Weekend pictures

Smiling, happy George.

The zinnia patch is butterfly heaven these days.

An owl watched us start off on our evening walk with the dogs from the power line.

End of summer wrap up

As hard as it is to believe, summer (at least for me) is winding down. The teachers in our district returned to work last week, and tomorrow is the first day back for students. I know that by most standards this is very early, but since we're on a modified year-round schedule, everyone returns sooner than they used to. Summer feels done when school starts back, no matter what the calendar says. Or the thermometer, for that matter. *

I was thinking this morning about what the last few months have been like and the things I've neglected to make note of on the blog. Here's a snapshot of summer 2024 for me:

The Garden

If it hadn't been for the massive harvest of cucumbers and the rattlesnake beans Mary Moon sent me, it would have been a total failure. I got no tomatoes, very few peppers, and the melons I had such high hopes for only produced a handful of small, hard fruits that turned yellow and started to go bad before they ever started to ripen. I blame the sweltering heat and humidity that went on for weeks with no break. And not a drop of rain between mid-June and mid-July. Even the garden pests like hornworms and aphids didn't bother to show up--that's what shit my garden was this year. So disappointing! 

At least the zinnias never let me down! 

The Van:

Saturday before last we bought my friend Karen's Dodge van for Gregg to use when he services aquariums. His old Ford Ranger truck isn't safe to drive anywhere beyond a 3- or 4-mile radius of home these days. We bought it way back in 2007, and it was already high mileage then. All these years later, almost nothing on it works properly. ** We've been sharing my Scion for the most part. Karen got a new car recently and mentioned that she'd probably be selling the van cheap, and we jumped at the opportunity to buy it. Like the truck, it's old and has a lot of miles, but everything works and it's in decent shape. Some of Gregg's aquariums are in neighboring towns, and now he has something he can comfortably drive without having to wait until my car is available. Plus, the van holds all the gear he needs so he doesn't have to constantly pack and unpack my car. It's reassuring to know he's got access to a more reliable vehicle while I'm at work. 

Best of all, we only paid $1200 for it! 

Another advantage is that the dogs can get into and out of the van much more easily than either the truck or my Scion. It's lower to the ground and that's important now that George is getting older and has a bit of arthritis in his back knees. Then there's the fact that there's ample room to drive both dogs around at the same time! We took them for their first ever ride together in it last weekend. They loved it.

The Specs:

I finally broke down and bought some much-needed new glasses this week. I nearly choked when I saw the bill: over $450! I guess it's been a long time since I've had new glasses, and the price of pretty much everything has gone up, but damn. I keep reminding myself I paid for several pricey extras: thinner lenses that don't look like Coke bottles, bifocals that seamlessly progress (no lines), and a glare reduction feature that's supposed to be good for people who stare at screens all day. Plus, they're scratch resistant. It still seems like a lot though.

 

Taken last night in my office at my school's Open House. I'd picked up the new glasses that afternoon while on a break. After an 11-hour day, I was exhausted, and looked it. But I like the glasses!

Health:

This will be a separate blogpost that I've been thinking about for awhile, so I won't talk about it too much here. (This post is long enough already). But I will mention two things: I've gotten better control of the eczema that's plagued me for years, and in the last eight weeks I've lost 24 pounds. Those two things alone feel major.

*As Spo (the dear!) just pointed out, in the Celtic calendar tomorrow (August 1st) is Lammas, the first day of autumn. 

** I want to cry at the thought of getting rid of the truck. We've had it so long, since the year after we got married, that it seems like a member of the family. I know it's silly, but I felt guilty when I watched Gregg remove the tag and put it on the new van! Our tentative plan is to donate it our local PBS station, SCETV. They have an old car donation program that we've used before, and it's a very worthwhile charity. 

Summer hours

This has been a nice summer so far. Since I go to work two hours later this time of year, I'm able to get up, start the coffee, and take a good walk with Gregg and the dogs. When we get back, I sit on the porch with a large mug of coffee and enjoy the birdfeeders and garden for a half hour or so before I have to hit the shower and get ready for work. It feels luxurious to have all that time in the morning! 

And work barely feels like work right now. It's only 6 hours a day, and the only other people around are the principal and the custodians. There's not much to do. I've already put in work orders for summer classroom repairs, organized and prepared to fill the teachers' supply requests for next year, and cleaned up my desk and the files from this past year. Occasionally I answer the phone or fill a records request from another school. And that's about it! I listen to podcasts or music to help pass the time. I'm going to miss this laid-back pace (and the hours!) when school starts back. And having Fridays off is another great perk to working through the summer. 

Well, not quite all the way through. Wednesday is my last day next week, and then I'm off until July 8th. Hooray! 

Summer break means more time to spend in my garden! 

Here are some pictures I took in it recently.

Here's one for the Marco fans out there. Pretty flowers, pretty bird.

