Saturday Meanderings
Can it possibly be another Saturday? Lately, I blink and a week has come and gone. I think the person who finds a way to slow down time could become very rich indeed! Welcome to Saturday Meanderings where we chat about all sorts of topics from the previous week.
Spring is Here..sort of.
As I write this I am sitting in front of the fireplace freezing. Just two days ago I pulled out a pair of shorts (yes, the longer version) because the warmer temperatures. Today I have on multiple layers as this old house is drafty. March has come in like a lion and appears to be staying a lion! However, I am not complaining but enjoying the ups and downs of March.
Fresh Flowers
Flowers have always played in important role in my life. I once worked for a company who had fresh flowers delivered to everyone’s desk weekly. When I worked in San Francisco, I would buy fresh flowers every Friday afternoon from a street vendor on my way home.
In the 2003 movie, Something’s Gotta Give by Nancy Meyer, did you notice the fresh flowers in every room on the set? I guess I’m a flower geek as I notice those things. For me, flowers are therapeutic. They give me joy and make me happy.
About 18 months ago, I subscribed to a monthly bouquet through The Bouqs.com. Eighteen bouquets later, I’ve been only disappointed twice. But the bouquet I received this month is so spectacular. Quite honestly, I don’t believe I have ever seen such beautiful roses. Direct from a flower farm in South America, these roses are STILL gorgeous after 2 weeks. I need to figure out how to get a commission for promoting them so much!
Projects this Week
Window washing is a spring cleaning priority and while my husband was out of town, I did start the tedious task of cleaning the family room windows. It is very hard to find a window washer who wants to clean small panes and this room has 254 of them. And that’s only washing just one side.
Since the family room is shared with the animals~two dogs and a cat, some of the door and window trim is dinged or scratched. So after I wash the windows, I also do some touch-up painting where needed. In mason jars, I keep a small amount of room and trim color paint, so it is easily accessible for touch-ups.
Any over spill on the windows is cleaned up with a single edged razor. After two days of work, the family room windows are sparkling and clean. To see more about this room that was once an outdoor porch back in the 1940s, click here.
My neighbor’s garden
My sweet neighbor, Dawn, sent me this photo from her garden. She uses a bowl of beer to attract the slugs that are eating her plants…a remedy I shared with her a few years ago. Since I just started noticing some nibbles on my new plants, I, too, am pouring beer in my garden bowls! Remember to put the bowl at ground level and fill with any beer you have available.
As you know I am coddling my new strawberry plants and it seems like the strawberry cage (see here) is doing its job! The berries are beginning to form and hopefully we will have an abundance of them this season.
Strange Behavior
We have a single quail near the garden who thinks he/she is a chicken. Since this quail seems to have a foot problem, we call him/her Hoppy. Hoppy is never very far from the chicken coop and is often found trying to get in to be next to his/her adopted siblings.
This week we let the chickens out to roam the yard and Hoppy tries to herd them back into the coop. I’ve never seen anything like this! Wanted to upload a video of bossy Hoppy but it wouldn’t cooperate.
Mysterious Shadow
Every morning I come downstairs and walk through the dining room on my way to the kitchen. I have never seen this shadow above the crystal chandelier that hangs above the dining room table. Never. So I snap this picture. Now every morning I look for this shadow and it has never appeared again. I noted the time on my phone when I took the picture and have been looking for this shadow ever since. Perhaps a once in a lifetime experience? Isn’t that odd?
Animal Fun
We have a Dad chair in the family room. No one sits in it but Dad. Ever. Except Sox. He gets a pass and jumps up in the chair whenever it is empty. Lucky dog.
Here is Cooper looking over our wall. This is a different perspective for me because I am outside our property on the street to the south. The wall is 6 feet tall, at least. Cooper is a very big dog and watches everything in the hood.
Inspired by my friend, Andrea from Design Morsels, I will be deep cleaning my range hood in the kitchen today. Andrea has a great post about this and you can see it here. Truly, after you read it you will start cleaning!
