The Front Garden in April

The Front Garden in April

I feel that I've been posting pictures of the garden almost weekly, if not daily, in April, but, I didn't want to skip the monthly garden overview, either!  The weather continues to be cooler than normal for this time of the year, so the garden continues to thrive.

A Stream of Osteospermum

The osteospermum is starting to spill out into the sidewalk!  Currently, it is not spilling out too far, but, I will have to see if I can redirect it to go back into the garden or trim it back!  

The Succulents Border

I've plans for the succulents border and M is helping me, although he's not quite sure what it is that I am planning to do.  But, being the obliging friend he is, on Friday, he brought me a small tree stump from a flowering mulberry tree that he cut down for one of his other clients:

Tree Stump

I'm going to ask him if he can get me another stump or two; watch this space!

In the meantime, the climbing red rose is putting on a bit of a show:

Red Roses and Purple Osteospermum

One of my friends asked me if I kept a list of all the plants growing in my garden and I had to admit that I didn't!  But, in just this one planting bed, in addition to the roses, there are three types of asparagus ferns, a jasmine vine, the ever present osteospermum, gladiolus, sparaxis (Harlequin flowers), paperwhites, alstroemeria (Peruvian lily), and a pomegranate tree which is just starting to flower:

Pomegranate Flower and Bud

Last year, there were lots of flowers on the pomegranate tree, but, no fruit!  I hope that, this year, we'll get some fruits!

Last, but, not least, we have what I am calling the "rootery":

Eucalyptus Tree Roots and Base

The base of the eucalyptus tree has exposed roots and M and I've been planting succulents in the spaces between the roots:

The "Rootery"

It's a relatively new project and the plants are still settling in, but, the hope is that they will spread and grow into a sort of ground cover at the base of the eucalyptus tree.

Close Up of a Spreading Succulent

Thank you for visiting my front garden in April.   

A Cloudy Thursday

Pink Apples

Ha!  No doubt everyone is happy to see something other than a photo of yet more flowers!  I had one of the pink apples that M had given me sometime ago.  

Thursday was cloudy and cool (for me, anyway); I sat in front of the electric space heater most of the day.

The tree trimmer contacted me in the morning, stating that his records indicated that I had my eucalyptus tree trimmed last in 2021 and suggesting it might be time to trim it, again, and offering to give a free estimate.  I didn't want to tell him that he needed to update his records, but, reminded him that he had last trimmed my eucalyptus tree on January 12, 2024 and the tree didn't need to be trimmed, yet!  He, then, admitted that he had been looking at old records.  Poor guy, he must be trying to find more work for him and his crew.  

I spent a good part of the day watching news, watching online videos, emailing a couple of friends, helping Aunt C with some information she wanted, and joining the granny squares for the blanket I am making.  I sewed them in rows and the next step is to join the rows together and crochet a border.  

I wasn't very motivated to do any housework, today, but, Thursdays are my days to clean the kitchen and I did a little bit in the kitchen - washed all the dishes, scrubbed the sink, wiped down the stove top and the counters, and cleaned the microwave.  

Brunch had been a ham and bread roll; dinner was baked salmon with rice, carrots, and peas.

On Thursday, I was grateful for:

- Daughter had a safe journey back from the conference
- Working appliances
- Being able to help Aunt C
- Exchanging emails with friends
- What I was able to accomplish

My joyful activity was crocheting.  

Plans for Friday include crocheting and tending to the garden with M.

How was your Thursday?  What are your plans for Friday?

 

In the Garden on Wednesday

More White Irises

There are more irises blooming.

Gaura Flowers

The gaura plant is starting to flower, too.

 

Serrano Chili Flowers

The serrano chili plant is flowering, again, too.  This is last year's plant and I left it in the ground over the winter and it is ready to produce more chilies for this year.  

M was here in the morning to tend to the garden.  He brought me more Harlequin (sparaxis) flower bulbs from his garden, mowed the grass, again, and watered the garden, both back and front.  

I spent the majority of the day watching breaking news unfolding on TV, about the protests being held on one of the local university campuses.  My late friend A's younger daughter takes evening classes at that campus as she pursues her Master's degree, and I was concerned enough to text her at work to alert her to the situation and to tell her to be careful.  The campus security officers weren't able to disperse the protesters and eventually, the police were called and, it took some time, but, several protesters were arrested and the campus was cleared of protesters, shortly after 8:00 p.m.  

Brunch was leftover tuna salad on toast; dinner was leftover soup with toast; kiwi fruit for dessert and popcorn for snacking.

On Wednesday, I was grateful for:

- Daughter had a safe journey to the conference she is attending (she was asked to be one of the panelists at the conference)
- M's help with the garden and gift of more flower bulbs
- Water for the garden
- Working appliances
- Leftovers for meals

My joyful activity was being in the garden and admiring the flowers.  

