Have you ever wanted to blog but as you stare at the blinking cursor, you can’t think of something interesting or thought provoking? I’m on week two of that feeling, but here I am anyway. π
I’ve been working on my fall to-do-list including digging up bulbs, cleaning, and packing them away for the winter. I still have the dahlias once they call it quits. Right now, they are keeping all the bees happy.
We added a second cultivator wheel to the garden.
It came with rusted spokes so after cleaning it, I painted it a bright barn red. The center was a nice old fashioned farm green which I left as is, and then we picked up a base in the tree section of the recycling center.
Farm garden art – I like it. π
Wooden supports for the berries have been taken out and new metal supports are being installed. We’re hoping the metal will require less maintenance and last longer.
Containers of annuals are getting cleared out as the flowers expire from putting on a show all summer.
There are a couple of prominent colors right now in the garden – red dahlias and orange marigolds and both are covered in very happy bees.The other color is pink – hydrangeas, chrysanthemums and kale lined with pink, and numerous sedums.
I’m also working on doing fall cleanup at the rest home, and helping clear and replant two plots at a local river walk park. That’s where I’ll be this morning working with another MG, community volunteers, and a local high school horticulture class.
As gardening comes to a close, I’ve actually sat at the sewing machine working on a couple of patterns. Nothing really to show, but with fall and winter heading this way, the thread must come out.
I finished reading the latest Longmire book by Craig Johnson, “Daughter of the Morning Star.” It was a good read along with some staggering stats on the number of Native American women who go missing each year. I also finished “City Problems” by Ed Runyon who is a new author for me. It was a good gritty mystery with a complicated main character. It is a series, so I’ll be looking forward to the second one.
It seems like some bloggers are on their regular schedule while others are posting less or not at all. Activities have certainly been curtailed since early 2020. Are we mentally tired and bored from this pandemic that seems to never end? Hmm.
Have a good week!
Judy, you are one busy gardener! I am also at the point where I canβt think of much to blog about. Please donβt stop! I always enjoy your Monday morning posts. Just started reading the newest Longmire book.
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Thank you – at least I’m not alone struggling for topics that won’t put someone to sleep. π Hope you like the Longmire book. I enjoyed it. The statistics on missing native women are staggering.
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You are so right about those statistics.
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I think right now we are still in the “That’s all I got” mode, like we’re in a holding pattern. We’ve cautiously scheduled a few activities, but sometimes it hardly feels worth it!
I love your new garden sculpture! Think how lovely it will be in the snow!
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I like that – “That’s all I got.” That says it all. Can I order a t-shirt with that on it? π We get take out but still haven’t eaten inside a restaurant. Around here they are really crowded and are understaffed, and it just isn’t worth it to us.
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We eat out if there is outside seating that is distanced, this limits the restaurants we will go to! It amazes me the way people crowd into restaurants and bars still!
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I love your bright red garden sculpture, especially it being re-purposed! We have a tractor seat awaiting paint and you have inspired me to get on with it. There are certainly days when finding the beautiful things are harder than others but it does keep me looking for positivity on those days when the pandemic seems to be all there is. We are booked for our boosters and are stepping out a little to gatherings but only in the open air so that will get harder as the Autumn passes by.
All the very best to you and your sewing projects. π
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Oh, please, show your tractor seat when you’re done. π I am scheduled for the booster this Wednesday. Fingers crossed because the previous appointment was canceled. Yes, outdoors seems safer than a crowded indoor environment, and the weather will make that much harder. Stay well, and I need all the best on my sewing. π
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I will! Hope all goes well this time with your booster. π
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I would love to write a blog post, but there really isn’t much to say at the moment, as we are in Lockdown. Fortunately it is ending soon, and I’ll find a few more topics to talk about. I always enjoy your posts, so keep them coming, it is motivating reading about all you do. I love your new garden structure too.
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Australia could write the manual on how to handle Covid. ππ» Blogging is really tough when you’re staying home to stay safe, and since the numbers have been rising here we have chosen to do that. It’s strange though when I don’t see a post from someone, I start to worry that they’re sick, but at this point I assume they’re like me and struggling for a topic. I’m glad you like my new wheel.
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Enjoy your fall gardening and chores. I’d love to see your part of the world in fall. (one day!)
