May Meal Planning - Week 2 Review

Wednesday Dinner: Salmon, Peas, Potato

These were my meal plan options for May Week 2:

Brunches: Scrambled eggs and toast (Monday)✔; Pancakes Waffles✔; Pizza from the freezer; Tuna Egg salad on crackers or bread (need to buy bread)✔; Soup and crackers; leftovers✔; tacos compliments of neighbor S✔.

Dinners: Macaroni & cheese with ground beef and vegetables mixture from the freezer (Mon)✔;

 Salmon with baked potato and green peas or broccoli;✔ Rice and curries with Shrimp curry from the freezer;✔ leftovers✔; or something quite different (breakfast for dinner /waffles; tacos from neighbor S)!✔

Snacks/Desserts: Crackers, fruit, yogurt, cereal, granola bars

Here's how it worked out:

Monday:

Brunch:  Scrambled eggs and toast 

Dinner:  Macaroni & cheese with ground beef and vegetables mixture from the freezer

Snacks/Desserts: Blueberries from the garden

Tuesday:

Brunch:  Mac & cheese with ground beef (leftovers)

Dinner: Breakfast for Dinner: Orange-Cranberry waffles (from a gifted mix) with homemade cranberry sauce

Snacks/Desserts: Spicy crackers; peppermint candy

Wednesday:

Brunch:  Egg salad sandwich (using the curried egg from the meal friend S brought me) & banana

Dinner:  Salmon with baked potato and green peas 

Snacks/Desserts: Spicy crackers; freshly picked strawberries (2) from the garden (there were 3, but, gave one to M), peppermint candy

Thursday:

Brunch:  Peanut butter sandwich & banana

Dinner:  Rice and curries with Shrimp curry from the freezer, eggplant moju and pickled carrots;

Snacks/Desserts: Orange (picked from the garden), apple slices

Thursday Dinner: Rice & Curries

Friday:

Brunch:  Cereal and milk

Dinner:  Rice, leftover ground beef mixture, green peas

Snacks/Desserts: Buttered toast, yogurt with blueberry compote, crackers

Friday Dinner: Rice, Ground Beef, Green Peas
(and chili sauce)

Friday Dessert: Yogurt and Blueberry Compote

Saturday:

Brunch:  Buttered bread and a banana

Dinner: Chicken Tacos, Lettuce, Watermelon compliments of neighbor S and family

Snacks/Desserts: Watermelon

Weekend Dinner - Compliments of Neighbor S
and Family

Sunday:

Brunch: Waffles with Cranberry Sauce

Sunday Brunch

Dinner: Leftover Chicken Tacos, Lettuce, Watermelon

Snacks/Desserts: Watermelon, peppermint candy

Well that worked out pretty well, I think.  I stayed on plan for most of the week except when I didn't!  LOL.

On to this week!  This week's meal plan might change quite a bit because my daughter will be visiting during the latter half of the week and we will probably get some food to go to celebrate a belated Mother's Day.

Brunches:  Tuna salad sandwiches; Waffles (leftovers); Scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast or fried potatoes; Ham sandwiches; French toast; milk and cereal; dinner leftovers; maybe pastries if we get some

Dinners: Rice and shrimp curry (leftovers); Rice and chicken curry with dhal and vegetables; Ham with mashed potatoes and broccoli; Pork chops with rice and green beans; Leftovers.

Snacks and Desserts: Fresh fruit, yogurt, granola bars, bread pudding, maybe a dessert from the bakery

I will need to buy chicken to make the chicken curry and the pork chops, along with a few fruits and vegetables.  I am planning to go grocery shopping on Tuesday (when the pork chops will be on sale).

How about you?  Are you making a meal plan this week?

On Mother's Day Sunday

 

A Bouquet of Roses

On Mother's Day Sunday, the temperature reached a high of 94f, so it was a bit cooler than Saturday.

Daughter and I decided we will celebrate Mother's Day when she is home, next weekend.

I did some tidying, sorted through a pile of paperwork and did some shredding, picked blueberries, watered the back garden, put away the dishes, washed all of Dancer's dishes, and swept and mopped the kitchen floor, finally.  