Plans for tomorrow might include putting gas to the car and maybe baking something (I've some wrinkly apples in the fridge that need to be used up).  

How was your Wednesday?  What are your plans for Thursday?

A New Week

Gazania

Monday started off with a long phone chat with aunt C and cousin N, which was nice.  Afterwards, I went out into the garden and watered the back yard.  It was a sunny day and the flowers were in full bloom.  

In the afternoon, I went to the library to return books that were due and then, I went to the craft store (Michael's) to buy more yarn for the blanket I am making.  I had run short of the off white yarn I was using to crochet a border around each granny square to make them look less random (as I had used leftover yarn to make them).  But, the store was out of the off white yarn, so I bought two skeins of white yarn and two skeins of "mauve" (which looked more like a dusty rose to me than mauve) for the border around the whole blanket.  I had to pay full price for them ($3.99 each) because they weren't on sale.  I looked around the store just a little bit in passing, as the store is set up in such a way, with the yarn in a corner at the back that one has to pass by scrapbooking and beading and art supplies, etc. to reach the yarn and then, pass by the decorative items, cake decorating supplies, and seasonal decorations on the way to the check out, that it is difficult not to see a lot of what they have!  But, I was not tempted to buy anything else other than the yarn I went to buy.  The store wasn't crowded on a weekday afternoon and I felt comfortable shopping.

After I came home, I took the trash cans to the curb for pick up on Tuesday morning, did a load of laundry, spoke with former neighbor T, chatted with friend R, watched news, and made my ham and potato soup for dinner.  It was the first time I have made this soup and it was good, but, it was just a little bland.

Tuesday was mostly cloudy and cool.  I brought in the emptied trash cans, put away the laundry I did on Monday, walked around the garden, made tuna salad to have on crackers for brunch, did a little housecleaning, watched some online videos, and crocheted.  I reheated the leftover ham and potato soup for my dinner and added a serrano chili to it and that really made a difference, I thought.  There is half a serving left; I will finish it for brunch on Wednesday.

I'm grateful for:

- Time spent in the garden
- Chatting with family and friends
- Weekly trash collections
- Safe drives to the library and craft store and back
- Working appliances

Joyful activities have included being in the garden, chatting with family and friends, and crocheting.

Plans for Wednesday include tending to the garden with M, more housework, and more crocheting.

How is your week coming along?
- 

April Meal Planning: Week 4

Ham and Potato Soup
(with celery, carrots, and tomatoes)

This was the meal plan for the third week in April:

Brunches: Leftover milkrice and chicken curry (Monday), ham and bread rolls (Tuesday), pancakes with sausages, scrambled egg and fried potatoes, leftover pancakes and sausages, more ham and bread rolls

Dinners: Cup of noodles soup (Monday), leftover spaghetti and meat sauce (Tuesday), ham fried rice, ham and potato soup, leftovers.

Here's how that worked out:

Monday:
Brunch:  Leftover milkrice and chicken curry 
Dinner: Cup of noodles soup

Tuesday:
Brunch: Ham and bread roll sandwich
Dinner: Leftover spaghetti and meat sauce

Wednesday:
Brunch: Scrambled egg, slice of ham, fried potatoes with bell pepper
Dinner: Tuna salad on crackers

Thursday:
Brunch: Bread roll with butter and peach jam
Dinner: Leftover spaghetti and meat sauce

Friday:
Brunch: Last of the leftover spaghetti
Dinner: Breakfast for dinner: pancakes and sausages

Saturday:
Brunch: Leftover pancakes and sausages
Dinner: Ham fried rice

Sunday:
Brunch: Leftover ham fried rice
Dinner: Oven baked seasoned potato wedges and scrambled egg

There were a few changes, but, it worked out quite well.

On to Week 4:

Once again, this week's meal plan is based on what I have on hand in the freezer, fridge, and pantry, including a whole 5 lb. bag of potatoes that must be finished before they sprout! 

Brunches: Ham and bread rolls (Monday), boiled mung beans, tuna salad and crackers, scrambled egg and fried potato, toast and peanut butter, muffins?

Dinners: Ham and potato soup (with added vegetables), baked salmon with broccoli and potatoes, chicken curry and rice with dhal and moringa curry, leftovers. 

At least, that's the plan!  No doubt there will be some changes as the week progresses!

Are you making a meal plan this week?

Sunny Sunday

 

The Back Garden on Sunday

I might be slightly obsessed with my garden, right now!  But, I've been spending a lot of time, just walking among the plants, watching the lizards scurry out of my way, and listening to the birds singing.