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Love your new garden sculpture. I really like that you left the center ‘as is’. Flowers are still beautifulβ¦even the kale! Hope the metal supports do the trick for the berries. I find as I age Iβve gotten more creative figuring out easier, more functional ways of doing things. Hmmmm, too bad I donβt know how to apply that to our finances! π€
Iβm reading Daughter of the Morning Star now and the statistics of missing and/or abused indigenous women is appalling. And the lack of any real investigation into these incidents is beyond appalling.
Our daughter is, once again, taking care of scheduling our Covid vaccine, this time for the booster shot.
Ginger
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Yes, aging = creative, easier solutions. If you figure out how to apply that to finances, you could make a fortune. π I was glad Craig Johnson explained the statistics in the prelude to the book so that readers understand they’re accurate and not just fiction. Appalling is a good word for it. Pat on the back to your daughter for doing that for you.
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I echo everything said above. You might think you have nothing to say, but that’s not so. Your farm garden art is the stuff of blogging for sure, and your mention of fall and winter sewing projects gives us all something to look forward to. I love seeing what you sew. Besides all that, I think sometimes we underestimate the fun/beauty/importance of the daily. But there’s no denying the effects of the time. We are done in. I’m glad you found the words today!
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I thought of you last Monday and wondered whether the muse was visiting you that day. π This is such a strange time in our lives, that it is nice to ‘chat’ with the folks in the blogging world. I miss everyone so I try. π
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And thank goodness! I have gained so much from your blog and from the comments on it! As for my muse, I can only shake my head. She comes and goes as she pleases. I think maybe a lot of our muses are hanging out together and laughing at us.
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Good Morning Judyβ¦
β¦the sun is shining here and the furnace kicked on during the night. There is a bit of a chill in the air. It feels like a lovely fall day.
Many bloggers seem to have stopped and I often wonderβ¦ perhaps they have taken up with Instagram, or they just poop out. I enjoy the blogging forum because itβs all mine. We see how social media platforms constantly change. Plusβ¦ we donβt own those social media platforms. However, I own my blog. Now, does that mean I never look at my screen with a blank stareβ¦ oh yea!
I enjoy seeing your projects, especially now your garden sculpture. I love reading about all your thoughts on current events etc. So, please donβt stopβ¦ we enjoy YOU! Our blogs include friendships, even though virtual, they are all meaningful. Thanks for being meaningful to us!
Have a Happy Fall Week my friend! πππ
PSβ¦ Iβll be here next week to see what you are up toβ¦ π
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I miss those bloggers that have stopped, but I’m sure there is a variety of reasons. Blogs are different than social media including being more friendly even when opinions are different. Yes, they are ‘friendships from afar but ever so meaningful.’ You have a good week too. I’m guessing the move back to the west coast is probably not too far off on the calendar especially since the furnace kicked on. π I know you probably know this, but you really did work out a perfect retirement by living in two beautiful but different places that you love. π
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Judy, I always know that winter is coming when you pull out the sewing machine. Can’t wait to see what you are creating. I think a lot of us are feeling the blogging slump blues. The reality of having to sift every decision we make through COVID is starting to weigh heavily. Chin up and keep writing. It’s good medicine.
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You are so right about winter and the sewing machine. π It is good medicine because the comments are as important as having a telephone call from a good friend. Hope your still enjoying your beach time because the photos are beautiful. I get a moment of relaxation just looking at them.
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I love reading about everyday life from bloggers near and far, so keep those posts coming. Wonderful, wonderful garden sculpture. Absolutely love everything about it, from the original design to the new paint to the scrounged base. Right in my wheelhouse.
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We got them both on Ebay, and they remind me of another time when things weren’t so technical. I could have bought something for the base, but I kind of liked the idea of scrounging at the recycling center and then leaving them natural to age.
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I come from a long line of scroungers. π
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I think with the pandemic and less activities, there is less inspiration. I was stuck on writing my Sunday random 5. It was Saturday and still nada. Nothing interesting happened all week. I went to my first concert since the pandemic on Saturday night and bam, inspiration (and interesting things to write about) came back. Our routine life seems dull (at least to us) and we tire of writing about it. I love hearing about your gardening. I miss my garden but it was it was time. Next spring, we will get some landscaping work done that allows me a small patch to play around in.
