05/22/2025 I blinked, and it was summer. Seriously, it has been in the 90s here, and it’s not even June! I’m trying not to use the A/C, but when it’s 86 inside, there isn’t another option.
I started planting my garden early, so early that my plants went through a few frosts and an insane hailstorm. My hosta finally has enough new leaves that I could cut the hail-damaged ones off. Add to that the ridiculous amount of rain we’ve had, and I am very fortunate that they are still thriving. I just had my fourth salad from my garden. I’d forgotten how delicious fresh lettuce is.
I enlarged my garden at the end of last year’s growing season. This spring I had to buy plants and get some decent soil in that area. Once that was taken care of, I started going to different plant nurseries. I am shocked at the price of flowers, absolutely insane. When all was said and done, I planted 90-something plants in the ground and parsley, rosemary, basil, chives and a variety of lettuce in containers and raised beds. My neighbor just gave me some banana pepper plants too. It’s only May and I’m tired of watering daily. Well, I did have about a 2-week break because it rained several inches a few times.
Sometimes I wonder why I do this to myself, then remember, I enjoy gardening. I love seeing my flowers bloom, even though I get tired of watering them.
My friend from Washington and her husband came to visit April 27th. They were going to Nashville and wanted to visit me before they went there. Tammy and Ryan came to Roatan and twice to AZ to visit. I was so excited to see them. We did nothing but sit around and talk and kill carpenter bees that were eating my porch from the inside out. We sat on the porch for hours at night. One night it was after midnight and I was falling asleep. I went to bed and they stayed up. Next morning Tammy asked if the neighbors across the field had peacocks. I said nope, never heard one here and I know what they sound like. They were convinced it was a peacock they heard. That day I walked the boys across the field and came across this.
One day Ryan decided we should get my pool up and running so he and Tammy and I took the cover off. It was crystal clear, thanks to the Winter Pill I used last Oct when I closed it. Ryan carried the filter out and hooked it up, we got the steps in and the dogs were both in the pool in a heartbeat.
I had decided that I needed to have my porch fixed. The floor boards were rotted and the steps were falling apart, not to mention there was lattice on the bottom and bunnies were living under it. Then Barrio would catch and kill the bunnies, not cool. I planned to not screen it in, screens are a pain to keep clean.
I had someone come and tear it off and put a new floor and roof on it, new support beams, gutter, and new steps and skirting. Then Bill came to finish it.
He arrived late the same day that Tammy and Ryan left. AND, he brought his new dog.
Barrio and Max were NOT HAPPY. First of all, Bill coming meant Daddy Highway. No more Daddy Highway, but now puppy Dash. They hid for the first three days, wanted nothing to do with her, and she wanted to play.
I actually felt sorry for Dash, she was in a new environment, with 2 dogs who wouldn’t go near her and she goes into heat. All those hormones swirling, she was really good despite her predicament. Just a word about dog diapers. They are worthless UNLESS they have some type of suspenders. Just saying.
Bill got the sides up on the porch and trimmed it out. THEN I decided I wanted to screen it in because the fly issue was more than I could handle. He had to remove the trim so we could put screen up. I ordered the screen from Lowe’s, and it was a day late being delivered. We got half the screen done one day and finished the next. Then we hung the door and Bill built a screened box for the area above the door. The damn carpenter bees were still getting in so Bill spray foamed the openings in the metal roof.
I decided I wanted to put stone down in this area. I gathered all the cardboard I could find and covered the ground, and Bill went to get a yard of stone. About 3/4 of the way through the stone, we realized it wasn’t enough, so he got another half yard. What a difference.
Needless to say, my porch is totally bug-free. It feels twice as big as it was, must be the lighter wood. The boys and I are out there ALL the time. Bill was here for 2 weeks and was anxious to leave. I worked his BUTT off. And then some. He hung a new light fixture in the laundry room, I broke the one that was there and was without one for 3 months. He also hung a new fandolier above the kitchen table.
He also put a new filter and holding tank on the RO system and pressure-washed the driveway, walk, and gutters. (Just noticed we forgot one) And finished the porch.
Next up is the kitchen. That needs a major overhaul. I’m going to call around and get some estimates on painting my cupboards, that’s a time-consuming job for someone who doesn’t do it for a living. We’ll go from there, but I doubt it will be this summer, possibly a fall project.
Today, when we walked the field, both dogs took off running after a fox. I yelled and Max stopped, one more yell and Barrio was at the trees and still running. Third yell, he finally stopped before going into the woods. He got his butt chewed out for not listening to me. The rest of the walk he was invisibly tethered to my left heel. I’ve seen several foxes this spring; they are so cute, however, I prefer them alive and not killed by Barrio.
I’m sorry this is so darn long, I just never feel like blogging, so I have to spew up all these words and photos at once. I’ll try to be better. That’s a vacant promise if I ever heard one.
Later…
Mermaid on a Raft 