Garden update

The 2024 garden is coming along, but it looks like it's going to be a disappointing year for tomatoes. So far there are only two or three tiny tomatoes out of 12 plants. For some reason they're just not setting much fruit, and several of them have yellowing bottom branches. I thought at first that the yellowing was from too much rain a couple of weeks ago, but now I'm beginning to wonder if some sort of disease has struck. After pulling off the yellowing branches, there's still lots of vigorous green growth, but not many flowers. Who knows? At least the cherry tomatoes (in a different spot in front of the porch) seem to be doing well. We'll see.

One of the (very few) small tomatoes that's finally forming. That one is a "Mortgage Lifter".

You know what's NOT disappointing, though? Cucumbers and beans! We're getting two or three cucumbers per day, and on Monday I picked the first rattlesnake beans (sent to me by Ms. Moon, thank you Mary!) and cooked them with our dinner. They were so tender and delicious! And there will be more to follow soon. As for the cucumbers, I'm eating large salads everyday for lunch (and sometimes dinner, too) and I still can hardly keep up. I guess I should either attempt pickles, or else start giving them away.

First harvest of beans!

Today's cucumber haul.

Poppy by the bean trellis this afternoon.

The cucumber vines. I'm growing them in large pots. 

We'll soon have peppers! They're planted in front of the tomatoes and doing well. At least something is! 

The borage is about to flower! This is my first time growing borage. I sowed the seed directly in the bed in front of the porch.

And finally, the volunteer zinnias have popped up all throughout the bed, around the borage and sprawling cherry tomatoes. We'll have zinnias very soon! The bees and butterflies will be happy.

The only other thing of note is that the melons are sprawling all over the end of the raised bed, and have tons of flowers, but so far, no baby melons. I'm trying to be patient. 

Random odds and ends

I have nothing special to blog about at the moment, so today will just be random odds and ends.

First of all, how did I forget to mention that the 12th was our seventeenth wedding anniversary?! We didn't do anything special except hang out at home and talk about how lucky we are. The original plan was to visit one of the many state parks we haven't seen yet, and take a picnic lunch, but the weather was supposed to be bad, and we decided not to risk it. The dire predictions of wind, hail, and flooding rain never happened, though. We may try again this coming week. As far as doing anything that costs money, we can't. The new roof we just had put on cost us thousands of dollars, so for this year at least, it will have to serve as our "anniversary gift". And that's okay. Our home has been steadily rising in value over the four years since we bought it, and anything that adds to its value is a good investment. We're on track to pay off our mortgage in another 8 years, what with the extra payments we scrimp and save to make towards the principle. Once it's paid off, we'll be in a good position to travel and spend more "fun money". Hopefully.

The dogs are super itchy right now. I'm beginning to think we're going to have to take them to the vet for allergy shots next week. I gave them both baths and dosed them with Benadryl yesterday, but poor Poppy still has red, swollen eyes. Just like home ownership, pet ownership is always costing us money!

Eyeing my sandwich the other day. Beggars, both of them!

Sweet George.

My garden is really starting to grow, now. We'll be harvesting tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers soon. The other day I picked the last of the lettuce, a gallon size Ziploc bag full. No more leafy greens will be possible until the fall.

My "marigold mulch" is blowing up! We have cheerful orange flowers all around and between the food plants. So far so good.

And my zinnias from last year have re-seeded themselves! I love these easy, cheerful flowers. 

 

PS: Update on my finger: it's much better now that it's been two weeks since the accident. I still put a waterproof bandage on it when I shower, but otherwise it's mostly ok. I'll have a scar, but at least it's healing cleanly. You better believe I'm super careful when I use my new knives these days!

Under the weather, but happy

I've been home sick for the past two days. There seems to be some kind of stomach bug/cold/virus thing going around and lucky me, I caught it. I'm actually feeling much better today but given how upset my stomach was all day yesterday, I dared not go back to work yet. I barely made it to the bathroom in time a couple of times, and had I been at work it might have led to some terrible embarrassment.

I've been doing some of my work from home, though. Yesterday one of the assistant principals emailed me and said, "I hope you feel better..........STOP WORKING FROM HOME!" Haha. Had we been talking in person I would have told her that now that our evil principal has been fired, I don't mind keeping my work caught up from home. The guy they sent from the district office to get us through the rest of the month (as the interim principal) is beloved by the staff and students, and I don't mind the way I would have with the wicked witch! I wouldn't have lifted a finger from home for her. What a relief that she's gone; even though I won't be there next year I'm happy that the staff will no longer have to suffer under her. 

Next week I'll be spending a morning at my new school, training with the outgoing secretary. She's retiring after many years in the position, and she's told me through email how much I'm going to love it there! Everyone has been so very kind and encouraging and welcoming already, and I don't even officially start for two months! This may end up being the school I stay at until I retire, with any luck. I'm happy.

Speaking of happy and good news, I decided to weigh myself yesterday and check in on how my diet is going. I've lost 23 pounds since January! Slowly but surely, I'm getting there. By the time I start the new job in July I'll have to have some new clothes. Everything is starting to get loose on me, especially pants. I certainly won't complain about needing new clothes!

