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| Oleander |
The warm summer days are here! Not horribly hot, just in the upper 80s and low 90s, so far, but a bit more humid than usual. But, the temperature inside the house is at least 10F cooler than outside, so it's very comfortable. I open the windows in the early mornings to get the cool air in, then, close most of the windows during the heat of the day and keep the drapes in the west facing living room window drawn closed in the afternoon, to keep the sun out! The very same drapes I used to open in the winter to get the sunshine in to warm up the house!
M wasn't able to tend to the garden on Friday evening and he called to ask if he could postpone his visit until late Saturday morning, and I said that was fine. Later Friday evening, neighbor T's daughter called me. She was next door and apparently, her car battery had died! She was waiting for the Auto Club to send someone out to give her a jump start, but, in the meantime, her cell phone battery was dying and could she borrow my phone charger, again?! Of course, I let her borrow it. Poor thing, she hasn't had the best week, what with locking herself out with the keys in the garage and now, a dead car battery! It took a while for the auto mechanic to show up, but, he got her car battery jump started; she returned the phone charger before she left to go home.
I cooked one of the pieces of beef I had bought, making a pot roast with it. I sliced it up and froze some of it for later. I've been enjoying roast beef sandwiches this weekend!
M was here on Saturday morning and he weed-whacked the back yard and watered the garden, both front and back. Later, I made some lime gelatin from a box that I had in my cupboard from before the pandemic - it set well and I've been enjoying it. I spent the afternoon and most of the evening relaxing and watching videos.
One video was about "essentialism" as opposed to "minimalism". According to the video, essentialism was keeping what was essential to you and getting rid of the rest, not necessarily paring down to the bare minimum. I know I couldn't be a minimalist, unless I absolutely had to, but, I could get behind keeping what I consider to be essential to me and decluttering the rest. I suppose it is another way of keeping what sparks joy, although there are some items that are essential (such as mops and brooms, for example) which don't necessarily spark joy!
I cooked a package of hot Italian sausages for dinner on Saturday; I had one with rice and vegetables for my dinner and froze the rest to have later.
On Sunday, I made blueberry waffles for brunch. Later, I cooked the other piece of beef, making a curry with it. Again, I froze some of it for future meals. Once again, the freezer is filling up!
This weekend, I am grateful for:
- The warm, summer days
- M helping me with the garden
- I was able to help T's daughter by lending her my phone charger, again
- Phone calls and emails with family and friends
- Working appliances and electricity to run them
Joyful activities have included tending to the garden with M, cooking, and relaxing.
Plans for Monday include:
- Dusting the living room and dining area
- A load of laundry
- Taking the trash cans to the curb
- Watering the garden
How was your weekend? What are your plans for Monday?
At last your weather is warming up nicely for you. We had a really hot June but this month has been very wet and windy and it feels more like autumn weather.
ReplyDeleteThat made me smile about keeping only what is essential and of course our household items are essential, where would we be without those. It would be a pretty joyless existence I would imagine.
Yes, the weather is just right for me! Later, it will get hot and I might not be quite as happy! Too bad that you are having a very wet and windy July, so far. The weather seems to go from one extreme to the other, doesn't it? No happy medium.
DeleteA happy medium is what I am looking for when it comes to my possessions, too. I am abundantly blessed when it comes to various household and personal items. I feel I ought to to pare down, but, for me, that's easier said than done!
Your Oleander bush is very full of bloom. So pretty, is it very fragrant? It sounds like you had a lovely rhythm to your weekend. Interesting about essentialism" as opposed to "minimalism". While I am weaning myself from so much YouTube inspiration, I did watch one about the differences between organizing & decluttering & minimalism. Like you, I don't think I could be a minimalist. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mary-Lou; this particular oleander bush is doing very well. There is a second one that is struggling. As far as I can tell, there is no fragrance, but, then, again, I can't smell a lot of things (wish it included the litter box! :D)
DeleteThere was a time in my life when I was forced to be a minimalist. My parents had recently immigrated and we were settled in our first apartment and there was no money for furniture! The landlady gave us a patio table and the matching chairs and we used them as our dining set. But, we had no beds and sofas, etc. We sat and slept on the floor on quilts and blankets and used cardboard boxes, covered with my mother's special table cloths that she had brought with her, as side tables, for storage, etc. I had bought a basic set of pots and pans and we must have had some plates and glassware, etc. But, we were as minimalist as we could have been! I am not quite ready to go back to that (these days, if I sat on the floor, I probably couldn't get back up! LOL!) But, one acquires certain things over the course of a lifetime and I've lived in my present home for over 30 years. Every now and then, I look around and sigh - there seems to be an abundance of possessions. Most of it neatly contained, but, all storage units are very, very full.
I like the term essentialism. I think that's a good way to think about things. However, I don't know if I'm ready to declutter that way. For example, the books we have are not essential, but I'm not ready to get rid of them. I would like to pare them back, but my husband is not ready to do that any more than he already has.
