Marsia's Diary
- Thread starter Marsia
- Start date
Thanks you guys! I am happy. The painters came and they are really nice, and got 2 really high ceilings painted and the kitchen's first coat on. The kitchen looks sooo much better not salmon colored. Even the ceiling was salmon colored. Now you walk into the kitchen and it feels soothing and nice. It's a light neutral green. It's gonna feel like home around here soon!
Got the other half of the lawn mowed, the tile ordered and the contractor set to pick it up, square footage of flooring to be refinished sent to flooring guy, garden watered, and I am really tired now. It was very hot, but I think I am getting more acclimatized because it was 80 degrees (26.67C) in the house a few minutes ago, and it felt cool to me. There is some wonderful big white flower that flowers all over a bush in the woods that smells like jasmine, and it's making the whole yard smell wonderful. I really like it here.
Got the other half of the lawn mowed, the tile ordered and the contractor set to pick it up, square footage of flooring to be refinished sent to flooring guy, garden watered, and I am really tired now. It was very hot, but I think I am getting more acclimatized because it was 80 degrees (26.67C) in the house a few minutes ago, and it felt cool to me. There is some wonderful big white flower that flowers all over a bush in the woods that smells like jasmine, and it's making the whole yard smell wonderful. I really like it here.
Thanks Em, Cate, and LaMa! The poor painters had to scrape off this sticky tape on all the windows that used to adhere ultraviolet film to the windows. They were up on ladders all Friday scraping away. The darker green living room is just as nice as I had hoped. It's very restful, and the green around the windows makes the wall disappear, and the view pop out.
It was very hot for 2 days and today there was a big beautiful thunderstorm. Lumi and I went out on the porch and watched. The crape myrtle trees are in bloom on the property now. They are pink cascades of flowers and really pretty trees. I got my sweet potatoes planted with the root crops in a nice big bed before the rain, so they all got watered in nice. I am getting more in shape, and got another huge raised bed filled up with soil today. I picked up some green (raw) peanuts today at the market, and will try growing peanuts in one of the big beds. Can't wait to see if it works!
I stopped by a boat launch place that is right by the intracoastal waterway, and it was so so pretty and a huge wide river with a dock for fishing. J wants to get a little boat, so I think I'll take him there to see all the different kinds people have. There were even these little house boats that zipped around on pontoons.
It was nice having a weekend where I didn't have to stay home all day for the painters, but they'll be back again tomorrow, and Tuesday our contractor will deliver the tile I picked out. After that no one is scheduled in yet, so hopefully I can go stand up paddle boarding in the river and swimming at the beach. I still need to put my bike together, too! Too many nice things to do!
It was very hot for 2 days and today there was a big beautiful thunderstorm. Lumi and I went out on the porch and watched. The crape myrtle trees are in bloom on the property now. They are pink cascades of flowers and really pretty trees. I got my sweet potatoes planted with the root crops in a nice big bed before the rain, so they all got watered in nice. I am getting more in shape, and got another huge raised bed filled up with soil today. I picked up some green (raw) peanuts today at the market, and will try growing peanuts in one of the big beds. Can't wait to see if it works!
I stopped by a boat launch place that is right by the intracoastal waterway, and it was so so pretty and a huge wide river with a dock for fishing. J wants to get a little boat, so I think I'll take him there to see all the different kinds people have. There were even these little house boats that zipped around on pontoons.
It was nice having a weekend where I didn't have to stay home all day for the painters, but they'll be back again tomorrow, and Tuesday our contractor will deliver the tile I picked out. After that no one is scheduled in yet, so hopefully I can go stand up paddle boarding in the river and swimming at the beach. I still need to put my bike together, too! Too many nice things to do!
Cate
Long term member
Never!
