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What a thoughtful question, Petalique! For me, having worked so many years in hospitals, especially ER, my good health as well as my family’s brings me so much comfort. And, just sitting out here on our (thankfully covered) back portal. tonight with my Teddy during our first real rain in much too long, watching the mountain and listening to the rain is such a joy! It’s the little things that I especially appreciate.
Oh it's so annoying. I can't get at DH's Rx orders on a phone call. They say I have to fill out a form, but then they can't check to see if the form is there unless they have his permission to access his information!!! Funny. They never have that issue when I go to pay his bill!!
I keep trying to get all bases covered, we have our health care POAs, and yet is seems every time I go someplace else, I run into roadblocks again.
I think I'm going to make a recording of DH saying that I am his wife and he gives his permission for them to share all info with me. That would seem to be the only thing that works. I mean we're ok for now while he can speak for himself, but if that should change, then I'm in trouble. A lot of the time he wants me to do the calls as with his hearing situation, he can't understand a lot of the folks on the phone, especially if they are soft spoken or have an accent.
In my state, you have to be certain to have a Durable Power Of Attorney for Health Care in order for it to remain in effect if the person giving it becomes incompetent. A regular Power of Attorney is only in effect while the giver is competent, only the Durable will be honored. Not sure if this is true in other states but worth investigating. Most places would require a notarized original, not sure a photo would do. If your health system uses MY Chart, it can be entered there. Otherwise, maybe keep in a safe place and be sure someone else knows where and can access it. In case you are both in a car accident or something, or you can’t get home to get it. Good idea to both have back up people with DPOA, too.
...my all girls’ camp required uniforms at dinner, navy shorts and midi blouses with a tartan tie from one’s clan.
Were all the girls at your camp from Scottish or Irish (tartans by county) families?
That is so fun, kswl. My son still keeps in touch with friends from his camp and they have reunions, too. Good memories
Cyn, yes!—such good memories. My daughter went to the same camp for years and also had many wonderful experiences. It’s my hope that Lucy will be a third generation camper there.
Maybe some people don’t like having things delivered to their homes? Sketchy neighborhoods, people steal packages? That’s all I can think of.
J Crew had a LD sale that I think ends tonight. I ordered this cropped cashmere cardigan. The color is called Snow, so I assume it is less pink than it appears here.
and this exciting shirt
and a pink tank top for layering.
And of course I had to order something ”excluded from sale” but it looks so cute I had to have it. It is also cropped, hopefully a good length for me.
I am justifying every purchase this month by saying ”it’s almost my birthday” in my head as I add to cart.
I'd move the TV to the door wall and place the sofa on the long wall (where TV is now mounted). A good edit of things you don't use or need.
Remove all the little decor items, if you are going to include a fresh coat of paint.
Hang the curtain rod at the break point between the wall and ceiling and extend it beyond the window trim (Replace the drapery panels with simple panels the same or similar color to the wall color.
I'd paint the base of the island a color you want to incorporate into the rooms color scheme.
Are the non-white ones all the same variety?
All look extremely close to the house foundation which may develop into an issue at some point but that doesn’t explain why the last one is has a different appearance. Since it is around the corner, is it catching more shade than the others? Or, more moisture? It looks washed out and I see it’s receiving more water during this picture-taking.
Sephia, I grew up in Gladwyne and I suspect someone else here may chime in to say she still lives there. Can't help but love the city and its teams.
I am an Eagles fan and a Phillies fan. My son (lived there until he was 13) and his best friend since the age of 1 are as well. I have a t-shirt: It's a Philly Thing. I think that was created because of the huge celebration by the fans after the Super Bowl (2018 against the Pats or 2025 against the Chiefs-I suspect the latter).
Lily, we are also die-hard Tour de France fans and watch every stage start to finish, then go into withdrawal even though we watch the two other Grand Tour races and all five Monuments races.
I can’t pretend to know much about football or be a fan of any one particular team, but I enjoy watching and have some clear preferences. I was happy to see Seattle beat the Patriots again, and with KC becoming a temporary home away from home I’ve got no problem watching the Chiefs. Though they’d be easier for me to watch without Mahomes incessantly gnawing on his mouthguard. That drives me nuts!
Food - hop on the Chiefs bandwagon...there's plenty of room!
I thought Mahomes looked rusty last night which is not surprising since he didn't play during the pre-season. Good thing K9 (Kenneth Walker) had such a great game running the ball.
The person in the horror movie who opens basement door & starts down the stairs into the dark basement - “don’t go down there….oh, noooo!”
What a pretty house and yard (lots of potential there). I am not in your area, but maybe another flowering small tree in the sunny part behind shaded area on the right in your photo.
