 |
| The Blueberry Bushes are Showing their Fall Colors |
The day started off with a surprise phone call from a friend I haven't spoken with in a long time! She used to be the pharmacist at the drug store located near my old office building - I used to pick up my medications from there and we became quite friendly. I had called her quite early in the pandemic, but, hadn't spoken with her after that. Well, today, she called to wish me a happy, if belated, birthday! I was happy to hear from her and we brought each other up to date on what's been going on in our lives since we last spoke.
Later in the morning M arrived to tend to the garden. He brought me three additional chrysanthemum plants his other client had tossed more recently! Two of them were purple and one was bronze. He planted them with the other mums; if these plants establish themselves and grow, I should have a very colorful bed of mums under the lemon tree! He also planted the snow peas I had soaked overnight in little 6-pack trays and small pots I had saved; we will transplant them to the beds once they've sprouted (hopefully, they will sprout!) I think the packet had about 25 peas and we planted them all! Assuming at least half of them germinate and grow big enough to produce pea pods, I might have the summer of snow peas! LOL! In addition, I have all the peas I saved for seed from the ones I grew last summer...
It was a lovely sunny day, today, with an afternoon high of 73F. I aired the house and walked outside for 15 minutes. I had planned to walk for 20 minutes, but, last night, I woke up a couple of times due to body pains/bone aches, (one of the side effects of the medications I take) and when I started to feel tired after walking for 15 minutes, I decided to stop and not push myself to do the final 5 minutes. I was not in pain, but, I figured it would be better to stop then.
Today, I started updating my freezer inventory. I don't always keep track of things when I take stuff out or put stuff in. I have a side-by-side fridge/freezer and this is the only freezer I have. The freezer has five plastic coated wire shelves and one pull out bin at the bottom, plus 5 shallow shelves on the door. The only problem is accessing a particular item that is stored on one of the shelves without pulling everything out from that shelf! Especially when the item is on the bottom of all the other items!
While I went through the freezer, I pulled out two containers of soup ingredients I had frozen, added some carrots, celery, and tomatoes to them and made a pot of soup. But, I will have to keep it in the fridge, overnight, to defat it. Brunch had been a sandwich with the madeover corned beef (I cooked it with onions, curry leaves, tomatoes, and chili powder) as the filling. Dinner was the same corned beef mixture with coconut roti.
Later in the evening, I did the dishes and accidentally decluttered one of my small Corningware dishes when it slipped out of my hand, fell on the floor, and shattered. I was not happy about that, but, comforted myself with something my mother used to say, that when something shatters and breaks accidentally, it's a sign that all the bad luck went away!
Still later, I chatted on the phone with friend R and video chatted with my daughter.
Today, I am grateful for:
- A surprise phone call from friend N
- M helping me with the garden and free plants
- M helping me with the garden and free plants
- A sunny, warmer day
- A working heater and a warm house
- Electricity for all the appliances that need it to run!
- A working heater and a warm house
- Electricity for all the appliances that need it to run!
Today's joyful activity was video chatting with my daughter.
Plans for tomorrow include calling the doctor's office and tending to a couple of projects I've been putting off.
How was your Wednesday? What are your plans for Thursday?
We call Corningware 'Pyrex' over here. I have some really old stuff, but gradually over the years it has chipped and broken. I love that it is freezer-oven-microwave-dishwasher safe. Very versatile!
ReplyDeleteWe have Pyrex, too, but, I guess we make a distinction between Pyrex and Corningware! Both are very versatile and I've used my Corningware dishes on top of the gas stove, too.
DeleteThe blueberry bushes are pretty. Do I see duct tape on the bottom of the pots?
ReplyDeleteYes, you do see duct tape on the bottom! Not because the pots are cracked, but, to keep bees out! We found that they were trying to burrow into the soil through the drainage holes in the sides of the pots, last year! Maybe they were in search of water (although the garden cats' water dish was right there), or maybe they were trying to nest! I've never seen bees do that, before! M covered the openings with duct tape (the water still drains from the openings at the bottom).