Flowers and Weeds!

On Sunday, I walked in the garden, read for a bit, watched some videos and played some games (Sudoku, Solitaire, etc.)  I had the leftover fried rice for brunch and for dinner, I baked some seasoned potato wedges (I put salt, garlic powder, and paprika) and had them with a scrambled egg.  As I told one of my friends, I'm on a "breakfast for dinner" streak!  

Daughter said the choir performance went well.  One of the other ladies gave her a ride to the venue and brought her back, afterwards, which was very kind of her.  

On Sunday, I was grateful for:

- A sunny and warm day
- Being able to open the doors and windows to air out the house
- Having a garden and being able to spend time in the garden
- Internet service and electricity
- Emails from friends

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

I've had a lovely, relaxed weekend, but, I need to be productive on Monday!

How was your weekend?  What are your plans for Monday?

Relaxing on Saturday

 

Slightly Blurry Red Rose

Saturday was a sunny day, with a high in the low 70s.  Once again, I spent quite a bit of time out in the garden, checking on the plants, doing a spot of weeding, etc.  There was a mockingbird on one of the overhead wires, who had a lot to say!  There was a pair of crows, too, who checked out one of the overgrown Euphorbia tirucalli (pencil tree, pencil cactus) "trees" along the back garden wall; perhaps they were considering building a nest there?

I took it easy, after all the stress on Friday, and watched online videos, played some games, etc.  Dancer kept me company, in between his naps:

Watching the Sunlight Play on the Wall

Later in the evening, I spoke on the phone with Aunt C and video chatted with my daughter who spent the afternoon at a dress rehearsal for the UC Alumni Chorus spring performance, which will be held on Sunday (she's a second soprano).  She only started singing with them this spring, so this will be her first performance with them.  

Brunch was leftover pancakes and sausages from Friday's dinner.  Dinner was ham fried rice, made with leftover rice, ham, green peas, a scrambled egg, and some dry roasted peanuts added at the end.  Now I have leftover fried rice for Sunday's brunch!  I made some fresh lemonade to have with my dinner.  Yogurt for dessert.

On Saturday, I was grateful for:

- A sunny and warm day
- Daughter had fun at the dress rehearsal
- Phone calls from family and emails from friends
- The garden
- Dancer keeping me company

Saturday's joyful activities included spending time in the garden and video chatting with my daughter.

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

Garden Flowers on Friday

White Iris

Friday was a stressful day, trying to "close the stable door after the horse has gone" as my mother would have said!  I made a couple of phone calls and tried to put a freeze on my credit with the three major credit bureaus and found the whole experience to be stressful.  Even their customer service people were not very helpful, with me telling one of them that I was logged into my account and him telling me that my account had expired!  Eventually, my daughter helped and to put a credit freeze in place (I honestly don't know what I would have done without her!  She is such a blessing!)  

Light Pink Rose

I spent some extra time out in the garden, trying to destress by looking at the flowers and doing some weeding.  We have some new roses:

Dark Pink Roses

And the first chrysanthemums of the season - this is one of the plants that M rescued a couple of years ago. 

Purple Chrysanthemums

I love the color!  I must remember to set up some stakes around the chrysanthemum plants, so that they don't flop over as much as they did, last year!  

The dogbane/scaredy-cat plant is in full bloom, now:

Dogbane/Scaredy-Cat Plant

I think I will be taking some cuttings from the plant after it has finished flowering and plant them in other areas of the garden, as well.  The bees love these flowers!

Close Up

M was here in the evening and he thinned more of the peaches and watered the garden for me.  

Brunch was the last of the leftover spaghetti.  Dinner was "breakfast for dinner" - pancakes and sausages.  Snacks included a bowl of pomegranate seeds:

Pomegranate Seeds

On Friday, I was grateful for:

- My daughter
- Her help with placing the credit freezes
- M's help with the garden
- Having a garden
- Garden flowers

Friday's joyful activities included spending time in the garden, enjoying the flowers and listening to the bird songs.

Plans for Saturday include some housework and maybe baking.

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

Thursday

New Rose

M deadheaded all the other roses that were starting to fade, when he was here on Wednesday.

Thursday was a sunny and warm (low 70s) day.  I checked on the garden and the poor hummingbird sage plant was all wilted and drooping on the ground.  I tried to prop it up with a twig that I found in the garden.  It didn't like being transplanted, I guess.  But, it grows from a rhizome, so, hopefully, new growth will appear, eventually.

I spent some time cleaning the kitchen, today, scrubbing under the stove top, running the dishwasher, wiping down the counters, etc.  Later, I watched some videos and crocheted until my fingers started to cramp and then, I stopped.  It looks like I might need more yarn to finish the blanket that I am making.  I do hope that I have enough.