I have a hedge of Limelights which I adore, but bear in mind they can reach 8' tall. They also like full sun-unusual for Hydrangeas. Maybe three curving from the mailbox toward the Dogwood and behind where your hostas will be next to the driveway. I am not sure I would center the Limelights on the mailbox, but I prefer plants (and most things) arranged asymmetrically. That is just me.
You have a good space to work with there. Have fun with it.
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Ok...well thanks for that but that's not happening. I get that some on here have unlimited resources, but I don't...and I'm sorry if I was unclear. I'm asking for ideas for other plants to work in that will provide flowers throughout the season.
I think you've done a nice job so far!
As MG said, it would be helpful for us to be able to make suggestions if we knew where you were - zone 7 covers a wide area! We don't need your address, lol, just the general area. For instance, I'm in zone 6 CT between New Haven and NYC.
I also agree with moving out the sidewalk, but I also know how reality affects our gardens. I've been wanting to move MY front sidewalk for 30 years now. :) Barring that, I think I would make the bed between the sidewalk and the street deeper/wider, at least if you want to add plants. I'm really not sure you have much room to add anything else as it is now.
My first thought on seeing your photos is that you need height. I think you've already done a good job addressing that with the trellises. When your clematis grows in and fills the trellises I think it will make a big difference. I also think that was a good way to address the height issue considering the bed along the front is so narrow. Two birds with one stone, and all... And for next year, some nice annual trailers in the window boxes would help soften all that brick too. You could intertwine some annual vines for longer-season color on the trellises too.
You don't need a LOT of height in the front beds (and probably wouldn't want it, as it would hide the bed along the house, but perhaps just some variation in the heights of your plants - some one-footers, two-footers, three-footers, etc. And you've got a start on that with the irises, for instance.
Another thought - how about some evergreens? What does this whole area look like in your winters? I believe liriope is evergreen (I'm not sure as I've never grown it and I'm in a different zone...?) There are lots of wonderful smaller evergreens out there if you want to keep things low. There are hollies and boxwoods that stay at about 3 feet high (although I personally would stay away from boxwoods due to blight issues - hollies are a nice substitute), and some thujas/arborvitaes that get about 2-3 feet tall, dwarf yews, etc. Even one or two of these strategically placed would give you some winter interest. And perhaps some evergreen growers on the trellis... eunonymus? Maybe on one trellis?
For full season color, even edging the front of the beds towards the street with annuals would look great. I line most of my (mostly shade) beds with white impatiens and I feel like it gives some cohesiveness and ties things together, and they are easy and reliable for the most part, and make the beds look decent even when nothing else is really going on. A house in the neighborhood does a similar thing with a split rail fence they have along the street. Daffodils in spring the entire length of the fence, and then annuals - this year it's red impatiens I believe (I drive by so I can't stop to look lol) (the New Guinea ones which usually get bigger) and even this small touch makes it look really pretty as you drive by.
The mention of daffodils reminds me that you can use bulbs to start your early spring season... and also for later season interest, like alliums, as sherrygirl mentioned, or fall-blooming crocus.
Lastly, some garden art maybe? Even just a birdbath might look nice and add some interest.
Good luck and keep us posted. We all love to see before and after photos!
:)
Dee
edited to add - a nice obelisk or one of those pyramidal obelisks with an annual vine would add some nice, eye-catching interest and height without being big and heavy and blocking anything visually, and it wouldn't be permanent if you wanted to move it around or changed your mind. They could be nice elegant metal ones, or I'm thinking of someone here on the forums who has a very lovely garden, and she has three wooden ones which are painted in shades of purple and pink, which look gorgeous in her garden and tie into her color scheme. They really add to the feel and look of a garden and give it color even in winter. Gosh I wish I could remember who it was so you could find her posts.... but anyway, just another thought!
Thanks for these ideas...we're in southeastern PA if that helps.
A not-so-good cook
Really don't like cooking much
Calling take-out now
Sweetened on the vine
Warm, plump, juicy tomatoes
Savored with basil
-that was lunch-
No cookies with lunch
No eating after seven
I weigh in this week!
Very funny. Feels good to laugh for a change.
@rubyclaire YES! that is the one I saw! I'm going to replace mine with yours, if you don't mind, as it's the one I wanted to post. Thank you!
@mtnrdredux_gw the guy watching is pasted in but the water jet is not AI. Take a look at the edited link I posted...Ruby Claire found the video I saw originally and posted it - it's much better than the one I found, so I changed to hers.
@bpath, I think the jet ski is powering the water spout. Take a look at the video again, I reposted the one Ruby Claire found (the one I originally saw but couldn't find again) and watch for the sports car in the background!
