Marsia's Diary

Yesterday was so hot, I picked up some cattle panels that the farm supply place cut in half for me, and then I retreated to the house. Working out how to paint 26' ceilings in the great room. The painter quote almost made me faint! My bike arrived and I'll put it together today and pot up some potatoes and sweet potatoes while the clouds are blocking the sun. Hope everyone's having a good day (or night)!
 
Do those ceilings have to be painted, do you think? Is your bike the four-wheel bike you were talking about getting for driving around near you? Putting together a bike would be a big enough challenge for me I think. I hate putting stuff together :svengo:
 
Hi Cate and LaMa! The ceilings can stay white, but the walls go up to 26 feet at the peak, which is a big pain, and the walls do need to be painted.

The bike is a beach cruiser, so it has just 2 fat tires which can go in the sand, and it's a one speed because it's basically flat here. The instructions don't look terrible, and things like the brakes are already connected. I just have to put the seat, pedals, and handlebars on. They made it easy. I didn't get to it today though.

I potted two ground orchids I found which are beautiful bright purple blooms, and they grow in normal soil. There were two indents where decorative pots go on either side of the stairs up to the house, so I bought pots and put the ground orchids in. They are in a shade garden under two big palm trees, so K had gotten lots of colorful coleus and I got them planted today around the pots of orchids. It looks happy and colorful and welcoming. I so so love gardening!!

Got so much house stuff done as far as finding perfect inexpensive tile and such. Also K wanted orange trees, so I went and picked up two before they are gone for the year .

(Edited my post because it was rather long.). Today is a take it easy day!
 
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Hi Em! Yes, hot and humid and subtropical. I will have to wrap the citrus trees in blankets in winter, but I'm really looking forward to growing citrus a lot! We get both more sun and more rain than average here. There are quick thunderstorms in the afternoons, and though it's hot and muggy it's also breezy being closer to the ocean. I actually closed myself into the house earlier because it was so muggy that just watering in the garden made me drenched in sweat, and it wasn't even really hot and was cloudy. But there is a really wonderful breeze right now, so I'm on the deck. One good thing is that it's going to be really easy to lose weight exercising outdoors! I wish I knew where the scale was. It feels like I lost some weight, but I can't tell how much.
 
I am really getting a feel for your place from your descriptions. It will be a pleasant surprise I think when you do find your scales. Don't be in a hurry to find them.
 
As lovely as your new place sounds I don't think I'd even want to visit in summer! But then I'm a grouchy cold-weather lover who'll wear shorts in 20°C weather...
 
I know what you mean LaMa, I love cool temps and fog! But if it means growing tropical fruit, I can hide out in the house during the heat and garden early mornings and evenings. I used to do that in a blistering hot college town in CA where I lived (and just visited again recently), and my garden was a lush jungle you could hardly walk through. And I have the ocean to go float in, so I'll be a happy displaced fog-lover.

Cate, it's so hard to describe it here. The people are so different and a few are like the stereotypes in some ways, but most people are really different and seem to have a depth of character that I didn't immediately see with us all being so stressed out in CA. It's so hard to put a finger on how it's different, but it's radically different here. And the landscape is so incredible. There is way too much housing construction going on though and I worry about the fragility of the delta regions if a lot more housing goes in, but looking at the trends, it does look like the big migration in the US is slowing down, so hopefully it will work out.

I went to the grocery store last night and found some frozen passionfruit. It is amazing in yogurt, and I had it for desert with a dinner of crab cake - absolutely amazing, and blue cheese that is the best I've ever had and some marinaded mushrooms. The most delicious dinner!

Today a flooring guy will come to give a bid and I want to start getting things covered because work may start as early as Monday. It was so muggy yesterday that it didn't cool down in the night. Thank goodness there is air conditioning. I am trying not to use it much because I want to acclimatize, but I also want to be able to sleep. I really want to go swimming tonight, and will organize my day so I really do it this time!!
 
It sounds like you will really love living there. There is so much building happening here in Tassie too & I hope that slows down. We need more social housing for sure. I am loving hearing about your new life.
 
Thanks Cate! I love having a new life! Just got back from swimming in the ocean just before sunset. It was beautiful being in the ocean looking back on to the sunset over the land. And the water is so warm now I don't even jump over the waves to avoid feeling cold when first getting in. There were so many birds flying over me very close like they were looking at me. Not many people swim on the beach. I wonder if I am a curiosity to the birds?

I made a fresh shrimp shiriitake noodle dish for dinner with lots of cilantro and green onion and parmesan. So yummy. Didn't get a ton done today, mostly I am getting stuff repacked so when they do floors and tile, we don't get dust in all our stuff. I did get a bunch more food safe buckets prepared for the yams and potatoes. I like to put them in 5 gallon containers so they are easy to dump out when I want to harvest them. Tomorrow the mushroom compost truckload gets here, and I'll have everything I need to finish the garden up! I tried to post the garden design, but could not get the file small enough somehow. Weird. Anyway, getting sleepy. Have a good night everyone!
 
Good night, M. That swim sounds glorious, dinner sounds delicious & your garden is going to be wonderful!
 
Thanks Cate and LaMa! Today the mushroom compost was delivered. It looks even nicer than the topsoil, and I can't wait to get out there and start using them! The fruit tree delivery showed up at 6:30 pm when I had given up on them coming, and I was out on the back deck with Lumi walking through the puddles on the deck because we had a 10 minute downpour that made it nice outside. There is this smart doorbell that I am not tech savvy enough to figure out that has a chime that I can only hear while standing on the front porch. I realized I could just put up a sign that the silly doorbell doesn't work and to knock. So fruit trees tomorrow...