I am feeling a bit stressed, today, because I received an alert that my personal information was found on the dark web as a result of the phone company's data breach.  I now need to take a series of actions to try and protect myself from identity theft.  Thanks, phone company!  I really could have done without this additional stress!

On Thursday, I was grateful for:

- A sunny and warm day
- Being alerted about my personal information being breached
- The availability of credit monitoring services
- Working appliances and equipment
- Being able to knit and crochet

Thursday's joyful activities included receiving emails from friends, crocheting, and video chatting with my daughter.

Plans for Friday include attending to some paperwork and tending to the garden with M.

How was your Thursday?  What are your plans for Friday?

Wednesday

Tea for Two!

Mama Cat and Chicken Little have started lining up on the steps every evening, around 4:30 p.m. or so.  They sit and wait until I give them a cup or so of kibble.  Patches comes by, later, after she checks to make sure that Mama Cat has gone away and the coast is clear!  She seems to prefer the canned food to the kibble, but, I tell her that she needs to eat whatever is given!  The canned cat food is a treat, not an everyday meal!

It was a sunny and warm (high of 77F) day, today.  M was here in the late morning to tend to the garden.  He brought me a new plant from his garden, a native plant known as hummingbird sage  (Salvia spathacea).  We planted it in the front garden, under the eucalyptus tree.  It's supposed to be drought tolerant, once established.  

I spent a fairly relaxed day, on Wednesday, crocheting and watching some online videos.  Later, I watched the evening news, chatted with friend R, and video chatted with my daughter.

Brunch was a scrambled egg, a slice of ham, and a potato cut up in cubes and fried, with a little diced bell pepper added to it.  Then, I wasn't very hungry for dinner, so I had tuna salad on crackers for dinner.

Today, I was grateful for:

- Another sunny and warm day
- M helping me with the garden and
- Bringing me more plants from his garden
- Being able to video chat with my daughter
- A relaxed day

Today's joyful activity was crocheting.  

Plans for Thursday include some weeding in the garden and more crocheting.

How was your Wednesday?  What are your plans for Thursday?

April Meal Planning - Week 3

I've been very lax with my meal planning, this month!  The first week in April, I had leftovers from when daughter was here and we had a lot of take outs and treats.

This was the meal plan for the second week:

Brunches: Scrambled eggs with toast or fried potatoes, pancakes or waffles, fried rice, French toast, toast with peanut butter, tuna salad sandwiches, muffins if I bake some

Dinners: Spaghetti with meat sauce (and leftover garlic bread); baked salmon with bulgur wheat salad (compliments of neighbor S)  with savory rice and broccoli or snow peas from the freezer; fried breaded shrimp with oven fried potato wedges and salad, leftovers from the spaghetti and the baked salmon and bulgur wheat salad.

Here's how that worked out:

Monday:
Brunch: Beef curry sandwich with the last of the leftover beef curry
Dinner: Leftover rice and shrimp curry

Tuesday:
Brunch: Scrambled egg on toast
Dinner: Leftover seafood potato balls, reheated in the oven

Wednesday:
Brunch: Sauteed salmon and bulgur wheat salad, compliments of neighbor S
Dinner: Spaghetti and meat sauce

Thursday:
Brunch: French toast
Dinner: Leftover spaghetti and meat sauce

Friday:
Brunch: Toast and peanut butter
Dinner: Leftover salmon and bulgur wheat salad

Saturday:
Brunch: Milkrice, chicken curry, and katta sambol
Dinner: Spaghetti and meat sauce

Sunday:
Brunch: Leftover milkrice and chicken curry
Dinner: Fried breaded shrimp (no oven fried potato wedges), salad

There were a few changes, but, it worked out quite well.

On to Week 3:

Once again, this week's meal plan is based on what I have on hand in the freezer, fridge, and pantry. 

Brunches: Leftover milkrice and chicken curry (Monday), ham and bread rolls (Tuesday), pancakes with sausages, scrambled egg and fried potatoes, leftover pancakes and sausages, more ham and bread rolls

Dinners: Cup of noodles soup (Monday), leftover spaghetti and meat sauce (Tuesday), ham fried rice, ham and potato soup, leftovers.

At least, that's the plan!  No doubt there will be some changes as the week progresses!

Are you making a meal plan this week?

Midway Through April

Pink Rose - Starting to Fade

After a weekend of rain, Monday was sunny and it warmed up nicely to 72F in the afternoon.  I did a load of laundry, walked around the garden, and did a few things around the house.

