November in my yard, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.
I’m suffering with my sinuses today, so decided to pop a Sudafed and take a walk around the yard. The Burning bush is really gorgeous this year! I’m still lucky to have some flowers blooming too. It’s rather dismal outside today, but seeing these bright colors lifted my spirits.
The outside is beckoning for me with these kinds of temps. Actually, it’s a bit warm to do stuff that is too strenuous, but I guess I can hose down the items in the last post!
Happy Thanksgiving to our Canadian neighbors! Also Happy Birthday to my pal Carole (at Pea’s Corner) who is celebrating both Thanksgiving and her birthday today.
I was invited to her tea party and graciously attended!
Rant-Last weekend I helped Sean with a summary. I didn’t rewrite the paper, just suggest wording and order-he still got a ‘C’! The prof is just too picky or narrow minded. Sean is to read a 6+ page paper that is mostly about research. The prof already gives his summary of the article and then asks the class to answer a question or two in 200 words or less. To think he will be happy to get a ‘C’ is sad. Too bad the prof is treating seniors like freshman. I feel bad because Sean really tried hard this last time around. And to think he has the same prof next semester!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I think I’ll be finished a cross stitched piece tonight after over 2 months of working on it. I’m so ready to do something else!
Packing up the lawn ornaments, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.
I have ‘things’ scattered in various gardens around the house that are getting put away soon. For instance, there are mostly squirrels in here that are looking a bit green and sad from spending months and months outside. Since we’re going to have good weather, I’ll give them a little spray with bleach. I also double check to see if I really want to keep them. It would be a good time to clean the beds out better to avoid all the work I have to do in March and April.
Unfortunately between planting 20 odd iris rhizomes and playing Word Twist like a maniac last night ( Bri was helping), I had a achy left hand until 4 am when I finally went looking for an ace bandage and the icy hot. It’s much better now! Bri was wearing one on his knee. The price for yardwork!
Rant-
I bought a tiny pot roast (they call it oven) for dinner. It was like 1.5 pds and cost $8 and was fatty, tough and horrible. I want to complain, but the local store has a large patronage of shoppers. The Hispanic shoppers tend to go in one day and buy an entire cart of meat. Frankly, they don’t care what I say, as they are making money off of unsuspecting people. But if they are trying to sell cheaper cuts of meat for ‘oven roasts’ then I am perturbed. I think I’ll buy my roasts elsewhere. Dang, I’m hungry right now.
October Nasturtiums, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.
Not to bump my Photo Hunt (which no one seems to comment on anymore), but I was amazed to see all these amazing colors of nasturtiums while I walked the cat last night. I had to run in and grab the camera. If anyone wants any seeds, I’m trying to save them as I find them.
Today I dug up about 5 or so clumps of irises and separated them into about 25-30 individual plants. Not an easy task. I replanted about 20 and almost had a heat stroke (it’s in the 70s today). Bri did help me rake the bed out. I had a hayfever attack beforehand. I’m so happy to save my beautiful flowers and get more! I’m going to need a bigger garden soon!
I went outside to look around yesterday. I’m pretty much through with gardening until I have to put all the decorations away, which is a back breaking job in itself. My back wasn’t good yesterday and I made it a little worse watering potted plants after dinner. My heating pad isn’t working that great and I even tried the infrared thing-a-ma-jig. Bri found some Therma-care heat wraps and so far the one I have on is awesome. It’s like having little warm peebles on your back. It seems to be getting hotter, so I better watch that. I need the winter to get myself ‘fixed’ and ‘rested’ again.
So enough rambling! My mom went back to the eye doctor and he took a stitch out of her repaired right eye. Imagine laying there while he did that! He still wants to see her again on Friday and her next surgery may be postponed until she can see better. I was hoping she would be lots better by now, but it was a hard cataract.
Heard brother #2 went to see Joe Biden last night at Linvilla Orchards, a neat place we use to go to all the time as kids. They had hay bales there for the people to sit on. I believe Gov. Rendell was there too.
Here’s what I found out in the herb bed, munching on fennel and dill:
I think there were about 20 Monarch butterfly caterpillars on these herbs! I guess since I’m not using them, they decided to move in!
Also did a little art last night. A few more Skinny cards. My flickr pal had sent me one, so I made her one too:
Found the neat weathervane in an old American history book, the crow from an old bird guide, and the stone wall is from a desk calendar.
And I thought this turned out cute:
I call it ‘Dear Child’
Later the Dishnet guy is suppose to come upgrade the tv. He cancelled out on Monday due to van issues. Bri had to call to reschedule since I wasn’t the name on the account, they wouldn’t let me do so! I was the one who scheduled it in the first place. Needless to say, I was a bit steamed. It better be so worth the hassle.
