Sunday, October 29, 2023

Saturday


Leggy, Sprawly Chrysanthemums

These are the chrysanthemums that are growing under the lemon trees; they were rescued from one of M's other clients who had bought them for a garden party and had put them in the yard waste bin, afterwards.  

More Leggy, Sprawly Chrysanthemums

They are looking very leggy and sprawling all over the place, now that the four-o-clocks have been removed.  But, they are flowering and I am enjoying seeing them.  Once they've finished flowering, we will cut them back and hopefully, they'll come back a bit bushier, next year.

It was a sunny day, today, but, it was a cool 62F inside the house when I woke up.  That's cold for me!  I dressed in layers and went outside, where it was warmer in the sunshine, to walk a little and to say my morning prayers.  I sat at my little patio table which I received from neighbor T, with the sun shining on my back, and it felt so good!  I'm a lizard, I think!  Eventually, it warmed up to 75F in the afternoon, and I opened several windows and the front door to let the warm air into the house, but the house stayed under 70F.

I did a load of laundry and hung everything up to dry.  I also ran the dishwasher (I collect the dishes over a couple of days in order to have enough for a load), wiped down the kitchen counters, and scrubbed the sink.  I will finish cleaning the kitchen, tomorrow.

I had an email from Dancer's vet with his blood test results.  Apparently, his thyroid levels are still not where they should be and the vet will increase his dosage strength.  She asked if any doses had been skipped and if that explains the blood test results.  I admitted that a few doses had been skipped (especially after he got so stressed after that earlier visit to the vet), but, I don't know if enough doses were skipped to make a difference.  The vet will call in the new prescription and she wants to recheck him in 3 weeks.  

Later in the evening, I called friend R and chatted with her for a bit.  Afterwards, I cooked the salmon with with onions and homegrown tomatoes I had frozen.  I'm going to freeze most of it, but, I had some of it for my dinner, tonight, along with some rice I had cooked with some vegetable soup powder added to the cooking water and the three(!) green beans I had picked earlier in the day.  I picked four green beans (there were no more to pick), but, one must have fallen out while I was still in the garden, because there were only three green beans when I went to rinse them!  My green bean plants didn't do too well, this year.  Maybe I'll plant a different kind of beans, next year.

Apparently, there was a small earthquake in my area in the early part of the night.  M texted to ask if I felt it, but, I didn't and nothing shook or rattled in my house.  

Today, I am grateful for:
- A sunny day and a warm afternoon
- Being able to sit in the sunshine to warm up!  
- Working appliances
- Dancer's vet emailing me about the blood test results
- I didn't feel today's small earthquake

Today's joyful activity was video chatting with my daughter.

Plans for Sunday include cleaning the rest of the kitchen.

How was your Saturday?  What are your plans for Sunday?

10 comments:

  1. Your chrysanthemums are pretty but sprawly but nice to have flowers in your garden to enjoy. Poor Dancer, he will feel so much better once his thyroid meds are increased. I'm glad M checks to see if you are OK and happy that small earthquake caused you no problems.

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    1. Thank you, Eileen. The chrysanthemums are sad looking specimens, but, at least they are flowering and they aren't many flowers in the back yard, right now. I'm hoping that, eventually, the chrysanthemums will fill out and become bushy. Some sort of fertilizer might be needed, I think.
      Yes, Dancer will be happier once his thyroid levels are adjusted.
      I, too, am glad that M checks on me and that I didn't feel the earthquake!

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  2. We have an entirely different growing season here, but our rule of thumb is to cut back mums by 1/3 on July 4th for bushier plants. Sometimes I do it and sometimes I don't, but no matter how leggy, the blooms are always pretty. :)

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    1. Thank you, June; I shall have to remember that! I think what happened is that they were trying to reach above the four-o-clocks to get some sun and the four-o-clock plants held up the chrysanthemum stems. With the four-o-clock plants pulled out, the chrysanthemum stems just flopped over! But, as you say, the flowers are pretty! :)

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  3. The chrysanthemums are pretty colours. It seems sad to buy flowers for an occasion and then discard them, but then that happens with cut flowers, too. So you missed an earthquake! Just as well you slept through it and good that it didn't affect your home at all.

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    1. They are pretty colors, aren't they? Yes, it is sad to discard potted plants, but, I guess these were treated as if they were the same as cut flowers. I'm just happy to have benefitted from that, because now I have some pretty flowers. I picked a few for a flower arrangement, today!
      Didn't feel the earthquake, at all. It wasn't a very big one and that's just fine with me! :)

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  4. I understand about being cold at 62. I guess for me it's a southern thing with me.
    Nice that you have salvaged chrysanthemums

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    1. I'm glad you understand, Anne. I'm originally from just above the equator, myself, and as you know, I'm happiest in the summer!
      Seems like half my garden plants are salvaged! M says I'm under no obligation to accept any of them, but, I like rehoming the plants he rescues! Some, like the five agave plants he brought, thrive; others, like the fountain grass don't do too well. The chrysanthemums are trying! :D

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  5. Years ago I had some perennial mums at my house in Maryland. There was a rule of thumb about cutting them back although I can't remember exactly. I think I would keep them pruned until July and then leave them alone until they bloomed in the fall. It kept them nice and bushy. Maybe experiment on one of the plants next year in that manner and see if that makes them less leggy.
    I'm glad you didn't have any earthquake problems in your area. How far away does M live from you that he felt it and you didn't?

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    1. I think some of the mums flowered in the early spring and then, M cut them back. He will cut them back, again, after this flowering is over and then, we will see if we can keep them pruned until summer. I told M that if any of this other clients are getting rid of their potted chrysanthemums to feel free to bring them to plant in my garden! :D
      M lives about 2 or 3 miles from me. I think he received a text notification about the earthquake and that's how he knew.

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