Brunch was waffles with cranberry sauce and dinner was leftover tacos, lettuce, and watermelon from Saturday's dinner.

On Mother's Day, I was grateful for:

- My mother
- My daughter who made me a mother
- Another sunny and warm day
- Water for the garden
- More fresh blueberries

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

Monday's To Do List:

- Lab appointment for blood work
- Meal plan
- Water the front garden
- Water the indoor plants
- Take the trash cans to the curb
- Paperwork/filing
- Decluttering
- Continue to tidy my bedroom (find space for the sewing supplies)

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

Triple Digits on Saturday

 

Our High on Saturday

It was a summer day, today!  We went up to 100F.  I wore a dress for the first time, this year, and turned on the ceiling fan!  I'm not complaining though because the high on Monday is supposed to be only 72F and I'll be back to wearing a sweater.  

I did a little cleaning, today, scrubbed the toilet, dusted my desk, scrubbed under the stove burners, and ran the dishwasher.  I started on the paperwork that was piled on my desk, but, haven't made much progress.  I also picked more blueberries.

My lovely neighbor across the street, S, called me in the evening to say that her daughter N had made some chicken tacos and would I like to have some?  I accepted the offer gratefully and she brought me dinner:

Dinner Compliments of Neighbor S and Family

Chicken tacos, two types of salsa, lettuce, and watermelon.  Such a blessing!  There is enough food for a meal tomorrow, too. I gave S a bag of freshly picked blueberries, in return.  

On Saturday, I am grateful for:

- A sunny, hot day
- Neighbor S bringing me dinner
- Having blueberries to share with her
- Working appliances
- Electricity to run the appliances

Saturday's joyful activity was picking blueberries.

Plans for Sunday, Mothers' Day, include:

- Continuing with the paperwork
- Watering the garden
- Reading

How was your Saturday?  What are your plans for Sunday?  Wish all the mothers out there a very happy Mothers' Day, on Sunday.

On Friday

Neptune Roses

Friday was like a summer day with a high of 94F!  I loved it!  It was finally warm enough for me to wear a sleeveless blouse.  LOL.

I got some housework done, changing out the dust sheets on the living room sofas, doing a small load of laundry, washing one of my wool sweaters by hand, vacuuming my bedroom and doing a little paperwork.  Later, when M was here, I tended to the garden with him.  He enjoyed a bowl of my homemade yogurt with some blueberry compote and I gave him a jar of yogurt to take home with him.

I didn't get to cleaning the kitchen, so that's on the list for Saturday.

On Friday, I was grateful for:

- The sunny, warm day
- M's help with the garden

- Water for the garden
- Garden flowers and garden fruit
- Working appliances

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

My plans for Saturday (another warm day according to the forecast), include cleaning the kitchen, picking blueberries, and more paperwork.

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

On Thursday

 

Another Rose

On Thursday, we had a lovely warm day with the afternoon high going up to 84F.  I loved it!  According to the forecast, we will have another couple of warm days and then, the temperatures will go down to the 60s by next week.

I completed a few more tasks on my To Do list on Thursday, including cleaning the bathroom, doing a small load of laundry, and making some yogurt.  

I also spoke with neighbor E about painting the living room and dining area.  He was ready to start on Friday, but, I needed more time to empty out the shelves so they can be moved, etc., and next week will be busy.  So, we might start on the painting the following week.  I'm looking forward to getting that job crossed off my list.

Brunch was a banana and a peanut butter sandwich.  Dinner was rice and curries.  Snacks included a freshly picked orange and apple slices.

On Thursday, I was grateful for:

- A lovely, sunny, warm day!
- Neighbor E's help
- Fresh oranges from the garden
- Garden flowers
- What I was able to accomplish 

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

Plans for Friday include:

- Paperwork/filing
- Vacuuming my bedroom
- Gardening with M
- Cleaning the kitchen

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

  

May Groceries - Part 1

 

May Groceries 5/7/25

I put in an order for groceries very early this morning (shortly after midnight, when the new prices went into effect) and selected a mid-morning pick up time slot.  The main reason for that was the sale on daughter's favorite brand of coffee for $7.99 each with this week's digital coupon.  Regular price is  $11.99 each.  The sales ad stated, "While supplies last" and when I put the order in, I received a notice that supplies were low!  You are allowed to use each digital coupon up to 5 times in a single transaction, but, apparently, there was a limit of 4 on the ground coffee.  I ordered the maximum number I could, with 4 ground coffee packages and 1 whole coffee beans package (we have a coffee grinder at home).  