There are 2 black lizards with red on them who watch me garden, and Lumi pounced on one of them before I could catch her, so one is half tailless now, but still likes watching me, but more cautiously now. All the tropical lizards and bright birds are in pairs now, and it's looking very much like spring while feeling very summer. The humidity is very intense, and it is supposedly the nice season now. I really hope I can acclimatize well, because we are not moving again!!

I was so hungry today until I realized I hadn't had many carbs for 2 days, so had some brown rice with lunch, and feel much better now. I have to get the boxes and loose stuff tucked away because they start on the floors and painting on Wednesday. So gardening early mornings, and organizing the rest of the day. Maybe a break to go check out a cafe that looks really good this weekend, too. I've been meaning to email a friend forever and I think I need to go where I won't get distracted by all the projects!
 
How are you enjoying the alone time without your husband and daughter with you? I think you mentioned they will be joining in a couple of weeks or so? Is it good to be back to the Marsia that you were before them or are you lonely? Just wondering as someone without a family and wondering if this is a good move? :)
 
Hi Em! I am very introverted, so I am really enjoying the time alone. I have my cat here too, or I do think it would get lonely, but just having a happy little fur ball who loves things like licking the puddles up off the porch makes things happy and I still feel like family is here with me, because Lumi is my happy fur child. Once in a while I have a flash of intense home sickness for California, but it's over in a few seconds when I think of all the new adventures we're going to have.

I also talk with my family at least once a day to coordinate the work on the house and to ask my kid how she is doing. She and I text in the evenings while she is doing homework, too. And I send them pictures and sketches of things I am thinking about doing with the house and yard and get their input. As a family who spent the last 11 years remodeling, we are a really good team when it comes to design now. I also just send pics of cool things I find during the day like the toad under the house who likes the leaky hose bib or the bright green lizards who seem to live on the porch.

It's funny, in some ways I do feel like a single person again. I love throwing all sorts of odd things in a pan and being surprised it tastes good, like I did when single. It's nice going out on my own and getting to spend as much time as I like on things because no one's waiting for me. I like that there's time to garden and time to go tromping through the woods and the chores are about 1/4 of what I normally do, so it feels freeing in some ways.

I do think this is a very good move. Just having a house that we can cosmetically fix so it feels like ours and which is way better built than our last house and is half the price is a major thing. Plus it's just gorgeous here, and though the culture is very different, it's different in an interesting way, so I think it's going to be fun getting to know people here. And I have a massive art studio in the basement, which is going to be amazing. Plus I'm nearly the same distance away from the ocean as at the house in CA, and this is a particularly lovely beach. So yes, very good move!!
 
Glad to hear you're not regretting the move. I'm sure you'll find ways to deal with the humidity, too: you're very resourceful.
I love throwing all sorts of odd things in a pan and being surprised it tastes good, like I did when single. It's nice going out on my own and getting to spend as much time as I like on things because no one's waiting for me.
Those are some of the better parts about spending time alone!
Could your lizards be Eastern Fence Lizards?
 
Thanks Cate and LaMa! The green lizards are called Carolina anoles https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anolis_carolinensis , and I think the lizard couple who watches me garden could be broad headed skinks https://srelherp.uga.edu/lizards/eumlat.htm . There are smaller lizards like this with blue tails, too, and they are another kind of skink. They're all so cute, and if Lumi tries to chase one, they run under my legs so I'll protect them! There are lots of toads here, too, and they don't seem to run away from me either. I have to be really careful in the yard - so many different little things not to step on!

So far, ice water has been the best thing for humidity, and the added bonus is that crunching on zero calorie ice cubes satisfies the snack-y feelings. It's actually cool this morning, so I'd better get outside while I can!!
 
How wonderful to have so many reptiles in your garden! Amphibians are cool too, I guess, but reptiles are the best.
 
The lizards are such little characters. I found a green one who must have wandered into the house today. (I kept the door open to hear when my fruit trees were delivered.) So I tried to catch him in a tea towel, but he was too fast, so I opened the doors and shooed him out and he almost seemed like he didn't want to go. Funny skitter-y guy!

I got almost all the boxes in the entire house in the bathrooms and basement today (to prepare for flooring refinishing and tile work) while waiting for the fruit trees. They got here at almost 7pm. The delivery guy said that they are very understaffed, so that's why they were so late. I unpacked them and put them in buckets with a little water and some potting mix around them so they'll be happy when I plant them in their pots tomorrow. I am so excited to have so many fruit trees and bushes to fuss over! I got paw paw, pears, elderberry, persimmons, golden raspberry, strawberries, purple asparagus, and rhubarb in this shipment, and some of their mates (for cross fertilization) are coming in the fall. They are very immature and just sprouted leaves, so I am glad I bought them big pots and didn't try to plant them in the outdoors where it's just so alternating hot or windy.

Oh, I also meditated and relaxed today. It was actually cool this morning, and I wrote my friend an epic email while sitting on the porch enjoying the pine trees swaying in the wind. So good productive and restful day, even though I was trapped at home awaiting the delivery guy.

Also I ate the best butternut squash today. I don't know if it's all the exercise or what, but food has been extra delicious lately.
 
Sounds like a great day. What a lovely assortment of fruit you'll be growing! I'll make my goal for the day meditation, I think. Definitely something to stick with.
 
Lovely to hear you are enjoying your food so much. You are getting so much done, it’s fantastic.
 
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