Weary Wednesday.

We waited until almost 7a.m. for the rain to die down and it did. Ezekial , the dog that attacked Bandit, and his owner were on Main Street headed toward their house as we headed toward Main. She could barely restrain him. We actually backed up a bit because I thought he was going to get loose. 

Frightening way to start the day.

Rain had restarted before we even reached the bridge. Bandit must have been cold or achy; he asked to come home before we got to the Post Office corner. How did he ask? He partially turned then stopped in his tracks and looked back at me with his body pointing behind me. He's a smart dog.

I'm rather achy myself this morning. Knees have been swollen for days and right hip, lower back and shin painful. Gonna take some ibuprofen and put the heating pad on for a bit.

Beets have started sprouting. Spinach is getting bigger. Started getting the third raised bed ready for planting by trying to incorporate the peat moss with the soil. Hard work when the soil was wet to start with. Kohlrabi in the front beds continues to grow. No sign of the Columbian scattered last year. Thinking of trying another bleeding heart on the north side of the porch.

Tuesday Transition.

The transition from Winter to Spring is usually a gradual back and forth from warm to cold and back again. This year is no different. Today the high is expected to reach 66. By Thursday temps will drop back down to the 20s with snow in the forecast.

We'll take advantage of the warmth and spend most of the day outside. Playing in the dirt. Preparing the soil for planting. Opening the raised bed covers so the baby plants don't cook.

Monday Mayhem.

March goes out like a baby lion. Overnight snow. Yuck.

Serene Sunday.

Decided to get another five bags of soil and they are being delivered today. Need some of them to build up the soil in the flower garden. Before that can happen the weeds need pulled. And before that can happen the swelling in my knees needs to go down.

Going to rain the better part of the day. Saves me from watering the garden.

Have to put the straw in the shed so it doesn't get wet and the rest of the day is free - kinda, sorta.

Am making stuffing and roasting a whole chicken. Time to put together a few dinners to freeze.

Forgot to turn the heater back on last night, so it was 60 inside this morning. Put a sweatshirt and winter hat on. Soon that will be turned off until fall.

Got 1890 points on the Daily Crossword on AARP's website. That's the highest score possible. Feel like I should play the lottery.

Instead I'll walk Bandit before the deluge begins.

May your day be filled with blessings. 

Strenuous Saturday.

One thirty in the afternoon and Bandit and i just came in from working in the garden. Well, I was working. He was watching.

Shelled out $150 for fifteen bags of garden soil and a bag of peat moss. Add that to the three bags of soil, two more bags of peat moss, soil acidifier, vegetable fertilizer, a bale of cut straw for mulch, and 16 Mary Washington asparagus plants for an additional $100. 

Good thing that's a one-time cost. Plus, I'll get more vegetables than that from the garden this year. Hopefully enough to freeze and can.

Prepared the small raised bed with six bags of garden soil and one of peat moss. A generous scoop of black cow was placed under a couple inches of soil in each of the fourteen asparagus mounds. Then the plants were covered with soil, watered in and mulched with the aforementioned straw.

I'm done in. Going to rehydrate and rest for a bit. 

Friday Progress Report.

Three loads if laundry yesterday and washed the bed sheets Wednesday. So very nice to sleep on sheets dried outside. All the clothes smell great from being in the fresh air.

Three of the blueberry bushes that were close to the house foundation were moved along the split rail fence where the raised bed sat before it got moved to the fenced garden. Added Miracle Grow Garden Soil to the area and scratched in some soil acidifier. Will be pruning the Hydrangea soon and putting acidifier on the soil there as well. Perhaps the blossoms will be blue this year.

Nice to have all the raised beds inside the fence. Lot more work remains in the garden. Soil arrives tomorrow.

Shopping today. Yee-haw.

Thursday.

Woke up this morning. Smile to greet the day. Three little kitties perched on my back porch. They weren't singing sweet songs. They were waiting for breakfast. Which they got.

More rain predicted today, but I should be able to get some seeds started. Have to either go grocery shopping or make bread. Probably grocery shopping. Ham is on sale for $1.49 a pound and it's the good Sugardale spiral ham. Yum. Time to soak some navy beans.

Hurt my leg yesterday lifting soil. Have two more bags plus peat moss and straw mulch to move before I can go shopping. *sigh* 

Later on...

