Tag Archives: container garden

Lawn Order? Not So Much

Posted on May 31, 2024 by mohawkvalleygirl

Yesterday I mentioned how I did not work on my lawn, in consideration of my aching back.  Today once again my back gave me grief, but I chose to ignore it.  I thought, I’m old and overweight:  I’m going to have back pain.  I might just as well get what I can done.  With great effort, I got the garage door open.  Despite great effort, I could not get the power mower going.  I hauled out the  non-power mower and had at it.

My overgrown lawn from a different year.

Off I went, up and down the yard, pushing, pushing, getting caught in sticks, throwing said sticks aside, throwing other sticks aside before I got stuck on them.  I soon found I could see a difference between where I had mowed and where I had not, so that encouraged me.  I did the back then the front.  Then I grabbed a set of clippers and tried to chop down a few tall monstrosities that had popped up out front.  I think I got most of them, throwing their corpses into one of the plastic trash cans I keep for such a purpose.  I went out back for more chopping but had pretty much run out of steam by then.

My ambition for the future.

This is my container garden from another year. You can see the lawn not overgrown in the background.  I have a long way to go to get such a backyard oasis for this summer.  Will I manage it?  A little uncertainty adds interest to my spring.

 

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The Blog Will Go On

Posted on May 15, 2024 by mohawkvalleygirl

Oh dear, will I have another week of late posts?  They say better late than never (one Saturday I said, “Better Lame Than Never,” and thought I was pretty clever) (but perhaps I flattered myself).  If only I was not too brain dead to make a decent blog post, and that is becoming a chronic condition.  Could it be my age?  SAY IT AIN’T SO !!!  But I must not obsess over that.  I talked about being old yesterday; if I keep doing it, it will become, you should pardon the expression, old (although we did establish yesterday that old people repeat themselves).

She is awesome, yes!

One reason I have been feeling extra down lately is that my bestie, Kim, is moving across the country to Colorado.  It may be a very good move for her, but who will I go on Mohawk Valley adventures with?  I know, I have gone on many by myself, and some with my family.  The blog will survive.  So will I, I am sure, but sometimes you have to allow yourself space to say, and feel, that this is a real bummer.

I do love flowers.

I thought I would put in a more cheerful picture, to end today’s post on an optimistic note.  I am determined to have a container garden on my deck this year.  Perhaps before Kim leaves town she will have time to wander around The Flower Barn in Ilion, NY with me, choosing blooms and herbs (sticking in a shout-out to a local business).

I see I am over 250 words.  I am going to bill this as a Tired Tuesday and drive on.  I hope today will not turn out to be a Wuss-out Wednesday.

 

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How Will My Garden Grow?

Posted on May 3, 2024 by mohawkvalleygirl

I thought I would try for an on-time Thursday blog post with another Throwback Thursday.  I am a little afraid I re-use the same throwback pictures again and again.  Of course I am too lazy to go back and check which pictures I may have used recently.  I shall trust to my sometimes reliable memory.

Pretty!

I went back to May of 2017 and found this “before” shot of plants I had purchased for the container garden on my deck.  It has been years since I have had a container garden, but I hope to have one this year.

I always hope they’ll fill in a little as the summer progresses.

Here is one of the pots from that same year.  I always enjoy putting the different flowers together.  I do not always have “the thrill, the fill, and the spill” that the gardening articles advise for an ideal container, but some of my containers are not very big.

At least two of these pots are now in pieces.

I also make use of different levels.  I don’t know what shape those tree sections are in.  They may be rotted by now.

I must get a pedicure soon.

And here is a picture of what I would like to be doing, eventually.  Lounging on my deck, glass of wine nearby, enjoying an evening with my container garden.  So I have pursued two purposes tonight:  I made a Throwback Thursday blog post, and I encouraged myself to get my act together at least to the extent of having another container garden.  May this turn out to be a Preview of Coming Attractions!

 

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Remembering Ambition Past

Posted on May 22, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

Ambition is overrated.  Or is that sour grapes on my part, because I have none?  Last Sunday I was semi-ambitious.  Perhaps I could write a little about that in lieu of my usual Wrist to Forehead Sunday Post.

I actually did not mean to leave my water bottle in the shot.

I drove to Ilion Marina and took a walk along the Erie Canalway Trail.  It was a very pleasant interlude.  I petted a dog and found a four leaf clover.

It looks peaceful.

