Notes from Abigail
It’s that time of year to view beautiful fall leaves. I like to take a fall foliage trip every year. I have not yet decided where I would like to go but it will be in New England.
I think New England has some of the best fall foliage. My favorite colors are red, yellow and orange all displayed on the same tree.
As I went to work tonight the cool night air made me shiver. It was down in the low forties and breezy. Made for a cold night riding around with the window to the truck rolled down.
I know it will warm up later on but it was plain cold last night, the first really cool night of the fall season and I know that we have many more to follow, It takes me a while to get used to the cold I am cold blooded so it takes me a while to get used to the cold weather when it starts. Looks like tomorrow will be about the same so it will be bundle up time for me for a day or two I guess.
Today was our trash pick up day and we had a lot of trash bags filled with leaves and sticks from the last storm out at the curb. The trash had been out at the curb for 3 weeks and last week they picked up about half of it. I was very pleased when I left for work this morning that they had finally picked up the rest of the trash bags. Of course after 3 weeks they had killed the grass under them and it was a ugly mess of stuff that they did not pick up, sticks and paper but I can fix that, I am just very glad that the trash is now gone.
After the Labor Day holiday is all over and done with comes early on the first Monday of September this year, I am going to have to look for some handyman services in order to get some of the issues taken care of around the place that I just don’t have the time or the tools or the experience to tend to. I gave up trying to find the carbide bits that I had just purchased last year and other various tools seem to have taken a hike during the spring and summer season. I get so frustrated with trying to find things around here. One day I will get organized, but I don’t think that will happen any time soon.
If you are a home owner you well know how much time, effort and money it takes to keep the house up and running in so many ways, it just isn’t possible to get it all done on my own so a good quality handyman will come in “handy” for most of my needs that should be taken care of before the cold winter months hit us. Something tells me we are going to have a real long and cold winter this year. A winter that starts early and last forever and a day, raising havoc on the population.
There are a few friends and family members that can and do come over on occasions to lend a hand with some projects but it seems that people are getting busier and busier these days and it isn’t always possible to impose on their time and talents. And now with the holidays and then the cold winter months ahead of us it will be more of a challenge so I’m just going to go ahead and pay a professional and get things moving.
Recently I inherited some baby spider plants. I have always wanted spider plants in my house. They are just so unique looking! At first I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with these gorgeous specimens. I have a green and white striped one and a solid green one.
Then one morning I woke up and while I was enjoying my morning cup of chai tea I spotted the perfect location for these plants to live. My large picture window will be their new homes.
Tomorrow I shall march down to the local hardware store and purchase a couple of plant hangers for the wall. I can then hang one plant up on each end of the window and the mixture and light and shade should be just right. These plants do not like bright sunlight all day.
If they receive this then they have a chance of burning. While I am at the hardware store I will also pick up matching pots. I can’t wait to put this project together. They are going to look fabulous!
This year was pretty much a disaster as far as my back yard. Usually I would be reaping the rewards of a small backyard garden and giving extra produce to friends, neighbors, family and co workers. Between the weather being crazy and my lack of interest and energy this year, it just didn’t work out.
I did manage to get a few tomato plants that are producing although usually there are plenty of red ones on the vine by now. But they are taking their time in ripening. It is actually a bit better for me because I can only use and give so many tomatoes in the first week of August.
This year’s month August is being call Autumn in August, even some of the bushes and trees are totally confused at to what time of the year it is. There has been several mornings that I have gone outside, the wind is blowing and it’s overcast, that I have witnessed a good amount of leaves on the ground as well a a bunch of leaves being tossed around in the cool breeze.
I think I will back off on some of the food items in the garden next year. A nice break from this yearly chore. I would love to start planting some nicer plants and buses around the yard.
I have all winter to learn what I need to know and do for caring for orchids and all the other beautiful and colorful flowers that I am looking forward to tend to next spring and summer. I can’t wait to start getting all the seeds and flower catalogs that I always find in my mailbox right before the up and coming spring plantings.
In the mean time I’ll be looking around online to do a bit of research which will make all the decisions as an educated consumer.
Now that it has gotten real hot and humid, the air conditioning on my Tahoe has decided to go out. I am not sure how much it will cost to get fixed but I have to get it in the shop to find out.
None of our vehicles right now has working air conditioning and that is a bad deal all the way around. It was 95 degrees today and they say that it is going to be even hotter tomorrow, I have to get the air conditioning fixed in one of our vehicles soon.
Each summer we hear stories about people leaving their kids or their pets in their cars during the extreme heat. It breaks my heart. I don’t understand why anyone would think that this would be acceptable. I think that those who are found guilty of this type of behavior should be punished in the same manner as the victim was treated.
The days that I could call my kid brother for my heating and/or air conditioning issues are unfortunately long gone. He discovered that he has a real talent with computers and he hasn’t had anything to do with anything else since.
So on the down side I have to locate and hire my own Durham air conditioning service when I need help. On the other hand I can always count on him to help me with my computers!
It is time for the month of craziness to begin, March Madness is the time of year that I truly love. College basketball is a passion to me and many others as well. I love the brackets that we fill out every year, and this year we have added a new game to our yearly brackets.
A free bingo card is something that we have been talking about for a long time now. Take a look at our bingo card and I think that you can see how it works, I can not wait for the March Madness basketball tournament to get here for our fun to begin.
I think we will have a lot of fun with this new way to play at our March Madness party. I know that girls do not know as much as they guys, but I have won the bracket for the last three years and I plan on winning the bingo game this year as well. Come on guys ante up and lets get the game under way.
Of course I know more because I had three older brothers who taught me the best way to win at everything I do. I want to thank my brothers for teaching me to play to win.
So you want to build a pond in your garden? There is a right way and a wrong way to go about it. First you have to pick the area in your yard that you want to build it. In order to do that, you have to know where all of the underground utility pipes are located. Whether it is water, electrical or cable, you don’t want to hit any of them when you start digging. You utility companies will be happy to come out and mark the locations to prevent any mishaps.
Next you want to decide how large you want the pond and make sure it is not near a lot of trees. The leaves will clog it up and make a lot of extra work for you. An average pond is two to three feet deep, unless you plan to put Koi in it, then it will need to be three to four feet deep. Even if you decide against the Koi, it is always best to make sure you have running water to keep the mosquito population down. A simple pond pump will help ensure that the water is always moving. A few gold fish wouldn’t hurt either, as they will eat the mosquito larvae.
Now comes the time to go get your supplies. You can buy either a preformed or flexible liner for your pond. A flexible one allows you to determine the shape and size and are relatively easy to work with. You can build your pond with common garden tools, there is really no need to have heavy machinery, unless it is going to be a really large pond. You will also need sand to spread around before you put down your liner. This prevents tears from happening due to rocks and roots. Just spread it evenly and as thick as you can to be safe.
Make sure you get the rocks you need to line around the outside and to build a waterfall should you decide you want one. Most hardware store will deliver them, so you shouldn’t need a truck. Don’t forget your water plants and decorative plants for around the pond either.
Not everyone has a yard or the space to build a pond. However, do not be discouraged, because you can still have a water garden by using a sealed decorative container. Just put rocks on the bottom and choose what water plants you would like to have. Once again, you will have to do something to prevent mosquito’s, even if it is only a small water garden. They will breed in any standing water. Either the water has to move, or you need gold fish or something to kill the larvae.
A pond can bring a lot of joy to you and your family. They are very calming and soothing to sit next to after a hard day at work. Especially those with the gentle sounds of water flowing over rocks. It is amazing how relaxed you will be when you can enjoy it at the end of the day.