BW’s been off to the beach with pals this week, and I’ve tried to make the most of the quiet house—and no cooking. Good, solid writing days—a few interruptions for other business, other duties, but a good, solid week.
That left the weekend to catch up a bit with domestic chores. Weeding, deadheading, watering, laundry—and I do believe our washer is dying, which will be a PITA to deal with. Oh, and scooping dog poop off the pavers. Why, why do they do that? There are countless places for dogs to do their business around here.
BW’s in the habit of giving the paver-pooping dogs their evening treat right around eight o’clock. Since he’s not here, they come wherever I am, sit, stare with loving and hopeful eyes. Right about eight o’clock.
How do they know it’s time? And when I go to the closet where we keep those treats, it’s insanity. Dogs are so easy to make happy.
Though we have a sprinkler system for the garden beds, the lack of rain and the heat (I LOVE the heat!) meant pots needed watering pretty much daily. But they’re rewarding me for the attention.
And finally last night, the breeze started blowing through my open windows, and I heard it coming. Some rain, at last.
So today, on this Sunday in June, after a morning workout, I could just walk around the gardens and enjoy. Something’s knocking up in the woods, but it sure doesn’t sound like a woodpecker. I don’t know what else might make a softer, slower knocking sound, but hope it’s friendly.
I’ve already got Black-Eyed Susans blooming here and there though it’s early for them. And the nasturtiums I planted from seed are growing bigger. Can’t wait until I see them bloom. The sweet alyssum and heliotrope smell glorious. My woods are green and lush.
We’ll be heading out for our family vacation in just a couple weeks—destination to be revealed when we get there. But for now, I’m prizing this home and garden time. June rewards a gardener for work done in April.
I’m back on my feet—a little shaky, but back—after a nasty bout with vertigo. Hit Thursday morning, and knocked me flat. I had to miss our Girls Night Out as my world was spinning. Felt like crap Friday, but at least I could sit up. Slow but steady progress, and my first sloooow walk around the gardens on Sunday.
I’m not wired to spend three days in bed, but that’s pretty much what I did.
The walk outside lifted my spirits, a lot.
So much progress with all the flowers—though yesterday’s all-day rain has some heavy-headed.
I managed to mostly pack for our upcoming Girl Spa Week. And have to be grateful the vertigo didn’t strike a week later than it did.
I hope to be back to work on Monday.
But on this Mother’s Day, the sun’s shining and my flowers are blooming. Nasturtiums are starting to pop up, delphiniums blooming, yellow flags showing their color. Everything looking happy and healthy.
And of course, my f’ing wings are in place, right behind the front garden wall by our lane. I think they’ll like it there.
F’ing wings where they belong.
Laura’s out of town for a family wedding, so she’ll post this when she gets home. And before she faces the dreaded scoreboard our clever Kat’s making for our spa week.
I’m going to select and organize the Fabulous Prizes, then suspect I’ll take a nap.
Nora
I’m not home yet, but had a moment to get this set up. Now to take some deep breaths and ready myself for the scoreboard of doom.
First, it’s been a very long gap on the blog due to reasons. But we’re back!
There’s been a whole bunch going on in the last week or so, and I hopeyou’ll read the previous blog and consider a donation to EveryLibrary Institute, an organization that fights book banning and library defunding. I can’t stress enough how important I consider this fight for the freedom to read what you choose. And to keep libraries open and thriving.
This isn’t just about my books, and I joined this fight awhile ago. It’s about LGBTQ readers having the right to access books that tell stories with characters who deal with the issues they deal with—and YES, this includes teens. Maybe especially. It’s about books that deal with Black history and the experiences of people of color. It’s about attacking librarians and refusing to let them do the work they’re trained to do. It’s about the right to read what we like without having one person’s opinions and feelings outweigh that right.
As lovers of books, this is your fight, too. Donate. If you can’t, spread the word. You’re on social media or you wouldn’t be reading this. Use social media to stand against the bullies and bigots, and the misinformed.
Now for something happy!
A couple weeks ago, BW and I prepped the garden beds. Prepping included digging out ten million Black-Eyed Susans. I enjoy Susies, but they tend to spread insanely and take over. So we dug, and we dug, and we transplanted where we wanted them to stay.
