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Precious Junk
I’m updating my will–finally. The current edition was generated from an online provider. No executor was named and Andy was the primary beneficiary. An attorney who specializes in elder law is working with me. My situation isn’t complicated. Things with beneficiaries, like life insurance policies and retirement accounts, bypass probate. A will covers the rest–in…
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Tea (Olive) Time!
Every fall, a delightful fragrance fills the air here in Athens. Tracking the scent to its source is a challenge. I don’t recall how long I’d lived here before a garden buddy told me it came from tea olives (Osmanthus fragrans). Tea olives are broad-leaved evergreens that bloom intermittently from fall to early spring. The…
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Winning…So Far
Blackbeard Algae (BBA) is a nasty aquarium pest with no redeeming qualities. Few scavengers eat it and none in sufficient quantity to make a difference. Unlike other algae, UV filters don’t kill the spores. Getting rid of it is next to impossible. There are several prevention strategies. Keeping the light on less would solve the…
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Fresh Start
After moving from an overwhelmingly large yard to something more manageable twelve year ago, my return to gardening has been gradual. There is no landscape design or grand vision for a garden. My flower beds were already here or evolved to make mowing easier. Limited growing space and a pages-long list of must-haves keep me…
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Vision Update
I was diagnosed with Advanced Macular Degeneration (AMD) more than fifteen years ago. Since then, my vision has slowly deteriorated. I’m not complaining. Without regular eye injections, I’d probably be blind. The injections aren’t as bad as they sound. It’s over in seconds. Numbing drops keep me from feeling anything. The speculum to keep my…
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My Summer Vacation
Public schools here in Athens opened the first week of August. Fall semester at UGA started last week. Where did the summer go? My “What I Did this Summer” essay would be brief and more than a little boring. I didn’t go anywhere or read any good books. I rarely left the house except to…
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Big Momma Molly
My love for black mollies started in grade school when I had to read aloud a short article about them. The accompanying picture of a sail-fin molly is etched in my memory. I’ve wanted the hard-to-find fish ever since. Last year, I finally had the opportunity to order two pairs. I’d registered to be notified…
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Tootsie Turns Two
We’re celebrating Tootsie’s second birthday today. The exact date is unknown. I went with the 9th because the shelter said her monthly flea pill was due on the 9th–a few days after I got her home–and June since she was eight weeks old. We’ve had our challenges. Several months of one-on-one training helped. The trainer…
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My Aquatic Garden
The aquarium runneth over with plants. Earlier this year, I ordered a grower’s choice selection of six varieties. USPS lost the package and customer service didn’t respond, so I ordered from another place. I ended up with the original order, the second order, and a replacement for the first order. All three packages included a…
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My Pot Garden
Quality growing space is in short supply in my little yard. Poor soil and too much or too little sun are the main issues. Container gardening solves both problems. My pots are a bit smaller than the half-whiskey barrels they resemble. After punching drainage holes in the bottoms, I filled all five with assorted bagged…