Gardeners, I Need Your Help!

Thursday inbetween my massage and facial I had some time to kill and the thrift store was nearby so....I shopped. One of the things I found was a brand new canvas bag that my granddaughter can dye if she wants when she visits again next month. After I checked out and was approaching the door I noticed some plants sitting on the counter. What caught my eye was the McCoy pot. I knew it was a McCoy because several years ago I gave my daughter one (before I knew it was not just any ol' pot). That's OK because she knows what it is and she'll keep it. I checked on ebay and saw them selling for $9.99 to $29.99, although I didn't see any cream colored ones,

I also saw a very unusual plant in it........what is this?  I think the tiny plant in the center is a Christmas cactus???

Notice the 'star' shaped stems and then the leaves that grow out of the ends. I have never seen anything like it. My good friend took a guess and called it a walking stick (wrong). I googled and came up with Harry  Lauder's walking stick tree, as seen in this post.

So, if you have ANY idea of what kind of plant this is leave me a comment!!!  I paid $3.50 for this unusual plant and a McCoy pot. I'd say it was a win, win combo for me. 

I have one other plant that I was unsure what it was here, I think it is an Orchid Cactus. The 'stems' that I stuck in the soil have produced new shoots, I hope the one I gave to Carolee grows just as good!!!

Now I'm off to take a warm bath and get dressed. It is 54 and cloudy here. WHAT?????

No weekend plans here.......hope yours is a great one!!!

How Can I?

How can I call myself a Christian when I have this one person in my life that I can't stand? I just don't like anything that person does or says or values or is. Said person doesn't like me either. We try to stay away from each other as much as we can but we can't totally....we have a common bond....children. I have tried to like this person and to include him/her in family get togethers, for the sake of the family, but there is always some excuse why he/she is not able to attend. I know this person lies to me. I don't like lies, do you?
How can I love this person? (like the Bible says I should)
My rotten feelings were brought to a head again after I called to see if our grandson was coming over yesterday (a normal event for 8 years) and was told 'No'. End of conversation. (that is his punishment, if he doesn't behave he can't come over here- is that right?) His parents are separated right now. They may try counseling to work things out, but I have my doubts. I believe that in order for counseling to work you must WANT to change your ways. Both are very stubborn (and then they wonder why 2 of their 3 kids are???) I really can't see the 'thorn in my side' changing. The only reason I'd like the parents to work it out is for the children, the really deserve some stability in their lives.....they don't even know what it means, they move at least once a year. Our grandson told me he hates moving. From little on I could see that he thrived in a routine. Could that be part of the reason for his so called 'behaviour problems'???  That parent has him on meds rather than try to reason with/parent the child.
How can I get past all of my anger and hard feelings?
Right now they are staying at the other grandparents and we only see the one boy once a week (but not this week). They live 6 blocks away from us. Once in a while the older brother comes over, but never the younger one. He was kept away from us since he was a baby so I only see him in the car when our other grandson is dropped off or picked up.
I just don't know what to do. I cry because I love the boys and miss doing things with them. I can't even call them on the phone....the parent has a cell phone and doesn't answer me or is at work. So I have to 'suck it up' and try to be nice and pretend to be happy.......it worked when I was a waitress....so maybe it will work with the 'person' I would like to get along with but just can't stand.
I hate hating this person but I still do.
How can I do this?
How can I handle this sticky situation?

Thanks for reading (if you made it this far), I needed to vent.

Thoughts On Thursday

I want to share a couple of my favorite quotes with you. I do not know where I got this one from but I think it is wonderful and even have it posted on my bulletin board at work.

"It's not that you get out of a bad situation but what you get out of it."

 I believe it's important to keep that quote in mind, it's a good one to live by. We need to learn and grow from our mistakes.

One of my mom's sayings was "Where there's a will, there's a way."   I'm sure this saying was not exclusive to her, she grew up during the depression era and learned to reuse, fix, or make do. Don't throw your hands up in the air and give up, keep trying. I thought of that quote on tuesday when I saw a motorcycle pulling a trailer filled with tree branches. Some people would have thought he was nuts, but not me, I thought 'good for you, you're getting the job done'. I wanted that picture to post here ...but I can't snap a photo with my eyes...so.... I am sure there's a techie gadget like that in the making as I write this! I was sitting at a stop sign and didn't have my camera in my hand at the moment.

Today is National Ice Cream day! Woo Hoo! Lately I have been in the mood for chocolate ice cream. I am on my 2nd quart (sad face). Last night, for supper, I had 2 bowls and 1/2 cup of guacamole. We are having a hot humid spell here and ice cream tastes so good while sitting on the deck and listening to the birds.

