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.

Flowering ideas

Spring cannot come soon enough!  One of my favorite times of year is the spring time.  During this time I always visit at least one flower show.  While I am there I usually see multiple kinds of window box planters.  Multiple businesses are always on hand at these shows to assist the visitors with window box ideas. 

Usually when I attend these flower shows I bring at least one friend with me and we make a day of the trip.  None of my friends are as garden savvy as I am but I can most times convince them to have at least one pot of flowers on their porch for the season.  Maybe this year I will be able to convince them to have a couple of window boxes.

Window boxes can contain numerous kinds of plants.  They can be window flower boxes or garden window boxes.  I have made several window flower boxes but I have yet to make a vegetable window box.  I think this year I just may try planting a few vegetables in a window box.

Sunrise

This morning was the most beautiful sunrise.  I love watching  multiple colors dance across the sky as the world awakens.  Someday I shall have a mural in my home of a sunrise.  Many of the local hardware stores have murals for sale of sunrises.  They do not come cheap.

However, the motifs they offer are worth the cost.  They even have some designs that include palm trees and white sand.  This is a relaxing scene as well.

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.

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.

The big one

I am not a huge fan of NASCAR racing but I do watch a couple of the races. The first race of the year at Daytona and the spring race at Bristol is great too. Let me add one more to my list, the race yesterday at Talladega was fantastic, they always have at least one “Big One” and yesterday they had a couple of big ones, the crash on the final turn may of been the most fantastic wreck I have ever seen I know I have not been watching racing all that long but it was amazing, I hope the folks that were injured in the crowd are all right. I heard that 2 of them had to be air lifted to the hospital. It was amazing.

Wildlife

As we get deeper into spring time we get more and more wildlife near our house. Yesterday we got our second squirrel in the house. This one was easier to get back outside than the first one. I chased him/her downstairs and right out the open back door. The first one was a bigger chase and the main problem is keeping the dogs from getting it. Jack Russell Terriers have a great hunting gene and it kicks in when they get close to wildlife. Lets hope the word gets spread to the rest of the critters to stay out of the house.

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.