Have a wonderful weekend! Easter is just around the corner~
If you enjoy this post, please share on Pinterest.
Just a reminder that any words that are italicized bring you to the source. If it is a product on Amazon, please note that I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you purchase something through my website, I receive a small (very small!) stipend, which doesn’t affect the price you pay at all. My goal is to make sourcing the items easy for you. Thank you for your continued support.
I covet the painting in your office, the buildings/houses! Did you paint it, if not would you share the artists’ name. I love your blog posts, beautiful photos and home.
Gayle, the painting was done by Janice Howell. My recollection is that I purchased it from Housang’s Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I looked on their website but didn’t see her listed as a current artist there. However, I bet if you call they might know how to reach her.505.988.3322. I tried googling her but there seems to be more than one Janice Howell. Good luck! Yes, I love the painting too. Reminds me of our trip to Italy!
I just loved reading your Saturday Meanderings Mary! There’s so much good stuff! Loved all the animals. I think I’m going to try the beer remedy for our slugs. We used so much Sluggo last year, I was shocked. We actually went on a 10:00 pm slug hunt every few nights in the summer, I actually really enjoyed it, and I brought my salt shaker. I too am all about the fresh flowers. And of course, I noticed them in Something’s Gotta Give. I loved that house! Have a great week!
Kim, I so happy we share the love of flowers. Wish I was better at growing them here, but I’m learning. This is the first year I purchased seeds from Floret Farm…having some success. I’ve never heard of Sluggo, but the beer seems to work fine. Let me know if you try it! So funny you went on a slug hunt. We go on scorpion hunts in the summer! Ha!
Hmmm I think there’s more going on in that house than we mere mortals can understand! 😉 Love the shadow though and so glad you got a photo – it’s pure art!
Love all the animal stories too, and what a great idea to keep your trim paint available in jars. I’m using that idea for sure.
So nice catching up with you my friend! Happy Sunday!
Barbara, typically I update the trim paint every October, but before the holidays. But it is convenient to have it handy during window washing month (yes, it takes me a month!). Thanks for all your wonderful comments!
Happy Sunday!
I love reading your Saturday posts.
Blessings to you.
Renae, thank you so much. Blessings to you too, my friend!
We have two quail, we think, neither one with a foot problem We were sure they were coming over from your house. I wish Hoppy would come for a visit!!
Marjane, Hoppy goes back and forth on the shared wall to the west. I’m sure you will see her/him soon. We have another quail family in the front of the property but for some reason they do not seem to mingle with each other. Hoppy definitely prefers the chickens. It’s all too funny!
Two weeks vase life is an unbelievable for those gorgeous roses! I was a Special Ed and Art teacher until a couple of years ago when I was voluntold to also teach Floral Design. What a joy to learn more about and work with flowers, and share them with my students.
Andrea, yes, this rose bouquet was just stunning. I love your “voluntold” comment! I would love to be a flower design teacher. Lucky you!
I loved your meanderings today. That chandelier shadow is really odd and those cute dog pics. Thanks for the entertainment!
Rachel, thanks for reading the post today! Yes, I am still perplexed by that shadow. I check every day for it…but nothing so far. So strange.
Always love reading your tips and happenings Mary. I’m going to have to remember the slug trick… I have done other things to avoid them in the past, and am excited to try something new.
Chas, we’ve had great success with the beer. The only problem is that if you have an automatic water sprinkling system, the bowls can fill with water so I have to remember to strategically place them out of the way.
Good morning, Mary! Surre enjoy your meanderings. Always makes me feel as if we’re sitting together enjoying a nice hot cuppa whilst we visit.
The shadow is a mystery to be sure – what luck you were able to capture it!!!!
Have a fabulous weekend.
Michele, Saturday Meanderings is supposed to be just that….as if we were sitting together and chatting, of course with a cuppa! Wouldn’t that be nice if we lived close to each other…