The happy for me is this cleared more space. So I could get more plants!
And last Friday, I took off work and we headed to our fabulous garden center, Sunny Meadows. It’s so wonderful there, so pleasant, so beautiful. So many pretties, so well tended, to choose from.
We filled the bed of the truck, and then some.
All the flowers. Photo by BW.
Then, more fun! I spent considerable time setting out, shifting, looking over, changing my mind, setting elsewhere until I had what I wanted.
Now dig!
We spent the whole day doing just that. A gorgeous day, a laborious day, a very, very satisfying day. How I love taking a walk after and seeing the color, the textures, the possibilities.
They didn’t have my precious nasturtiums, but they had seeds! Now I wait for them to start popping up.
They called for rain, and as I’m planting, I ask the Higher Power to just give me more time. Just a little more. Can I have another hour?
And minutes after the job is done, the rain comes. So perfect, and now all the new plants get a good drink!
Saturday, I started on pots. I really didn’t realize I had so many I wanted to fill.
33. 33 pots to fill. What fun!
About the time I finished, Jason, Kat and Griffin drive up. Oh, so much more fun.
Kat tells me that earlier in the week there was a day without school. What shall we do? Griffin says—holding up a finger: I know! Nana’s house.
Can you imagine how delighted that makes me?
We play many games, have many chases. Colt’s here, and Griffin insists he join in. Colt is the very best of cousins.
A happy family weekend, start to finish.
The week’s been work-focused. We’re going back to the Derby next week for the first time in three years, and I’ll be so glad to see our Derby family again. But that means nose to the grindstone.
At least until the book banning bullshit happens. But I deal with that because it’s so very important.
Today, I’m making a pot roast with all the trimmings. I deal with the majority of packing for Derby—and that takes time and thought! But I want that mostly done so I can go nose to the grindstone until we leave on Thursday.
It’s cooler and rainy off and on today, so I may not get my walk-about outside. But it’s good for the new plants, so I’ll take it.
I hope spring’s treating you well, and if you don’t or can’t plant flowers, you can enjoy what others have. And that you can spend some of this weekend reading a book of your choice.
Every minute, all the shopping, wrapping, baking, cooking, prepping, figuring out.
Time and again, I think back to when my boys were little guys, so excited, so wrapped in those moments. Then, bang, it’s my grandkids. Holy crap! And they’re so excited, so wrapped in the moments. I’m right there with them.
Now I have grandkids ranging from 20 to 4.
How did that happen?
It’s still about the moments, about treasuring each step and stage and change and wonder.
My darling baby girl is now twenty, but she still bakes cookies with Nana. This year, in addition to her little brother, Colt (already 12!!!!) we include her adorable boyfriend J.R., in this long family tradition.
Kayla and JR with clean hands, ready to dive in.
They’re just great at it. Mixing, measuring, baking. I am now assistant baker instead of chief, and delighted to pass the torch.
On baking day we have Kayla and J.R., Colt, Grandda and Jason. Logan’s working—I have a grandson who has to work! And Kat’s herding Griffin.
Waiting for the mixer to finish.
We bake, and mix, and bake. Snickerdoodles (which turn out to be Griffin’s favorite), chocolate chip, peanut butter blossoms, peppermint blossoms, and painted sugar cookies.
BW and Cold prove decoratoring is serious business.
It’s a lot. It’s a marathon, but very precious. Plus delicious.
This is the weekend before Christmas, where Griffin gets a race track from his cousins. And played with it, and them, for HOURS.
Race tracks are everything.
Then there’s the countdown, and before we know it, it’s Christmas!
I do some snacks—deviled eggs, a crudite, we have some cocktail shrimp, I baked an Irish soda bread. Ripping wrapping paper and opening boxes requires energy.
Fun, chaos. Surprises, delights.
Logan has a girlfriend who’s now part of that. But we still have a little guy, a four-year-old, and nothing makes Christmas like a little guy.
When we need food, we have a salad bar, home-made lasagna, garlic bread from the Italian bread I baked the week before. Then an ice cream bar.
Yum.
