If Weekends Aren’t For Enjoyment, What Are They For?

Another Saturday, and it feels good just to settle back for a bit.  I’ve already done a good deal of yard work, had my coffee and a bit of breakfast, and accidentally (well, kinda accidentally) turned the lawn sprinkler on some door-to-door bible beaters.  Heck, my day has already been a success! All that doesn’t compare to the beauty that [...]

Just the Right Kind of Day To Spend Puttering in the Garden

What a beautiful, lazy Sunday morning.  After getting up at 5:30 to let Annie out for a quick go, I crawled back under the covers for another few hours of dreamy–weird dreamy–dozing.  When I could no longer bear the crazy slumber, I pulled enough clothes on to go out to the backyard, but not before grinding a [...]

The First Ripe Tomatoes Do Make for a Good Monday

As Mondays go, this one wasn’t all that bad.  Work was nothing other than ordinary, even for the first day of the work week.  Getting home was probably the worst part of the whole day, with a number of slow spots on my route.  I take most longer-than-usual commutes pretty much in stride.  I do like [...]

Early Days of Spring–When You Can Say, “This is what it’s all about.”

Today is one of those nearly perfect days that we get here in southeast Texas, usually in early spring.  The blue sky is filled with puffy clouds that keep the temperature mild as they intersperse shade onto the St. Augustine grass of the back yard.  With all the good rains we’ve had, the vegetable garden, [...]

Another Weekend of Rainy Weather, But Really, Who Can Complain?

Am I the only one who thinks that time change days frequently have some kind of inclement weather that helps add to the confusion?  I woke up to light pings of rain drops hitting the window.  When I could no longer ignore Annie’s staring at me from only a few inches away from my face, I [...]

Stimulated by the Wet Weather, Tomato Plants Get an Early Start

Thanks to a bit of an odd schedule, I got to have some of this afternoon off.  A few free hours mid-week almost feels like a mini-weekend.  Like on my morning commute, I had to put the wipers on a slow intermittent to skim off the little bit of drizzle and the wet thrown up [...]

Sunday in Suburbia: Strings for Peas and a Hot Plate of Grub To Get the Morning Goin’

As gray and cold as it is outside, one can almost believe the prediction Punxsutawney Phil’s prediction that spring won’t come for another six weeks.  Despite the mid-40s temperature, I put the coffee on and went outside to tend to a much-needed task in the garden–putting up some string lines for the peas to climb [...]

Getting In Some Early Gardening with the Help of a New Electric Cultivator

Again it’s garden time!  I know it’s still January, but last year I planted on the 1st, but this year I didn’t get seeds for some leafy greens into the ground until the 15th.  In addition, to various kinds of lettuce,  I also planted spinach and peas for the first time.  The rows of the little sprouts [...]

Happy Holidays to All from Trip to the Outhouse

The year is quickly coming to an end.  I’ve got the car almost packed, and in the morning, I’ll add the last few items and stick Annie in the co-pilot seat for our annual Christmas road trip to Kansas. Although the mostly interstate drive can get long and monotonous, I’m ready for a change of [...]

Saturday Morning Bits and Pieces, But the Rain Gauge Is Back in Place (With Even Some Rain in It)

Here we are at the end of July, and this is only my second post of the month.  Blame it on the heat.  (“Don’t blame it on the bossa nova.“)  It’s been that kind of month; one that has seemed to drag on, maybe because it has days in six different weeks. Our temps here [...]