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Memorial Day Puttering
May. 27th, 2018 09:52 pmMemorial Day weekend has so far been dedicated to puttering around the house.
Max was marching in a Memorial Day parade on Saturday, so he had to get up early to leave. (Ah, the advantages of a teen who can drive himself!) Darwin and I slept later and drove down on our own. After some finagling, we found a spot toward the middle of the parade route and watched from a grassy curb. The weather was cloudy and warm, perfect for parades, really. We all think we want bright sun for parades, but it would have been scorching! So we were glad for the clouds. The parade was the usual mix of firefighters and police and school bands and local politicians. The crowd was light, and the parade marchers kept throwing candy at us. We had a respectable pile of it when everything was done. Max finally came past, and handed out sheriff stickers. We were very proud, and didn't embarrass him, but I did take photos--he couldn't stop me!
Back home, I had put ribs in the Crock pot for an early supper (with a wine and mustard marinade), and they came out succulent and delicious. We had them with corn on the cob and cold watermelon. I tried and failed a mirror glaze cake, but will try again.
Our lawn guy leveled the bushes on the west side of our front porch. Oh, I was unhappy! I wanted them trimmed, not buzzed. The bushes wrapped around the porch, keeping it shady and cool all day long. Now it gets sunny and hot out there in late afternoon. The bushes will grow back, but it'll be a while. I poured fertilizer on them to speed the process.
The new sunniness also crisped the low-light potted plants I'd hung from the beams. I rushed them into the shade when I noticed the new sunlight and watered them copiously. They've since recovered, thank goodness. I swapped in some plants that like a little more light, and they're doing all right now.
Sunday was sunny and hot, hot, HOT. We turned on the AC right after breakfast. Good thing. You could cook a roast out there.
I bought more plants, this time for the back deck and the altar. I also bought a fountain for my front porch office. It's a set of Greek urns that cascade water from one to another in a series. I like the sound of the water, and it'll make my summer office that much more tranquil.
Max, meanwhile, is starting a new job at a fast food restaurant. (His previous job at the ice cream store was proving less and less tenable, thanks to an increasingly difficult owner.) For this, he needed work shoes, so we went down to the local super store to find some. I also got myself a few items of summer wear and some hardware stuff.
Back home, we shifted into yard puttering. I installed plants around the back yard and distributed water and fertilizer while Darwin repaired a broken hose (hardware stuff) and cut out dead sections of the rose bushes.
Boy, do we have chipmunks! Their burrows are everywhere around our house. I think it's because we're the only ones in the neighborhood who don't try to kill them. They don't bother me, really, and their chittering reminds me of camping trips we took when I was young, so they can stay.
For supper, I grilled T-bone steaks and served them with cheese potatoes and cucumber salad. They were perfection!
It's been a fine Memorial Day weekend.
Max was marching in a Memorial Day parade on Saturday, so he had to get up early to leave. (Ah, the advantages of a teen who can drive himself!) Darwin and I slept later and drove down on our own. After some finagling, we found a spot toward the middle of the parade route and watched from a grassy curb. The weather was cloudy and warm, perfect for parades, really. We all think we want bright sun for parades, but it would have been scorching! So we were glad for the clouds. The parade was the usual mix of firefighters and police and school bands and local politicians. The crowd was light, and the parade marchers kept throwing candy at us. We had a respectable pile of it when everything was done. Max finally came past, and handed out sheriff stickers. We were very proud, and didn't embarrass him, but I did take photos--he couldn't stop me!
Back home, I had put ribs in the Crock pot for an early supper (with a wine and mustard marinade), and they came out succulent and delicious. We had them with corn on the cob and cold watermelon. I tried and failed a mirror glaze cake, but will try again.
Our lawn guy leveled the bushes on the west side of our front porch. Oh, I was unhappy! I wanted them trimmed, not buzzed. The bushes wrapped around the porch, keeping it shady and cool all day long. Now it gets sunny and hot out there in late afternoon. The bushes will grow back, but it'll be a while. I poured fertilizer on them to speed the process.
The new sunniness also crisped the low-light potted plants I'd hung from the beams. I rushed them into the shade when I noticed the new sunlight and watered them copiously. They've since recovered, thank goodness. I swapped in some plants that like a little more light, and they're doing all right now.
Sunday was sunny and hot, hot, HOT. We turned on the AC right after breakfast. Good thing. You could cook a roast out there.
I bought more plants, this time for the back deck and the altar. I also bought a fountain for my front porch office. It's a set of Greek urns that cascade water from one to another in a series. I like the sound of the water, and it'll make my summer office that much more tranquil.
Max, meanwhile, is starting a new job at a fast food restaurant. (His previous job at the ice cream store was proving less and less tenable, thanks to an increasingly difficult owner.) For this, he needed work shoes, so we went down to the local super store to find some. I also got myself a few items of summer wear and some hardware stuff.
Back home, we shifted into yard puttering. I installed plants around the back yard and distributed water and fertilizer while Darwin repaired a broken hose (hardware stuff) and cut out dead sections of the rose bushes.
Boy, do we have chipmunks! Their burrows are everywhere around our house. I think it's because we're the only ones in the neighborhood who don't try to kill them. They don't bother me, really, and their chittering reminds me of camping trips we took when I was young, so they can stay.
For supper, I grilled T-bone steaks and served them with cheese potatoes and cucumber salad. They were perfection!
It's been a fine Memorial Day weekend.