It’s a long, happy day, where the adults exchange a lot of delights. Kayla, and she’s an adult now, opens lots of clothes, Logan’s very pleased with his gamer steering wheel, Colt his computer. And Griffin’s clear favorite is the Mario Rainbow Road race track.
Heading down Rainbow Road.
Actually, I think everyone’s favorite is the Rainbow Road race track.
While the gifts are great—they really are—the true happy is the being. Being together, being in the moment, appreciating that being in the moment.
Our annual holiday photo demonstrates just that. Oh, look how they’ve grown! Look who they are right now. It’s marvelous. It was a minute ago when my oldest grandkids were shorter than me!
Family.
There’s some recovery time, then it’s New Year’s.
Griffin would play on the Rainbow Road forever, so ends and starts the change of years doing just that.
I’ve made a chicken en cocotte, and some pasta and red sauce as Kayla, as our vegetarian, is joining BW and me, Jason, Kat and Griffin for the Eve.
Chicken en cocotte a la Nora.
Nora’s famous pound cake.
We eat like royalty, then just hang out. Many races on the Rainbow. And Griffin’s favorite cousin (Kayla) plays endlessly with him. Our floor is lava! The safe places are the rugs. We can turn the lava to ice by magic, but then you slip and slide instead of burn.
Cousin time
I have no idea how many year-end steps I logged dealing with lava and ice.
Then the year ends, and somehow the four-year-old stays awake to ring it in. He insists: No bedtime! But goes off with Mom and Dad to bed without complaint at the dawn of 2023.
I’m so grateful for all of it. For the shopping, the wrapping, the decorating, the baking, the cooking, the cleaning up after. For the sharing the moments with the people my grandchildren brought into our lives.
All things change; nothing perishes.
And here we are, once again standing together, an expanding group, happy together in the chaos and joy of the holidays.
Here’s to 2023. May it bring us happy, healthy, and all the moments to treasure.
My season actually starts in the summer (usually on vacation) when I start buying holiday gifts. I keep a list, check it twice–at least–then tuck everything away until after Thanksgiving.
This doesn’t get me off the shopping hook, but I actually love shopping for gifts.
I actually don’t mind wrapping them–much. My routine is to take a weekend or two, put on Christmas movies in my One More Room, and have at it. By this method? I’m done! Done shopping–some time ago–and now, done wrapping. Woo! Bring it on!
When gifts take over the office.
I go overboard on gifts, and I don’t care! It’s fun, satisfying, and gets me all festive. On Christmas Day, the house will be full of happy faces, ripped paper, empty boxes, scads of ribbons and bows. More fun!
The decorating’s nearly done. I still have the library because BW and Jason are in the middle of changing out the bookshelves lights, and it’s a mess. But when they’re done, I’ll be done.
I haven’t hung the stockings yet as that means no fire until Christmas. Don’t want to risk burning the house down if stockings go flaming. Presents won’t go under the tree yet as Griffin’s coming this weekend. What self-respecting four-year-old could resist going after all those pretty, colorful boxes?
When Kayla’s home for her winter break, we’ll have a marathon cooking baking day. Joining us this year, her boyfriend, J. R. We’ll see how he handles painting sugar cookies.
And still more fun.
I confess, I love Hallmark and Lifetime Christmas movies. I love their predictability and schmaltz. Why are they popular, year after year? Because I’m not alone in the love.
However, I’m going to highly recommend two non-Hallmark or Lifetime Christmas movies.
Spirited. Ryan Reynolds is one of my movie boyfriends. I doubt he knows this. As I didn’t know he can sing, he can dance! And does both along with Will Ferrell in this totally delightful movie.
If you catch it, be sure to say: Good Afternoon.
Love Hard. There is nothing about this movie I didn’t love. It’s so wonderfully charming and funny and sweet. The chemistry between the two leads is just perfect, the acting’s solid, as is the writing.
Both of these movies made me ridiculously happy. I hope they do the same for you.
Now, as I finished a book on Wednesday, and finished my wrapping today, I’m going to do as little as possible for the rest of the day.
Meanwhile, I’m wishing you the happiest of holidays, with lots of cookies, pretty lights and the warmth of friends and family.
There’s little I like better than saying goodbye to winter. I took the snow we had after Easter as a personal insult. But finally, it’s here!