I did not sit on this bench but do not rule out doing so on some future date.

I didn’t park in the driveway!

After leaving the Marina, I drove down Route 5 to And Stuff of That Nature,  a farm stand I have been following on Facebook but had not yet visited.  I looked at all their stuff and purchased some basil for my hoped-for container garden (preview of coming attractions).

Pretty!

I may go back for some flowers.  They also carry honey and eggs.

The reason for my ambition was that I wanted something to write about for Mohawk Valley Living magazine.  I wrote and submitted the articles. I hope they like at least one of them!

I hope to muster a little more ambition for more Mohawk Valley Adventures.  For one reason, it makes for better blog posts.  Or do I flatter myself?

 

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Planning My Pots

Posted on May 15, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

Another Sunday and I got nuthin’.  How many blog posts have I started with the confession that I have not much to say?  This is a rhetoric question; I do not intend to go back and check.

Pretty!

I fall back on my usual trick of throwing in a picture to pep things up.  This was from May 2017.  It is raw materials for my container garden on my deck.  I have not had one these last few years, but I hope to have one this year.  I have all kinds of hopes and plans.  All I need now is to muster the oomph to do them.

Even prettier!

Here is a later shot that same year.  I think two of those pots are broken now.   The third one is plastic, so it still ought to be around.

Also that year.

I believe this one filled out some as the season progressed.

I enjoy deciding which colors to put together.

Now that I look at these pictures again, I notice the backgrounds.  The first one has a nicely mown lawn.  That was when Steve used to do the mowing.  In the second, I see a portion of fence with some vine growing on it, so that’s not so bad.  However, the garage in the background of the third cannot be described as anything other than shabby.  Professional photographers notice these things,  and here we come to the ugly truth about me and photography.

And now I see I am over 200 words.  Score!  I hope it turns out to be a preview of coming attractions.  I hope you will stay tuned.

 

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Past Pedestrian Pictures on Tired Tuesday

Posted on October 26, 2022 by mohawkvalleygirl

Oh it is Tired Tuesday.  I do not see why I should feel so tired, although I have a couple of educated guesses.  Never mind those, I always question self-diagnoses anyways.

I went for a nice walk earlier, snapping pictures on my smarter-than-me phone, in hopes of doing a Pedestrian Post.  I got some good ones, but then I remembered I still had a couple I had taken on a previous walk.  Under the heading Waste Not Want Not…

Some flowers still bloom!

This outside Basloe Library in Herkimer,  NY.  I have not had a container garden in the last few years, but when I see an urn of flowers, I start planning for next spring.  Then I start thinking of all the things I have to do to make the plan happen and get bogged down in discouragement and remember that my plans all go to hell anyways.  Still, I might be able to make something happen.  One must not give way to despair.

Well, this is what happens to me on Tired Tuesday:  I can’t share an innocent picture of flowers without starting to whine and cry about something.  I really need to get over myself. Quick, share another picture.

Sometimes I see red.

This was also outside the library.  I love the red against the white.  Maybe I could plant a tree like that in my yard (see, there I go making plans again).

Now that I look at it, not the best shot. Oh well.

This was in Meyers Park.  There are a lot of trees there,  in various stages of color.  I took a picture of a different tree there tonight, I mention as a preview of coming attractions.  Tomorrow I may use some of the pictures I took today’s (I think I took enough for two posts), but I have rehearsal for He Laughed Himself to Death,  so no promises.

 

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Will I Plant Flowers?

Posted on January 7, 2022 by mohawkvalleygirl

Time for a quick Throwback Thursday Post, if my Tablet will cooperate. It is beginning to move as slowly as my brain sometimes does. Yikes!

Pretty!

Here is a picture from June 2020 and my last container garden. I could not get it together in 2021 (why does that goddam autocorrect always lop off the 2? It even did it just now when I was going to finish that question with “at the beginning of numbers”). It brings to mind one of my favorite New Year’s cartoons, which features this dialogue :

First guy: What do you think the new year will bring?

Seccond guy: Flowers.

First guy: Why do you think that?

Second guy: Because I am planting flowers.

I still wear the same leggings, socks, and sneakers.

This is another shot from 2020 (again witth the disappearing 2!) (Twice!). Perhaps it would have been better to continue with the flower theme, but the image of leisure rather appealed to me. I may not have much lounging time in the foreseeable future. However, in a few months I hope to find time to plant a few flowers.

