Tag Archives: deck

Fought the Lawn, Fought the Deck, What Next?

I got out early in hopes of making a Lawn Order post instead of my usual Wrist to Forehead Sunday blog post.  Well, fighting the lawn (and the lawn won) did cause me to swoon, dramatically posed with the back of one wrist to my forehead, but I felt I got something done, so I took a few pictures and I will attempt to make a blog post recounting my adventures.

No, really, this IS the “after” picture.

I maybe should have taken a “before” picture.  I spent some ten minutes yesterday and a little bit longer today with clippers, chopping away at dead daisies and past their prime peonies (I made up the alliterative titles while I worked) while trying to let the purple flowers live.  There was a insidious invasive species I tried to do away with as well.  One sprig of purple blooms ended up in my green waste container, but I clipped it with a pair of scissors and it now resides in a bud vase in my living room.  Sorry there is no picture of it, but my living room is quite cluttered.  I hope to fight that mess to a standstill as the week progresses.

Not party ready yet, but getting there!

After puffing and panting out front (bending and straightening is not fun for my age and weight) (yes, I KNOW I can do something about the latter, I’m trying, but these things take time, give me a break!) (you know who you are), I went out back to my deck.  There were still leaves on it from last fall, which I know is extremely harmful to the wood.  I huffed and puffed first with a rake then with a broom.  I feel I met with some success.

Luna, the dog next door, came out on her back porch and barked at me.  There were no balls handy for me to throw for her, as I explained to her.  She watched me work for a while, making sad noises from time to time but in general acquiescing in my refusal to play with her.  I felt bad, but there is only so much an old lady like me can do, after all. Quite frankly, if there had been a ball handy I might have thrown it a few times and let some of the leaves go hang, but we’ll never know.

Yes I know the lawn needs mowing.

Three containers is the most we can leave out.  Also, they don’t like stuff to stick up over the top of the containers.  So I felt I was in compliance.  I went back in the house and like any normal person got on the internet for a while.  After scrolling around, I noticed some weird brown puffy things on my shirt.  Oh dear.  This is what happens when you don’t get into the shower right away.  It was awkward to get a picture of the shirt (I do like to document these things), but luckily there were some on my socks.

It’s an old pair of sneakers.

This is turning out to be a long blog post.  Isn’t that nice?  Maybe I should try to write a few other things.  Maybe that novel I keep talking about.  I’ll let you know how that turns out.  Maybe a horror novel about invasive species and little brown puffy things who terrorize old ladies who just want to have parties on their decks.  What do you think?

 

How Will My Garden Grow?

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!

 

The Blog’s Gone to Pot

I took some pictures of what I have so far for a container garden, hoping I could make up in pictures what I lack in words.  Seriously, my brain is dead and writing is just not happening for me.  Well, I’m not going to whine about it (although it is somewhat distressing) (no, no, NOT whine).  Instead, here are some pictures:

I guess you can’t see the flowers very well, but aren’t they pretty?

I had three pots with the design, but one broke last year.  Now that I look at this arrangement, it does not look as symmetrical as I had hoped.  Size-wise it’s good, but I don’t like the two decorated and one plain.  I’ll have to work on it.

Oh dear, you can see the icky garage and crappy window in the background.

I had never seen black Johnny Jump-ups, and I like the way they look with the orange marigolds.

An overhead shot, for a different view.

I liked the combination so much, I did two pots of it.

Ooh, I like what’s in the background of this one.

I tried to have “the thrill, the fill and the spill” in this one, but I think the “spill” looks a little unhealthy.  Perhaps they will pick up as time goes on.

Fresh pesto, you will be MINE!

Basil is the only herb I have so far, but as you see I have a nice amount.  Ooh, I LOVE fresh basil!

I would also like to get some dill and cilantro, as well as a few more pots of flowers.  Unfortunately, the malaise that has been causing my writing to atrophy seems to be infecting the rest of my life as well.  Then again, I see I have managed over 250 words on a blog post I thought I couldn’t write.  Maybe there’s hope for me after all.