In the afternoon, I went to the pharmacy to pick up two prescriptions that were ready.  I looked around the store a little bit, but, didn't buy anything.  Instead, I went over to the dollar store that is closing and looked around, again.  I bought a packet of hot glue sticks ($1.04), a pack of two 100% cotton kitchen towels ($1.80), and a bottle of non-alcoholic sparkling apple cider ($2.85); with taxes and deposit on the bottle of apple cider, the total came to $6.06.  

I'm finding myself feeling more comfortable going shopping in person, these days (fully masked, of course).  

After I came home, I took the trash cans to the curb, watched the evening news, video chatted with my daughter, and relaxed.

Brunch had been the last of the milkrice and chicken curry.  Dinner was a cup of noodles soup.  I didn't do a meal plan, yet, but, I took a package of sliced ham from the freezer and kept to thaw, to have with bread rolls for my brunches during the week.  

On Monday, I was grateful for:

- A sunny and warmer day
- The availability of medications
- The car started
- A safe drive to the stores and back
- Exchanging emails with friends

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

Tuesday is supposed to be another sunny and warm day, with a high of 76F,  I've no special plans for the day, but, might do another load of laundry and some housework.

How was your Monday?  What are your plans for Tuesday?

Garden Additions

M Making the New Trellis

Earlier in the year, I had M prune the Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) vine which was sprawling all over the ground because the purchased trellis it had been growing on had deteriorated and broken down over the years.  I had planned to purchase another trellis, but, trellises are costly!  "Let's make one", I suggested to M.  "We can use some of the long branches we saved when you pruned the bottle brush tree!"  I think he was a bit skeptical, but, he always says it's my garden and I'm the boss!  LOL.  There's a reason why we get along so well and he's been tending to the garden for 31 years!

At first, I was going to do it, myself.  But, I didn't have the proper tools to trim the branches to size and, with one thing or another, the trellis didn't get built.  In the meantime, the star jasmine vine started to show new growth and flower buds started to appear.

On Friday, with rain in the forecast for the weekend, I told M not to bother watering the garden and we decided it was a good time to put together a trellis for the star jasmine.  Obviously, M did the work, while I directed and, occasionally, assisted with holding the cross pieces in place while he tied them.  I didn't want the trellis to be taller than the wall, so, M cut the poles to size.  This way, the wall will help protect the trellis from strong winds and minimize its chances of being blown down!

New Garden Trellis

Home grown, all natural, custom made, rustic trellis!  We decided to keep all the little branches in place as additional support for the vines.  Then, we draped some of the vines on the trellis to encourage them the grow up, instead of sprawling in a heap on the ground:

New Garden Trellis for the Star Jasmine Vine

I wondered if we needed to put some small rocks at the base to keep the trellis in place, but, M didn't think so.  We can always add them, later, if needed.  I told M that he should include "builds custom trellises" to his resume - he put together one with PVC pipes and chicken wire for my mother for her jasmine vine, several years ago, and now, he's put together another trellis for me.  

I love my new trellis!  What do you think?

In addition to the new trellis, we have a new plant for the garden:

New Tomato Plant

It's an heirloom tomato named "Berkeley Tie-Dye", which M selected in honor of my daughter!  

Tomato Plant Tag: "Caution: may cause flashbacks!"

Looking forward to seeing the "striking metalic green and red striped" tomatoes that are supposed to be a "delicious conversation piece" as described in the tag!  

We've had a rainy weekend, here, with rain on both Saturday and Sunday.  The garden has been well watered!  It's a bit chilly for me with night time temperatures of 46F and daytime highs of 55F, so, I've had the heater on all weekend.

I'm grateful for:

- M's willingness and help with the garden
- A new, very organic and homegrown trellis
- Rain for the garden
- A new tomato plant
- A working heater

My joyful activities have included supervising the making of the new trellis, gardening, celebrating the Sri Lankan new year, and phone calls with family and friends.

How is your weekend coming along?  What do you think of the new trellis?  Have you grown this type of heirloom tomatoes?

Happy Sri Lankan New Year!

Milk Rice, Chicken Curry, and Katta Sambol

Usually called the Sinhalese and Tamil New Year after the two main ethnic groups in Sri Lanka, (I prefer the term Lankan New Year), Sri Lankans celebrate their cultural new year on April 13 and April 14.  Based on the sighting of the new moon and the movement of the sun from the House of Pisces to the House of Aries, astrologers determine when the old year ends and the new year begins (not necessarily at midnight) and the duration of the time between the two events, usually lasting several hours, when all work should be stopped and people should attend to religious matters, visit family members, engage in traditional games, and enjoy the special food and treats associated with the new year celebrations.  Given the fact that I left Sri Lanka over 50 years ago, and the time differences between there and here, I don't observe the specified times and rituals.  However, when possible, I make milkrice for breakfast (or brunch).