Ah, the best laid plans of mice and men.

Had a few drops of rain this morning, but it turned into a gorgeous day. So gorgeous the raised bed greenhouse topper is being left open overnight. The low is only going down to 54 degrees. Unreal for March in PA.

Spent a bit of time in the vegetable garden. Moved the 3' x 3' garden box and moved the butterfly bush where it had sat. Was so heavy I had to shovel it out before moving; took two wheelbarrows. The 3-by is now in the corner formerly occupied by three little boxes. Not sure where those boxes will end up.

Transplanted a couple more houseplants. Never did make it to the store. 

Tomorrow is another day.

Wet Wednesday.

Bandit got drenched on our morning stroll even though we didn't go far (across the bridge to the corner and back).

I stayed pretty dry until I looked at the temperature (48) and needed to open the raised bed greenhouses and set out the bird feeders.

Am back inside now. Dried off and sipping a cuppa. Wondering what kind of bird makes that weird chirp only to discover after it becomes rhythmic that the noise is Bandit snoring. Gonna be a two cup morning.

W brought the fourth raised bed over already made so we had to carry it to the garden. It was rather heavy.  He insisted on putting it where the butterfly bush is. I could see his point, so that's where it sits. I pray I don't kill the bush by moving it.

Supposed to rain most of today. Free watering for the garden. Will also give this old body a chance to recuperate and maybe play with some embroidery.

Tuesday Tasks.

Yesterday I planted garlic and onions in the beet/kohlrabi/kale raised bed. 

W and his brother-in-law came over in the afternoon and the three of us moved the one raised bed that was out front into the fenced garden area. Took a while. Had to stop every ten feet or so because it was so heavy. Even then, the three of us are all hurting. My knee is sore and swollen; liniment helps with the sore muscles. 

W's coming back over today to put together another raised bed. Smaller than the other three; they are 8 x 4 - this will be 6 x 3. That's OK. More room to plant. Will still have to dig a bed for the asparagus. Thinking of putting it right in the middle of the garden.

Guess I'd better walk Bandit and straighten up the house. 

Monday Morning.

Woke up out of a dead sleep at 2 a.m. and had the hardest time getting back to sleep. Still not quite sure what was going on. Had forgotten to turn the thermostat back up last night and inside had dropped to 60. A few degrees too cool for this hothouse flower and for bonehead who probably has a bit of arthritis. Clicked it up to take the chill off. Tossed and turned and finally conked out.

Now it's 7 a.m. The cats and dog are fed. Dog has been walked. Litter boxes cleaned. Garbage gathered and set by the curb in time for the 8:00 a.m. borough pick up. Paper retrieved from the delivery box. Bird feeders hung back up. Still have vacuum and mopping floors.

First flock of geese flew overhead while we were on doo-ty. Heard them honking before we saw them Thought at first it was the pair that nests up Droney way. Watched them fly to the southeast following the Tunungwat Creek to the marshes on hilltop.

Got a reminder this morning to stop worrying so much. Went out to feed the ferals and none of them were there. Not even Little Bit who sleeps in the heated cat house every night. Did my heart good to see her watching me when I went to hang the feeders.

Some of last years garlic and onions have sprouted and are slated for planting today. Weather forecast for next several days is hot, hot, hot. Am taking advantage and getting plants replanted and starting seeds. 

Sunday Sunshine.

Hung a load of laundry on the clothesline for the first time this year. Warm temps and a steady breeze had them dry and smelling fresh in a few hours. What a blessing to be able to hang clothes outside to dry. Saves a lot of money on the electric bill too.

Turned the heat off and opened the windows again this afternoon. Nice to get some fresh air in the house.

Have been opening the raised bed toppers every day so the spinach and chard don't get fried. Planted beets, kohlrabi and purple kale today. Gathered a flat to start seeds in and inventoried pots on hand. Need a bunch of clay pots. 

Sat in the sun and read most of the day. Did manage to paint the spindles and frame on the porch gate. One chore off my list. 

Am supposed to be getting help moving the front raised bed and getting another built inside the garden fence. Perhaps they will help fix the fence as well.

Saturday Smatterday.

Chilly start to the day - 17 degrees. Fed everyone and read The Mote in God's Eye for a few minutes before Bandit asked to go O U T. I called Kiki when I set the for the little ferals, so I shouldn't have been surprised to see him on the front porch. Grabbed a can of food for him and he was just finishing up when Bandit and I got back from doo-doo duty.

