Well, I went all day yesterday without making a decision on Florida. I've been mulling it over, though. I'll probably go. It's going to be a huge pain in the neck but if all my co-workers can do it there's no reason I can't.
Meanwhile, I took care of all the houseplants yesterday morning, and repotted some succulents. I mowed the lawn, did laundry, walked the dog and took Dave's shirts to the cleaners. Just Saturday stuff.
I really need to get my act together because Dave's birthday is in a little more than two weeks. I know what I'm going to get him but I haven't ordered it yet. I guess I need to spend some time on the computer today making plans and getting stuff done. Argh.
This poor rose! The bud was gnawed into by some kind of critter -- and then the flower opened anyway, which you've got to admire. "Nevertheless, she persisted."
We have our first foxglove blossom, on a plant that sprouted on its own in a pot of other stuff. It looks like a descendant of the apricot-colored foxgloves we grew from seed a year or two ago. We haven't had a lot of luck in the past with foxgloves re-seeding themselves, so I was glad to see this one appear.
And finally, the ladybugs (aka ladybirds) have made their appearance -- and just in time, too, because it is aphidland out there. Note to bug, and to self: Get to work!
Bless the ladybirds as they munch up the aphids. I don't suppose they can eat too many at once. Right or wrong, at least you've made the decision.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it feels good just to have a plan, though who knows how stable it is!
DeleteSo great to see a ladybird. May you have many, many more! Good luck with the Florida plans.
ReplyDeleteWe were so excited to see them!
DeleteDave sends his shirts to the dry cleaners? In my very humble opinion, that is strange. As a former schoolteacher myself, my shirts were always washed in our washing machine and then my darling spouse ironed them*. You could do the same for Dave and thereby save a lot of money.
ReplyDelete*I said I would do them myself but she insisted and besides I had mountains of stuff to mark at home.
In large urban areas I don't think it's unusual at all. When I lived in New York most of my male colleagues had their shirts done, so the habit persisted when Dave and I moved to London. It's not very expensive. And though I take them to the cleaners, the shirts are not "dry cleaned" but washed and then pressed; they come back to us on a hanger. We don't even own an iron!
DeleteI love that teeny-tiny butterfly in the first photo and the "persistent" rose! Good to see those ladybugs are feasting away.
ReplyDeleteThe teeny-tiny butterfly is a common blue, I believe.
DeleteI love the photo the persistent rose. Isn't nature wonderful? I hope your travel plans go well. Enjoy your day, hugs, Edna B.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read your line about the coworkers being able to go so why can't you, I could hear a mother's voice say, "And if all of your coworkers jumped off a bridge, would you do that too?"
ReplyDeleteHaha!
I'll arm-wrestle you for title of best procrastinator.
Love that tiny blue butterfly. What a beauty. The only butterflies we've seen here this season are Swallowtails. I'm looking forward to more.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't really thought about it, but we have many foxgloves that have reseeded here. I should remember to go out and take photos of our flowers.
I'm glad you're going to go to see your mom.
Sometimes a simple decision becomes complicated. I hope you do get back to visit family.
ReplyDeletenice set of photos from the garden. the little snails here have destroyed two of the store bought zinnias and have decimated the marigolds I got from my neighbor. you wouldn't think those little things would, could eat so much but there are hundreds of them.
ReplyDeleteI'm a big procrastinator. apparently I work best under pressure. at least that's what I tell myself.
Welcome to my procrastinating world, except even the smallest decisions can cause me the same pressure you are feeling with the big ones. It's tiring and I recognize what I am doing and I try different strategies yet it continues.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't get on a plane yet, but that might be because I'm in a higher risk medical category and I'm probably extra cautious compared to many folks. I hope all goes well for your trip. I know what it's like to have an elderly parent in a nursing home and not be able to visit. (My dad's home would be quarantined from time to time if there were viruses on the go.) It's hard if they're aware of your absence, and I know for me it would be hard even if they weren't.
Such sun and flwer (and Olga!) filled posts recently. Your garden looks great. I love the blue butterfly on the Alkanet. I saw a blue butterfly in our garden the other day and there is loads of that plant-I have given up trying to weed it, and now have very happy bees!
ReplyDeleteI hope you sort out your flight difficulties. All the new requirements are daunting.
Hope your Florida flight works out for you. Better to go when you can as who knows what next year will bring?!?
ReplyDeleteYour garden is so busy and beautiful!
Seems like you're loaded with problemations today. Making a list and checking each one off when you've done it works wonders with me, I've found. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteJim used to iron his shirts early on in the marriage. Later, we decided to take them in and get them done, it was life changing. They looked better, too.
ReplyDeleteThe garden is beautiful.
OMG I hate lady bugs. HHHHHAAAAAAAATE 'em. Where I live, they work their way inside the house to winter, around windows and door frames, under siding, etc. In the spring, they swarm. When I lived in the woods, the windows would be covered with lady bugs. You'd suck them off the windows with a vacuum multiple times a day, They were awful. The worst story I heard was my BIL is a huge coffee drinker. His coffee maker started slowing down. They have hard water, so he ran the lime remover through a couple of times. Didn't help. He ripped the coffee marker apart and discovered the water reservoir was filled with hundreds of lady bugs. The stuff of nightmares. They also bite, in case you don't know. I found this out when I ended up with one in my underwear. No idea how it got there.
ReplyDeleteThat picture of blues at top just took my breath away. And the others are lovely, too. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteWhat a glorious butterfly. I would welcome a lot more aphids this year as awful as they are on the roses.
ReplyDeleteDo you have Japanese beetles that would be munching on your roses?
I hope your travel plans work out.