temperatures promised for this weekend so I'll hopefully make the most of it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Eileen; I picked the rose (and another yellow rose) today, and made a little arrangement for the mantelpiece. :) My daughter was very touched to be asked to be the maid of honor at this friend's wedding. They met in middle school (grade 7) and have been best friends since then. I hope you have a lovely, sunny, and warm weekend. :)

      Delete
  5. That really is a beautiful pink rose. I was looking through the plant catalogues yesterday and a couple more roses have made it to my wish list ... I'm considering getting a patio rose this year.

    You have been a busy bee, both indoors and out. My decluttering efforts have to take a back seat for a while. I'll ask someone to move the heavier stuff out of the way and once that's done I can at least start dealing with the smaller, lightweight items.

    I didn't celebrate St Patrick's Day. I forgot to be honest. The only ones in my family who celebrate it is my brother and his partner - she's Irish - and they celebrate every year. The rest of us celebrate St George's Day in April but it's not as big a celebration as on St Patrick's Day.

    I don't have anything special arranged for the weekend but it is a lovely sunny day so I will walk over to the marina later on to enjoy the sunshine.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Eileen; every spring when the roses flower, I think I want to buy more rose plants to fill the garden with them, once again. Then, every summer, when the temperatures rise and the water restrictions come into play, I realize that having fewer rose bushes is a good thing! LOL. Roses are edible and I've made rose petal jelly and syrup, etc., but, I'd rather water the fruit trees and the vegetable plants!

      I'm making some small progress with the decluttering in the garage. Still a lot more to do, but, I'm getting there! I'm glad to see that you are taking it easy for a bit.

      I don't think they celebrate St. George's Day, here, at all!

      I hope you have a lovely, relaxed weekend, Eileen. Enjoy the sunshine and a walk. :)

      Delete
  6. I guess the only thing I did was wear green for St. Patrick's Day. And no one even tried to pinch me. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, at least you wore green! I guess it made you invisible to the leprechauns and that's why no one tried to pinch you! :D

      Delete
  7. I am following your example, and cleaning and decluttering a little at a time. I also find it works better for me, and is much less overwhelming than tackling everything at once.
    The rose is beautiful. X

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It takes longer to do a little at a time, but, it is more manageable, this way, I think. Just keep chipping at it, a little at a time. Hope you are feeling better, now, Jules, and all is well.

      Delete
  8. The rose is exquisite. It sounds like you are doing amazing work in that garage. It sounds like a real breath of fresh air passing through. I'm not surprised that you're tired.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Lyssa.
      The garage is a classic illustration of what happens when you don't take that "one stitch in time" which is supposed to save you nine! Things fell and didn't get picked up, other things were dumped on top, the garden cats got in there and made a mess and I just got overwhelmed. But, I'm making progress. :)

      Delete
  9. Such a pretty pale pink rose :)

    You continue to be very busy. Just think back in time when the jobs you are doing now and finished now were just a nagging concern on your wish list! You should be happy with your progress.

    It's warmed up enough here to start doing a few things outside; cleaning up from winter so that's what I've been busy doing.
    Also walking around with my head down watching things wake up from their winter's nap.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Debra.

      Yes, I need to focus on the crossed off items on the to do list! The front window and drapes - DONE! The shed - DONE! The garage - STARTED! I won't be able to finish the garage this month, but, I'll have it cleared to a respectable degree by the end of the month! I have a donations pick up scheduled for this week, so the items I've put aside won't have a chance to become more clutter!

      So glad that things are warming up for you and you are seeing signs of spring! :)

      Delete
  10. Beautiful beautiful rose - and a great photo of it too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Lady Ella. Very kind of you to say so. :)

      Delete

Thank you for visiting my blog and commenting. Your comments are much appreciated. Please comment in English. Thank you.