BW and I hit our nursery—Sunny Meadows is one of my favorite places. Not only because this trip means SPRING, but everything is so beautiful, so well tended. Everyone there is friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. Can’t ask for better.
A truckload later, we’re home, and I get the fun job of setting plants out. What should go where, maybe move that over there instead. I went for a lot of hot colors this year in my annuals. I guess I wanted the vivid and bold. Up and down the garden wall, over to the shady spot.
POTS!
I’m trying a few Aquapots this year—only water once a week or so. We’ll see how that works.
Now we dig and dig, and dig.
A couple weeks ago, we spent a day digging UP. I love Black-eyed Susans, but jeez! I’m tired of them taking over bed after bed, so up tons of them come. Give them away, transplant, stick some in bare spots, all fine, but now I have two full beds to fill with color.
No longer will the Susies sneak into my herb bed and crowd out my rosemary.
Such fun.
By the end of the day, I see gaps, and make a list. I know what I want, so the next morning after a workout, I head back and fill the back of my car with flats.
Another full day, feeling the sunshine, hearing the birds, watching the gardens and pots come to life.
One more day, just a couple hours, then I make myself a well-deserved Bellini, and walk all around. Ahhhh!
Now we get to watch things grow and spread and bloom.
We’re already fighting the deer, and on my walk to take pictures, I find a geranium pulled out on the patio. PARKER!! Those geranium-filled whiskey barrels are the only planters we don’t have on stands because of Parker’s desperate need to pull out a plant and leave it dying on the ground.
We’ll figure something. At least he’d apparently just done it, so no casualties. Yet.
I’ll go out and dump some cayenne pepper in there, though that doesn’t seem to discourage him very much.
But mostly, I’m just going to enjoy.
Hope everyone in this hemisphere enjoys the rebirth of spring.
A quiet, family New Year’s around here, and again no big open house with friends and family. Hopefully next year things will be safe enough for a gathering.
We did go away for a week—rented a house again to be safe—and stayed in. It’s lovely to spend that kind of time with family, and just hang.
The view from the house.
Lots of play with the boy time, jigsaw puzzles, a little work, room service—and a Nana makes spaghetti night. Griffin’s a fan of my pasta!
Busy boy.
BW gave me a weird, fascinating, unstructured jigsaw of a moose for Christmas. This would never, ever, never have been done without Kat, the Queen of Chaos. I helped, but she did the heavy work.
The moose
Griffin really enjoys the vacation space. One morning, BW got up and went downstairs before I set up to work out. I went down to get my caffeine and water, and the lower level is quiet but for Griffin, sitting at the dining room table watching Sesame Street on his iPad. Normally Jason gets up with him in the morning as Kat is on any night duty. (The boy occasionally likes to party at 3 am!)
I had heard what I thought was the boy and his dad tromp up the stairs at about six, and thought nothing of it.
I say hi, get my stuff, wonder where Jason is. Hunt BW up who tells me the boy was playing with his trucks on the couch when he came down. Huh.
I realize he got up, didn’t wake his parents, just came up from the lower level where they all sleep, and entertained himself until someone joined him.
So I made him breakfast, then left him under BW’s watch and went up to work out.
Once home, it’s back to work, and the start of my annual full-house purge.
Making progress! All the Christmas stuff is put away, and that’s an accomplishment. Weekdays are for writing, and progress made there, too. Yay.
I found a jar of applesauce of the counter Fri. BW hunts and gathers, and I cook. If I’m around I help him put groceries away, but he got home with them Fri while I was working out. He left out the applesauce which I decoded as a hint. Applesauce Cake?
So Saturday, after workout, after the purge of the One More Room (and organizing Christmas stuff), my office, I made the cake. The purging’s moving right along since I did a serious job of it the last couple years. And the cake’s a nice reward for both of us.
Applesauce cake!
Today, after workout, it’s bake Italian bread to replenish the supply, and get a tortilla soup simmering. Purge dining room and library while soup is simmering and dough’s rising.
Italian bread stocked up.
Snow—expected—starting falling about the time I took the bread out of the oven. Since we’re going nowhere, it’s very pretty. Falling faster and harder now, but still going nowhere, Sunday chores are done, and the house smells of simmering soup and fresh baked bread.
