The Last Week of August

This is the last week of August and I have one week to get the garden together before the start of September. Why??? I've spent the last five days, deciding on which party when. Right now, I have two major garden parties planned for September and a baby shower. There are still arrangements to make for two other parties. So, I'm busy.

I have one week to get ready for the first party. But with working, I find that I don't have a lot of time to get the garden ready. Husband has been doing his part. Today he edged all the garden beds. That was enough believe me.

Well, I still have a week and even if I don't get everything done, i.e. the rose in the very front of the house by a storm drain was struck by lightening over the weekend and is still there. I don't have the heart to send it on to heaven as it appears right now to be growing strongly and is actually getting ready to bloom! I'll allow it this time left to it. I'm sure the winter will finally take it and next spring I will dig it out for compost. The mint sprig I planted last year has gone crazy this year and moved into my Bayse's Purple rose that is trying to get started as well as my poor wild indigo. I am not happy about this and have already started to cut the stuff down, after which I will take a shovel to it. Bees, lots of bees love this stuff so I have to do this right at dusk so as not to get stung. There is also some other nasty weeds that need to find heaven. Mostly though, about an hour a day after work and the garden will look quite good. The weeds that are there are large and easy to see and pull. We've had enough rain here to keep the soil moist for now.

I also have to start planning my menu. Oh, my, that truly depends on what the weather is forecasted to be. If it rains, the dinner will be inside. If it doesn't, the dinner will be a garden party. I have a firepit that I will light, as well as a chimena that will also be lit. Then there are several Tiki torches around the deck and patio. All smoke nicely and will keep the bugs away. They'll also keep the hummingbirds away. They can be little devils, scrapping with each other and ending up on your dinner plate. No kidding! A pair of them were so busy scrapping that they both fell onto my dinner plate as I sat at the patio table eating. All three of us just sat there a moment and stared at each other. The tiny birds got their wits back and off they flew, buzzing right past my ear. But it would be nice to have this thing outside. My deck is so private now that the wisteria has grown in.

Starting next year, I'll be putting pots of bogonias out in the alcove on the deck beneath the wisteria. That spot has finally grown in and is now ready for my lovely, shade loving bogonias. It's so pleasant out there now. Eventually the patio will be the same way. I have a lovely yew that will afford privacy as it grows near the entry to the patio and a dragon holly that will provide shelter from the neighbors as well as the west winds. Both plants are slow growers, so that won't happen for a few years.

It will be nice having parties in my lovely garden. I won't be ready for winter this year, I'm sure. I want summer to stay.

Finally Finished

After 5 weeks of construction people and my bathroom torn up, it is finally finished and moved into. It is nice, really nice and I think a much better use of the space than before.

The Remodeling project continues

My bathroom is almost done now. I spent the day painting it yesterday (I won't do that again anytime soon!) and spent the evening cleaning up at least some of it. My poor whirlpool tub was so dirty and somehow managed to get drops of paint all over it even though it was cover with a drop cloth. But once the cloth was removed, it looked like the workers had sanded spackling and everything else over this tub. It took me an hour and a half to clean it. It looks great now. The toilet was even worse. I got the wall plates back on (very pretty) and both fans/lights up. The light over the sink is back up but I still need to put the recessed lighting up (royal pain). Then to move in the rest of the way.
I have to admit that I like the look of the paint in that room. The ceiling is a very light taupe, the walls a medium light taupe and the trim is a medium/dark taupe, all three shades a very different color of the same pallet. It gives the walls a plastered look which I really like and matches the marble look tile of the shower and tub perfectly. I also used my artist hand to do the edging of the wall and ceiling colors which add to the look. The border paper I have to put up there is a Victorian floral pattern of pink roses, purple hydrengas and small flowers of various colors on a very light taupe background with medium taupe Victorian swirl edges. Unfortunately I didn't have enough here to do the entire room, so I had to order more. That will go up when it arrives.
Today I will plan on spending most of the day, or a good part of it, on my hands and knees with a bucket of floor cleaner and a scrub brush, cleaning up the paint drops, grit and dirt off the floor of this bathroom. Then it will be cleaned up and ready for whatever decorations I choose to put in there. The shower door isn't here yet but should be coming in about a week or so, then a final inspection with the contractor who wants to take pictures for his portfolio.

I am really pleased with the bathroom at this point.

Mists

I’ve been suffering from stress and headaches again. I think it’s because of the bathroom remodel. When this is finished, I’m not sure what I want to do first, use the shower or the whirlpool. I need the jets for the knots in my back muscles but I also want to try that really cool shower. It’s going on 5 weeks now for a remodel that was supposed to last 3 weeks. Par for the course. I’m not upset about this but it does appear to be taking it’s toll anyway. I’m hoping this will be over soon, not because I am upset with the builder, but just because of these headaches.

I went to see an old friend, Linda, this weekend. It was so nice to see her again and to rejuvenate the friendship. It’s been far to many years since I’d seen her and so much has happened in both our lives. While I was visiting, her oldest daughter stopped by. I was surprised that Colleen remembered me. The visit lasted all afternoon and we left with her wanting to come and visit me. This is a good thing. I found out that she works at the local market that is just across the street from where I work. I may have to visit her at her stand over my lunch break some day soon.

My relationship with Linda kind of reminds me of that bittersweet chick-flick, "The Pond House". We run the same circles, the same areas but just seem to pass each other in the mist. Now with this conscious effort to meet again, maybe this fog has been lifted and we’ll be able to regain that close friendship we shared so many years ago. Oh, it won’t be the same, so much has happened both good and bad, but maybe the friendship will be just as strong. Only time will tell.