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Flowers from the Past, Hope for the Future

Posted on April 2, 2021 by mohawkvalleygirl

I thought I might try a Throwback Thursday Post, only I don’t know what I should throw back to. I have several times lamented my inability to maneuver through my Media Library. Then again, if I rely on my Media Library, I may just keep throwing back to the same tired memories.

May flowers.

I tried the Media Library and found these tulips from 2017. I hope I get some tulips this year. Perhaps I should put down some bulbs for next year.

A lot of daisies!

Here are some more front yard flowers. I wonder if I didn’t let the daisies go a little too far. Nah!

Ah, the container garden.

This is a Before shot of 2017’s container garden. I don’t know that I can easily find any of the After pictures. If I even took any. You never know with me.

I guess I did take a few.

So here is my Throwback Thursday Post. Some flowers from the past, which makes me look forward to the future. I am remembering a cartoon I have seen more than once on Facebook.

“I think the new year will bring flowers.

“Why do you think that?”

“Because I’m planting flowers.

I think that’s a nice note to end on. Happy Thursday, everyone!

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Would Svengoolie Like My Container Garden?

Posted on August 31, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

He is fine, yes!

So far the highlight of my day was watching a DVR’d episode of Svengoolie.  How I went so many years of my life without this show… Oh well, I can watch it now.

However, I do not mean to make my blog post about Svengoolie, nor yet Snapped, which I have also been enjoying this Sunday.  Still, I have mentioned them.  Will that qualify this as a Non-Sequitur Sunday Post?  I hope so.

Svengoolie, Snapped and Susan!

When I began to realize I had almost nothing to say on a blog post, I went outside to take a picture of my Brown-eyed Susans, which are still growing prolifically.  I put the bucket in front of them earlier to prop them up, as they had begun to droop.  I guess it is a little unsightly.  I’ll have to come up with something else .

Pretty!

Next I went put front for a shot of my Johnny Jump-ups.  Aren’t they doing well?  I took another picture while I was at it.

An unknown plant.

You can’t really see this one very well.  I have no idea what it is, but it started growing where my peonies were after I cut them down.  I decided to let it live.  I’ll let you know if it amounts to anything.

I can only eat so much pesto, after all.

Back on the deck, I got a shot of my put of control basil.  I have not made as good use of it as I may have.  I wonder if I can dry it and use it this winter.

Not the most visually appealing display.

I took a picture of a couple other plants that were doing well.  My container garden is not as beautiful as I would like.  If I swept the deck and rearranged the pots, it would help.  However, as it becomes increasingly obvious that I will host no gatherings in the foreseeable future, I have become discouraged.

However, one must not give in to discouragement.  On the brighter side, I made my Sunday Post on Sunday.  And it wasn’t a Wrist to Forehead Sunday.  I’m going to call that a win.

 

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Floral Photos on Monstrous Monday

Posted on July 14, 2020 by mohawkvalleygirl

So pretty! But they haven’t jumped up anywhere else yet.

I have been meaning to take an updated shot of my Johnny Jump-ups, and at last I have!  I am sitting on the back deck with my delightful husband, Steven, recovering from my first day back at work.  Rather than my usual Monstrous Monday Post,  I thought I would share a few floral photos.

Where the flowers used to bloom.

OK, this is not a picture of flowers.   It is a couple of lawn decorations trying to cheer up where my peonies and daisies used to be.  I hope to plant more flowers in the future, so they can tag team blossom.

Blooms and a box. Oh dear.

So much for the front yard.  Returning to the back, I took a shot of the more recent addition to the container garden, in the foreground, and an original pot which is growing well.  As you can see, I have not swept my deck lately.  Neither have I arranged the pots in a harmonious  display.  What do you want from me?  At least I water the damn things.

Two not bad pots.

Both these are part of my original container planting, but I added the white begonias to the pink after the little purple flowers with the pink died.  There were little purple flowers in the pot in the background as well, but only a little greenery remains.

Mmmmm… pesto!

Not a bloom, but the pride of my container garden is the basil.  I have made two batches of fresh pesto so far and intend to make more.  Or I may make those little salad bites, where you have a leaf of basil, a slice of mozzarella, and half a cherry tomato, with balsamic vinegar drizzled on top. Is that the whole recipe?  I must research the matter.

Ooh, look at this, over 300 words and not a glimpse of Nosferatu.  Pretty good for a Monday, I say.

 

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