Friday, January 20, 2023

Friday

 

Parkway Progress

Today, M put down the rest of the 12 bags of pea gravel we bought.  The bags of newly spread gravel were wet from the rain, so the stones appear darker.  Once the gravel has had time to dry out, they'll be the same lighter color as the gravel in the foreground.  The 12 bags of gravel covered the area up to the third paving stone.  I estimate we will need another 12 to 15 bags of gravel to cover the whole area. I've asked M to pick up more bags of gravel for me when he's able to.  

In the morning, I went for my fasting blood test, which took place without a long wait or any problems.  I was there for less than 20 minutes, as I had to pay only $1 for parking (the parking rate is still $1 per 20 minutes at this building; it hasn't increased).  Such a blessing to have access to medical care, screening checks, and medical insurance to pay for it all!

I was very tempted to stop to pick up some doughnuts on the way home, but, I was good and didn't!  I came home and had a banana, instead, and, later, a ham sandwich.  

I did two loads of laundry in the afternoon and some paperwork.  Later, when M arrived to do the garden, I supervised him as he put down the gravel.  He shared some garlic with me, some lemons, and a hydrangea cutting which he told me to put in water to root.  

Today, I am grateful for:

- Access to medical care and lab tests
- Friendly staff at the clinic
- Working appliances 
- M helping with the garden
- Making progress on the parkway project

Today's joyful activity was spending time in the garden.

No special plans for the weekend.  It's supposed to be sunny; we will probably take it easy and relax.  

How was your Friday?  What are your plans for the weekend?

28 comments:

  1. So glad things went well. The pavement/sidewalk is coming along nicely. Have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Sharon. Hope you have a great weekend, too. :)

      Delete
  2. We are so fortunate and blessed to have such good medical care here. I pray you get good results from your tests. Have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, we are, Mandy. Thank you; I'll be seeing my oncologist next Friday and get the results then. Hope you have a great weekend too. :)

      Delete
  3. I really do like the looks of pea gravel. We have it beneath the deck to hold the soil and keep weeds away.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is the first time I'm using it in landscaping and I, too, like how it looks. I hope it will give the parkway a somewhat finished look. :)

      Delete
  4. Your parkway is going to look so good when it's all done, I like it. Hope you get good results from your blood test. It's very frosty here and I'm going to finish off the cleaning as I did a fair bit yesterday. Enjoy your weekend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Eileen; I'm hoping that the parkway will look cared for and not have that same neglected look it did, before. I'll find out about the blood test results on Friday when I go to see the oncologist (there is a way I can find out earlier, by registering online with the lab where the test was done, but, I prefer to wait until I meet with the medical professionals to go over it).
      Sounds like you've a busy day of cleaning. Stay warm when it is so cold and frosty! It's sunny here, today, with a high in the low to mid 60s (F). I guess I shouldn't complain? :)

      Delete
  5. Quiet Saturday - and lively Sunday morning looking after the children at church

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sounds like a nicely balanced weekend, Angela. :)

      Delete
  6. The parkway looks lovely, so neat and tidy.
    Fingers crossed that your test results will be good. It's so difficult in the UK to even see a medical professional at the moment. So glad you are being cared for Bless x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Angela; that parkway was looking neglected for too long and it was getting to me. Once all the gravel is in place, I hope it will look better with the bonus of not having to water it!
      Thank you for the well wishes; I'm very thankful that I have good medical care. :)

      Delete
  7. M is such a treasure. It must be fun to have someone to share your love of plants. Now where do I find me an M? :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. M really is a treasure! In fact, when one of his other clients moved to another state, he wanted to take M with him! He really knows his plants and he's off judging a plant show at a botanical garden, today. I'm really lucky to have him tend to my garden.

      Delete
  8. We are lucky to have good medical care here, too. It's sad when you look at communities that have long waits for medical issues-if they can get in at all. Love pea gravel! xo Diana

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's a blessing, isn't it? One that we take for granted, too often. This is the first time I'm using pea gravel in my garden, but, I really like how it is looking in the parkway. :)

      Delete
  9. The parkway is looking good. Let's hope you neighbours respect it.

    I hope the results are good from your fasting test. Well done for resisting the temptation to buy doughnuts on the way home 😂

    I had my piano lesson this morning and this afternoon have been reading and just relaxing. Friend H was going to come round but she phoned to say she was out of time and couldn't make it, so I'm just have a cosy time at home. We've got freezing fog today and it hasn't cleared at all so the drive to my lessons was stressful and I'm glad to have the opportunity to relax. xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Eileen; so far, the neighbors have left the parkway alone!
      I should find out the test results, next week. As for the doughnuts, I'm still craving them! Maybe I'll get some next week, after the doctor's appointment! :D
      Hope your piano lesson went well and you are enjoying having a relaxing rest of the day. Glad you had a safe drive in that freezing fog!

      Delete
  10. Glad you got your tests done swiftly and well done on the doughnut forbearance! Your parkway looks very smart indeed!
    Didn't know it was possible to root hydrangea like that ... although - why not?!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Lady Ella. I'm glad I decided not to get the doughnuts as today, my daughter brought me some jalebi!
      I read that hydrangea don't root that well in water, but, I'll try. If it doesn't work, then, M might be able to try a growing medium and see if that works better. :)

      Delete
  11. Your parkway is looking great, and you don't need to water it! I'm glad your blood test involved minimal time and an inexpensive parking fee. I chuckled that you backed off on buying donuts as I did exactly the same thing when I was grocery shopping this morning. There's always another time!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Bushlady. Not having to water the parkway and still have it look somewhat cared for will be a good thing. :) I was very happy that there wasn't a long wait at the clinic and they haven't raised their parking rates!
      Too funny that you, too, decided to wait on the doughnuts! My daughter brought me some Indian sweets, today, so I'm glad I didn't eat doughnuts yesterday. :)

      Delete
  12. That is a lot of rocks! But looks very nice. I oftentimes pass up donuts. lol It's hard though. Some day I'm going to buy and eat a couple! andrea

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, it's a lot of rocks, Andrea, and comes to a bit of money, too, but, I want to have a water-wise landscaping solution to the parkway. The grass I used to have there died when I stopped watering due to the drought and it looked very bare and neglected, plus some neighbors were dumping their junk on my parkway which made it worse.
      I love doughnuts! Even found a recipe to make them, but haven't tried making them yet!

      Delete
  13. That area looks super! You must be so happy with the way it's progressing. What a nice finished look it now has.
    I had hydrangeas in a vase years ago that rooted by chance. I wasn't intending for it to happen, it just did.
    I've never had it happen before or since but these did. I was quite happy about it and remember running out in very cold weather and planting them. I was thrilled when the little stick came back to life in the spring.
    It's now a nice sized bush so good luck with yours :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Debra. I'm happy with the parkway progress. I've read that hydrangeas don't always root in water, but, I shall try with this cutting that M brought me. I'm glad to hear of your success story with the unintentional rooting of your hydrangea cutting! :)

      Delete
  14. That's a lot of work, but it looks really attractive - a good contrast between the smooth concrete and the pea gravel.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Susanne. We are almost done with the parkway, but, not quite! Still need a few more bags of gravel for the very end!

      Delete

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