I also bought a half gallon container of milk, which is not pictured, above.  

In addition, I bought some soap, which is not paid for with my grocery budget.  I had been waiting for it to go on sale to stock up (I usually buy one 8 pack of soap twice a year; I am now stocked up on toothpaste and soap for the rest of the year).

Here's the receipt:

Order Summary

Original Item Total$86.15

Item Coupons/Sales-$23.00

Fulfillment Fee+$0.00

Sales Tax+$0.82

Order Total$63.97

---

Item Details

15 Items

Fresh Banana - Single, 1 ea $0.77

1.02 lbs x $0.75 each (approx.) (price per lb. has increased 6 cents/lb.)

Irish Spring Bar Soap Original Scent, 8 ct / 3.7 oz $6.49

1 x $6.49 $8.49 each

Item Coupon/Sale: -$2.00

Kroger® Premium Coconut Milk, 13.5 fl oz$7.96

4 x $1.99 each

Kroger® White Sandwich Bread, 20 oz$1.99

1 x $1.99 each

Large Mangos, 1 ct$3.00

2 x $1.50 $2.00 each

Item Coupon/Sale: -$0.50

Item Coupon/Sale: -$0.50

Ralphs® Vitamin D Whole Milk Half Gallon, 1/2 gal$2.99

1 x $2.99 each

Starbucks Espresso Dark Roast Ground Coffee, 12 oz$31.96

4 x $7.99 $11.99 each

Item Coupon/Sale: -$4.00

Item Coupon/Sale: -$4.00

Item Coupon/Sale: -$4.00

Item Coupon/Sale: -$4.00

Starbucks Espresso Dark Roast Whole Bean Coffee, 12 oz$7.99

1 x $7.99 $11.99 each

Item Coupon/Sale: -$4.00

---

The total I paid = $63.97

The total for groceries only (without the soap and the tax on soap) = $56.66

May grocery budget = $150 

With my daughter coming home for an extended weekend visit in mid-May and spending $39.95 to stock up on coffee for her, I have increased my monthly grocery budget, this month.  That additional $50 is not coming from the car fuel budget, this time around, because I put gas to the car this morning ( $44.93 worth of gas @$4.29/gal. at the cheapest station I could find in my neighborhood as opposed to $4.65/gal. at the station near the grocery store).  The additional money for groceries is coming from what might have otherwise gone to savings.

The Armenian grocery store is having another one day only special on pork chops for $1.99/lb., next Tuesday and I am planning to buy some and some fresh produce.  Daughter and I both enjoyed the pork chops I bought, earlier.

As always, I am grateful for:

- The availability of groceries 
- Weekly loss leader sales and coupons
- Being able to increase my grocery budget
- Being able to stock up
- The convenience of ordering groceries online and picking up in the store parking lot

Have you grocery shopped yet in May? 

Going By The Lists

 

Neptune Roses on Monday

Monday and Tuesday were busy days for me.  I knew I had made a rather ambitious to do list for Monday and it didn't surprise me when I needed to move some of it over to Tuesday.

This was my Monday To Do List:

- Call in Dancer's medication refill - DONE
- Make his appointment at the vet clinic for his injection - DONE
- Pick up my own medication from my pharmacy 
- Go to the bank
- Meal plan - DONE
- Vacuum the living room and dining area (and kitchen and hallway) - DONE
- Take the trash cans out to the curb - DONE
- Dust the nightstand and chest of drawers (and dresser) in my bedroom (room of the week); do a quick sort through of the drawers - DONE
- Declutter 5 items - Decluttered 2 items - an empty pill container and the old rice pack/heating pad
- Laundry - DONE

I didn't go to the pharmacy or the bank because I needed to stay within easy access to a toilet on Monday!  Enough said!  