Tortilla soup!
Please stay safe. If you’re not vaxxed and boosted, get vaxxed and boosted. Our Laura’s had her hip surgery postponed twice since hospitals in our area are overrun with Covid patients—over 90% of them unvaxxed.
Take care of yourselves and everyone else, and let’s make 2022 a lot better than 2021.
Oh, and if you want to watch something to pass the time, check out Brazen on Netflix, based on my Brazen Virtue from way back in 1988! They did some serious updating!
Nora’s view of opening credits.
Good deal!
Nora
I’ll share some Brazen content tomorrow. For now, here’s an off camera pic of the stars.~Laura
I know I’m in the minority being sorry to say goodbye to summer heat. But I like September fine. My garden’s still blooming, and the sun’s finally shining again after a deluge of rain. We’re still seeing hummingbirds visiting their feeders or having a taste of my flowers.
I’ll miss all of that when winter blows in, so I’ll enjoy every minute of it I can while it lasts.
As all of us but the two youngest, not-yet-eligble grandkids are vaxxed, we were able to do some carefully selected traveling this summer. Not yet the long-promised trip to Italy for Kayla (hopefully next summer!) but fun family and/or friends time.
But mostly it’s been at-home, and the bright side—-because you have to find it—was more time for the gardens, for the work, more books to read and shows to watch.
My routine is just basically my always routine. Work, work-out, walk the gardens, cook, veg out. So it’s hard to complain when I have a house and grounds I love, work I love, and family and friends who are safe and well.
But, I can bitch a little!
More at-home time occasionally leads to a quick skim of social media where I find someone posting they’re looking forward to me and my 274 pseudonyms retiring. First, I have ONE pseudonym. One. About 40–count them, 40–years ago I used the name Jill March to sell one story to a long-defunct outlet. Used it once and never again. About 30-odd years ago I used the name Sarah Hardesty to publish ONE book in Great Britain because my publisher there insisted my readers would be confused as it was a historical. I pushed back, but I didn’t have the clout to push hard enough. And they soon realized I was right, then were wrong, and that was the end of Sarah Hardesty.
So one pseudonym with J.D. Robb, and that’s it. Other than you’re wrong to this idiot poster, I’d like to add: Bite me regarding retirement. You’re not in competition with me, nor me with you. The only person a writer should compete with is herself—trying to write a better book every time.
Or there’s the inevitable sad (or angry) demand that I stop using swear words in my books. It can be a religious thing: You have to stop taking the Lord’s name in vain! Or a prissy thing: It does your work no credit to use the F word. And usually followed by mini lecture, and often the claim that people don’t talk that way. To which I call bullshit. Yes, bullshit. And to these people I say, please don’t push your personal morals on me or my characters. Find someone else to read if it upsets you. There are lots and lots and lots of books to choose from.
Of course, there’s always the: I KNOW she uses a ghost writer routine. I know this because—no way she’s written that many, because her last book didn’t sound like her to me, because somebody on-line said so, because, because. To those who make this aggravating and false claim, I suggest you spend more time writing your own book.
It bounces around regularly that I chose the name J.D. Robb to hide the fact I’m a woman. Wrong. Absolutely wrong. I chose it because I wanted to use my sons’ initials—and I thought it sounded cool. That’s it. It’s always amazing to me that people who don’t know me, at all, claim to know the workings of my mind.
There’s more, of course, but more would turn this blog into a rant. I’ve concluded that lots and lots of people simply have too much time on their hands—sometimes that includes me!
I’m using some of that time on this September Sunday to work out—already done—walk the garden and cut some flowers for inside—check!—write this blog—almost there—then settle down to some on-line Christmas shopping. Should be fun. Then this evening I’m roasting a pork loin currently marinating, some roasted potatoes, and we’ll have some of the fresh local corn on the cob with that.
That sounds like a happier use of my time than rolling my eyes over someone’s weird-ass social media post.
And Monday morning, I’ll be back at my keyboard—not retired—writing my own book—by myself—which will surely include swear words. Since it’s a Robb I’m working on, let me be clear. I’m a woman.
