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Patience Rewarded
This year is the best yet for my indoor seed-starting operation. Rather than the end of December, I held off until February to start anything. Waiting made a big difference. On Groundhog’s Day, I started Gloriosa daisy–a double variety of Black-eyed Susan. Seedlings appeared a few days later and stayed under lights until big enough…
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Progress in the Garden
Since moving to this house in November 2012, I’ve removed more permanent plants from the yard than I’ve added. The removals had outgrown their allotted space–and then some. Committing to replacements has been a challenge. I decided to hold off before planting anything to study the space. I fixed drainage issues, improved the soil, and…
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Vision Upgrade
The Advanced Macular Degeneration I’ve had for more than seventeen years is stable. Vabysmo has enabled me to double the time between injections from four weeks to eight. I am beyond grateful. My optometrist told me I had cataracts in 2023 and suggested I ask my retina specialist about any concerns. I brought it up…
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Guppy Population Explosion
I added three pairs of red cobra guppies to my 29-gallon tank in May 2023. The original fish are gone, but lots of their offspring have survived and gone on to produce offspring of their own. The newest batch of babies is likely the fourth or fifth generation. The blurry photos are the best I…
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Happy Groundhog’s Day!
February 2 may well be my favorite day of the year. The groundhog definitely saw a shadow at my place. Whether he’s right or wrong, the possibility of an early spring lifts my spirits. I celebrate every year by planting something. Usually, I plant cool-season seeds and seedlings outside. I hadn’t planned to grow any…
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Planning for Planting
The 2025 garden season is here. Hope springs eternal. Visions of beautiful flowers and bountiful harvests dance through my head. This year will be the best yet! More often than not, each new season is better than the last–especially with plants that come back every year. Experience makes a difference too. Lessons learned in previous…
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Movie Time
Finally made it to the theater to see Wicked–first movie I’ve gone to see since Les Mis came out in 2012. Loved it. Seeing a movie alone is not an issue–or wasn’t before my vision deteriorated. Wicked’s long playtime (more than 2 1/2 hours) and a mid-afternoon first showing forced my hand. I don’t drive…
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Lowering the Bar
Jogging is about the only real exercise I get. Walks around the block with Tootsie don’t count for much and she’s not up for more. I haven’t set foot in a gym for a few years. Retiring enabled me to kick up my jogging regimen. Issues with my feet held me back until I discovered…
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Grateful
‘Tis the season for gratitude. I try to keep an attitude of gratitude all year. Focusing on the positive makes my life more enjoyable and a bit easier. I’ve done a lot of really stupid things. Sometimes, I didn’t know any better. Sometimes, I did, but didn’t care. Bad decisions mostly made my life more…
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Amazon Blues
The phone I ordered from Amazon for delivery 11/21 still hasn’t arrived. Although “Next Day Delivery” was my only selection criteria, the expected arrival date immediately changed to 11/25. On the 25th, it changed to the 29th. On the 29th, it changed to 12/5. On the 29th, I ordered the same phone from Walmart and…