Blooms

 

One of my housecleaners remarked to me, "You sure do like flowers." I do sometimes have fresh flowers in my home, but I think she was referring to my decorating. I have 2 framed prints of flowers (irises; pink generic blossoms), a decorative cross-stitched pillow, and my bedspread which is pictured above.

I have pots of flowers on the front porch to enjoy. Geraniums, calibrachoa, and the violas are still hanging around with the cool spring weather continuing.

The geraniums are the same as what I bought last year. I was glad to see Meijer had them again this year.

Since I put the pot of geraniums under the Victorian gazing ball, I moved the violas to the other side of the porch. I expect them to fade out once hot weather arrives.

My cheddar pinks in the patio plot are in full bloom now. Once the flowers dry up, I will cut them off. Usually, I will get a second blooming later in the summer. They smell nice. I always take a sniff while standing on the patio grilling.

What is in bloom at your house?

Front Porch Flowers 2024

 We ate lunch sitting on the front porch today. It is warm with a light breeze. It is the first time to eat there since last fall. 

I bought a pot of geraniums and a hanging pot of wax begonias this year. 

We are on the roller coaster spring weather of northern Indiana. Tomorrow might only be a high of 60. Today 80. Yesterday the area to the north of us, including Michigan, had tornados, high winds, hail. But there should be more porch sitting days coming.

Juxtaposition

 

It is that time of year when autumn colors and plants sit next to summer hangovers. I will have to take my geraniums into the garage next week overnight Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday if the forecast for frost is right. The fothergilla has peaked in color this week.

Autumn colors have been somewhat muted or missing this fall. My backyard maple mostly turned brown with leaves dropping. The maple next to my neighbor's condo is fairly bright though.

Down below the sumac is a single daisy.

In the newsfeed on my Galaxy tablet there is rarely current events. I guess because I searched and touched on stories about decluttering and best buys at stores like Costco, Trader Joe's, Aldi's, I get that sort of thing in the feed. I read a story about Aldi's fall chicken salad which is an upgrade from the regular chicken salad. It has nuts and cranberries. I bought some yesterday which we ate on a croissant. It is very good. Supposedly it will disappear from the store shelf after the holiday season. 

As the weather heads for cold temperatures, critters are starting to look for warmth. I don't know what this bug is, but I was careful not to let it in my house. I saw one like it in the garage a few weeks ago where I had the geraniums sheltering one night. Then a few days ago when I took something next door to my neighbors, I saw one sitting on their porch chair.

I bought a puzzle at the Friends of the Library book sale at North Webster Thursday morning. I am going to start working on it this weekend. It is a 1000-piecer though when I prefer doing smaller puzzles.

I washed my duster/robe today, and I hung my winter bathrobe in my closet. I wore a short-sleeved top today so I could get my flu shot at Walgreen's, but this afternoon I have on a sweater. I need to think about bringing in the cushions from the porch rocking chairs. I cling to the hope that we might have a sneak Indian summer day yet in our autumn, but most likely my porch sitting days are over.

Trusses Are Here!

 This morning I heard some hammering. The roof trusses needed to rebuild the structural frame of the burned-out condos are here!

Since I am to avoid bending over, I haven't trimmed away the dead flower stems on my geraniums. Lots of blooms.

It is cooler today and tomorrow with a 50% chance of rain on Sunday. 

Tonight, my husband and I are eating at Ruby Tuesdays with a BOGO for $2 coupon. I haven't decided between ribs or salmon. They both sound good to me.

Pink!

 The patio cheddar pinks are in full bloom.

Monday I bought two pots of geraniums that are now sitting on my front porch.

It's been a bit breezy to sit on the porch lately. Maybe tomorrow. I borrowed 2 books on spiritual formation from Hoopla. I started one. I have 20 days left to finish them. 

My insurance company pays for Mom's Meals, but it looks like only for people who have been hospitalized. I will need to check on that. We can self-pay. We might do that for the first week after my back surgery. These have a long shelf-life (well, really refrigeration life) and are microwaveable. Of course there are frozen items from the grocery store that can be microwaved. I think I should hear from the surgery scheduler by the end of next week as to insurance authorization for the surgery. Once it is authorized, I will communicate with United Healthcare to see how Mom's Meals are covered and the qualifications. Only 3 weeks away now.