Notes from Abigail
It seems that every year I do battle and a losing battle at that, against weight gain. I know that since I turned 30 it has been an uphill struggle and now that the swim suit season is here it has just become a all out war.
I have dedicated myself to losing weight and fitting into the same swim suit that I wore last year, lets hope that this is a battle that I win this year. The swim suit I wore last year is stunning and I want to be able to fit in it again, soon.
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.
This is my favorite time of the year. I love the green and colors after a dull boring winter. So we are going to start the flowers this weekend. I have already prepped the seeds and the seedlings are ready to go into the ground. This is the kids favorite part, because they are allowed to get dirty and dig with mommy. We really have a great time with this.
I have a couple of bio dome gardens that are just for them to use. One has carnivorous plants like the Venus flytrap. Boys absolutely love that one. There is also a butterfly garden as well, that the girls just adore. Our next door neighbors will join us with their kids and we will do both yards. I can’t wait to see how well it turns out.
It was cloudy when I woke up this morning, but the sun has come out and it’s a beautiful day. Cannot believe Spring is next week! Going into March, I wondered if we would finally have any big snow storms, but it looks like we dodged the bullet this Winter. All in all, it was one of the mildest Winters I remember. I was prepared, I purchased an electric snow blower during the bad storms two years ago. Luckily, it never left the closet. Trees and shrubs are turning green, flowering trees are blooming beautiful and the birds have been singing loudly every morning. Spring and Fall are my two favorite seasons so I am excited it’s finally here.
It’s February, typically the bleakest month of the year. That ol’ Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow on Ground Hog’s Day – which is my birthday, by the way, predicting 6 more weeks of winter. I get through the winter by daydreaming about sunshine and nice weather. I enjoy laying out in my back yard in a chaise lounge, sun bathing or reading a good book. To get me through the winter doldrums, I also like to plan my yard. I love to garden. My yard is small these days so I look for all possibilities for flowers and color. One thing I’m thinking about are window boxes. They allow me to use space above the ground, and I am certainly short on ground space. I think flower boxes would add color and beauty to my house.
You can plant hanging plants that cascade down, it can be a lovely effect. I tend to plant a lot of red flowers, my favorite color. I love geraniums, they would add a splash of red in a windowbox. I’ll have to look up the name of a silvery vine that I have seen that would look lovely aside my beloved geraniums. If it looks as good as I think, I will take a photo and post it!
I had a three day weekend for Martin Luther King day, so back to work tomorrow on Tuesday. Thankfully, a four day work week but I have a horrible head cold. YUK! It feels like I have been sick every weekend for months! I am tired of it, I feel like I need Spring to make me feel better! Kinda like solar powered, I need sun and warmth to charge me!