DeleteI've never had bees drill into my pots, either. Interesting.
DeleteIt was very odd! I guess they were seeking a cool spot?
DeleteYour blueberry bushes are turning lovely colors indeed. How nice to hear from an old friend! I hope the body pains go away soon
ReplyDeleteWe don't see a lot of fall color over here, so, I really try to appreciate the little bits I do get to see. :) It was lovely to hear from an old friend, which reminds me that I need to call another friend I haven't spoken with in some time! Thank you, Celie; the pains come and go - they are at their worst at night and early mornings.
DeleteHa, I was in the middle of a sentence when I accidentally hit publish! I do hope the body pains clear up for you. It's so annoying that medicine has these side effects. I have recovered from the fall, no lingering aches. I guess this is one advantage to having extra "padding" ! Thank you for thinking of me.
ReplyDeleteNo problem; I do that from time to time, myself! Or, I delete my comment and then, have to type it all over again!
DeleteI guess most medications have side effects; I've been told to take a pain killer if needed, but, I try not to take more meds than I need to.
Glad to hear that you have recovered from your fall. Ha, ha, having extra padding to cushion us does help, doesn't it? :D Hope your week is going well. :)
I love that even small shrubs like blueberries have pretty fall colours! How nice to reconnect with an old friend. Your chrysanthemum bed will be spectacular if they all take. Fingers crossed! Too bad about the Corningware dish. As for Pyrex, I learned that Pyrex spelled like that is the more modern version and if you want the quality dishes, look in the charity shops for older ones labelled PYREX.
ReplyDeleteWe took a box of donations to the charity shop this afternoon. Now to start another box!
I was surprised to see that the blueberry bushes changed color and look forward to it, now. I'm hoping the chrysanthemum plants will grow well. We'll know next year, I suppose!
DeleteYes, it was nice to hear from my friend after over 2 years, I think.
Oh, I didn't realize that the way Pyrex/PYREX was written had changed! Good to know! The Corningware I have are from the late 1970s and 1980s. I guess the blue cornflower design is now considered vintage!
Well done on taking a box of donations to the charity shop!
How nice to hear from an old friend. I didn't realise that they changed colours!
ReplyDeleteIt was very nice to hear from my friend after such a long time.
DeleteI was very surprised and pleased when I discovered that the blueberry plants changed colors!
I like your mother's take on broken things. I think I am going to start using it!
ReplyDeleteIt is definitely soup weather here right now. We are having a very early (for us) cold snap so soup is going to be on the menu for a few days.
My mother's saying puts a positive spin on things when items get broken, doesn't it?
DeleteHot soup on a cold day will warm you up nicely. :)
Your garden is amazing! I bet the mums will look gorgeous. And it's such a wonderful surprise to get an unexpected happy call.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lyssa. If the mums survive and grow, then, I should have a beautiful bed of flowers, next year! Yes, it was lovely to get a phone call from my old friend. It's good to keep in touch with old friends. :)
DeleteBlueberry bushes really do have nice fall color don't they? My friend has one and I always notice and admire it.
ReplyDeleteHow nice that you were able to catch up with an old friend.
And more mums from M. Very nice. You will have a lovely mum bed next year.
I planted my second one too into the other pedastooled cement pot. Their roots will probably freeze but at least worth a shot.
They do! I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they changed color!
DeleteCatching up with N was lovely. And receiving more mums from M was a bonus! He clipped some of the spent flowers from them and we will now wait for them to settle in. Could you wrap your cement pot with some burlap or something for the winter? Or, even, a thick layer of newspaper? Hope the plants will survive and surprise you in the spring! Are you receiving some of the snow that's being dumped on New York?
Buffalo is about 500 miles away so NO! thank goodness we are not getting any snow yet and nothing like those poor people are dealing with. It's so much.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that you are not inundated with snow! :)
DeleteI'm sorry to hear about your broken dish. I must be all out of bad luck, given the items I have accidentally 'decluttered' over the years :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jules; hopefully, neither of us has more bad luck, but, if there is, I've plenty of dishes to break! :D
Delete