Tuesday was an errands day.  Tuesday's To Do List looked like this:

- Pick up Dancer's meds - DONE
- Pick up my meds - DONE
- Pick up the library book that was being held for me - DONE
- Go to the dollar store - DONE (Didn't buy anything!)
- Bring in the empty trash cans - DONE
- Go to the bank
- Declutter

I didn't go to the bank, after all, and I didn't do any decluttering.  I had mac and cheese with ground beef for a very late brunch and waffles with cranberry sauce for dinner.  I had some crackers for a snack.

Neptune Roses on Tuesday

It is early morning on Wednesday as I write this.  Wednesday's To Do List:

- Order groceries - DONE
- Pick up groceries
- Go to the bank
- Tend to the garden with M
- Pay bills
- Start clearing my desk
- Vacuum my bedroom

During these busy days, I am grateful for:

- Safe drives to the various places I went to and back
- The availability of medications for both myself and Dancer
- Working appliances
- Libraries
- What I was able to get done

Meanwhile, Dancer said he couldn't be bothered:

Afternoon Nap
(Yes, that's his carrier pad - he uses it as his pillow)

How is your week coming along?

Meal Planning: May Week 2

Stringhopper Dinner Compliments of Friend S

These were my meal plan options for May Week 1:

Brunches: Roast beef sandwiches (Monday and maybe Wednesday),  Peanut butter sandwiches (Tuesday), Milkrice (Thursday), leftover milkrice (Friday), waffles or pancakes (weekend).

Dinners: Ham and split pea soup (Monday and at least one other day; maybe two), Microwave baked potatoes and leftover ground beef mixture (Tuesday), Salmon with potatoes and broccoli (2 meals), "breakfast for dinner" - eggs and toast or fried potatoes.

Snacks & Desserts: Fresh fruit (apples, blueberries, pineapple, oranges), the last piece of cake, yogurt and treacle or syrup.  

That was the plan.  But, things changed a bit, as my meal plans often do, when my Sri Lankan friend S brought me stringhoppers and curries on Thursday night!  

Here's how it turned out:

Monday: 

Brunch: Roast beef sandwich

Dinner: Ham and split pea soup; toast

Tuesday:

Brunch: Peanut butter sandwich

Dinner: Microwave baked potatoes and leftover ground beef mixture 

Wednesday:

Brunch:  Roast beef sandwich

Dinner: Salmon with baked potato and broccoli

Thursday: May 1st
Brunch: Milkrice with seeni sambol

Dinner: Stringhoppers and curries compliments of friend S.  She had made stringhoppers with white rice flour and with red rice flour, pol sambol (grated coconut with onions, chili powder, lemon or lime juice), chicken curry, a mixture of fried potatoes and onions, and, in the small container, a "kiri hodhi" or milk gravy, which is considered a "white curry" since it doesn't have chili powder, although it often has green chilies, along with fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, turmeric, etc., with boiled potatoes and an egg.  Enough food for me for at least two meals (I froze the pol sambol for my daughter as she likes it more than I do).

Friday:

Brunch: Stringhoppers and curries (leftovers)

Dinner: Milkrice and seeni sambol (leftovers)

Saturday:

Brunch: Cup Noodle soup (kitchen repairs were well under way by the time I had brunch)

Dinner: Milkrice and seeni sambol

Sunday:

Brunch: Leftover cup noodle soup

Dinner: Macaroni & Cheese with the last of the roast beef

I'm afraid I didn't keep track of the snacks and desserts, but, the container of ice cream was finished, there were crackers and a couple of tea cookies, a last piece of cake, apple slices with peanut butter, fresh blueberries, pineapple spears sprinkled with salt and chili powder, homemade fries, yogurt with cereal, and dry cereal by itself.

On to the meal plan options for May Week 2:

Brunches: Scrambled eggs and toast (Monday); Pancakes; Pizza from the freezer; Tuna salad on crackers or bread (need to buy bread); Soup and crackers; leftovers.  