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I will definitely look forward to hearing how your set up your new but smaller garden area. I’m thinking small fountain instead of big pond. π Hope your interior renovations continue to go according to plan and make you smile at the results.
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I’d love a water feature of some sort.
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To answer your first question…for me it’s every week! Not only words to write, but which images to share that are good and interesting?
You’re garden art find, spruced up is wonderful, and so are your plants and flowers.
I need to start trimming the few plants and shrubs in our yard, and bring in the cushions for winter, but I am not motivated. I don’t want summer to end! We spent 90% of it indoors hiding from smoke and bad air. π
On the Brightside, our newish tree survived and its leaves are going red for fall!! We’re thrilled!!
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Yes, nature and outdoors was such a wonderful thing after a long winter of being careful and staying home. I’m not looking forward to full time indoors for sure. So glad your newish tree survived and is giving you good color. That’s great news and must make you smile when you look at it.
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Love your new garden art – it came out beautifully! Inspiring, you could sell your creations online. π
I admire your energy, you’re like the Energizer bunny! The fall chores are almost as much as the spring ones, only I am much more enthusiastic in the spring, ha! Fall is definitely in the air this week, colors on the red maples are beginning to show. Have a great week!
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I am definitely of the same mind – spring chores are a lot more fun. π Glad you liked the new wheel. The reason I left the green was that where the paint is worn next to the barn door handle, it is the same green underneath. I thought the center was just meant to stay ‘farm’ green. π
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Your beautiful garden art would make a lovely Christmas wreath, too! Just weave some evergreen branches through the spokes and attach a big red bough – lovely!
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Ooops I meant to add a βbowββ¦.not sure if I can blame that error on auto correct or my own ditziness!
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What a great idea. Thank you! Hope all is well with you and your family, and the school year is going well for everyone.
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I love your garden art! I was just thinking that I needed to add something “arty” to our yard but everything I could find was too cutesy. Something like you did – and repurposed at that – would be just perfect. I’m looking forward to seeing what magic you create with your sewing machine!
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Glad you liked it. It certainly has some weight to it. π I have to retrain my brain for sewing and not digging and dividing. π
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It sounds like you have a lot of projects keeping you busy this fall, Judy. I really like the cultivator wheel. So much of what you do in the fall pays off in the spring, so it’s a lot of work now on faith. But, you’ve been down this road many times before.
Enjoy fall – it’s the best season we have in New England.
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While I’m busy working outside with clean up, I bet you’re working in your shop before it gets too cold. Happy walking in the better weather.
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I’ve still got some outside projects, including pruning Some bushes that enjoyed all the rain we had way too much. Getting cars in the garage won’t be as big a drill this year, but I still have to jockey some stuff around. The cool mornings are a treat.
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I think my blogging has picked up but I agree it seems many bloggers have stopped posting as often. You still have beautiful color and interest in your garden. Love that kale.
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Yes, and may your pattern be a good role model to the rest of us. π
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What a delightful sculpture you created. Just perfect. I hadnβt heard of Longmire until recently in the Women Writing the West group I belong to. My husband and I have started watching the videos of the show based on the books. Iβm sure Iβll be reading the books at some point. Iβm glad that more attention is finally coming to the missing Native American women. Itβs still too little, though.
Weβre getting some nice fall moisture and cooler weather this week. No freeze, yet, so I should get a few tomatoes yet.
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The books are a little different, but I have enjoyed both. I hope you do too. π My tomatoes are falling off in my hand because the plants are so spent. I think I will need to remove them this week. It’s always sad to be finished with fresh tomatoes.
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I too struggle with what to post sometimes and think that my life is too boring to be interesting, but your garden looks amazing and I love seeing updates on life in a different part of the world
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As I age, I know my life gets more boring. π For sure, it is fun to see what is going on in other parts of the world, and I always enjoy seeing your quilting projects.
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Since our vaccinations in March 2020 we have moved forward with resuming family and social activities in a widening circle.
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I’m sure that has been a real plus for everyone concerned including that handsome grandson.
