It’s hard to sit on your hands when the sun insists on shining and you know that somewhere not too far north of you there are people having rain and perhaps even snow flakes. With a rather brisk breeze the bedding billowed on the clothes line. Nothing beats the smell of all that captured fresh air. I know that there will be many more sunny days though the temps will be much different than today. With the sun showing me just how much the garage porch windows needed some TLC it seemed that today might be the last chance to stay fairly comfortable being outside to clean them. We spend a lot of time in the porch come rain or snow as it never gets colder that 40 degrees. How could we not install a furnace that would serve the garage and the porch? Its pretty sweet to get into a car that is not freezing in the inside. Even for the die hard, Minnesota dweller cabin fever can set in over the winter months but it feels like a mini resort to be able to turn up the thermostat in the porch and take in the panoramic view of winter with a steaming hot cup of coffee. Priceless.
Updates from October, 2013 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts
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Noreen
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Noreen
Huge road trip today. Time to get into that soft robe and put the feet up. Catch ya all later.
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Noreen
Dennis must have been a very good soul this fall season. Out of the blue came the last of a garden bounty. When the word “frost” gets kicked around the gardens are cleaned out and the bounty is shared. I will so enjoy the peppers and low and behold Dennis is getting the last creamed cucumbers for the 2013 year. As I type I have a kettle of boiled potatoes on the burner for supper. The ultimate feast is boiled potatoes topped with creamed cucumbers. Fear not the cream sauce for the cucumbers is a fat free Greek yogurt base with a generous helping of fresh ground pepper and a few other items for seasoning. The secret to a good creamed cucumber dish is that it is made up of half cucumbers and half sliced onions. The remaining potatoes will become American Fries with fried onions tomorrow evening with – creamed cucumbers on top. You can’t beat a simple meal that makes for one very happy Dennis. I hope you can also enjoy the last of the garden goodies.
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Noreen
What a transition day. All that is left for outside work is to fertilize the grass of our acre. We are experiencing rain right now and one of our landscape friends advised us to hold off as long as possible on the fertilizing as rain followed by warm temps could fool the grass to revitalize rather than rest. We may yet experience what is known as Indian Summer. That being said we decided to dust off our pool pass to the Super 8 and spend some great time getting back to our exercise program and then a good long soak in the hot tub. There is nothing more rewarding than being physically spent from the water and not from ladder climbing or yard work. As the Super 8 does not experience a high level of activity during the mid part of the day, 99% of the time it’s our private space to enjoy. It couldn’t get any better than that. I love low maintenance luxury. Catch you later.
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Noreen
Autumn Joy
The Perennial – Autumn Joy
This 13th day of October literally is autumn joy. There is 61 degrees with full sunshine and no wind to speak of. During the last two days anything and everything that could blow away is now in the next county to our southeast. I did spend some time cutting down perennials in the gardens. They have given their all and now it’s time for them to hunker down and take care of the roots that make them what they will in a season yet to come.
Of course no one is going to bother me when I have garden shears in my hands and it’s a whack and stack type of work. It gave me a lot of time to do a little reflecting on my own roots. Just like my beloved perennials my roots are fairly hardy. Outside influences can damage my garden plants but my roots are my core being and I am here to tell you nothing is going to damage who I am. Brushing off the negatives just as a summer rain washes off garden plants is what perseverance is all about. I will continue giving my all and looking forward to each season that I have been given to flourish and enjoy. Today’s gardens were put to rest and though the work made me weary, it gave me a rush knowing how much I have to look forward to in this next season. Life is just sweet.
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Noreen
Not many words this evening. Dennis and I heard the forecast for next week and we made it a busy but great day. With the temps in the low 40’s over night I was ready to tip out flower pots and get a few flower beds tidied up. Growing up Saturdays in the fall season of any year was busy from morning till night. It was all about working smarter rather than harder as the climate-controlled clock was ticking. Then as now the blessing is that by seven in the evening it is starting to get dark and the temps cool down fast. That being said Dennis and I are off the clock for the day. Catch ya later.
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Noreen
A great day to be outside. Our acre looks as if it has had a manicure. Hopefully this will be the last time the yards will be mowed. I must say with the recent rains the grass is lush and soft. I hope everyone was able to spend some time outside today. Catch ya later.
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Noreen
Dennis and I are giving thanks today for…
Dennis and I are giving thanks today for the 1/2 inch of rain we got last night. Even more thankful it was not the six plus inches that some received in the south east part of the state. I do believe the high for the day will be the 50 degrees we have this afternoon. Far too cool to paint on our garage project.
It did present the perfect opportunity to put the last of the lawn and garden art away. As we were winding down we both realized that we were sniffing from having cold noses. Dennis is always wise and has a pair of gloves on – me not so much. I have never become accustomed to handling items with gloves on and consequently my hands enjoyed holding a cup of hot coffee when we finished up.
Enjoy the weekend and all it brings. Life is good here on Stauffer.
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Noreen
I know when to throw in the towel…
Tricked out Pickup Garage.
I know when to throw in the towel. Well, not so much a throw as a regretful fling. Several of the flower gardens are now stripped of their garden art. Dennis encouraged it as he knows how much my arthritic hands hurt when the days are cold and I am making trip after trip from the gardens into the potting shed. Every spring I vow that I am not going to do the decorating of the gardens and before I know it one after another item has dribbled out of the potting shed and it has found its way to just the perfect spot. Just as there are perfect spots for each of the items to be placed, there are certain places in the potting shed where each needs to rest during the winter months. I know when everything has been taken in it will not be nearly as painful to begin cutting down the perennials.
It was a wet day today and after realizing how wet my feet had gotten and were soaked through I called it a day and decided to join Dennis in the garage porch for a cup of hot coffee. Dennis is feeling quite smug right about now as his garage porch and his pickup garage have had a lot of TLC. As he sat there sipping coffee I knew he was contemplating framing out the windows in his pickup garage for a finished look. Will he hit me up for curtains? It wouldn’t surprise me. What a guy.
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Noreen
What a great inch of rain we received…
The New East Garage Wall
What a great inch of rain we received and as much thunder and lightening we had I am surprised we didn’t have more. But according to the forecast it is coming as well as some risk of storms and a tornado.
Street Side of West Wall
We were feeling quite smart about our projects being done. Yes, we had a list and the items on the list were totally crossed off. That is until Dennis being a little idle watching the rain showers come today had to go and began picking at the paint on the west gable of our garage. Oh come on Dennis did you have to start? So there you are. The scrapping got done today and as soon as the weather stabilizes the brushes, the ladder, the primer and the paint will all be dug out again as we sure as heck cannot leave the street side of the garage looking this sad. I have some extra bricks in the back garden and I think I know just where to put them to weigh and slow this fellow down. Of course I am thrilled that we care enough to send the every best message possible about our home. I am also happy that we recover as fast as we do physically to make it all happen. Have we really recovered or are we rolling on adrenalin? Dennis will be sitting in the doorway for the first sign of clear weather and we will find out the answer to that question. In the mean time happy husband: happy life.