we say tomato

oh, that’s why they call it that…

The bees are out and on it. It is a sensible name. So many bees about the bee balm today. We are happy. If, through the course of living our wabi-sabi life in our wabi-sabi cottage, we can build a sanctuary for pollinators and birds and small reptiles and mammals, then so bee it.

oh, look! it’s raining…

Again. This morning was off and on torrential downpours. I caught a bit of the one that followed the storm that woke me: I am glad that we live on a hill in an elevated neighborhood. There are reports of flooding about town. Also, not-orange daylilies are starting to make their appearances: Below is my […]

not-red no.5

We already have not-red purple, and not-red violet, and not-red lilac, and not-red lavender. Now, I give to you not-red no.5: not-red mauve. (See below for not-red soft pink.) To be clear and certain, lavender is my spirit animal. I mean, if a color could be a spirit animal, that would be mine… I am […]

progress, and fireflies

Progress on the fire pit project has continued. I have been productive as the heat climbs by starting early in the day, working for short intervals, moving indoors during the high heat of the day, and taking advantage of the cool evenings at the end of the day. Last June: I found the pavers for […]

levelling out for abby

Today’s mini-project: Our senior cocker spaniel, Abby, has been blind for some time. Last year, I set a paver patio extension off of the lower landing of our back stairs, since the slope down to the fence was tripping her up often. As it goes with blind old dogs, she has taken to hugging the […]

bloomed-out bargains of the week

Sometimes, the wish-list only grows down because of clearance racks. It is a reality. We are starting from scratch, and hardscape materials can wreck the gardening budget. I have found functional and aesthetically pleasing hardscape items of moderate cost, considering the volume of our yard and what will be needed to finish the scope of […]

set in stone

Today started too wet, and continued too windy, to finish painting the awning. So I picked another item on the list: Mortaring the cast stones in the fire ring. We have big, beautiful plans moving out from the fire ring. Brilliant and one-of-a-kind sort of stuff that I am not going to tell you about […]

the dawning of the candy-striped awning

Two years ago, we (including my mom and sisters) painted the exterior of our house. To gain access to the eaves of the back awning, we were incredibly clever and removed the hardware, allowing the awning to drop down and let the ladder set against the house over top of it. That might be where […]

the garden – between storms

My vacation is moving by without much work happening in the house or garden, but the garden itself is rolling right along… Also: more not-red bee balm! LOL As blooms progress, the color intensifies. The purple is amazing. And likewise the lavender. It was just supposed to be red. Eh. It is rather well-established to […]