I love summer. I like the heat, the sun, the sudden wild storms, the bursting gardens. I love looking out my window and spotting a hummingbird at the feeder, or hovering over my flowers.
Just yesterday while I was deadheading roses, one of these little flying jewels hovered a foot away from me, watching—like: What’re you doing there? Then zipped over to the roses, fed on two or three before zipping up to a tree branch to rest a minute. Before doing it all again.
That’s a summer bright spot in so many ways to me.
I love being able to work all day, get my workout in, then pour myself a glass of wine and wander all around the gardens.
Too often on these happy journeys I rescue a plant Parker has inexplicably pulled out of a pot. And yes, I’ve tried everything. Hot sauce, cayenne, chili powder, dog repellent, etc, etc. He will not be deterred from this strange habit.
BW is building me benches so we can put the pots up higher on the back patio. I’ve already either done this, or tried to block off pots on the lower.
The deer got through all our efforts and munched on a good chunk of Black-Eyed Susans, but I can take it as I have multitudes—so many I plan to dig up twice as many next year as the massive amount I dug up and passed on or transferred this spring.
We’re also going to dig up a whole hell of a bunch of my yellow flags which have gone insane in the last couple of years. They’re crowding out one of my spirea, and blocking the water feature. I’ve got another place in mind for some, and am passing the rest to Jason and Kat who also have a place.
These babies like their feet wet, and since when I planted (a few!) of them a zillion years ago where we have an underground spring, they’ve grown to like it too much.
I’m also enjoying my new patio fountain. Several years ago we were given this great big white stone urn. It’s lovely, but we had no clue what to do with it. We’re just not great big white stone urn people. Then I discovered these solar powered disk things you can put in bird baths or other vessels.
So we did just that. Jason and BW hauled the big-ass (heavy!) urn out of the pool house and onto the lower patio. Filled it with water—and after we’d charged the solar thing, put it in.
A fountain!
We had our little gang up Friday night for pizza, and swimming after. It’s so great to be able to get together like this again, just spend an evening with family, watch the kids have fun.
Griffin also likes the gardens, and wandering (usually at warp speed) around. This weekend he discovered the bench under the huge Black Walnut tree, and spend a lot of time rolling the walnuts Kat would hand him off the bench. Then bouncing them off the end of the bench.
He makes his own fun.
I love spending time on Saturdays weeding my beds, talking to the flowers, deadheading faded blooms to encourage more. It’s not a chore for me, but a total Zen activity.
And I’m rewarded on those walks with wine most every evening.
I hope on this holiday weekend you’re able to—safely—gather with family and friends. And have something that offers you the easy joy my garden offers me.
I’m going to close with the ultimate in Random Katness. Those who followed the travelogue know BW found some buffalo fur in our yard (then Kat found more). Kat, in her Kat way devised a make-shift spinning wheel. (She actually has a real one at home.) She washed and dried the fur, spun it into yarn.
And she made this.
It now resides in our library, and will make me smile every time I see it.
I’m going to get on and off this part of the blog pretty quick. Laura’s been dealing with a surprising amount of negativity and–it must be said–rudeness–on the FB pages. A whole bunch of whining, complaining, even accusations. Just a world of negativity which I’ve certainly noticed has become so unfortunately prevalent over the last year or so.
It’s always been there, but now it’s grown and spread.
For some it’s never enough. What I write or don’t, my publication schedule, what Laura posts on the Robb and Roberts pages–and baffling to me–the fact that she does those posts and I don’t.
I’m going to say this, then move on. When Laura, who has more patience and diplomacy in one hand than I have in my entire body reaches her limit, it’s gone way too far.
So to those who want to use those forums to complain, to demand, to accuse and slap at her, or me, time’s up. I suggest you just grab some happy. Enjoy what we’re able to provide–or don’t and go elsewhere where you can find that happy.
And now I’d like to offer some happy–or at least what makes me happy.
Spring!!!
Despite a–again RUDE–overnight drop into the low 30s last week, it’s here. Everything’s blooming and greening. And I can, finally, dig in the dirt again.
BW and I–vaxxed and masked–hit our favorite nursery. We not only filled the bed of the truck (okay, that’s really on me!) with plants, but needed to wedge a couple flats into the cab.