Dinners: Macaroni & cheese with ground beef and vegetables mixture from the freezer; Salmon with baked potato and green peas or broccoli; Rice and curries with Shrimp curry from the freezer; leftovers; or something quite different!

I want to do a little grocery shopping sometime this week to get bread, milk, bananas, etc.  I will wait until the new grocery ads come out, on Tuesday before I finalize my  shopping list.

How about you?  Are you making a meal plan or a list of meal options?

Weekend Review

 

Rain Drops on Pomegranate Leaves

Saturday started out dry, but typical "May Gray" weather - cool (a high of 62F) and cloudy.  By early evening, it was raining; a light rain, more of a drizzle, but, it got the ground wet.

I slept in, then called my cousin V to see how she was feeling after knee surgery.  Gardener friend M texted to say that he had left three of his garden tools in my backyard, so, I checked and collected the items and kept them in one place so he could stop by on his way home to pick them up.  Then, I dusted and polished the furniture in the living room, dining area, and family room.  I had meant to vacuum, but, I didn't have the energy to do so.

Sunday was another gloomy day and chilly.  I gave in and put the wall heater on.  After my morning cup of tea and prayers, I put away the laundry, texted cousin V to check on her, vacuumed the family room, and sorted through the two cabinets and three drawers in the sideboard (the family room was the room of the week, this past week).

The sideboard cabinets were fine, but, the drawers where I store gift wrap were a bit messy.  I took everything out and reorganized the drawers.  The top drawer holds canvases my daughter and I had painted, the second drawer has birthday and all occasion gift bags and gift wrap, plus several pieces of bubble wrap that I had saved.  I honestly don't know if I need to keep all the bubble wrap, but, they fit in the drawer, so I kept them.  The bottom drawer contains Christmas gift wrap, gift bags, boxes, tissue paper, ribbons, etc.  There was one small Christmas decoration that had broken, which I had put aside to hot glue together, but, I decided to toss it.  

I have decided that I shall try to declutter a bit more in May.  My goal is a minimum of 5 items a day, but, so far, I have been decluttering only one or two items per day!  I need to do better than that!

This weekend, I was grateful for:

- Rain for the garden
- A working heater
- Fresh blueberries from the garden
- Phone calls, texts, and emails from family and friends
- What I was able to accomplish in terms of cleaning and tidying

My joyful activities included a little bit of gardening and watching online documentaries and videos.

I've a bit of an ambitions To Do list for Monday:

- Call in Dancer's medication refill
- Make his appointment at the vet clinic for his injection
- Pick up my own medication from my pharmacy
- Go to the bank
- Meal plan
- Vacuum the living room and dining area
- Take the trash cans out to the curb
- Dust the nightstand and chest of drawers in my bedroom (room of the week); do a quick sort through of the drawers
- Declutter 5 items

It should be doable if I stay focused.

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

Rain Drops on Pomegranate Flower

One More Project Completed

 

Just Starting

I have an on-going "Mile Long To Do List" and, at one time, I used to post it once a month with any updates.  I stopped doing that after about a year or so because I wasn't making much progress on some of the items.  But, I kept the list going and I last updated it in 2024 when the retractable garage door opener mechanism was replaced.  I am happy to say that, on Friday, one other item that had been on that list for years was completed:

• Repair water damage to kitchen ceiling and wall - DONE May 2, 2025!

The roof had leaked one year and caused some damage to the kitchen ceiling and part of the ceiling collapsed, leaving a hole in the ceiling.  It was behind the cabinet above the refrigerator and while the hole wasn't visible, I knew it was there and there was some visible water damage to the ceiling just in front of the cabinet and to the wall behind.  I had wanted to get it repaired, but, I didn't do anything about it for one reason or another.  

Eventually, I showed it to my neighbor E (he does construction work) and asked him to give me an estimate.  He didn't get back to me for months, and I thought that he had either forgotten about it, or wasn't interested in accepting the project.  But, on Thursday evening, he knocked at my door and said he could get one of his crew to work on my kitchen ceiling the next day!  He will be here at 7:30 a.m.

