A minute here, a minute there

Today was a "catch up" day for me. My To Do List always has a few small items on it, ones I thought of in passing and hastily scribbled down. The scribbling has taken over the list and it was time to renew it. That means, for me, it's time to do those small jobs that aren't critical, but they bother me being undone. 

Early this morning I tossed a load of laundry in the washer and sat down to handle my mother's correspondences. Deuce and I walked two envelopes down to the mailbox and Cousin Dave came out to chat. 

Home again, the laundry went in the dryer and I lit a match. The burn ring had collected some wooden debris, pallets and such, and was an eyesore. It's gone now and I can report the old well still works great. 

Housework gets neglected in the summer months, so I put some things away in the pantry and straightened up the shelves. A thorough vacuuming job followed since Deuce is shedding at the moment. Then the clothes in the dryer were hung, folded, and put in the closet. Little chores were finished and crossed off the list. I felt like I walked in circles, and I did, but I dutifully stuck to the items in the order they were written. 

A quick call from a girlfriend netted me some old candles. I'll use them to make fire-starter this winter. The Lord of the Manor was working in the shed, and when I checked on him, he put me to work. FedEx saved me when they delivered a roll of woven ground cover from Grower's Solutions. 

I started dinner prep and then went to the computer to do some quick promos. That led to blogging at Deuce's Day and Between the Keys. Dinner went into the oven, and I watered the garden while it baked. 

After dinner, it was time to write a new list, which led to blogging here at The Hideaway.

Some days I wonder why I'm tired at the end of the day. Maybe tomorrow I'll sit in my garden and listen to the bees. More likely, I'll start working on the new list. 

The Lady of the Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, rural living, country lifestyle, To Do List, retirement, gardening, homesteading, blogging, a writer's life

Greenstalk

Sometimes you've got to treat yourself. For example, if you've hoarded your rewards points you should use them for something you really, really, really want but would never pay full price for. Like a Greenstalk. 

No way would I pay just under $160 for one of these planters. I simply would not. But getting it for a mere $55?? Oh, yeah. I clicked on the button to place my order. So what if I burned all my points? I'll accumulate more as I go along. Somehow.

The Greenstalk has thirty planting pockets and an internal watering system. The plan is to use it for herbs with a few red begonias scattered around for a bit of color. I'm not one hundred percent sure where I want to place it, but I'll figure that out this fall and not put soil in it until next spring. 

Planning ahead is one of the fun aspects of gardening. I remember my grandfather anxiously awaiting the arrival of the yearly seed catalogs from Burpees, Gurneys, and a few other companies. I have it easy. I just go to the Internet. I wonder what Pop would make of the Greenstalk? 

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor (The Hideaway)

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, Greenstalk, country living, gardening, herbs, rural lifestyle, a writer's life, homesteading, home food preservation

It used to be easier!

Let's take a little stroll in the Way Back Machine. 

Back in 1980, yes THAT 1980, my grandmother called me to her house for a "chat." It seemed she and Pop had rounded up my mother and uncle for a chat, and now it was my turn. The upshot of my conversation with my grandparents was that they wanted to gift me and my cousin three acres of land each. Being the older one, I got to pick which plot I wanted. It was an incredible gift. 

Later that fall, we began to clear an opening in the woods for a house. We cut trees, burned brush, pulled stumps, and stacked a lot of firewood. I can tell you right now, it was a helluva lot easier back in 1980! 

My cousin and I have lived side-by-side ever since. Now that we're both retired, we have time to enjoy working together and talking about the good old days. We've been cutting, splitting, and stacking firewood, and he agrees. It used to be easier! 

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor (The Hideaway)

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, firewood, homesteading, country lifestyle, rural living, a writer's life, woodstoves, family