Walked in the house and could smell that the coffee was going to taste weak. That reminded me of Gran. She always made her coffee in a percolator. It tasted fine when I was a teen, but after being out in the world it tasted really, really weak. I can picture her kitchen like I was standing there. The copper jello molds above avocado green cupboards with strawberry patterned contact paper inlaid in the center. Woven baskets hanging from the ceiling. The faded pink spice containers and the strawberry shaped cookie jar. Cookbooks lined up on one side of the countertop; canisters on the other. Toaster oven. Microwave. Her big kitchen table with the strawberry tablecloth; a pink stoneware lazy Susan in the middle. A radio atop the fridge with a basket to hold her double deck of cards that she played solitairre with every morning.

You could say I miss her.

Friday Progress Report.

Other than a touch up and a couple coats of polyurethane, the sign for W is complete. Turned out quite nice.

Switched Bandit over to chicken and rice to try to start him losing weight. Have been walking him locally; trying to get in two miles a day. The warm days we do pretty well. Not so good when the thermometer falls below freezing.

My personal diet was going well until I made spaghetti sauce with meat.  Next couple days will be high calorie as well. The sauce becomes Spanish rice and stuffing for the last of the green peppers from the garden. Supposed to be in the 60s the next few days, so perhaps I'll be able to work off some of the extra calories. 

Thankful Thursday.

Cold and rainy outside this morning. Headed out for our morning walk accompanied by KiKi the wandering feral cat, who I'm always happy to see visiting the feeders. We all started down the poop trail and it was so muddy we headed back in as soon as Bandit finished his do-do. Didn't want a repeat of yesterday's mud-fest. Hopefully it'll warm up soon and we can do a quick walk to town; have to mail some letters anyway.

Not feeling all that great today. Have had a sore throat for the last couple days and eyes are swollen pretty bad. Those Restasis eye drops burn my eyes still. The over the counter ones help more. Have been putting compresses on them to ease the pain; hot makes them feel good, cold does as well and takes down the swelling. Benadryl to the rescue. Thankfully, it's only a couple more weeks until my dermatology appointment. 

Started a load of laundry while I wait for the space heater to warm up the bathroom. Should probably just bite the bullet and shower in the little bathroom; being next to the forced air furnace it's the warmest room in the house.

Time to put a compress on these old eyes. Here's hoping you are in good health and spirits. 

I think of you often.

p.s. (Watched Honey Bun try to have his way Little Bit this morning. Lifted him off her by the scruff of the neck, but he persisted. She snagged him with her claws and ran away. He still persisted. Guess that's just what happens out in the wild. Would protect her if I could. Really don't want to scare him away; he deserves a safe haven too. Too many humans are mean to feral cats. Shame some humans persist in this behavior.)

Warmish Wednesday.

Well it's definitely March. One day it's warm, the next day it's cold, and sometimes it's both in the same day. This morning we got up and it was freezing outside - literally 32°. This afternoon was 57 degrees. I'm so ready for spring to begin.

Bandit hung out with me in the back yard while I raked up some leaves and seeds/litter under the bird feeders. Lotsa bunny poop out there.

Forgot to take the feeders down last night and the deer emptied two of the feeders. 

Went for a walk up Main Street and down along High Street Extension. Took the branch that leads to Tunungwant Creek; climbed the hill and got back onto what I call the 'road to Droney'. Got back onto High Street Extension and someone had posted No Trespassing signs all along the road. Guess we won't be approaching Droney Road from there anymore. 

Bandit was so muddy by the time we got back home I locked him on the back porch until I could wash him down. What a mess! 

The feral kitties are enjoying the warm weather. Little Bit is the kitty on the railing and Honey Bun is napping in the chair. Photo is from my "kitty cam".

Two-fer Tuesday.

The lettering on W's sign has been painted. 

A thin coat of polyurethane has been applied to seal the lettering while the design is being painted to facilitate any necessary corrections. 

Somehow it's easy to use a cotton swab to delete mistakes when you don't have to worry about erasing the underlying design. 

This is a trick I learned when learning how to paint the Zhostovo style of folk art.

Whatever did we do before YouTube?

My lovers birthday is today. Here's a couple songs that make me think of him. 