So, Friday morning, I woke up at 6:45 a.m. (after going to bed at 3:00 a.m.), showered, dressed, had a cup of tea, and was ready when neighbor E and his assistant R showed up at 7:30 a.m.

I forgot to take any "before" pictures, but, I took the above picture after R removed the upper molding/trim from the cabinet.

A short time later, it looked like this:

Removing the Damaged Ceiling Area

You could see all the way up to the rafters:

Rafters 

Then, the ceiling was patched and painted (R painted the whole ceiling because the new white paint he used was a different white than the existing white on the ceiling and he said it didn't look nice).

After Patching, but, Before Painting

The wall on the other side (hallway side) where the paint was cracked and starting to peel due to the water damage, was also scraped and patched:

Hallway Wall - During

And painted with paint that I had stored in the garage:

After

The paint wasn't an exact match after being stored in the garage for over 10 years, and R wasn't very happy about it, but, I didn't mind.  One day, I will have the remnants of the wallpaper border that's up along the top of the walls in the hallway removed and repaint the hallway.  It's the only area of the house that is painted in a color other than white and I might go back to white or stay with the lilac color.

R also went ahead and painted the wall area around the wall heater which was never painted after the heater was replaced a couple of years ago:

The paint color changes with the amount of light
(You can clearly see the missing wallpaper border)

The hallway ceiling too, was repaired:

Hallway Ceiling Repair

And a crack in the ceiling between the living room and dining area was also patched up:

Dining Area Ceiling Patch

R painted over the patch, but, the new white paint he used was whiter than the rest of the ceiling and he told me I should get the whole ceiling painted (just as he did with the kitchen ceiling).  Yes, actually, I want to get the whole house painted, but, that's a project for another day.  For now, I am glad that these repairs were done. 

Before he left for the day, R also fixed new hinges to a bathroom cabinet door that had fallen off (daughter had fixed it, earlier, but, it came off, again) and the towel railing in my bathroom that had come off the wall.  What a blessing to have all those repairs done!

I am so grateful for:
- Neighbor E helping me with this project
- R for all the work he did
- Finally getting this repair project done and crossed off my list!

Now, to tackle the rest of the 101 projects on my Mile Long To Do List!  

Do you, too, have a Mile Long To Do List?

Thriving in April

New Neptune Rose

I am continuing with my quest to thrive each month and here's my review of April:

Spiritual:

I ended March with a visit to the temple and I am counting that as part of my spiritual thriving in April, as well.  In addition, I spoke with the monks at the temple several times during the month, listened to chantings of blessings online, and kept my spiritual side thriving with daily prayers, meditation, and doing my best to live my life according to the teachings of my religion.  

Daughter:

My daughter, who had been with me from the 1st of November, left at the beginning of April.  I missed her when she left, but, I was happy that she was able to stay with me for as long as she did. We continue to keep in touch through daily phone calls, texts, and video chats.  I am happy to say that our relationship is thriving.  

Health & Well Being:

April was a relatively uneventful month where my health was concerned.  I didn't hear anything more about getting authorization for the referral to a specialist as these things seem to take a long time, these days (I'm planning to do a follow-up phone call in mid-May).  In the meantime, I scheduled two lab tests for upcoming doctors' appointments (which are scheduled later in May).  I didn't lose any weight in April, but, I maintained the weight loss from earlier, which makes me happy.   

Family, Friends, & Community:

I kept in touch with family and friends by phone (mostly), emails, texts, etc.  But, there were a few in-person visits, too, and lots of sharing of food.  One of my friends, who gave daughter a ride to the airport at the beginning of the month, brought me a Vietnamese banh mi sandwich when she came to pick up my daughter.  I had been invited to Easter lunch by my late friend A's family, but, I declined because there were other guests who had also been invited and I didn't feel comfortable about being without my mask among so many people.  Friend S  visited  on Easter Sunday and brought me a lovely dinner of Sri Lankan rice and curries.  Friend R visited me on Easter Monday and, later in the evening on Easter Monday, my late friend A's daughter visited and brought me a plate of food.  I participated in the blogging community, too, and interacted with some of my neighbors.  I'm pleased with the amount of interaction with my family, friends, and community, in April, and I feel that this area of my life is thriving.