The truckload of happy.
Then we spent an entire Saturday–and I mean eight straight hours–planting.
Cleared away and basking in the light.
Peaceful spot
I love setting plants out, stepping back, considering, moving them. It’s a lot like writing for me. I see it this way, but . . . hmm, maybe change that little thing there, see how that works.
Then it’s dig, dig, dig.
Some magical help with the digging.
And it all makes me happy.
I’m trying a canna lily this year (need to get a photo of that). My grandmother had a flood of them, and I’ve always loved them. But in my zone, I’ll need to lift the rhizome in the fall, store it properly, then divide it properly and replant every spring. I always hesitated, afraid, I’d fail.
Well, you can’t succeed if you don’t at least try. So this is the year I try.
The beds are so pretty with all their new inhabitants–and I planted the nasturtium seeds the wonderful Laura picked up for me.
Nasturtiums will pop up in front.
BW left to spend a little time with guy pals at the beach (everyone’s vaxxed!) so I did the pots solo on Sunday. Many satisfying hours last Sunday.
The always popular Face pot (it was a long ago gift).
And the result makes me happy.
Now begins the Deer War. I’m heading out to spray repellent when I finish the blog. We have more repellent hanging all over, and my trusty air horn.
In addition, Parker has already pulled three plants out of pots–I got there in time to save them. We’re solving most of this baffling problem by putting most of the pots up, and I add cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes to the pots he can reach. But in those he can easily reach he’s actually eaten off the top blooms of all the lantana. JUST the lantana. (This is a new deal with him.)
It just be tasty, but this will not stand!!
More happy came this weekend when Logan–who gets his first shot this week now that he’s eligible–brought up his new puppy. He turned 17 (!!!!) yesterday, and this was his much-desired birthday gift from his mom.
A boy and his new best friend.
Meet Alaska.
Alaska is a Malamute-Husky mix, a girl, a very, very pretty girl with one brown eye, one blue. She’s fun and sweet and VERY energetic. I only managed one picture when she wasn’t moving.
I walked her out to show her where good dogs go to do their business around here, and she discovered the water feature. It was like she discovered Disneyland.
She jumped, splashed, spun–face-planted in the mulch, and made me really happy.
She also made Parker and Atticus happy. And before the day was done, she ruled them both.
More happy when Jason, Kat and Griffin came up. Kat’s fully vaxxed, and Jason gets his second shot tomorrow. What a relief!
Griffin also loves the water feature. And loves walking all over the property. He stopped several times at my pots and had conversations with the flowers. Long, cheerful ones.
No licking at the water feature!!!
The boy also loves bubbles! One of the words he’ll regularly say is Bubbles! He has plenty of words, but picks and chooses when to use them. He latest is two words, delivered with the tone and look of a teenager to his mom. I KNOW!
That bubble concentration.
Makes me laugh!
Bubbles make him incredibly happy. So they make me happy, too.
Logan’s mom–fully vaxxed!–came up, and she and Logan gave Alaska a bath (much needed) in my laundry room sink. It’s so sweet to see how Alaska and her human have bonded
We were able to do what we couldn’t last year, and have a little celebration–pizza and a cookie cake–Logan’s fave. It made me beyond happy to have two of my grandchilden, my son, my daughter-in-law, and my friend and former daughter-in-law safely together in my home again.
Can you believe it? 17!
Kayla–also fully vaxxed–comes home from her first year in college in a couple weeks. I can’t wait to see her!
Get that shot in the arm if you haven’t yet. Protect yourself, your family, your friends, your neighbors, your community, your country and your planet.
Make yourself happy.
Bay laurel just outside the gym.
If flowers and gardening, if puppies and bubbles, if handsome teenage boys and adorable toddlers don’t make you happy, find what does and grab it.
There’s enough sad and sorry in the world. Instead of pushing that out there, push out that happy.
Nora
Quick note from Laura: For a little more happy, I thought I’d share a little little secret…there’s rumor (to yet be confirmed) that a Stupid Scoreboard may be in my future. Aaargh — you don’t see a pal for nearly a year and she think THAT’S a good way to reconnect? [insert eye roll here.] Stay tuned.