So, on Saturday morning, I spoke with my aunt to wish her for the new year, cooked milkrice for brunch, and made my usual offerings at the altar.  Then, I spent the rest of the day, relaxing!  

I like having a second new year in April!  It gives me another opportunity to have a new beginning!  

It was cool and overcast in the morning and it rained in the evening, quite heavily at times.  I am glad we had more rain, because I had asked M not to water the garden on Friday, in anticipation of it raining on the weekend!

On Saturday, I was grateful for:

- Another new year
- Another new beginning
- Rain for the garden
- Phone chats with my aunt
- A lovely e-card for the new year from a dear friend

Saturday's joyful activity was celebrating the Sri Lankan New Year!

There is more rain in the forecast for Sunday; plans for Sunday include relaxing with some crocheting.

How is your weekend coming along?

 

Balanced Life Monthly Goals - March Review and April Goals/The Late Edition

Better late than never, right?  

March started out well, I was joyfully anticipating my daughter's visit home, getting the house clean and tidy before she arrived, and planning to do a few fun things with her.  She arrived on a Friday and by Monday, I had discovered that I had a blood clot (it looks like I actually had two blood clots, on above the other; fortunately, both were superficial) in my leg!  Which led to an unscheduled visit to the doctor's, daughter extending her stay (which was wonderful!), and some concern and anxiety about my health, which affected several other areas of my life, as well.  March concluded with phone issues which lasted well into April! I was too distracted with writing about the phone issues to sit down and review my monthly goals, until now!

Here is my review of my March goals, followed by my goals for April: 

Health, Self-Care & Well Being (8.75)(6.0):  The goal is good health.

- Focus on continuing to improve my health through diet, hydration, adequate sleep, etc.
- Attend my medical appointments
- Continue to take my medications as prescribed

- Continue to take necessary precautions against viral infections

I had a blood clot (possibly two) in March, which required a visit to the doctor and being put on blood thinners.  My blood pressure was good when checked at the doctor's office and my weight was fairly stable (it has been fluctuating within a 5 lbs. range for at least a year).   There was no one cause for the blood clot, but, rather a combination of causes.  I am very thankful that the blood clot(s) were superficial and happened when daughter was already here to help me.  However, I am really not pleased with my health section and realize that I need to work harder to improve it.

April Goals: One of the areas of focus in April will be my health, I am obviously not doing as much as I should be in this area.

Spiritual (10)(10):   The goal is to live a spiritually meaningful life.
- Continue with daily prayers, meditation, being grateful, positive, and joyful
- Continue to cultivate non-attachment by being more giving

I continued with daily prayers, said even more fervently due to the health issues, and remembered my father on the anniversary of his birth with special prayers for him.  I didn't visit the temple, however, but, I still feel that I am living a spiritually meaningful life.

April Goals will be more or less the same, with daily prayers, meditations, and remembering my step-father on the anniversary of his birth.

Daughter (10)(10):  The goal is to continue to have a close relationship with her.

- Celebrate her birthday!
- Look forward to and enjoy her visit home

- Continue to keep in daily contact via phone calls, texts, and video chats before and after her visit home

My daughter came home for what was supposed to have been a week long visit which got extended by two additional weeks, due to concern over my health issues.  It was wonderful to have her home for three weeks, even if she had to work from home during the extended stay!  We celebrated her birthday by treating ourselves to several take out meals and a couple of shopping trip to a crafts supply store and the dollar store which is closing down, soon.  Plus, there were daily phone calls, texts, and video chats before she came down to visit.

 

April Goals include continuing to maintain a close relationship with her.

Leisure/Crafts/Hobbies (10)(10):  The goal is to relax doing something I enjoy doing for the pleasure of it.

- Engage in daily joyful activities

- Engage in leisure activities
- Do crafts and pursue hobbies

In March, I spent plenty of time relaxing and enjoying joyful and leisurely activities, daily.  I read, made a couple of spring time decorations to give as gifts, participated in a photo challenge, and crocheted.  

April Goals: I plan to continue to engage in fun, relaxing activities including reading and crocheting.

Finances (10)(10):  The goal is financial security.

- Continue budgeting and spending mindfully, with purpose
- File my income taxes

I went over the March grocery budget because daughter stayed home for three weeks instead of the planned one week and I didn't increase my grocery budget to include having an additional person for most of the month, but, I will deduct the amount overspent from the April grocery budget.  I also splurged a bit on take out and other treats, as we celebrated daughter being home for her birthday, but, I had already planned and budgeted for that.  I filed my taxes as planned, continued to spend mindfully, and lived within my means in March.

April Goals:  April goals include continuing to budget and spend mindfully, with purpose.

Garden (10)(10):  The goal is a garden that is productive, yet drought tolerant.