Finances:

I was able to keep my finances maintained, more or less, in April.  I went over my grocery budget, mostly due to stocking up when deals were available.  However, I had unspent funds in the car gas budget to transfer and cover the additional grocery spending, so it all evened out in the end.  As one of my friends emailed me, "New month, New budget!"

Time Management:

I feel I did a little better with my time management in April, although I have procrastinated on paperwork, especially filing!  But, the things that needed to be done on time were done on time and I am counting that as a win.  There is room for improvement, however.  

Leisure/Hobbies/Crafting:

April's leisure/hobbies/crafting activities included reading, knitting, gardening, watching videos online, and participating in a monthly photo challenge.  I feel that I thrived in this area of my life. 

House:

I focused on spring cleaning in April and I am happy to say that I made a lot of progress on that front.  The house has been made presentable and that continues into May because I am finally having some much needed repairs done! I am thankful to have a home that is comfortable and pleasant and home maintenance will continue in May, too.

Garden:

The garden continued to thrive in April.  The flowers bloomed, the fruit trees started to set fruit, the first blueberries were picked, new seeds were planted, and I've posted garden updates all month!       

All in all, the month of April has been good and conducive to thriving.  Everything is not quite how I would like it to be, but, I am focused on the positives, making the best of things, and thriving to the extent that I can.

How was your April?   Were you able to attain some of the goals you had made for the month?

Monthly Photo Challenge: April - Leaf/Leaves

Eileen at A Bracelet of Days, has started her monthly photo challenges, again.  The theme for April was Leaf/Leaves.   Here are the photos I took for this challenge:

Variegated Schefflera

California White Sage

Lemon Grass

Asian Pear

Raspberry

Dusty Miller

Croton

Succulent

Avocado

California Poppy

The theme for May is "Circle/Circular"; if anyone is interested in participating, the rules are a minimum of five photos taken during the month (no archive photos, no upper limit).

Thank you, Eileen, for restarting the monthly photo challenge.  

The Back Garden in April

 

The Back Garden in April

Shall we take a quick tour of the back garden so see how it looked at the end of April?

The bottlebrush tree:

The Bottlebrush Tree in Bloom

Nearby, the trellis that M and I made, which looked like this when we first made it in mid-April 2024

The Trellis and Star Jasmine Vine - April 2024

Now looks like this, one year later:

Star Jasmine Vine
(and Asparagus plumosus)

The star jasmine vine has been joined on the trellis by an asparagus plumosa (also known as asparagus setaceus) vine which I've tried to remove, but, which keeps coming back!

Star Jasmine and Asparagus Plumosa Vines

Star Jasmine Flowers

I've finally decided to let it grow and try to keep it under control by pruning it (it threatens to take over the garden if not kept pruned).

Asparagus plumosus ( aka setaceus)

Next to the trellis with the vines, we have the feijoa (pineapple guava) tree, which is flowering right now:

Feijoa (Pineapple Guava) Flowers

The orange tree grows in front of the feijoa tree and the new oranges are forming, while the last of the previous crop of oranges are still on the tree:

Orange Tree

The peach tree is across the garden from the orange tree:

The Peach Tree 

Nearby, the iceberg rose standard that M rescued (another client wanted it removed from her garden) is flowering:

Iceberg Roses

As is the purple Martha Washington geranium:

Purple Martha Washington Geraniums

Meanwhile the was bean seedlings have sprouted:

Wax Bean Seedlings

Closer to the house, the "stonery" is starting to come along very nicely:

The "Stonery" - Side View

The "scaredy cat" plants are flowering, as is the cabbage plant, the kangaroo paw plant, and the hellebore.

The Stonery - Front View

At the very end of the stonery, there is a planter with a chive plant that is flowering:

Chives

And, just behind the stonery, we have the blueberry bushes:

Blueberry Bushes

Those are the highlights of the back garden in April.  

As always, I am grateful for:

- Having a back garden
- M's help with the garden
- All the fruit trees and the flowers
- The pollinators who visit the garden and make the fruits possible
- Water for the garden

I hope you enjoyed the tour of the back garden.