Saturday, February 25, 2017

Catch-Up

In case you were wondering where I have been . . .

Come sit down with me here in the sunroom, my favorite place in the house.  
We'll watch the birds, drink some tea, and have a catch-up.



🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲
First of all, we finally got to the top of the list for removal of trees damaged by Hurricane Matthew last fall.  

 Fortunately this huge old long-needled pine didn't come down, but it lost some very large limbs.  We have been tiptoeing around it for months because the biggest limb got hung up on a stub of another limb and remained dangling in the tree.  

We removed a portion of the fence also damaged by the hurricane so that the tree service could drive this small tracked vehicle into the backyard.  We call them cherry pickers here; they raise the man with the chainsaw high into the tree and maneuver him into position.

 I'm not good at estimating heights, but this guy was working waaaay up in the air!  
It took six men a couple hours to clear out four giant limbs, cut them up, hand-carry them to the street, and put parts of them through the woodchipper.  Another neighbor hauled away the largest logs for his fireplace.  

📞 📞 📞 📞 📞
 
 


The political situation here has only gotten worse, in my opinion, and we spend time every day calling congressmen and our state government to beg them to stop what is going on in Washington.  Mostly they respond with something that has nothing to do with the issue you have addressed, but one feels one has to do something.  Wednesday our senator was supposed to appear at a Town Hall meeting in a town a half hour away.  We brought our protest signs and hoped, but the senator chose not to appear.  So disheartening.  
🌸 🌺 🌸 🌺 🌸

 

The camellias are almost done blooming.  We have several species and these are the largest, which you can see here  are almost as big as my hand!

Now the azaleas have started and we have lots of those, too.  

It continues to be exciting to see what new has shown up in our garden!




🌅  🐬  🌅
 The weather has been gorgeous, in the 70s most every day, and most days we walk the beach.  

A couple days ago the beach was littered with dozens of dead jellyfish.
They aren't really fish, more like a floating mouth and intestines in a big see-through muscle and a trail of tentacles behind.  
They have no brain but some have an automatic response that releases cells that are a painful toxin.  It paralyzes prey, and if it hits human skin it causes burning welts that really hurt.  Others kinds take in their prey with water and filter out the food part.  I'm pretty sure the ones dead on the beach this day were Cannonball jellyfish, not a stinging kind. 
Apparently jellyfish travel in groups and sometimes the current washes them up on shore.  As they are 93% water, once out of the water they quickly die.

🏡. 🏡. 🏡

 
And yes, it's only February but gardening has  begun!  Supposedly you can grow new plants from cuttings of celery, romaine lettuce, green onions, etc, and plant them in the garden when the roots grow.  
Why not try it?  Soon we will have a small salad from nothing!  

In the outdoor garden I have planted peas, greens, basil, beans, and we have a fig tree coming.  Mmmmm . . . good eating ahead!

😂. 😂. 😂. 
  
He who laughs last ... lasts! 

19 comments:

  1. I enjoyed your sunroom, such a lovely view. The hurricane certainly did some damage. Such a shame your Senator chose not to turn up, he probably knew what sort of reception he would get. Take care.

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  2. Beautiful pictures.. it's good at last you able to do the tree removal.. I love those lettuce, which are going in the container..

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  3. Too bad about the no show at the town hall meeting. I too have been trying to do something every week from the list that I get from someone named Jennifer. It seems insignificant as one lonely person but then I remember I'm one of many doing this and it will matter over time.

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  4. It has been warm here too, in the 80's yesterday and today. We grew our romaine in the greenhouse and we've been eating it for awhile.
    I ignore all politics and remind myself that this is not my world any more. If my daughter wants to get involved that's fine, I did all of that in the 60's thru the 90's. When a English gentleman asked my husband and me about Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinski I knew that my time was over. I vote, and God knows I held my nose and voted for Hillary, but beyond that I just don't care. Sorry attitude perhaps, but I'm old.

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  5. I'll pass on the tea if your serving it the way shown in the last graphic....but that's hilarious! Reminds me of a skill I did for a talent show...once. I love your sunroom and the catch-up chat. Love the little cuttings. I tried that last year, but for the life of me I can't recall what I tried. Fig tree...yum!

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  6. Trees really suffer from high winds . With big trees you have to bring in the heavy equipment. The main thing is that nobody was hurt.

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  7. I didn't know you had a sun room!That would be my favorite spot too. It is so pretty. Your Camellias are beautiful!

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  8. I love the outlook from your sunroom. Glad you got the storm damage fixed. Sorry to hear the problems you are having with your govt. We are horrified when we see and hear what is happening in Washington. Keep up the protesting.

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  9. I love the outlook from your sunroom. Glad you got the storm damage fixed. Sorry to hear the problems you are having with your govt. We are horrified when we see and hear what is happening in Washington. Keep up the protesting.

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  10. Your sunroom is a beautiful place to be! I could use a sun room here in Minnesota. You are gardening already and have some beautiful blooms! :)

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  11. Your new house looks so good, so cosy sitting and watch the birds. Those tree men are so proficient to cut them down efficient. I feel so sorry for the situation you are in now with that terrible president. Every day there is another hatred quote or decission of him. It never stops....

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  12. Keep well away from those jellyfish. I still shudder at my encounter with a mass of them off a Thai resort beach.
    I was smothered by hotel staff with the craziest of soothing "gooes" imaginable but it worked.

    As for the so-called comedy in Washington, the news here 24/7 on that megalomaniac is driving I think all
    Aussies up the bloody wall. I think in the 4 weeks of his "presidency" we have accumulated or been subjected
    to more 1600 Penn. Avenue news ( make that stupidity) than the combined Presidencies of Clinton, Bush Jnr. and
    Obama.
    Tearing up the TPP agreement has certainly thrown the other signatories to it - in your neck of the Pacific side,
    Canada, Mexico, Peru and Chile and on the Asian side a flurry of meetings to maintain the agreement and to IMPROVE
    the agreement.
    So stupid is your "Turnip Top". I can hardly wait for a suppression of the press, TV and Papers.
    Shades of a totalitarian dictatorship - Comrade Joe, Chairman Mao or Der Fuhrer Adolf or a combo
    of all???????????????????????
    Chin up and keep up the protests........ I don't think Buchenwald (US version) is quite ready for occupation yet.
    Colin

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  13. I can see why the sunroom is your favorite room in the house, it would be mine too with that view.

    Seems a lot of our representatives have decided not to show up for townhall meetings as they don't want to hear anything that doesn't agree with their views. What happened to representative government?

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  14. A lovely, chatty, post. Love the sunroom. I am horribly fascinated by Trump and he often crops up in conversation down at the Olde Rupturede Ducke. On the one hand, he has been democratically elected and therefore deserves some respect - and a chance. I think I understand, too, why may voted for him. But you can't govern like that, he is potentially extremely dangerous and I seriously wonder how long he's got. These are interesting, historic, times all over the world.

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  15. Wow - I hope your insurance pays for that clean up - it would be so expensive. It must be really painful living with your political situation, keep up the good work there. You wouldn't want that to be hot tea in the last shot, but a great afternoon tea trick to impress your friends lol.

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    1. The cost of removing the limbs was less than the insurance deductible so I had to pay. And you are right, it is expensive here, too!

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  16. Looks like the calm of your sunroom will be a welcome place of peace and quiet amidst your disheartening protests. Good job you got to the top of the list, bet you offered the men a nice cup of coffee when they arrived! Hope you are enjoying your salad soon!
    Wren x

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