 

Posting from the Deck

So I’ve gotten through most of Saturday before making my blog post and oh, what a day I have had!  OK, not really, but it was pretty scattered.  As I was working on one of my last chores/adventures of the day (and how much richer life is when one can feel the two are combined), I thought, “It used to be that on a Saturday when I had multiple adventures, I would spend the next week making multiple blog posts about them individually.  Now I blow my wad (so to speak) on one Scattered Saturday post.  What’s that all about?” (And here’s a Freudian slip I found on proofreading:  I originally put “blog my wad” instead of “blow my wad.”  Isn’t that awesome?) (Maybe I should have used that for the headline.)

I answered myself, “When I started this blog, I was in my late 40’s.  Now I am in my mid-50’s.  Who knew there could be such a difference in the decades?”  It was a silly answer, because, quite frankly, I have to keep reminding myself that I am in my 50’s.  For anyone who wants to know, I am 53, the same age as the Grinch (“Why for 53 years I’ve put up with it now!  I MUST stop Christmas from coming!  But how?”).  I like being the same age as the Grinch.  But this is not what I sat down to make a blog post about.

In fact, it is a little difficult to post right now, because I am sitting on my deck, and the sun is a little bright for computer screens.  I stubbornly remain out here, though, because I brought out all the cushions for our chairs.  I could have just brought out two, one for my butt, one for my feet (naturally one puts one’s feet up on the weekend).  Then I brought out for for Steven, who should arrive home in about an hour.  Then I brought out the fourth, because it seemed unkind to exclude just one (yes, I anthropomorphize chair cushions; I anthropomorphize EVERYTHING, I thought you knew that about me).

Where was I?  Ah yes, on the deck, admiring what I can see of my container garden so far. I feel I should purchase more plants, more pots and more dirt, going overboard as I have in years past (last year being a notable exception).  The important thing is, I have basil.  Fresh pesto, you will be mine!  I’m sure some of my readers will appreciate it if I post pictures.  I’ll be doing that one day soon.  For right now, I’m sitting with my feet up and drinking a beer.  Happy Saturday, everyone.

 

Me and My Boring Deck

Every year I make a container garden on my deck. And every year I go overboard. I purchase more plants than I have containers for and by the time I’ve found a place for every plant, we have a hard time finding places to put chairs when we have people over. Still, it looks nice and I get a nice sense of accomplishment when its done.

This year it seems that sense of accomplishment is far away and receding. I have done some work in the yard (perhaps you read my blog post about it). I have purchased a few plants and some dirt. Oh, I’ve been good. In my determination not to go overboard this year, I don’t think I bought enough stuff. That’s OK, greenhouses all over the Mohawk Valley have more. A short trip and I’m set.

I suppose I shouldn’t feel too bad about my so far boring deck. After all, it is best to wait till all danger of frost has passed. I’ve been told to don’t plant before Memorial Day weekend. Why, that was last weekend.

If only I had spent the weekend hard at work. I did get a little done on Monday (when the only blog post I could manage was a Middle-aged Musings Monday). Three largish containers now have flowers in them and half the dill is in a container (I hope to plant dill in the yard as well. Oh, ambitions, they always get me in trouble). Then the sun started to get to me. I have kind of a sensitivity in that area. The rest would have to stay in their original little plastic pots for now.

I promptly forgot to water any of it. Oh dear. That is a cruel thing to do to pretty flowers and delicious herbs. I poured a lot of water on them Tuesday after work, as soon as the deck seemed shady enough (I’ve been told to don’t water plants in direct sunlight). I watered them again Wednesday morning (today), just to be on the safe side.

So my deck is still boring, is what I’m saying. How appropriate is that for Wuss-out Wednesday? I will have more blog posts about my container garden as the work progresses.