Beautiful blooms

This year I plan on having as many window box planters as I can possibly afford.  Window boxes can be quite expensive.  The amount of time and money spend on each window box can add up to hundreds of dollars in the end.  There are multiple ways a person can be frugal and still have beautiful blooms.

A decorative planter can be made out of nearly any type of material.  Plastic and wood are quite popular options used as a base for an arrangement.  Other ideas can be as simply as a recycled food container or an antique mental container.  Recycled and older containers can easily be spruced up with a little paint or embellishments.  Surprisingly, these small touches can make the used container look like a high end planter.  A person’s neighbors will never know the difference once you fill these planters with some beautiful blooms.  What the neighbors will be looking at is the color and density of what is in the boxes.  No doubt you will receive compliments and even be asked perhaps how your container was constructed.

Owl Eyes

Something rather creepy happened today. I came home from work and while I was turning around in my driveway I happened to look up at my shed. Perched on the roof was an owl. Now, I know that this doesn’t seem like anything but that wasn’t the end of the owl.

A few hours later I went out to get the mail and as I was walking out I happened to look up at the utility line. There again, was the owl. I couldn’t believe it! I have no proof that it was the same owl but I thought it was just strange to see a similar looking owl again in the same day; not to mention in just a few short hours.

Now while owls are not uncommon where I live I did think that seeing the same kind within a couple of hours so close to my residence was weird. Perhaps this has to do with my recent viewing of the movie “The Fourth Kind.” This would certainly help explain my ‘creep-ed out’ thoughts.

Hydrangea

I noticed today that I better pick my beautiful hydrangea flowers before they fall of off the stem.  They starting to dry out outside.  They are pink and green in color and gorgous.

If I do not pick them soon not only will they fall of the vine outside but the color will fade.  I really like their two- tone color.  I plan to put them in a vase with water in a dark location.  When the water has evaporated I will be able to put them in the daylight.

Beach walk

The beach was a sight to be scene tonight.  I really enjoyed my walk tonight.  Just before the sunset I even caught a glimpse of a whale!  I was shocked to see such a large animal so close to the shore.

While I was walking I picked up a few new pieces of sea glass to add to my collection.  My collection is quite small but every piece is a pleasure to look at.  I like the element of the glass being unfinished.  I also like to imagine where the glass may have traveled.

Dogs Days Continue

The heat index is what I care about lately. How hot does it feel? How much more heat can we stand?

The temperature, humidity and lack of a cool breeze have made it feel like over 100 degrees for almost 3 months straight now. We still have all of August and most of September as our summer. Ugh!

We sure could use a couple of weeks of cooler temperatures.

Trip to the ocean

Today I have a day off and I have decided to venture to the coast.  I love the ocean.  The smell of salty ocean water is intoxicating.  If I could bottle up the smell I would.

I think that I will indulge in a lobster roll for lunch.  I treat myself to one of these at least a couple of times in the summer.  The cost of these has gone up sharply in the last few years.  I still think they are worth it.  The only thing that bugs me is when they skimp on the lobster and load the roll with mayonnaise.

Fun in the Snow

We had enough snow for our grandson to actually sled down the hill in the backyard. We had to get creative about what we had on hand that could be pressed into service as a sled. We don’t have enough snow most years to bother with buying a proper sled. It would just be taking up a lot of room in the garage. But there are other things that can be pressed into use when we do have some snow. Last time my daughter used a plastic laundry basket while at a friend’s house. But would you believe we don’t have laundry baskets like that? We use a hamper.

After looking around the garage and the laundry room, we decided to look for an old box or large sheet of cardboard. Ended up that a boxtop worked pretty well. He got tired of it after about 20 minutes and complained about being cold, so that was the end of our short snow day with fun in the snow.

Fire season

As summer comes to a close, every year they have a very bad fire season in the western part of the United States. Now they have fires starting in California and Arizona. When I lived in Arizona every year we would have fires on Mount Graham, most were caused by lightning strikes but a few by discarded cigarettes or badly managed camp fires. I could never see having a fire so big that it was in danger of getting away from us when we went camping. Lets hope they get the fires under control very quickly and no more fires are started this year.

Afternoon thunder

It seems that every afternoon we get some thunder and lightning, yesterday it killed my electricity twice and it is starting again today. I know that we can use all the rain we can get but during the spring-summer season rain and storms bring bugs and humidity, two things I dearly hate with a passion. I guess I better get ready for the storm to hit and get my sandbags ready for the flash flood they are giving us a warning for.

Grass

Our grass is growing so fast we almost have to cut it twice a week right now. I am glad that our yard is small only when it comes to cutting the grass. The rest of the time I wish we had a huge lawn for the dogs and kids to play in. Right now we are over run with the yellow flowers of the dandelions in our front yard. I have been trying to keep them picked but they grow faster than I can get them picked. I wish we had a goat to help keep the weeds down sometimes but then I think of the mess you would have to clean up and I will stick with dogs, kids and a lawnmower.