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I’d say you shook off the “blogger’s block” quite well here with a beautiful cultivator and even that kale looks awfully smart. But, yeah, I’m finding it hard to come up with ideas that I haven’t written about at least twice. π¦ Kudos on keeping up with the reading! – Marty
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Good to know I’m not alone and in good company. π I cannot imagine not reading, and I really do appreciate my local library. Some of my best tax dollars go there. π
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You always have lots of irons in the fire so it’s interesting and inspiring to read about your latest. I suspect your leaves (and the neighbor’s) are beginning to turn and you’re thinking about the job of leaf removal. That’s a biggie.
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Oh my goodness, but you can definitely read my gardening mind. Living in a state full of trees is a wonderful thing, but what is up must come down and be dealt with. π I am thrilled to say at least the neighbors pine trees are not loaded with thousands of cones like last year. π
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After saying you didn’t have much to share, I think you’ve done a pretty good job. I always enjoy reading about your gardening activities and find it all very inspirational. Please don’t stop. And well done with your recycled art work. It looks fabulous.
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Thank you. As we go into the brown and then white season, I’ll be looking to your posts for beautiful flowers and handsome feathered friends.
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I’ll do my best! π
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As yet, I don’t feel that the pandemic has stopped me from writing. I do have a lot of drafts piled up so I am trying to reduce them, but as I write, I get another idea and the draft list doesn’t go down. I can well understand that if you were in a lockdown it would be hard to find inspiration. Many travel bloggers have stopped blogging.
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I applaud your drafts piled up. Some bloggers write every day or every couple of days. That’s wonderful, but then readers also have to decide if they have time to read that many posts. It’s always challenging to find a good balance that fits your lifestyle and needs.
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I do agree, Judy. Blogging takes up more time than I would like it to do, and there is that pressure to visit bloggers that are so lovely as to take the time to visit my blog. It is enjoyable but I totally agree, there has to be a good balance that is just right for each individual.
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I applaud people who can write a post every day or two. I would like to try, but I go out and take a lot of photo and think I have to use them on one post. That sometimes takes a week or so and by that time I have to take more. It also takes my time away from reading other posts which I need to do more of as well. Sometimes I wonder about writing about other things besides plants but I draw a blank on that one…. The cultivator wheel looks great! Glad to hear you are getting some of your fall chores done! Thanks for sharing!
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I think you and I are in the same spot. I think about writing a post but then wonder if it is of any interest, and then I try to figure out the photos. I have lots of drafts. π Yes, balancing time is definitely part of the equation. I don’t follow anyone who blogs daily because I just can’t keep up. Hope all is well with you and yours. Stay well and enjoy your fall gardening.
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Loved your garden art Judy – you really are so creative! And it looks like your garden is still going strong – especially considering your approaching cold! I understand well your malaise (good word, right?!) and share it – although I do think it’s part of the season as well. We just returned from a quick trip for a family wedding and I must say travel these days is so very stressful. Both our flight in and back home were flawless but it still made me really uncomfortable being around all those strangers! As did the number of people at the wedding I might add. My husband and I have both had our booster shots so I feel pretty well protected but it really is nerve-wracking being around so many strangers in close quarters. Do you think we’ll ever get past that feeling again?
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Airline travel must be a real challenge including all the passenger misbehaving going on. Who knew people would have fits of anger 30,000 feet up and endanger everyone? I don’t know if we’ll get past that feeling again. When it first started and I was leery of those around me, it was such a strange feeling. Now, I just automatically move away from folks in a store, choose aisles with no one there, and still do some curbside pickup. We have our boosters too, but with all the breakthrough cases, you’re not sure how much to let your guard down. Glad you had a safe trip, stay well, and keep that camera clicking. π
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I just love your cultivator wheel, I can’t think of anything more appropriate as a garden sculpture. Coming up with an interesting story seems to be getting harder for us all. I love stopping by and reading what is happening in your little corner of New Hampshire, as you are “just down the road” from where we used to live. π Writing about food and travel is challenging for me these days. We haven’t left our town in almost two years except once to attend a funeral of a good friend for two days. And creating a new recipe to share…well, it can be hard. The good news is we have managed to stay healthy and that is what is important.
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Glad you liked the wheel, and it is hard to come up with a story when a lot of us are hanging close to home. Sometimes, I’d get an idea from reading another blogger’s post, but a lot have fallen by the wayside so that’s not an option. Yes, that is really good news – stayed healthy throughout this challenging time.
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Excellent garden art! π
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