Hi! Thanks for all the nice replies! Between planting the next huge bed full of 75 strawberry plants (more companion plants will go in there later) and putting my bike together, my hand is ready to fall off. I'm going on my first bike ride tomorrow to go explore the neighborhood in a way where I make my own breeze to stay cool! I've been reading my book on South Carolina gardening, and am on schedule for second crops for the year miraculously. The very nice painter boss stopped by to see how his crew did finishing up the house, and it looks so good he took before and after pics for his website. I'll have him back to refinish the banister and stair rail like the floors are getting refinished, so that will be nice because his crew is happy and good company.
I am ordering some grains to grind into flour myself seeing as this year there will be a grain shortage here, plus I read about how much fresher they taste freshly ground. I really want to try making chile lime corn tortillas with my own masa flour. I can't wait to do another bed for the peanuts that I'll plant with other root crops, but have to wait until my hands can handle shoveling again. I may just start on painting tomorrow and go swimming for a break at some point. Went out for a lavender coffee again (and read my nice gardening book) and to pick up some bratwurst sausages, Greek yogurt, and veggies at the market. Nice day, and I'm pleasantly tired now.
I am ordering some grains to grind into flour myself seeing as this year there will be a grain shortage here, plus I read about how much fresher they taste freshly ground. I really want to try making chile lime corn tortillas with my own masa flour. I can't wait to do another bed for the peanuts that I'll plant with other root crops, but have to wait until my hands can handle shoveling again. I may just start on painting tomorrow and go swimming for a break at some point. Went out for a lavender coffee again (and read my nice gardening book) and to pick up some bratwurst sausages, Greek yogurt, and veggies at the market. Nice day, and I'm pleasantly tired now.
Hi LaMa! I got the strawberry plants on sale as a bulk bundle. When I was little we had a big strawberry patch that I tended. Since they are in raised beds, I'll mostly need to keep them mulched, watered, and occasionally fertilized, so not too much work. If the soil here were better I'd just have a large garden in the ground which would be a lot more work to weed and keep the snails and slugs out of. The raised beds are initially a ton of work to fill and kind of a small surface area, so I'll have to do French intensive style gardening and companion planting, which will help with weeds and pests. I am thoroughly tired of store bought fruits and veggies not tasting anywhere near as good as garden veggies, so the work upfront is worth it. Plus we as a country are having the perfect storm of problems - drought, rising gas prices, supply chain issues, lack of fertilizer, and inflation, so this is me just making sure we aren't dumping a ton of money into food instead of finally having lower expenses so we can finally relax more. Actually all the manual labor and being a little more self sufficient helps me not get anxious about the economy being messed up.
J really likes eating things from the garden, and I'll have him help dig the holes for the fruit trees, but he is really bad at plant recognition and not someone I would trust in my garden to take care of things. He's interested in learning, but gardening is definitely not his forte. When we had a garden in San Francisco and I was away, J walked around the garden and grazed on things. He ate carrot tops and the way he described them, I was worried he ate the poisonous rhubarb leaves!
Hi Cate! The beds are rather small (but deep), so I don't think we'll have a ton of extra produce, at least not the first few years until I fill enough raised beds so it's comparable to a medium sized non-raised bed garden. The realtor's girlfriend is a gardener, so I hope to trade produce with her. She is so nice she sketched our house and gave it to us as a housewarming present!
I may ask for canning help from you all. I had a neighbor who made the best pickles, and she showed me how to can when I was a kid, but it was so long ago, I really only remember sterilizing cans and sealing the pickles up.
I am struggling a little with the paint fumes, but have been eating a lot of fresh fruit and have had to resort to drinking juice to make sure my immune system doesn't go down. I'd be losing more weight if I didn't have to drink juice, but it's worth it to stay healthy. Maybe some time when you go on vacation, your kids could paint while you're away and air the place out for you?
It's a nice cool morning, so time for a maiden voyage on the bike soon!
I think I should label plants for J so he learns what they are - good idea. I'll probably send him out with his cell phone with a pic of the plant on it, as well! We had a massive garden when I was growing up and my mom and I planted it together, but I was the one to weed and take care of it mostly. So I'll be ok, and can always scale back if needed!
