First Day of Fall

 

I had the most yummy salad today for lunch.  It was chopped lettuce and greens with an egg, cold salmon, cherry tomatoes and a sprinkle of edemame and toasted pumpkin seeds.  Plus I crushed up a handful of tortilla chips and a tiny sprinkle of crunchy jalepeno crisps.  Now I need a nap.

We turned off our AC finally this week.  I have a new fountain (I will post pictures next week).  So, now we can enjoy the fountain sounds even from inside our house.  But I keep thinking that either it is raining or that I left some water running somewhere, LOL.  It is in the high 70's during the day, maybe just into the low 80's and in the 50's at night.  Nice weather!  I opened all the windows and ran around and cleaned all the window sills, they get so yucky.  Dirt and flies.  Ew, too much information.  Esp on the north side of the house, the moisture.  The north side of our house now looks really nice since I scrubbed off the mildew this summer.  We are also getting a nice steady rain today and the humidity is 93%.  I scrubbed the range hood really good this morning and worked up quite a good sweat.  Speaking of sweat, I sat in my office all afternoon yesterday and was comfortable without even opening a window, but when i did yoga last night in the sitting room and the door closed to keep out the dogs, I was really sweating and started shaking, thinking what is wrong with me - then i realized - we turned off the AC Sunday!

I have been having so much trouble with my right knee!  Then I lowered my desk chair - it is already better.  It has been so bad for a couple of weeks i was thinking of making a doctor's appointment.  Now that I am working and back to sitting up to 8 - 10 hours a day, it really makes a huge difference!

We finally got our new bed.  We are loving all the room we have now, going from queen to king.  It isn't as crowed as i had feared.  I really want to get rid of the side tables and attach lamps over the headboard on the wall, but DH thinks he needs his drawers for storage.  Maybe next spring i will work on convincing him.  For now, i am just enjoying having essentially my own bed - we went for the twin base, and we can move the head or the foot up.  I love watching tv in bed, so i LOVE our new bed.  

I caught a cute picture of my 2 chi's sitting on my lap yesterday.  It is rare to catch them close to each other.  They like the 2 big dogs more than they like each other.  Chihuahuas are sort of temperamental...shoking huh?  I had to just look up how to spell temperamental, I had no idea the first A was in there!

The other evening, we went for a ride in the convertible to enjoy the pretty weather.  We were a little late getting back, after dog feeding time.  DH says, well Penny (the big pup) will be chewing on something by now!  Sure enough, we get home and she got into my yard and there was a single strand of yard going from the living room, out the back doggie door, through the patio area, out the fence and strewn all around our back yard!

Sure am loving this bit of rain.  Save me from watering this week before i have to drive up to the city.  I worked Sunday so that i could take off Friday to go up and help my aunt move my grandmother.  She is moving into an apartment right next door to my aunt, so my aunt can take care of her.  At 101 she still insists on living alone, so i hope this works out.  It will still be a lot on my aunt making sure her mother eats.  But, it is what they have decided and i am being supportive.  I am helping pack/move Friday, then picking apples at my former colleague's farm, then Sunday my sister will join us to help organize/unpack after.  The movers are moving big stuff Saturday - not much just a few chairs and bed/dressers.  I will be happy to get it over with - not nearly as happy at grandmother and aunt!

This is a picture of our weeping blue atlas cedar that we planted where we took out the huge crepe myrtle.  

before

after

Well, enjoy your first day of Fall!  See you next week.

Monday Mysteries

Couple of mysteries...First one.  I was excited that my banana tree my friend mailed me last year from Florida made it through the winter and was looking really nice (it does not get really tall like some i see around here).  But it was really full and lush looking.  Then we realized not only does it have a couple new plants coming off it...but 3!  So i offer to send one to my OK cousin whom i know loves growing things and a couple to my brother in law who loves growing things.  Well i sent my sister a picture of the plant and she says, i don't want anything to do with that weird scaly reptile looking thing! 

I looked at the picture again, and was like what is she talking about?  And then i realize it is my little barn i have underneath!  LOL

My cousin got her banana plant in the mail and was very excited!

I got around to making my sister and myself a 'windchime' with my holey rocks!  I gave her hers this weekend.  We both agree they are cute, but need metal to hit the rocks to make more sound.  So we set out at couple places to find the perfect objects that were 1)  metal, 2)  would 'wear' well out in the elements and 3) were inexpensive.  We found these cute little crosses at Hobby Lobby and bought 3 each.  They will help the sound.

I used fishing line and a piece of my Crepe Myrtle old wood.  

Speaking of planting...i gave my Florida friend some seeds from my jasmine.  I can't wait to see how this stuff does down there.  We have to bring ours in the garage every winter.  We got the non hardy version and my husband refuses to let it die back.  It smells so good!

OK for the other mystery...We had the handy man put a motion sensor light in the peak of our house to the north early June.  And we have another one in the back yard, which is fenced in.  Well, the back yard light never goes on unless it is us or the dogs that activate it.  But the north side we see on all hours of the night.  Last night it was on when i got up at 2am and i peered out the window and could see nothing!  Also, there have been 2 times something has pooped in my raised garden beds.  Weird.  DH thinks it is a stray cat or racoon.  I am now thinking i need a game camera on that side of the house!  It is interesting.  These are shots of that area during the day and at night.  The lights you see here are the solar spot lights i have trained on my arch i am growing wisteria on.  

Last photos are my porch swings

And my dog Penny enjoying the window seat.  Have a great week!