Nights In White Satin

Angel Of The Morning

Monday, Monday.

Cracked the seal on the Captain Morgan rum last night. Was in a rotten mood. Took Bandit to one of the oil roads off Droney for our afternoon walk. All was well until we got back to the car to head home. He wouldn't get in the car. In the process of trying to lift him in, I probably hurt him a little and got mud all over my down jacket. I don't know why I got so angry. I actually yelled at him and scared him. 

I'm such a jerk. He's been moping around the house for weeks. Not quite sure why. Poor puppy. 

Cold out again today so I'll be doing some inside projects. The lettering is completed on W's sign. Will probably sketch the background in.

Later tater.

Sunday Shifting Time.

Well, Daylight Saving Time (DST) started and my 4:30 a.m. wake up changed to 5:30 a.m. and is now an acceptable hour to rise and greet the day. 

Lots of folks kvetch about the loss of sleep and I can empathize  with those who work for a living. For me DST is a return to normal. There's nothing that sets a good tone for the day  like waking up in time to watch the sun coloring the sky and clouds with shades of red, yellow or purple.

Saw deer crossing Main Street during this mornings walk. Usually we see them in the back yard at the bird feeders. They haven't bothered the feeders lately, probably because I ran out of the birdfood with cherries and peanuts. When I remember, I still move them to the porch at night.  Sunflower seeds may be  inexpensive, but they aren't free.

Working on a sign for W today. Hope to transfer and paint in the lettering today. His 69th birthday is Tuesday.

Saturday Shivers.

Had to wear the down jacket for this mornings walk. Beautiful sky even if ye old thermometer reads nineteen degrees.

Baked Peasant Bread yesterday. Recipe was so easy I'll definitely make it again. Am munching a slice now to soak up some of this strong, black coffee. Bandit sat beside me whining for a taste, but I held firm and ate it all myself. He retreated to his safe haven under the kitchen table to mope. His begging has gotten all out of hand.

Reviewed last years garden notes and am in the process of planning the crops for this year. Adding bok choy to the rotation and removing winter squash; will still grow pumpkins. Spinach and Swiss chard are already growing under the plastic greenhouse. Have to learn more about greenhouse growing and schedule planting accordingly.

Pruned the plum trees; noticed they are budding out already. Too early. Last year they were beautiful, but a hard frost in late May killed the blossoms. No fruit at all last year. The robins are back so perhaps Spring will come early. We can dream, eh?

Lobbed some of the side branches off  the pruned apple tree limbs for use staking plants in the garden.

Gotta work on W's sign till it warms up outside.

I love and miss you, Mommy.

Friday Lack of Progress.

Spring cleaning continued until I stepped outside and realized how warm it was. Sixty-three degrees. 

It was so warm I turned the furnace off and opened a couple windows. Forgot to turn it back on and the house temp this morning was sixty four, which explains why I slept so well.

Bandit and I spent a good part of the day in the back yard. 

He "supervised" the construction of a second raised bed greenhouse topper while searching for bunny poop to eat. Yuck, right?

Was a bit windy so the cover kept trying to blow away before I could get it secured.In the process I tore off one of the corner tie down ribbons and sewing it back on got added to the to do list. It's up now and an old ratchet  strap was cut in two and repurposed to further secure both toppers. 

The ramp from Chewy arrived as promised. It's heavier than anticipated, but I can still lift it. 

In the afternoon I gathered the empty water jugs and we headed first to the spring to fill them then on to Kinzua Bridge State Park. Oh yeah, Bandit wouldn't use the ramp. We'll have to work on that. We were the only people in the park for the first half hour. Had to take a picture because it's the first time we've seen it empty like that. It was quite nice.

Replanted the yellow angel wing Begonia and the larger of the jade plants. Have to purchase some six or eight inch clay pots for all the Aloe Vera plants. 

Time to make coffee and get this day started.

How many days until Spring?

Thursday Tidbits.

Yesterday's daytime temperatures reached a whopping sixty-three. In Pennsylvania. In March. Simply lovely.

Moved a couple cushioned chairs from the shed to the back porch. Today is going to be more of the same weather-wise, so the porch might get that overdue scrubbing.

Checked the status of the Chewy order. It's eta is today. Incredible turnaround time! 

What a World Wednesday.