Are you set on the cedars? A mix of evergreens would be much more attractive than a line of matching plants. If in the future you lose one, there would be no way to replace it with a matching sized plant.
Agree-your pets, but I would specify dogs. If other person does not like them, I considerate it a deal-breaker, not just an ice-breaker. :-)
Agree with pets and/or family
Your favorite foods and not so favorites
What alcoholic drinks you like
Your crazy friends
Favorite restaurants
Items that are biodegradable need the appropriate environment to degrade, don’t they? Including oxygen? That’s why ventilating and turning or stirring a compost heap or bon is necessary. Landfills compress and the contents don’t have the environment needed to break down.
We like a certain dessert from a nearby grocery store, and it comes in little glass dishes with a plastic lid. Win-Win! We now have over a dozen that we use for fruit, desserts, prep bowls, parties, dipping sauce. But we don’t need more! We haven’t bought the dessert in a while partly for that reason. I have been seeing them at the thrift store now. Like those little glass French yogurt cups.
People interested in responsible recycling, check to see if Ridwell is in your community. Read about their philosophy and what/how they recycle. Every pick up they have a rotating featured hard to recycle item that they have arranged recycling for - from christmas lights to plastic political yard siigns They take plastic bags and food packaging, clam shell boxes that greens come in, plastic bottle lids, small electronics, styrofoam, unwearable textiles, etc. https://www.ridwell.com
edited to add a video link about the multi layer plastics they recycle...I was so surprised at how much of this stuff I accumulate: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1HWVQ1S1hR/
This probably varies from place to place. In the two populated places I spend my time, there are many choices of where to take items not permitted in the general trash pickup stream. Styrofoam is but one example of special waste. Both special waste and hazardous wastes are handled separately and where I am, both kinds are easy and convenient to dispose of properly.
They should choose whatever color combinations they like, really. I would remove that little cabinet over the toilet since it looks like they have plenty of storage in the long cabinet and just add a framed poster or piece of art there. If they can't find a shower curtain they love, it is easy to make your own with a grommet maker from a sheet and then use a clear liner behind it. If I could do it, anyone can.
BTW, Caroline is right.
One reason you always have to doublecheck ChatGPT work is they change things sua sponte. For example, it made the tone of the floors, walls and counter more pleasing. Walls are not that hard to fix, but the rest is stayting, so this matters. Some of the tones could be due to the lighting/bulbs or photography/post production. I told ChatGPt to only change the elements specified, but it will not listen to me and each version it spits out makes the tones more pleasing.
It is something to be mindful of, as what may seem subtle can make all the difference in "neutral" schemes particularly. Be ready to try a few versions IRL.
Mtn has all the right ideas. Big rug is the key, I think. It's a very nice size bathroom that will look a lot better with a few inexpensive changes. I would probably also replace the b00b light with something else. Probably something semi flush. So many inexpensive options on line and at the big box stores.
I just have to laugh that chat only put knobs on some of the cabinets.
The Common Houseleek, Sempervivum tectorum, is very hardy. I don't think there's any reason to think these are anything else.
Ditto. I would pull back the bark mulch, put the compost onto the soil, and replace the bark mulch. And yes, keep the mulch off the crowns.
:)
Dee
Update: I finally got around to tackling the sprinkler rust. I submerged the sprinkler in a dish pan of hot water and Iron-Out and let it soak overnight. Next morning with a stiff grout brush it cleaned up nicely, now back to working as it should -- still a little stiff to turn the dial on one setting in particular but no big deal, it still turns just with more effort. The Iron-Out was an easy solution to the problem. :0)
I am so sorry and I do indeed understand your pain. We had new neighbors move in about 15 years ago. They cut down every tree in their back yard (all very old Oak trees more than 100 years old) because, as he told me, the husband likes "the golf course look." I guess he has never noticed how many trees line a course from the start to the cup. We bought our house because of the trees, especially one huge Willow Oak that must be 200 years old. We had 9 Oaks when we moved in and now we have 14 plus numerous other native trees that we planted.
I would chat with them and get around to asking if they are planning to put in another tree at some point in the conversation..
ps. Our property and that of all our 7 closest neighbors backed to a 4-acre property that was the last remnant of an old Oak forest. A couple of years ago, our wonderful neighbor who owned the property died and her daughter sold to a developer who clear-cut the land, knocked down her almost 100 year old home, and built four really unattractive McMansions. No more wildlife there. Our home is the only one whose view of all that is blocked by trees both from our backyard, their backyards, and the satellite view. Yay. I hope you can regain your privacy, porkchop.
I hate that this happened to you @porkchop_z5b_MI. This has always been a fear of mine. It’s unavoidable and in many cases inevitable but it still hurts.