Deal Of The Week

After the garden walk last weekend I'm all excited about making my few flowers more interesting.  I'm on the lookout for several unusual things. This spring I bought a new umbrella for our table. We have green furniture and had a floral one that fit in quite nicely. I found solid umbrellas on sale and the only color I thought would 'go' would be the burgundy, it gives the deck and nice pop of color (at least that is what I think Stacey and Clinton would say). I painted the star, that's on the garage, and a couple of flower pots and I was lucky enough to find a couple in that color also, so I'm good now. I don't want everything the same color.

This week I found this decorative 3D plate....looks hand made....it's signed with a name and Puerto Rico on the back. 

I paid $1. It is interesting and will look great somewhere in my garden....but where???

Monday was a lovely day....hot, clear skies, cooler in the evening. I had lunch with friends then spent time at the beach with one of them. I am soooooooooo looking forward to next summer when I can do things like that and not have to think about working the next day or if I am working when a friend is in town.

Who Doesn't Like Free Stuff????

I use to get all kinds of free stuff in the mail, oh it was fun going to the mailbox. That doesn't happen very much anymore though, probably because I don't have the time to search for free sites and  they are not as easy to come by as they once were. I'm a big fan of Kim Komando, 'America's Digital Goddess', a radio talk show hostess. I regularly listen to her program on saturday mornings and I subscribe to her newsletters (that I don't always read). In one of the latest ones she lists sites for free stuff. Check it out, I plan to do so. Hopefully, after I am retired, I will have more time to find free things. I will not be entering sweepstakes though.........I can't see myself doing that for hours on end. My attention span is too short.
Do you have any good sites to recommend for free stuff???

Master Gardeners Garden Walk

This year I made up my mind to attend the garden walk and invited the members of my Red Hat group. Four of us went together and several others went on their own. (I suspect they did not want to wear red hats). I've always stood out in a group, so why stop now???  There were 9 gardens to tour (we only toured 8). It was a beautiful day!

Love, love, love the color combination of the flower box.

We admired this tree (that I have since forgotten the name of) at several locations.

 The first place we stopped at had a huge teepee on their 6 acre property.

This garden incorporated a lot of glass art into it.

This city home, located on a busy street, looks unassuming as you approach...but once you walk through the gate.............ahhh, an oasis.

My photos do not do justice to any of the gardens. I just snapped a few small things for the ideas that I'd never think of. 

In 1992 the owner purchased this extremely run down house and reinvented it into the most wonderful sanctuary. To the left of the couch is a lovely pond with huge goldfish in it. 

 One area contains a counter with storage and sink. I'd love that!

They even have plants on the top balcony. 

We saw Harry Lauder's Walking Stick tree at many locations also. It looks really pitiful....the branches are all twisted 

and the leaves look wilted ....but it's perfectly healthy. That's just how it was created.

I had never seen this daisy like flower with the variegated leaves before. 

Now here's an unusual pine tree....it looks like someone just bent it over and .....viola!  Maybe that is what happened.

 I love the color contrast below. 

 Two floral covered arch ways lead to the back.

 cute little vignette

Love the old screen door. Too bad my sister's didn't have any gingerbread on it....maybe she could add some herself???

I didn't see too many orange flower combinations. There's a huge cactus too.

Who wouldn't want to have their morning coffee here??

You can not get the whole effect of the gardens with just a few photos. They were just amazing as you walked into them from an ordinary front yard. 

 Now I need more clay pots!!

We had lunch at a small local restaurant and just had fun getting to know each other more. I'm putting this on my calender for next year!!!

It's another perfect day here....wonder what my grandson and I will do???

Flowers

Today is a beautiful, sunny day on the Lakeshore, where I live. In fact the past week the weather has been gorgeous.......the low humidity is perfect.

My tomatoes are growing tall and have lots of blossoms. I am sure you'll hear more about them in the future. My flowers look pretty darn good too! This year I purchased 'bunny poop' compost (what else would you call it?) and put it around my flowers. I have also been feeding my plants regularly. 

This plant finally blossomed and I don't know what it is. I bought it from some vendor and it didn't have a name stake in it. If anyone knows please leave me a comment!!! What caught my eye is the thing growing out of the center, see it? Have you ever seen anything like that? I don't think I have. What is it? Gardening friends please help!!!

I'm off today with a couple of friends to attend a garden walk in our neighboring city. There are 9 gardens for $10. I love to look and get ideas (that I will never put to use). If my 10 year old granddaughter were here she'd enjoy it with me. Afterward we are stopping at the candy store for ice cream sundaes.....they are buy one get one free. Works for us!

Wishing a happy, sunny weekend to all!

Perfect Lemonade

I have never made homemade lemonade, but my daughter does and it is sooooooo good. After reading another bloggers post about lemonade I decided that I NEEDED to make some. When I went grocery shopping on monday I remembered the lemons and here is the recipe I used.