Saw the sun working its way over the hill this morning and I simply had to stop and watch the world waking up. Can you believe this photo was taken in the center of town? 

Been busy doing nothing for the last few days. You know, playing video games, bingeing sitcom and sci-fi shows on Amazon Prime and CBS All Access.

*sigh*

To give myself a bit of credit, I've also started Spring cleaning. The open shelves and countertops have been cleaned and rearranged. The same needs to be done with the cupboards. Plus, the cupboards need repainted. Luckily the paint was purchased on the last jaunt to town.

It's been warm enough that Bandit and I have taken longer than normal walks. His hip dysplasia has him not wanting to get back in the car after our hikes. He needs to exercise to lose weight to perhaps ease his aching joints. Poor puppy. He tries so hard. Because he's my pal and I love him, I've ordered a folding ramp from Chewy to make it easier to get in the SUV.

Gonna be another warm day. Time to do some outside chores. 

Toodles.

Thankful Thursday.

This photo is the path at Marilla Bridges Trail where we walked yesterday. Look at all the little Hemlock branches littering the ground. Each time I see the dieing trees my heart breaks a little. The tiny Hemlock Wooly Adelgid insect has destroyed so many Hemlocks. Hemlocks that provide shade to trout streams and shelter to countless birds and squirrels, etc. 

We don't hike here often in the winter because the bridges and path can be a bit slippery. It's still a lovely walk. 

Today I'm grateful to be alive when our forests are still in relatively good shape. 

Wacky Wednesday.

Henrietta visits me each morning when I type this blog. She gives a little meow and hops up. Isn't she pretty? She's turned into a really sweet cat.

Gosh. This mornings walk actually felt warm compared to the last couple of days. The winds calming down might have something to do with that. Only twenty-five degrees Fahrenheit right now with a forecasted high of 47. Yippee! Am gonna take Bandit to Marilla Bridges Trail. 

Before heading to TOPS yesterday, I balanced my checkbook. Have been fifty cents off for a couple months now so made the appropriate adjustment. Then I did a little dreaming and went on the Tractor Supply website and it let me put the raised bed greenhouse topper in my cart. OMG! It was back in stock! I bought it and some Organic Seed Starter mix.

Grabbed my grocery list as soon as I got the ready to pick up email and headed out.

Got as far as Owens Way before remembering the ornaments. Ah, well. Today is another day. 

Spoke with daughter and got a helpful hint about starting green pepper seed. She puts the planted seeds atop the refrigerator because it's warm there. She also exposes a tiny portion of the seed to light. Am going to try this.

Seventeen days until SPRING!

TOPS Tuesday. Belated Christmas Ornaments.

While drafting my grocery list yesterday, read that TOPS has a Young at Heart giving Senior Citizens an additional 6% savings on the first Tuesday of every month. Being thrifty, I'm signing up today. 

Also on today's schedule is mailing out some Christmas ornaments for my new little cousins and my aunt, who is going to deliver them to the little ones. Me being frugal again - shipping to one location instead of four. UPS is pretty good about not breaking things, but there's enough bubble wrap and air pillows in the closet to protect them. Sure hope they like them.

The First Day of March is on a Monday.

My Christmas Cactus is loaded with buds and starting to bloom. Yippee! More pretty flowers to brighten the day!

Tigger started bugging me at 4 a.m.; walking on me, meowing, looking for my water glass (not there). Naughty, naughty kitty. Fed everyone at 5 a.m. when I finally gave up on sleeping. 

Kiki was around yesterday and again this morning. 

Am trying to wait for the sun to come up before walking Bandit. There's a lot of ice out on the trail. Might have to walk him toward town. Thirty-seven degrees outside right now; warmest it's going to be all day. 

You know that old saying "March either comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb or comes in like a lamb and goes out like a lion"? Well, here's hoping the next few days of cold temps mean it's going to go out like a lamb. 

I'm ready for Spring!

There was a very cold, brisk wind on our walk partway to town. Was grateful for the down jacket W gave me two years ago. At least most of me was warm (should-a worn the neoprene face mask). With all the partially melted snow and ice and gravel on top of it all, walking on our new sidewalks is rather unsafe. We didn't even make it as far as the bridge. 

The sun has risen and the kitties and I have been watching both the birdies at the feeders and the occasional snowflake or three. 

Time for some chores.