- Maintaining (water, fertilize, and weed); M will continue to visit twice a week

The garden did really well in March with lots of flowers and new growth on the fruit trees.  We did quite a bit of pruning and weeding.

April Goals:  To continue with maintaining the garden.  To start planting the vegetables I want to grow this year, including corn, tomato, okra, and green beans.     

Family/Friends/Community (10)(10):  The goal is to have a close connection with family and friends and be involved with my community.

- Regular phone calls and emails, etc., to keep in touch with family and friends
- The occasional in person visits as and when I feel comfortable with doing so

- Participate in the blogging community and the online organizing community

March was a good month for family, friends, and community.  There were several family birthdays, including my daughter's, my sister's, sister's grandson's, two cousins', all of which resulted in phone calls, messages, and cards being sent, in addition to regular calls and emails, etc.  There was also a phone call from a cousin in Australia, who is planning to visit later this spring.  

Daughter and I visited with two of my cousins one afternoon to enjoy some treats and receive some clothes that the cousins had decluttered and we had a brief curbside visit with friend R.  We also received visits from neighbor S who brought us treats and Easter dinner.  

April Goals: April goals will be the same as above. 

House (8.5)(8.5):  The goal is a home that is pleasant, comfortable, and welcoming.

- Clean - Clean the house as needed 
- Organized - Continue to find a place for everything and keep everything in its place
- Well maintained - Keep "erasing the evidence"; implement daily and weekly cleaning schedules
- Decluttered - Continue with the decluttering process

The house was cleaned prior to daughter's visit in March and maintained (more or less) for the rest of the month.  I was very appreciative of the robot vacuum which made it possible to vacuum while I was still recovering from the blood clots.  I didn't declutter quite as much as I could have and brought in more clothes and a piece of furniture (the plant stand).  There's always room for improvement, but, I am content with the current state of the house. 

April Goals: Will be the same as above.

Time Management (8.0)(8.0): The goal is to spend my time in a mindful manner.

- Spend time purposefully, mindfully

- Continue to focus on making my schedule work for me

- Procrastinate less

Time management continues to be a challenge.  But, the important things are getting done - I filed my taxes without procrastinating until the last minute, paid my bills on time, and dealt with various issues as they came up.

April Goals: Continue to manage my time in a mindful and efficient manner!

March was a rather wobbly month.  On one side, I had a wonderful month with daughter being home, plenty of interactions with family and friends, the garden thriving, plenty of leisure time, etc.  On the other side, there were health issues which threatened to throw everything into disarray.  

My focus in April will be to improve my health.

Roses on Thursday

The Roses Are in Bloom!

We are having another lovely, warm, sunny day with a high of 83F.  But, tomorrow's high will only be 69F and there's rain in the forecast for Saturday (and maybe Sunday, too) and cooler weather for the following week.  It seems that the roses in the back garden have decided to make the most of the sunny and warm weather and bloom all at once!  Makes me want to sing, "Everything's Coming Up Roses", even if I don't have a voice like Ethel Merman (but, then, she had a voice that was one of a kind, didn't she?)  

The First Yellow Rose

My new neighbors next door are painting the outside of their house and doing more renovations.  I woke up once to the sound of their drilling as they took off their window security bars to paint the walls, but, I went back to sleep and slept through the noise!  The next time I woke up was when Dancer asked for breakfast.  It was 9:30 a.m.

Pink Rose  (blooming through the osteospermum)

The last rose is looking a bit distressed; we might have to thin out some of the osteospermum plants to give the rose bush more air and sunlight.  

Today, I am grateful for:

- The roses blooming in the garden
- Another sunny and warm day
- Being able to open the windows and doors to let the warm air in
- The scent of jasmine from the vine outside the door
- Working phones!

Today's joyful activity was walking in the garden, admiring the roses and other flowers.

Brunch was French toast; dinner will be spaghetti with meat sauce (I made the sauce last night for dinner; need to cook more pasta for tonight's dinner)

How is your Thursday coming along?

The Phone Saga Conclusion

Poppies

Yesterday (Tuesday), I returned to the phone store and spoke with R, the more helpful salesperson who had helped me much earlier, when I bought my new cell phone.  I explained the situation with the phone black box device and how I had received a new SIM card, which the previous salesperson said I needed to call the phone company to activate, and which I wasn't sure would even fit the device and, therefore, I didn't activate it.  He checked the card and said it was already activated!  Then, he inserted it into the device and I brought it home to see if it would work. I had already mentioned the option of having a second line put on my cell phone, but, I wanted to try everything else I could to get the device to work!  Before I left the store, I asked him till what time the store would be open and he said till 8:00 p.m., but, he leaves at 6:00 p.m.  He wouldn't be in the store on Wednesday, but, he'd be there on Thursday and Friday.