The first bike ride was really nice, but the seat did collapse to the lowest setting. I've always had trouble with having enough hand strength to get the bike seat to be in the right place and to stay up. The neighborhood is a mix of old Gullah houses decaying into the landscape, old churches, new housing developments which you can't see from the road, old farm stands and sweet grass basket stands, and a beautiful canopy of old oaks draped in Spanish moss. There are some cute middle class houses, too with all sorts of pretty gates and fences. It was a lovely first ride, but was a shorter one, because pedaling with the seat too low was hard on my legs. Good workout though!
The first bike ride was really nice, but the seat did collapse to the lowest setting. I've always had trouble with having enough hand strength to get the bike seat to be in the right place and to stay up. The neighborhood is a mix of old Gullah houses decaying into the landscape, old churches, new housing developments which you can't see from the road, old farm stands and sweet grass basket stands, and a beautiful canopy of old oaks draped in Spanish moss. There are some cute middle class houses, too with all sorts of pretty gates and fences. It was a lovely first ride, but was a shorter one, because pedaling with the seat too low was hard on my legs. Good workout though!
Cate
Long term member
How sweet!
Your garden will be splendid & it will be great to trade. I love the barter system. G took some laurel berry Worcestershire sauce to golf yesterday to exchange for some limes & lemons.
Labelling your plants is a great idea.
We would have to go away to have any painting done. I can't imagine our sons doing it though. You can get low VOC paint, but I'm not sure how I would go with it. I am super sensitive at the moment especially.
I love hearing about where you are. I won't tire of it.
Thanks all! My garden got nice rain today and the strawberries are taking well with the shade cloth on them when it isn't raining. I got these adjustable hoops for the garden like you get when you put up a camping tent, and they should be nice for keeping the shade cloth on the beds until things get established. I like bartering with garden veggies, too, or just giving them away. They are such nice presents. And laurel berry Worcestershire sauce sounds divine. It sounds like G is a gourmet cook, by the things you mention he cooks! I have used low VOC paint, and the fumes are still a little stinky, but not anywhere near as bad as regular paint. I hope your allergies clear up soon!!
Yesterday I painted two coats and got J's office painted a nice blue-green with some gray to it. I still need to touch up the trim - I am so bad at painting straight lines! Today I went and got more back up supplies and food for just in case the economy tanks. I also got 2 nice cotton shirts, a t-shirt for gardening in, and 2 pairs of 3/4 length pants which I really like and which are quite comfy. Got home and noticed that my cat has been camped out on a suitcase all day, so took a little walk around the yard with her and came out on the porch with her so she gets some outdoor time. She doesn't like the heat, so I am getting her outside when it's cooler.
I need to eat less cheese. I have a big stomach although my legs and butt are firming up. Have to be careful with the fats and eat more protein instead. The cicadas are singing up a storm now and the sun is setting behind the trees and it's a symphony of all sorts of insects and frogs and some birds chirping here and there. I love sitting on the porch and enjoying the yard.
Yesterday I painted two coats and got J's office painted a nice blue-green with some gray to it. I still need to touch up the trim - I am so bad at painting straight lines! Today I went and got more back up supplies and food for just in case the economy tanks. I also got 2 nice cotton shirts, a t-shirt for gardening in, and 2 pairs of 3/4 length pants which I really like and which are quite comfy. Got home and noticed that my cat has been camped out on a suitcase all day, so took a little walk around the yard with her and came out on the porch with her so she gets some outdoor time. She doesn't like the heat, so I am getting her outside when it's cooler.
I need to eat less cheese. I have a big stomach although my legs and butt are firming up. Have to be careful with the fats and eat more protein instead. The cicadas are singing up a storm now and the sun is setting behind the trees and it's a symphony of all sorts of insects and frogs and some birds chirping here and there. I love sitting on the porch and enjoying the yard.