Could you offer to replacetve tree with a different one perhaps more to their liking? Do you know the readon they removed it?
Today was the only decent day I can remember in this horrid summer. It's 67 now and low humidity. Daughter and I hiked four miles along the river, and it's the first time in months I haven't sweated. There isn't a word in the English language to describe how much I hate summer. I live for September and want winter to last forever. With climate change, summer is a season of horrible days, and this summer lived up. Lancaster County next door had five tornadoes, which is unheard of. Of course, the July 4th nightmare demolished 100-year-old trees, caused huge power outages, and killed my 30-year-old hand-fed koi. I can't wait to ditch the shorts and tees and wear sweats and joggers.
I didn't even enjoy my beach day at my favorite place for 60 years because I had to lather myself up with sunscreen and not be the sun goddess I once was and am paying for with every dermatologist visit.
Winter means goodbyes to mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, and houseflies.
I enjoyed some nice beach weather this weekend, with an onshore breeze keeping the sweat down. I cut the long weekend short as my wife gets ready to leave for 1.5 months tomorrow, I wanted to visit my mom at rehab, etc. I’m sorry to see summer leave us but I really enjoy all our distinct seasons so there’s always something to look forward to in that regard. But I’ve got a bunch of uncertainty in life, and I’m a little overwhelmed thinking about where things will land and how I’ll manage getting there, so that’s more on my mind than pumpkin spice lattes right now.
After my daughter and I hiked by the river, she asked us for dinner in their yard. She asked her brother too, but he has a bike race tomorrow and needs to eat pasta. It was a simple grilled chicken dinner, and it was only the second time she had had dinner in her delightful backyard this summer. It even got chilly. Today was the kind of weather summer always was around here for most of my life. I dread the thought of what it will be for my grandkids when they're my age.
Looks like it needs a mini dining room table for a mouse under it.
Daddy long legs (Eastern Harvestman …..)
LINK https://www.sciencephoto.com/media/707971/view/daddy-long-legs-spider-with-eggs
LINK: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leiobunum_vittatum
I discovered these eggs on my screen door last week, and this time the owner was there. got a good photo of the female and did an image search to find out the spider’s identity.
Very convenient for these arachnids to have the screen as a matrix.
Below are my two photos of the spider laying eggs on my screen.
NOTE: These Are beneficial insects. Please put the vacuum cleaner down.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The eggs are on the OUTSIDE of the screen (the daddy long legs was outside). These arachnids are not actually ”spiders.” and they are harmless to humans. They eat aphids and fungi — that’s a good thing.
Please let them hatch and be on their way. They are not interested getting indoors.
Also (for the most part) when you vacuum up insects, they are going to be smothered by the mechanical and air dynamics of the process. Their breathing aperatus with become clogged with fine dust particles because of all the turbulance. They will likely sustain a good bruising.
But, again, there is absolutely no reason that I can see to disturb or kill them. They will soon be on their way, into the garden or woods. Enjoy nature.
I’m not asking you to, Tina Marie. No need to apologize for disagreeing. 😊
I live on quite a limited income that has lately become much more limited as prices go up and up, especially health insurance. Whilewhat I have is enough for me needs, I know very clearly that even just a little more money to draw on would make my life easier in so many ways. It would be wonderful not to worry about my 16 year old car needing major work or a set of tires. Or deciding to stay with socks that have seen better days rather than buy new, warmer ones. Or not going somewhere because I don't want to use the gas. Or wearing clothing that looked good on me 10/15 years ago but no longer looks right on an 82 year old. Or having to weigh costs when I buy birthday/Christmas presents for my grandchildren. And worse, dreading rather than enjoying when it's time to buy those gifts for my 2 sisters' 4 grandchildren. (My sisters and I are close, the children are still very young and stopping the gifting is out of the question) And every winter I dread even more keeping the house too cold for this old woman because I just can't afford to keep it comfortable.
I also would like to be able to give more to those in real need through charities.
And yet, I know full well that I am so much better off than far too many. I can still afford to buy decent food. And my health is good enough that I grow and put up most of the vegetables I eat. But still... it means that money is always, always on my mind.
I also don't read posts anymore that focus on what others are doing/buying.
cyn, I don't either. I don't feel envious of how others are spending their money, but I just don't relate/aspire to that anymore. I've reached the point where I'm content to spend time with friends, eat healthy food, walk outdoors, dabble in art projects, and give thanks for all the above.
You all have covered the things money can't buy. I agree with you. I give thanks for a roof over my head, food in my fridge, a decent car to get me from A to B, clean water to drink and for bathing. My clothes are getting a little shabby but I hate shopping more than looking spiffy and being sharply dressed really means nothing to me.