Perfect Lemonade

• Prep time: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup sugar (can reduce to 3/4 cup)
• 1 cup water (for the simple syrup)
• 1 cup lemon juice
• 3 to 4 cups cold water (to dilute)

METHOD

1 Make simple syrup by heating the sugar and water in a small saucepan until the sugar is dissolved completely.

2 While the sugar is dissolving, use a juicer to extract the juice from 4 to 6 lemons, enough for one cup of juice.

3 Add the juice and the sugar water to a pitcher. Add 3 to 4 cups of cold water, more or less to the desired strength. Refrigerate 30 to 40 minutes. If the lemonade is a little sweet for your taste, add a little more straight lemon juice to it.

Serve with ice, sliced lemons.

I need to get a pretty, vintage glass pitcher to serve it in. I made mine a little stronger (I like tasty things).  I only had 5 lemons but I added 2 oranges (juice of). I remember my daughter saying that she has done that. It's a nice switch from the ice tea I normally drink.....but this has calories, my ice tea doesn't. Homemade lemonade is the PERFECT summer drink. To be honest, I almost hope hubby doesn't like it. 

I am sure I won't make this on a weekly basis, but it's great for a special occasion or for company. 

A Very Pleasant Saturday

I woke up early this morning listening to the birds singing, as usual. The sun was shining and it was going to be a great day.............so I got up. I really enjoy getting up early (sometimes). I had (and still have) a list of things I need to get done and one was some online research about Social Security.  Set up a my Social Security account on that site and you can find out everything you need to know about your earnings. I've been thinking about retiring for several months, even though I am not eligible for full benefits.... after calculating potential earnings and comparing my current income I decided to talk to my hubby and see what he thought.........he said, "Go for it!"  Oooh, I was tickled. I was so excited I called my friend to share my good news.

I feel I 'deserve' it. We are far from wealthy and, of course, I'd make more money if I continued to work. I've never had a lot of material things, nor do I need them. I worked most of my adult life. While I was a single parent I worked, went to school, and took care of my 3 children. Later I remarried and had 2 more children to help raise. I am fortunate that I am married to a younger man who carries health insurance on me.

I really want not to work.....I have lots that I want to do around the house.....from cleaning and organizing to painting to craft projects to just having friends over for coffee. I'll probably have to start cooking again. Wish me luck!!! The big day is almost a year away, but I am still eagerly anticipating it.

The remainder of the day was very nice too. I walked across the street and visited with the neighbors at their garage sale. We really don't talk to any of our neighbors and I'd like to be a bit more friendly with them. I ran some errands and ran into a friend at the thrift store. In the afternoon I worked outside a little and spent most of my time reading on the deck. When the weather is nice I can't stand to be inside. After hubby returned from golfing he mowed the lawn and did some other yard work............ activities he prefers to avoid. The weather was perfect and it was just a nice afternoon.

Our grandson usually spends the night with us on saturday but he didn't come over tonight. I am enjoying a nice quiet evening after having some leftovers and homemade strawberry shortcake for dinner. Hubby went to a friend's to watch some baseball game and I've been relaxing. I suppose I will have to put an end to the relaxation.......one of these days......

I hope day was as nice as mine was!

Thoughts on Thursday

Happy Independence Day!

Thank you to all who are serving and who have ever served our great country in the military. Thank you to their families and loved ones also, it is a big sacrifice!

....truth is Freedom is not free!

On my way to work yesterday morning I saw one of these gliders flying overhead. I couldn't get a photo b/c I don't allow myself any extra time. I see them often during the summer months flying over the shoreline...love 'em....they make me smile.

I love these gold sequined slip ons from Keds....they are sold out so I won't be getting any, but I can still adore them.

4th of July weekend for the USA.....lots of cookouts, fireworks, family gatherings, etc. I am not sure if I'll go to any fireworks or not............

Silence IS Golden

It was quite nice to have the afternoon to myself today. My grandson was here again last night but mom picked him up at 12:30PM so the afternoon was mine. In the middle of washing dishes and attempting to clean off the kitchen counter I took a break and relaxed on the chaise in the sun for an hour. This is the first time I've used it this year. It was breezy but the sun was warm and for 1/2 hour I just laid back and closed my eyes. I could have actually fallen asleep......maybe next time!

When granddaughter A was here I told the kids to stick little flags in my flowers....here's one that says "Happy Independence Day".

 I just wandered around and snapped a few photos of my flowers. They are not in full bloom yet.

The hummingbirds were after the fuschia when it was on our deck.

 This geranium winters in the house....looks nice, eh?

 I need more of these perennials! .....if I only knew what they are. I liked them when my mom had them and now I know why she liked them. PERENNIALS

Wishing everyone a happy and safe 4th! No plans here and I am NOT complaining!