Now, as promised, here are some garden pictures. Have a great weekend, everyone!

The marigolds, tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers in the main bed are starting to grow!

My "Marvel of the Four Seasons" lettuce is looking good right now. 

This is the bed in front of the porch, where I've planted two cherry tomatoes and three pepper plants. Zinnias from last year are resprouting in there, too!

You can't tell in this picture, but our young fig tree is almost shoulder high. Still no sign of a fig yet, though.

The bananas on the side of the porch are growing like mad.

For the first time in all the years I've had it, it looks as if the pomegranate tree is going to produce fruit this year! It's taller than the roof and absolutely loaded with flowers and developing poms. Fingers crossed!

Three days off

 A good Sunday evening to everyone! I'm right in the middle of a three-day weekend, so I've been pretty lazy. I've messed around in the garden, cleaned and refilled the hummingbird feeder, and spent some time in the hammock with a book. As of 4pm I haven't even gotten around to taking a shower yet. It's been nice!

The reason I don't have to work tomorrow is because I have to drive Gregg to a colonoscopy appointment. Since today is his "prep day", he isn't having nearly as nice a time as I am! At least he's no stranger to the procedure. He's had at least three others that I remember so he knows what to expect. 

I was pleased that my boss didn't seem to mind me taking the day off. When I sent her an email reminder of it the other day she responded by wishing Gregg well and by saying that I would be missed at work. I still can't figure her out, but so far so good.

I took a few more butterfly and zinnia photos today. 

We have seen other types of butterflies, but I never manage to get good photos of any of the others. I'm in love with zinnias this summer; I'll definitely plant more next year (and I hope some of the current ones go to seed and resprout, too). The butterflies and hummingbirds and bees all seem to love them.

I'm off now to figure out what to do about dinner. I hate the thought of eating in front of Gregg, since he can't eat anything today. I may see if a friend wants to go out and grab a bite later, or I may just go get some Chinese takeout (not Gregg's favorite) and eat at the table by myself. 

I'm really glad to have tomorrow off work, even though it's too bad that it's at Gregg's expense! I'm going to take a book with me to read while I wait. Hopefully, we'll be home by early afternoon and the rest of the day will be free. 

Thursday photos

I'm just popping in today to say hi and to share a few pictures. I have my meeting with the principal this afternoon at 2pm, so in the meantime I'm trying to relax and enjoy the morning and not stress out about it. 

Have a good day, everyone!

My first peppers and cucumbers, picked yesterday:

Poppy in the garden:

Zinnias are starting to bloom:

A pretty good start

The kids came back to school this week, and the office has been hopping busy. Now that we have no virtual option and all of the students are physically back in the building, it's been a wild few days getting everyone properly (and completely) registered, bus transportation routes settled, a new phone system to learn about and adapt to (it's fancy and high tech: zoom capabilities are built in) and finally, a transition to a real middle school model that includes 6th,7th, and 8th graders instead of just 7th and 8th. I've been exhausted every afternoon upon arriving home and so haven't had the energy to read many blogs and certainly not to comment much. I'm sorry! I miss you all when I'm too busy to be here. 

The year has gotten off to a good start. The woman who caused me so much stress and irritation last year was apparently not invited back. What a relief! In fact, not a single person has even mentioned her name. It's kind of weird, but I'm okay with it! I have some new reports for the state department I'm responsible for this year, and there's a learning curve with that, but I don't mind. Already the year feels easier and better. Best of all, the principal had a meeting with the office staff yesterday and the first thing he addressed was everyone doing a better job of offering me support.....including a rotation schedule of who's responsible for covering a real lunch break for me this year! Things are looking up.

Here's a picture of some zinnias I cut for my desk at work. They reseed themselves beautifully in the garden bed at the entrance to the school.

Zinnias always look as if you've used some crazy Instagram filter. But no, these colors are natural.

I hope you're all having a good week out there! I'll be back over the weekend to catch up with you all.

From the camera roll this week...

The zinnias in front of our school are blooming again this year. They reseeded themselves!

George and Ginger playing with one of the toys Parsnip sent! They play like wild beasts every single night after supper. 

Did anyone else see the beautiful July full moon last weekend? It was almost as bright as the sun when it first appeared in the East.

Heirloom and Hybrid tomatoes at the farm stand.

More vegetables from the farm stand being transformed into dinner.

Banana Pudding: a delicious, cool dessert in the summertime.

A friend sent me small banana tree shoots he dug up from around his pond. They're growing like crazy in the large pots I put them in. They're bound for the sheltered South-facing wall in the back yard, next to our Pomegranate tree. You can also see the large leaves on the fig cuttings I'm growing out in this photo. By next spring I'll have a good size Brown Turkey fig tree to plant in the back yard, too.

My orchids are still happy on the back porch.

The ficus tree is also growing well on the porch. It's going to be difficult fitting it back in the house this winter!

Our five Crepe Myrtle trees are finally blooming!