I’ll show an update of ‘Sleeping Kitty’ later. I’ve been working on him diligently as I want a finish to frame soon. I also want to do a few Halloween designs from the JCS Halloween issue. I have a little Halloween tree for such things with little round orange lights. Someday I’ll take photos of some more of my autumn decor.
This little guy has been on this wee lily pad all day it seems. He let me take his photo several times-must be use to me outside! Not one waterlily bloomed this summer and I usually get one for goodness sakes. We still have warm days ahead. And I do remember tossing food into the planters also.
 |
Not to insult any living being, I chose wrinkled things from nature.
This is a nasturtium bloom. It’s a gorgeous orangey red. I had bought a few packets of seeds and went around and poked seeds everywhere, simple as that. I am now getting rewarded by these surprise gems in all hues. And you can eat them too-they taste peppery. Here’s a yellow one with the sun shining on it brightly:
They tend to love the dry and sunny conditions we are experiencing now here in PA.
Today I am feeling that lighthouse climb even more. The front of my thighs hurt yesterday, but they are really complaining today. As is my back. Thank goodness for the heating pad, icy hot and massage pad! I went out last night and started to pull weeds. Then I was pulling grass out of the brick sidewalk. I even had Bri leaning over pulling grass out of it. Martha Stewart is pulling weeds (maybe), they are so bad this year. You can see why I’m so sore. It’s a good pain as I feel like I did something worthwhile. Sean bought me a weedwacker last year, but it’s so big, or I am so short (even after adjusting the handle part) I have trouble using it.
I will say the pond looks nice, despite the weeds. I have to get the fountain part to work again, more leaning over:
I have a few different kinds of water plants in there besides waterlilies (which didn’t bloom in either water container I have them in). I have water hyacinth and a Canna lily plus that plant that looks like little umbrellas. The waterfall has a piece of old tv glass in it.
Bri is with his dad today as he has a sore on his stomach that won’t heal-he’s at the wound center of the hospital over near where he lives. He was in the hospital about 4 yrs ago with one on his leg. Daddo is also having dental problems and can’t chew that well. It will take over a month for his bridge to be fixed. I think the time may be near for him to move into an assisted living place. He’s getting frail and I know he is probably lonesome. I bet he would be popular as he likes to tell jokes and talk about money. Bri would have to fix up the old homestead over there-like get a new roof and some cosmetic things. It’s in a nice area on the other side of Chester County.
Sean wants to go to Walmart soon and I need to get a few things too.
And thanks so much to Jennifer from Sweet Pea Stitches for this award:
I send it back to her:
I’m to pick 7 blogs altogether and tell the recipients they got the award.
Ok, this is difficult, but I pick:
Carole of Pea’s Corner
Barb of Mainely Stitching
Zoey of Perennial Passion
Lee of Lake Stitcher
Kelli of There is no place like home
Emily of The Floss Box.
For our mini, last of the summer, before Sean goes back to PSU vacation, we are going to Atlantic City for a couple of days and staying at Caesars! Many of you know, my father-in-law takes the bus down there weekly. I was getting tired of the ho-hum (but peaceful) last few places we’ve gone. I sit on the beach and that’s about it. At least there is more stuff to see and do here. We could only get a Sunday through Tuesday reservation. Bri’s dad has rewards, so that saved up tremendously on the room- a big thing. We are taking my mom. Even if she can’t walk around a lot, she can certainly see something different right in the casino. The beach is nicer too, so Sean says from his excursion last weekend. I’m not a gambler. I’ll play a little, but I keep thinking-gee with that $20 I could have gotten lots of stuff at Michael’s Craft store. : )
Not much else is new. I can’t do much outside because of the heat and humidity. The grass is drying up. The weeds are taking over. I don’t care right now. I’ve been making ATCs to keep me busy. Also been running out every night to water things I can’t enjoy during the day. Sean and Bri help a bit with that. I should be cleaning, but that’s too much work in the heat, even when you have air, you still get hot, especially at my age.
I may be going out with Sean in a few hours to do a little of shopping. His friends are all tied up doing other things, so he relies on me sometimes. I don’t mind one bit.
A couple of my new ATC-homage to historic figures:
And this Stargazer lily, which is in a pot, smells delightful!
|
| Grab the Scavenger Hunt code.Photo Theme. Join the blogroll. Visit participants. |
‘When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are….’
This little critter reminds me of Jiminy Cricket, I can’t help it! And look! He was posing for me and I didn’t even know it-can you see him on the right there? LOL (No photoshopping either!)
Collages & Creative Goodness 