Well, unfortunately, the device didn't work!  The service indicator light remained solidly red.

Still Not Working

Well, boo and hiss!  So, I went back to the store (it's only about a 10 minutes drive).  And, to make an already long story short, I had the home phone line added to my cell phone.  According to salesperson R, it was a transfer of the number from one device to another and there was no additional cost!  He told me to use that number pretty much as I used the old home phone, just to make and accept phone calls and not try to text,  I'm fine with that. The cell phone number I had shows as my primary number and the transferred home phone number shows as "home".  

While I was at the store, another older lady came in asking for help and a different salesperson helped her.  I couldn't help overhearing the conversation - apparently, she, too, had to switch from a landline to a cell phone and she has never used a cell phone before and didn't know how to retrieve her messages and needed help to figure out how to use the phone.  I could really sympathize with her!  My current cell phone isn't my first, although it has new features; but, I have my daughter to show me how to set it up and use it, as she has the same type of phone.  

After I came home, I unplugged the home phone sets.  I need to find out where I can recycle them.  I will keep the black box device for a bit, just in case the phone company asks for it to be sent back to them (I had to send the old device back when I received this one, two years ago).  

It was around 5:00 p.m. when I got home from the store and it was 81F!  I watered some of the plants in the back garden - the blueberries, the newly planted out aloe vera plants, and some of the potted plants.

Then, I sat down to watch the news and unwind from the whole phone saga!  I guess I could have saved myself a lot of time and stress if I had been able to decide to go with a new cell line at the very beginning, when I first spoke with Salvador in Mexico City, but, I was resistant to that option at the time.  I felt like I needed to try everything else, short of having the phone company come out and rewire the house for a landline for double what I am currently paying for the basic services package or paying triple for the same services I had and that doesn't take into account the charges for the service call and rewiring, etc.  I shall give this a try (having the home phone number as an additional line on my cell phone) for now and see how it works out.  I guess it is a matter of getting used to it.  

Brunch was a scrambled egg on toast; dinner was leftover seafood potato balls.

On Tuesday, I was grateful for:

- Helpful salespeople
- Being able to have the home phone number transferred to my cell phone
- Safe drives to and from the store
- A sunny, warm day
- Garden flowers

Tuesday's joyful activity was getting the phone issue resolved (hopefully!)

Dogbane/Scaredy Cat Flowers

Today, Wednesday, is another sunny and warm day, with a high of 82F.  M was here in the morning and he watered the garden.  We also noticed that someone (the City?) had filled the irrigation bags in the parkway with water:

Filled Water Bag

It's the first time that I've noticed that they've been watered!  

M also bought me a packet of corn kernels to plant!  We have to figure out where to plant them and dig a new bed!  

Lunch/Dinner Compliments of Neighbor S

Neighbor S called me in the early afternoon and brought me a delicious meal of cooked salmon and bulgur wheat salad.  I warmed up a little of it and had for brunch; the rest is in the fridge for another meal.  I offered her some aloe vera plants for her garden, but, she didn't want any.

Today, I am grateful for:

- Another sunny and warm day
- M's help with the garden
- Neighbor S being as caring and generous as always
- Working appliances and equipment
- Electricity and gas to power those appliances

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

Peach Leaf Curl

Peach Leaf Curl

Caused by the fungus Taphrina deformans.  

Spring rains and cooler weather are lovely for the garden plants, but, unfortunately, those same cool and wet conditions encourage this fungus to grow in the cells of the leaves of peach and nectarine trees as the new leaves emerge.

Peach Leaf Curl

They cause the leaves to grow unevenly in places, which creates these wavy deformed leaves.  Eventually, the fungus forms spores and the leaves turn yellow and fall. The experts don't recommend picking the leaves off the tree because the green areas of the leaves will continue to photosynthesize and make food for the tree.  However, fallen leaves should be removed and disposed of, so that the spores don't get into the soil.  New leaves will replace them and, provided the weather is warmer and dryer, the new leaves won't be affected.  However, if left untreated, the fungus can affect the fruit production, spread to fruit, and damage the tree, itself. 

More Damaged Leaves

The treatment recommended is to spray the tree with a copper and oil solution during the dormant period. once in the fall after the leaves have fallen and again, in the spring, before new leaves emerge.  M sprayed the tree, last year, but, maybe it wasn't enough.

So far, only the peach tree seems to be affected, the nectarine tree seems OK.  

The poor peach tree!  We will start thinning out the fruit, this week or next, and maybe we'll remove some of the more damaged leaves at the same time.  Maybe the early bearing variety wasn't such a good idea, after all, with the wetter springs we've had last year and this.