ReplyDeleteI think, according what I gathered from that one video, we get to decide what is essential to us! I think books will be considered "essential" for me, too! But, among those books, there are some that I have read once and will probably not read again, so maybe I can give them away. I'm telling myself that I need to consider my own personal collection of books as library books - I read the library book and then, return it to the library; maybe I should read the books on my shelves and donate them. It's a process of culling the collections to what is essential to you, which might not necessarily be the bare minimum. At least, that is my understanding of it. :)
DeleteMakes sense.
DeleteToday, thanks to Dancer, I discovered that having 2 sets of bed sheets and a working washing machine was essential to me!
DeletePoor T's daughter is certainly having some inconveniences and with a house to sell, it is a busy time for her. I hope things brighten up soon.
ReplyDeleteThinking of essentials, it occurred to me that my iron and ironing board fall into that category, but I know there are lots of people who never iron these days!
Yes, K has had a bit of a rough week! Well, according to her, the house will go "live" on the market some time this week (maybe as early as tomorrow) and maybe it will sell fairly quickly. At least two of my neighbors have asked me about it and how much it is selling for; maybe they are interested in buying it to rent it out or for family members. I'm just hoping for good neighbors.
DeleteHa, ha, I rarely iron, myself, but, yes, an iron would be essential for those times when I do. I do have an ironing board and it does come in useful, but, I can manage without one - there have been many times when I've put down a folded blanket on the bed or a table and ironed.
OK, you have casually posted oleander, osteospermum and onion flowers - are you trying to make me jealous! I am still looking for two of these! Essentialism is a new one to me. I am not sure it matters what one calls it, as long as one has a happy balance of what one wants and needs. It's when it becomes hoarding that it becomes a problem. Some of those programmes where you see the state of people's homes, which they have filled with meaningless junk, are really scary!
ReplyDeleteOops! Sorry, Lady Ella! Yes, some of these are the "out-takes" from the monthly photos! You are right, it really doesn't matter what one calls it, as long as every room in the house is not crammed with stuff! I had a neighbor who was a hoarder; the nicest lady, friendly and kind hearted, but, she collected and kept everything! After she passed away, her family rented a big dumpster and tossed everything!
DeleteI might forgive you, but it depends what else there is in your final selection, which I haven't been able to find! ;o) Although, since you found that quote for me, perhaps I will call it square right now! :o)
DeleteHa, ha, yes, I get credit for having found that quote for you! :D
DeleteOh gosh, Poor T's daughter. At least she wasn't stuck somewhere else and could be comfortable while she waited. You were nice to help her out with the phone charger.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you are getting the warm weather you enjoy. It's warm here too but I can't complain as our house is very comfortable.
You've been busy cooking things for your freezer. You got all your beef cooked so you are set for a long while in that respect.
We dog sat for a friend this weekend and were talking the pooch home last night and decided to stop and get a pizza to take home. We don't often get get carryout but it's sure a treat when we do. It was very good with leftovers for tonight :)
Yes, T's daughter had a rough week, with getting locked out and having the car battery die on separate days but during the same week!
DeleteIt's summer at last! :D I'm loving it, even when it gets a bit too warm and sticky in the afternoons (it's more humid this year).
Yes, the freezer is full of good things to eat. :) It's funny how, about 3 or maybe 4 years ago, I stopped buying beef when it went up to $4.00/lb. because I considered that to be expensive and now, I'm considering that price to be a bargain! :D
I'm glad you treated yourselves to a carryout pizza. I've been hankering for a pizza, myself; there's a place in the neighborhood that still makes a one topping large pizza for $5.
Forgot to mention the decluttering. I think that's what we do when we decide what to keep when decluttering. The essential thing. Our choices are personal depending on our own needs and lifestyle.
ReplyDeleteI surely have never strived to strip things bare but I do continue to find things to get rid of that I just don't use anymore.You would think after years of decluttering that I would "be done" right? lol
But I keep filling a box and dropping it off. I have one ready to go today.
You have always been a voice of reason when it comes to decluttering, Debra. Yes, our choices are personal, aren't they? What's right for me might not be right for someone else and what's right for them might not be right for me. And there is a difference between needs and wants, too, isn't there? I might not need all the decorative items I have on display, but, oh, I do want them! :D
DeleteWell done on the decluttering. I don't think one is ever "done"! :D
I like the idea of essentialism, I think that might be where I'm headed.
ReplyDeletePlease send some of your warm weather this way. It's beginning to feel like summer has missed us this year. X
Hi Jules; sorry, your comments went to the spam folder, thus the delay to reply!
DeleteEssentialism can be a good criteria to use when decluttering - keep only what is essential to you.
I'll try to sent the warm weather! It was so cool for so long and now, it is not only hot, but, humid, too! I'm not accustomed to the humidity anymore!