How Dry I Am….

It has been extremely dry down here at the “Undisclosed Location.”

Bad enough time of civil unrest and COVID-19, unemployment, social distancing, and idiots who are down here without masks, but we are really dry. The last significant rain was during tropical Storm Fay. Cities on the Jersey coastline have a better chance at major precipitation than we at the bay do.

Kasia and her fur coat have been having a rough time along with me during the heat. I keep trying to work her coat down to make her comfortable. We have been getting our walks in, but running back in to get in air-conditioning.

My gorgeous Gerber daisies are virtually non-existent in this heat. I really didn’t get a chance to buy many, due to COVID, and the few I did buy aren’t fans of this heat.

So, it’s back to vegging out now for both Kasia and myself. We are patiently waiting for a cooling front to come through.

Oh, for October……

Sprucing Up

I waited as long as I could, but bit the bullet yesterday.

I had stopped with Jim when we were getting groceries a few weeks ago, and bought some plants for the house. Of course, having bought them, the temperatures at night were kind of chilly, so they were in on my coffee table getting sun during the day.

The weather seems to have broken a bit, so, with Jim’s help, a new fuchsia geranium, an African daisy, and four tomato plants were potted and put in one part of the back deck. I am a bit nervous, as I bought my first heirloom tomato for the deck. I bought a Black Prince tomato, so we’ll see how it will take for the deck. The rest of the back deck has a mum that I brought in for the winter that fared well, and three Gerber daisies, all hot pink.

The front of the house I decided to do yellow. I had a second yellow mum that I brought in for the winter, so it came out for the front, along with the yellow Gerber daisy that I purchased. The pop of pink on my porch will be from my geranium.

Normally I’d have a few more plants, but it’s the first of the Quarantine era. I had my mask on when shopping and grabbed what I felt looked good. There might be a few holes where I normally would have plants, but it’s more important to stay healthy.

I’m happy and grateful to be able to sit out and enjoy the flowers. Life is just too damn short.

Featured

Wrapping It Up…

…as there is definitely a front coming through. I have been fortunate enough to have had the pleasure of enjoying a ton of blooms on my deck that I called “Club Gerber” on Facebook. I look back at when I started putting flowers out in pots on the deck five years ago. I grew a ton of romaine, or should I say Gerber daisy leaves. It seemed that way after the plants lost their blooms. My friend Bela’s Dad was visiting and let me in on some secrets that have made all the difference.

Meanwhile, my trainer,Kasia, is in with me, after a walk a little while ago. I am happy to say I haven’t wrapped up my exercise/walking plans. Kas works me out, for which I am so grateful. We have taken many walks and had some gorgeous sights. To give credit where credit is due, her Dad took the gorgeous shot of the Kasia girl.

So with the first frost coming overnight, another season moves away from us here, and we’ll get our minds and bodies set for the late fall and winter. It’s always a good thing!

End of Term Malaise

I put up this shot of one of this year’s Gerber daisies to brighten my mood.

I worked all day today and don’t have to work tomorrow , as the testing that had been going on at school, and I had been assisting with, is over.

Quite honestly, when they had informed me of that, I was relieved because I sure can appreciate the down time. At the same time, I experienced an ache in my throat that spelled out one thing to me.

School is almost over. Gee.

I have been working for a few years as a class aide, but this was my first term as a substitute teacher. I came to this job thirty years too late. Hah! Actually, I can probably say that this job at almost sixty has been a blessing.

The blessing comes in a number of ways. I have never been more active as I have been this term, an I also have been moving with more of a purpose. It is coincidental that my dietician visits help give me more incentive to knock retirement weight off, but also the students I deal with help. I mean, seriously ? I have never picked up some many pencils off a floor in my life. The great thing about that is my back isn’t talking back to me when I do that. I have to admit that is a pretty good feeling. The satisfaction of having students listen and actually give me positive me feedback, and even questions, was good for my soul. My years of education and the subject matter actually was translatable, and I was glad for that. Between Jim taking me in and me walking home, I am working on getting some muscle tone back that has been sadly missing for a while. I could go on and on.

Most of all, the students are awesome in their own way. As I type this and remember that they will be going on to a new grade with new teachers, maybe some of them will remember their own Mrs. C.

I know I sure won’t forget them. Hey, I read “Good-bye Mr. Chips”. I know what it’s all about.

Class dismissed.