Much Work; Little Reward

It's been a hot, hot two days with rain forecasted for Memorial Day. The rain is much needed; I stare at my landscaping beds that look as parched as the Sahara Desert and I wonder if I'm supposed to water them. Then again, maybe a little dying off isn't a bad thing. I have so …

Finally Flowers

Spring came pretty early here and then stalled and stalled and stalled. I left town at the beginning of April, feeling a little sad that I would miss some of my spring blooms. When I returned a month later, nothing much had happened other than some weeds grew. Throughout the month of May, the cooler …

Johnny Appleseed

Warning: This is a long, rambling post. I know I have written about the many landscaping beds in my yard. In fact, my first post was about my umbrella tree. In case you don't remember, I brutally pruned a tree from this  to this. I was sure it was much happier to be shapelier and …

I’ve Been-a Travelin’

I took a little break from life to go visit family and friends for several weeks. It was most lovely to spend a lot of time with my mom and dad. I got see my brother's family for a weekend and see my nephews play soccer. As an added bonus, I spent time with my …

Spring Springing Up

The crocuses have joined the snowdrops in pushing their way toward the above ground world. All around, there are several other green stalks emerging, yet they conceal their eventual color addition to the grey and brown world. Today, I broke out of my lazy iPhone camera mode and took some photos with one of my …

So Long, Farewell; Auf Wiedersehen, Goodnight

I have come up with the name for my one woman remodeling company: She Shirks. Lately, She Shirks has been quite negligent in getting anything done. Usually, the benefit of having a company do your remodeling work is that you come home, open the door, and exclaim, Wow, this looks [insert superlative]! Not me. I come home, …

Find of the Week

Copyright 1957 Replace the fourteen-year-old with a middle-aged woman and the Budapest boarding house with an 1800 Cape Cod and it's clearly a story about me. A must buy at 99 cents.  

Underground Secrets

A while back, someone asked me what hidden surprises I had turned up in my house. She meant the question it in a bad way...everyone who has ever owned a house fears discovering a big problem that requires substantial money and/or time to repair. At the time, I hadn't discovered Honey's penchant for long nails, …

Evolution of a Shelving Unit

This one-woman remodeling company I hired is slower than molasses. Oh wait, that's me. Well, at least the labor is free. It feels like I've been working on the shelving above my sink area for ages. A reminder of the initial piece on the left: After I pulled down the shelf, I painted the wall …

Swimming Pools Are Nice

I work out with a trainer once or twice a week at a gym at my workplace. My trainer's name is Dave the Trainer. Dave the Trainer is great...he is positive and encouraging. He makes me feels strong and powerful, even when I'm not. Dave the Trainer is good at focusing on small gains which …